Tag: New England Patriots

Best Patriots Players to Suffer the Logan Mankins Curse

Most people are probably asking: “What is the Logan Mankins Curse?” The Logan Mankins Curse refers to a player who played for the Pats during the Brady-Belichick era, but did not win a ring. I call it the Logan Mankins Curse because he was drafted by the Pats in 2005 (right after they won 3 Super Bowls from 2001-2004) and was traded away weeks before the 2014 season (in which the Pats won the first of 3 Super Bowls from 2014-2018). I want to be clear: this is not named after him as a slight or because he was bad. Logan Mankins is a Hall of Fame worthy player and one of the best Pats of all time. His career with them just happened to be during the 9 season span they didn’t win (2005-2013).

I will be ranking players based on how good they were with the Pats, not how good their careers were overall.

1. Randy Moss, WR

One of the greatest wide receivers in NFL history and he was arguably at his best with the Pats. It’s such a shame they couldn’t get a ring for an all-time great player.

2. Logan Mankins, Guard

As talked about in the intro, this guy was a beast. He was a six time All-Pro with the Pats and he deserved a ring more than anyone else on this list.

3. Wes Welker, WR

A better regular season version of Julian Edelman, Welker was the perfect complement to Randy Moss and thrived while playing with Brady. He came up short twice with the Pats.

4. Aaron Hernandez, TE

He is now remembered for the awful things he did off the field more than anything else. On the field, he was super talented and along with Gronk gave the Pats a devastating TE combo.

5. Brandon Meriweather, Saftey

He was a very underrated player and could absolutely lay guys out. People don’t play the game like him anymore due to rule changes.

6. BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Running Back

An all-time nickname (Law Firm), hard running style, and lack of fumbling made him a great fit in New England. He brought that great hard-nosed running style before we had LeGarrette Blount.

7. Danny Woodhead, Running Back

He was such a gritty and talented pass catcher who complemented the Pats playing style so well.

8. Aqib Talib, Corner Back

He only played here a year, but was an All-Pro and Pro Bowler for us.

9. Brandin Cooks, WR

He also came in for just a year, but helped us get to a Super Bowl as our WR1 when Edelman was out in 2017.

10. Matt Cassell, QB

He was better after the Pats, but still managed to come in and lead the Pats to 11 wins after Brady went down in 2008.

Bonus Fun Fact: In doing the research for this blog, I realized that during the 2010 season, the Pats had Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Julian Edelman, Deion Branch, Kevin Faulk, Rob Gronkowski, and Aaron Hernandez all at the same time. I know that some players were early in the careers and some later, but to have all that talent on the same team is crazy. And it’s no surprise Brady won MVP that year.

Drake Maye vs Mac Jones

There are many reasons why most Patriots fans, including myself, believe Drake Maye will fair much better than Mac Jones. Below are my reasons, some obvious and some not so much.

Drake Maye has much more talent than Mac Jones. Physically he is slightly bigger at 6’4″, 230 lbs vs Mac at 6’3″ 220. He also is much more athletic and has such a better arm than Mac does.

Maye also produced in a much harder situation than Mac. Mac was aided by the greatest college football coach ever and maybe the greatest wide receiver room in college football history. Maye dealt with much more difficulty and still stood out.

Maye seems like intangibly he is also better than Mac. Mac had a tendency to pout and have poor body language, whereas Maye seems to have a better attitude, which I think is important. When the going gets tough, you want a QB who weathers the storm instead of complaining about the storm.

For all of Mac’s shortcomings, he really had no help offensively, as the Pats have had the worst offensive skill talent in the league since Brady left and their offensive line play was poor too. They are still very much a work in progress, but they did use significant draft capital on WRs and Oline this year. Hopefully, the Pats will continue to build the offense around Maye and give him viable options and protection.

Maye also benefits from not being the heir apparent franchise QB to Tom Brady. That is nearly an impossible role to live up to and Mac didn’t come close. Now that Pats fans have endured a couple shitty seasons, their expectations are not as high as the immediate Post-Brady era.

This will be the most controversial, but I think Maye will actually benefit from not having the greatest coach of all time lead the Patriots. The Bill vs Tom debate created lots of controversy and pressure for everyone in Foxboro. I believe it influenced Bill to go for broke in terms of winning and he simply tried a quick reload, instead of a full on rebuild that the Pats realistically needed. Now that he’s gone, they can focus on rebuilding correctly and getting back to winning championships.

Most Hated Teams in Sports

Being a hated team in sports gets more of a bad rap than it should. It’s better to be hated as a sports team than to be irrelevant and not talked about (think Los Angeles Angels or Atlanta Falcons). Below are the most hated teams in American sports:

Dallas Cowboys

They are the most popular team in the most popular sport in America, the highest valued sports franchise in the world, and the most hated team in sports. The Cowboys get talked about so much despite not having accomplished anything notable in the past 30 years. That’s an easy team for fans to hate.

New York Yankees

The evil empire. The championships. The pinstripes. The Yankees are an iconic franchise. People all over the world wear their hat to the point that their logo is more so a fashion statement and representation of New York City than just a sports team. Even though they have underwhelmed the past decade plus, they will forever be near the top of this list.

Duke Blue Devils Basketball

Much like the teams above them, no matter how good or bad Duke is any given year, their reputation automatically makes people hate them. An elite university and elite basketball program that wins so much is the perfect villain college basketball needs.

Alabama Crimson Tide Football

They are an absolute juggernaut of a program, having dominated college football the past 15 years. Even with Nick Saban leaving, this is a team that everyone will circle on their schedules and fans will live to see them be mediocre.

New England Patriots

The Pats went 4-13 last year, and not a single person outside of New England felt bad after they dominated the most competitive league in sports for two decades. The success they’ve had combined with some “cheating,” has made them one of the most hated teams in America.

Houston Astros

They are newer to this list than most of the other teams on it. The sign stealing scandal is still fresh in so many minds, that they will be hated for years to come.

Texas Longhorns Football

They suffer from a similar “curse” that the Cowboys do. Texas Football is such a big brand, despite not winning a national championship for almost 20 years and people can’t stand it.

Michigan Wolverines Football

Before this year, Michigan was similar to Texas in that they hadn’t won a title in a long time, but were still talked about so much. This year, their cheating scandal combined with their dominating season gives football fans more fire to fuel their hate.

Philadelphia Eagles

This is a rare one, where people mainly hate this team because of how terrible their fans are. Philly easily has the worst fans in sports and it’s on full display at Eagles games.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs are starting to suffer from what the Pats have, where their success is breeding hate. That combined with all of the complaining they do every time the refs don’t bend the rules in their favor, makes them easy to hate.

NFL Schedule Release

The NFL schedule release being bigger news than the NHL or NBA playoffs shows the popularity of the shield. Some highlights for the Pats and league as a whole:

Patriots

The Pats are tied for the 8th hardest strength of schedule and this will probably be a tough season record wise. The good news is they are starting at rock bottom so they can only go up.

The Pats only “unique” games of the year are a Thursday Night game vs the Jets Week 3 and a London game vs Jags. It makes sense that they aren’t on primetime a lot, but shows how far they have fallen.

Other Highlights

I love that the NFL is now scheduling games whenever they want to. There are two Friday games, including a Week 1 matchup in Brazil and a game on Black Friday. They are also playing two Christmas Day games on Netflix, even though it’s a Wednesday.

The NFL is the most popular league in America and they know it. No matter what day they show a game, people are going to watch.

One thing I don’t get about the NFL schedule is the Monday Night doubleheaders that overlap. I’d understand if they separated them so fans could watch both, but as they are now, fans must choose one or the other, which makes no sense. It’s happening 4 times this year.

Streaming Delimna

The massive news about Netflix showing Christmas Day games emphasizes an annoying trend in sports and streaming in general that is only going to get worse: There are too many streaming platforms people need to pay for. Below are all the streaming services and their prices needed to watch every NFL game next year.

That is crazy. I’ll pay for Sunday Ticket, I have Prime, and I also pay for NFL Plus (another $7 a month to stream games on your phone). For the steaming only games, I’ll have to rely on family, friends, or a local bar- as I’m sure a lot of other people will too.

This all highlights the awkward phase we are in with people moving from cable to streaming. No one under 40 wants to pay for cable, but there are too many streaming services to potentially pay for.

There’s a lot of news about companies bundling services together, especially for sports, and this makes sense. People don’t want to pay for all of these, but if you could somehow bundle all the NFL steamers together, that would be a hot ticket. One day, all the games will probably be streamed, so this will only continue to be a bigger issue.

Patriots New Logo

The Pats have subtly released what seems like a secondary logo (as seen above). It is very odd to release a new logo with absolutely no fanfare whatsoever. Maybe this means they are just experimenting with it and may remove it, if fans aren’t big into it. The current reaction is mostly negative and I have to agree.

The NE is too big and they are trying to do too much by incorporating the Flying Elvis face into the letters while also merging the N and E into one. It’s a little odd, but maybe hints that they are looking for a new logo long term.

Post Draft Thoughts

So much success in the NFL is based on where you play, especially at quarterback. No matter how much talent you have, a terrible organization, coach, and team can derail a career. Now that we know where the top 6 QBs and a couple other top prospects are playing, below I predict how their careers will turn out.

Caleb Williams:

Going to Chicago has historically been where careers go to die for QBs. However, if one QB can buck that trend, it’s Williams. He is so talented and the fact that his pro comparisons are Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes tells you how good he is. Unlike with Justin Fields, the Bears have actually done a great job of surrounding him with amazing weapons and a solid Oline. How great he will be will come down to how well the coaching staff develops him. Regardless, the Bears history of never having a QB throw for 4,000 yards or 30 TDs will end soon.

I think he will be a really good to great QB in the NFL. He will make multiple Pro Bowls and help the Bears compete in a really tough division. My main apprehension with him is he seems like a diva type player. That’s fine with wide receivers like TO and OBJ, but when it comes to quarterback, that type of personality tends to not work out. Look at guys in the league who are star QBs: Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, etc. They are not controversial and outspoken personalities. They always say the right things and are tremendous leaders. I just get the vibe that Caleb will not be a great leader and might causes some issues off the field similar to Kyler Murray and Aaron Rodgers. Once again, I think he’ll be really good to great, but will definitely cause some headaches for the Bears.

Jayden Daniels:

It’s great to see another LSU QB have a massive progression, win the Heisman, and be a top pick in the draft. That shows how great his work ethic is. His athleticism is off the charts and he will be one of the most athletic QBs in the league right away. It’s also reassuring that Daniels put up the numbers he did while playing in the best conference in college. He will be able to make an immediate impact and having an OC like Kliff Kingsbury is also a plus.

My one apprehension with him is that he is not super well built. This is something that can be fixed, but with a terrible Oline and being a guy that runs so much, it could be an issue.

Overall, he has a pretty good group of weapons around him with Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson at WR and Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson Jr at RB. I think he has an average to solid career as a starter, but is not anything special.

Drake Maye:

I have super high hopes for Maye. He was my favorite QB in this draft, so the fact the Pats got him at #3 is a steal in my opinion. He reminds me a lot of Andrew Luck and Justin Herbert in terms of his combination of size, athleticism, and arm talent. He will just have turned 22 at the start of next season and will have time to develop under Jacoby Brissett. He is extremely tough, is a great kid, and played well through some perseverance and tough situations last year.

The biggest question with Maye has nothing to do with him, but the Patriots. First off, they have the worst roster in the league, especially when it comes to Oline and WR. They drafted some wide receivers and offensive lineman after Maye, but they still need to surround him with weapons and guys who can block. Also, how will the coaches develop him? Jerrod Mayo is a defensive coach so it will mainly be the responsibility of Alex Van Pelt, who is relatively unproven.

I believe he will develop into the Patriots franchise quarterback. He has the tools to succeed in New England, with a big frame and big arm that will serve him well in the terrible Foxboro weather. He obviously won’t be Tom Brady, but I think he can be a better version of Drew Bledsoe. He should be a multiple time Pro Bowler and lead the Pats back to contention for years to come.

Michael Penix Jr:

Easily the biggest shocker of the draft. I was initially shocked by what they did, but the Falcons explaining why they did it helped me make more sense of it. I just don’t agree with their reasoning.

Penix is going to be 24 before the season starts and is maybe the most “pro-ready” QB prospect in the draft. But they drafted him to be the developmental, eventual starter. He should have some good weapons around him when he does start, but when will that be?

They owe Kirk Cousins a ton of money and realistically can’t get out of the contact until 2026 when Penix with be 26 himself. Cousins isn’t amazing but he’s a good enough starter who probably won’t play himself out of the position. With all the uncertainty and an odd situation, I think Penix doesn’t end up being a long-term starter in the league.

J.J. McCarthy:

I like McCarthy, but easily think he was the most overrated player this draft. Compared to the other 5 QBs taken, I think he easily was the worst prospect and was benefited by his team more than any of them. With that being said, he is going to basically the perfect situation. He has a really good offensive coach in Kevin O’Connell, the best WR in the league in Justin Jefferson, a top 3 TE in TJ Hockenson, one of the best young WRs in the league in Jordan Addison, and new RB Aaron Jones. They even have a good offensive line. Furthermore, McCarthy can develop behind Sam Darnold if needed.

I think McCarthy will have a career similar to the man he is replacing – Kirk Cousins. His situation is just too good to be a complete bust. I see him putting up solid numbers but not being a guy who can win his team big games and take them far in the playoffs.

Bo Nix:

Nix lands in a spot with a good head coach, but a team that really lacks weapons. He’s accurate and has a ton of experience, but I just don’t think he has that high of a ceiling. Sean Payton has also been very impatient and critical of his QB and team since taking over and I don’t think that’s a great situation for any rookie QB. I think Nix ends up playing a good bit as a rookie, but I don’t think his career will mount to much and he won’t be a long-term starter.

Marvin Harrison Jr.

I think he is the best player in this class and the most exciting by far. Getting to play for a good QB in Kyler is also huge for him. He’ll be a Day 1 starter and should be an absolute stud for years to come.

Brock Bowers:

I think Bowers fits into the Raiders mold well. The biggest question is who is gonna be the QB throwing him the ball and how good will they be. However, he’s so talented that he should make an immediate impact and he has other weapons around him so defenses can’t just key in on him. He should be a long-term starter and make a handful of Pro Bowls.

Other Quick Points

With 6 QBs taken in the first round and all these other amazing offensive players at marquee positions like WR and OT, I think this draft will go down in history as one of the best ever.

The fact that round 1 of the NFL draft had a higher average viewership than last year’s NBA finals once again shows why football is the king of sports in the US.

Xavier Worthy should be a great pick for Chiefs. He fits in so well with Mahomes and that offense. The Chiefs have rebuilt their WR corps into one of the better ones in the league in just one year, showing why they are the dynasty that they are.

It’s still so early, but the Bears – Panthers trade from last year might go down as the worst trade in NFL history. If Bryce Young ends up being a bust, while Caleb is a stud that’s bad enough. But on top of that, the Bears got one of the best WRs in the league, a starting tackle, a starting CB, and still have another 2nd round pick next year. This is something to keep an eye on.

Patriots Free Agency and Draft Recap

Below are some of the highlights (and some lowlights) of the Pats offseason so far.

Key Additions/Returners:

Drake Maye, QB: Wow, this could not have gone better. He would have been my top choice at QB even if we had the number 1 pick. He’s absolutely our guy. I’m happy we got him some new WRs and offensive linemen because we needed help there and still do. Now we need to let him develop and simaltaneously keep building up the team around him. Don’t have the reason he doesn’t succeed be because we didn’t give him anything to work with. Luckily, the great thing is that he can sit behind Jacoby Brisset for a year if needed and develop while we continue to build up our team in free agency and the draft next year. I don’t like the Joe Milton pick unless they end up moving him to TE. It makes no sense to have two rookie QBs that you need to develop, so hopefully he switches positions.

Ja’Lynn Polk, WR: I have high hopes for Polk. He was overshadowed by Romeo Odunze, but still had a great season for Washington. He’s got great size and should immediately become our WR1. In recent history, many stud WRs have been taken in the early 2nd round, so Polk could develop into a star WR for us.

Caedan Wallace, OT: He is a player with a low floor, but a high ceiling. He could end up contributing nothing or being a great player for years to come. It helps that he can play left tackle or right tackle, so hopefully he can make an impact his rookie year.

Jacoby Brissett, QB: I love signing Brissett to a 1 year deal for $8 mil. It is a perfect low risk move that gives us a potential bridge QB who is a great guy and teammate.

Mike Onwenu, G/T: Signing him to a 3 year deal for $57 mil is a little expensive, but I’m happy they kept him. Having a good offensive line is huge for a young QB and Onwenu can play both guard spots and right tackle so he’s a huge asset. The Pats have let great homegrown offensive lineman like Joe Thuney leave in recent years so I love that we kept Onwenu around.

Kendrick Bourne, WR: I think we overpaid him at 3 years, $33 mil, but its good to have our best WR from last year back. Ideally we draft a couple weapons and he is our number 3 receiver, but he’s still a good guy to have around.

Hunter Henry, TE: I feel similar about this signing as I do with Bourne. That being said, he’s our best red zone option and can be a great safety blanket for a young QB.

Kyle Dugger, S: The Pats placed the transition tag on him, then signed him to a 4 year $58 million deal. He’s a good player and seems like a good guy, but I don’t get why they shelled out such a big deal to a guy who is 28 and doesn’t play a premium position.

Christian Barmore, DT: The Pats signed Barmore to a massive 4 year deal worth up to $92 million. He’s now the 7th highest paid DT in the league and it’s the biggest non-Tom Brady contract in team history. They easily overpaid Barmore. However, the one thing that eases my disagreement is that only about $40 million is guaranteed. Seeing as the Pats have plenty of cap space and no real stars they need to resign soon, it still isn’t a good deal, but isn’t detrimental. Barmore was pretty good last year and let’s hope he now raises his game even more.

Key Depatures:

Mac Jones, QB: This was a great move. Having Mac there would be awkward for our new QB and the fact we got anything for him is huge. A 6th round pick isn’t amazing, but Brady was a 6th round pick so you never know what they could get.

Trent Brown, T: He was by no means that good, but losing your left tackle is important, especially with a new young QB. They need to replace him.

Overall, I’m very happy with how this offseason went. The Pats got their potential franchise QB and some WRs and offensive lineman in the draft, which were their three biggest needs. That shows that they are willing to invest significant time and draft capital into offensive players, which they have been terrible at the last decade plus. They also resigned some key lineman and receivers, while cleaning house by trading away Mac Jones. I don’t expect us to win a lot of games this year, but my hope is our young players can develop and the future will look bright.

Belichick vs Kraft Beef Reaction

It’s sad to see what has become of two of the core members of the Pat’s Dynasty. Bill’s name has been dragged through the mud the past four years as people have said he is an incompetent GM and an out of touch coach. Now, its gotten to the point where Bill couldn’t get a job in the latest hiring cycle and his future as a head coach is in jeopardy.

What’s made the Bill situation more awkward is the role that Kraft has seemed to play in the smearing of Bill’s name. Reports have come out for the last five or so years about Kraft not liking Belichick and saying a demeaning thing here and there. But this offseason, it has turned into a full frontal assault on Bill.

First, the documentary, “The Dynasty,” came out. A lot of former Pats have called it terrible, and it seems like a hit piece Kraft helped make to simultaneously shit on Belichick, while also making himself look good so he can get into the Hall of Fame. Now, a report has come out that Kraft has been talking about Bill behind his back to sabotage Bill and prevent him from getting a job. The article stated a big reason for this is that Brady has left and had success and if Bill does the same, then Kraft looks like the reason the Pats dynasty failed and the least important of the three. Kraft’s main hope of looking good is if Bill doesn’t get a job and he can rebuild the Pats to a title contender.

It has gotten to the point that people are now defending Bill and shitting on Kraft, which I never thought I’d see. It’s also important to remember that while I’m sure there’s some truth to all of this, it also is likely getting blown out of proportion to make it into an entertaining story.

Regardless, this is tough as a Pats fan because I really like both of them. I think Bill is the greatest coach and GM ever, and Kraft is the greatest owner of all time. Both completely deserve a spot in the Hall of Fame and every Pats fan should be grateful for both of them. I think time is what’s needed to heal this relationship. After a couple years, I’m sure the beef will mostly subside and they’ll be thankful for each other and what they were able to accomplish together.

Top 10 QBs of All Time

1 Tom Brady

Numbers. Awards. Super Bowls. He has done it all and done it better than anyone else we’ve ever seen. The one and only GOAT.

2 Joe Montana

A guy who played his best during the biggest moments. His Super Bowl stats: 4-0, 3 Super Bowl MVPs, 11 TDs-0 INTs, and a QB rating of 127.8. Oh yeah and he wasn’t too bad in the regular season, winning 2 MVPs and being a 5 time All-Pro.

3 Peyton Manning

A super likable guy off the field, but a killer on it. A ten time All-Pro, 5 time MVP, and he won 2 Super Bowls.

4 Aaron Rodgers

He probably throws the greatest ball in NFL history and doesn’t even look like he’s trying. It’s no surprise he’s won 4 MVPs and put up a ridiculous TD-Int ratio of 475-105. He can still build on his insane resume.

5 Patrick Mahomes

Probably the most talented QB to ever play. At only 28, he still has a lot of his legacy left to write and could make a run for the top spot on this list.

6 Brett Favre

The ultimate gunslinger. Favre would improvise like no one else and was never afraid to make any throw, which led to many interceptions, but also 3 MVPs and a Super Bowl.

7 John Elway

One of the most hyped QBs coming out of college and he delivered with 2 Super Bowls and an MVP.

8 Johnny Unitas

Unitas was putting up big numbers in the passing game well before most QBs were. His 3 MVPs and 7 All-Pro selections show how dominant he was.

9 Dan Marino

He was dominant and put up modern day numbers in the 80s. The fact he’s on this list despite not winning the big one shows how good he was.

10 Drew Brees

He put up huge numbers year after year and brought NOLA a much needed Super Bowl.

Evaluating my Beginning of the Year Predictions

This was a wild year with many ups and downs in the NFL and CFB. At the beginning of the year, I made numerous predictions on what would happen this season and below are some of the best predictions I made:

  • I correctly picked the winner of 71% (42/59) of the games I covered this season.
  • I hit on 72% (42/58) of the spreads I picked this year.
  • I hit on 53% (31/58) of the over/unders I picked this year.
  • All told, I hit on 63% (73/116) of the betting picks I made this year.
  • Michigan won the CFP Championship.
  • Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, and San Francisco 49ers won their divisions.
  • Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles, and Dallas Cowboys made the playoffs.
  • San Francisco 49ers made the Super Bowl
  • Kansas City Chiefs made the AFC Championship Game
  • Josh McDaniels got fired as the Raiders coach.
  • Ron Rivera was fired as the Commanders coach.
  • Bill Belichick and the Pats parted ways at the end of the year.
  • Jared Goff threw 30 TDs this year.
  • Kenny Pickett showed very few signs of looking like a quality starting QB.
  • Shane Steichen and the Colts surprised people.