Oh No We Suck Again, Or Do We? Patriots Nation Needs To Put Aside Their Fandom And Take A Second Look At Where This Team Is.

The New England Patriots' twenty year dynasty is over. As fans we need to accept that the greatest era in NFL history is over with. The team is now about would'ves, should'ves, could'ves, and moral victories. It's in the second year of a rebuild and before anyone screams "we're going back to the pre Bledsoe Patriots," the team is showing signs that it could be playoff ready by 2022.

The defense is a bend don't break unit that has been keeping the Patriots in games and Belichick has been letting opponents beat themselves to allow the team a chance for a victory. Mac Jones is still developing and the offense hasn't had the best execution or fundamentals or the team would be 5 - 1.

"The (75 yard touchdown pass)call to pick on Diggs, one of the league’s most dangerous—but also most vulnerable—cornerbacks was reminiscent of the kind of mental warfare the Patriots used to wage. The defensive lapses that allowed the Cowboys to walk back down the field for a game-tying field goal and a game-winning touchdown in overtime were reminders of the distance between what was and what could be again," wrote Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated.

The AFC east was supposed to be greatly improved and yet the Dolphins who were supposed to be a wildcard team are 1 - 5 sitting next to the Jets. While the Patriots who are sitting 2 - 4, we're a score or a stop away from beating the Buccaneers and Cowboys. The Patriots record is an illusion and I dare to say this team is currently better than the Buffalo Bills. Yeah, I said that. 

From fumbles and slipping by the backs, to drops and miscommunication by the pass catchers, to penalties and failing to block by the line, to changing out of plays by Jones and failing to make clutch stops by the defense; if this team stops shooting themselves in the foot, even with a rookie quarterback they'd be a playoff team. Their record reflects what we thought they would be but what we've seen on the field is another. 

Sure the roster can use some upgrades still. And yes some players need to start playing better (Isaiah Wynn). It's true McDaniels is calling boring efficient plays that have worked for twenty years over new risk-reward plays that other teams are running but again this team is better than they're letting on. If the Patriots string a couple of wins together and get confidence, which is the only thing this unit is missing, watch out because there's gonna be no stopping them at that point. Bill Belichick, Josh McDaniels, Steve Belichick, and Jarod Mayo have this team on the path fans want, regardless if fans want them fired for the stupid reasons they do.

There's a reason why we're called fans and why the analysts on tv are sitting in front of a camera instead of standing on a sideline. Look at how many superbowl appearances this staff has made, look at all their years of knowledge. This staff knows more about football than the combined knowledge of most of us. It's been said for twenty years, and while it was easier to say with Brady around, "In Bill We Trust."