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Ok, I am going to cheat and make this a season review thread and not about this game because quite frankly I just didn't care about this game at all. Here we go:
- Two years later, is there any doubt who won the trade between the Pats and Vikings for that first round pick that turned into Corddarelle Patterson for the Vikes and Jamie Collins, Josh Boyce, Logan Ryan, and part of the trade for LaGarette Blount? Collins is the best player of the bunch by a Grande Canyon type of margin. Patterson for Collins straight up would have been a huge steal for the Pats.
- Speaking of Collins, he is showing he might turn into a special player. He can do almost anything and line up in multiple locations. He is more than a Jack of All Trades type of guy because he showed he can be elite in coverage and rushing the passer. I know he will always be a bust since the Pats drafted Tavon Wilson in 2011, but if continues to improve he might be the greatest bust of all time and the first bust to make it to the Hall.
- I know Belichick the GM gets a lot of crap on this board, but this offseason and in season moves have mostly been impressive. Revis, Browner, and LaFell are big reasons why this team is favorite to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. His in season moves to fix immediate needs have been genius like. Who would have thought adding Branch, Ayers, and Casillas would make that much of a difference?
- We will have to see how it pans out in the post season, but the Mankins trade officially did not hurt the Pats in the regular season and you can argue based on Wright's red zone contribution that it helped the Pats. Also, Miguel said on PFW in Progress this week that he doesn't see how the Pats would have been able to make the trades for Ayers and Casisis or sign Blount if they didn't trade away Mankins and free up the cap space. You can't do any better than having HFA throughout the playoffs during the regular season and that is where the Pats are.
- The rumors of Brady's demise were greatly exaggerated. I will admit that even I thought that Brady's time with the Pats had the possibility of coming to an end sooner rather than later in September. But Brady had his best season in years after that. I still don't know if he can play at an elite level into his mid to late 40s like he thinks, but at least 40 is definitely not out of the question.
- I had my serious doubts that Wilfork was ever going to be much of anything ever again. It was a pleasant surprise that he not only proved me wrong, he might have had his best season in the last few years.
- Both Dennard and Dobson were disappointments this year, but I think both may be due to injuries. Both deserve an offseason and a preseason to get it right. But I would not be shocked if both are gone after this year.
- Call me crazy, but if Amendola is willing to take a significant pay cut, I wouldn't be totally upset to see him back. Miguel laid out a scenario where the Pats would get the same cap space and future cap money if he was willing to take a pay cut. He does have some value and seems to be getting into a little rhythm with Brady in the last few weeks.
- The biggest concerns going into the post season is o-line and the #3 CB. Both can be alieved if Arrington and Connolly are healthy in two weeks. But if your biggest concern on defense is your #3 CB, you are in good shape on that side of the ball.
- Superlatives for the season (sorry, but most of these are predictable):
- OPOY - Gronk
- DPOY - Revis
- Comeback Players of the Year: Gronk
- Surprise Player Positive: Patrick Chung - For the most part has been a solid starter when many people doubted he would make the 53 man roster. Still a liabilty when he has to go intermediate to deep coverage but many SS are that way
- Surprise Player Negative: Dennard - When from a pretty good #2 CB to a healthy scratch.
- ROY - Stork
- MVP - Brady. Gronk may be a difference maker on offense, but this is still Brady's team.
- Playoff Predictions: I assume there will be a thread for a full playoff prediction thread. So I will stick to the Pats only here and I can't talk opponents until they are actually set. I think the Pats walk through the AFC fairly easily. I think they win both AFC games by at least a TD or more. My heart says they will beat the Seahawks in a close one in the Super Bowl, but my head says they lose a close one.
Buffalo Bills @buffalobills 
