Happy Thanksgiving, Rover, you old fart..
You're one of my oldest Board Acquaintances. If I remember correctly, we were both on the ESPN Pats Messages boards..
I hope I'm here 20-30 years from now like you two. Happy Thanksgiving to both of you
@oldrover and the rest of the old heads here that bring perspective & rational thinking. Guys like
@long distance @RobertWeathers @Joker @Tunescribe
You guys are always great.
You're correct that we have much to be thankful for.
- BB being the Patriots Coach
- BB being the Patriots GM
It's impossible to sum up what Bill has meant to this team. His coaching sure but so much deeper there - we ***** a lot but we've seen some really nice development here on both sides the ball. QB, CB, OL, DL - he sets the tone, is hiring these asst coaches to help develop and create a winning environment. He goes against the grain while adjusting and changing with the times. Still a
multiple-team or we're
striving to be. Again it's impossible to put on paper what he's been able to do even with the GOAT. Constantly putting a great team on the field. A talented but
balanced team on the field. Bill always tried and made a point of putting the most balanced team on the field.
As a dumb fan I sometimes get caught up in trying to put together the strongest groups possible but Bill is all about balance throughout the team.
He probably gets the most heat for being a GM but he's a legend there if we're being honest. That balance that is constant throughout our team also shows up on the books in so many ways. How many years have we been in "Cap Hell" or hurting there? Not often if we're being honest. Look at the Saints, Packers, Cowboys for example. All "contenders" or borderline but they're like -150 million over the cap next year. Sure they can make moves but some of those moves they won't want to make. We're never in dire straits or even close to it.
Sure there are bad draft picks, contracts etc but Bill has been a top 5 GM imo over two decades. Very few if any can say that.
- Mac Jones being as game ready as he has been.
I feel like I should mention the iron chain links here. Kraft, Bill, Josh, Mac ... It all starts at the top and we've got a nice structure. And for a long time it was the backbone of the franchise. Every one knew their place. Organized. Structure.
It looks like we might have that again. At least to some extent even if it's on a much smaller scale.
Mac has been great. Forget about stats or w/e. Rookie QB's are almost always bad. You want the right kind of bad .. "Manning, Aikman etc" Mac has been a borderline top 15 / top 15 QB recently and has looked very good overall. He's not carrying us but keeping the trains running on time. Making all the stops. Utilizing what's around him. He's been really good. OROY for sure. Mac, Slater, Creed, Chase in that order imo.
- Judon signing with the Patriots
What a signing. Judon is a legit DPOY candidate this year!! Him and JC. Both have been all-pro great this year. Phillips, Barmore and Dugger too on defense. Solid little core there.
- Henry signing with the Patriots
He was my fav signing on the offensive side. Him and Bourne might be Mac's fav targets. Henry has been a monster in the red zone man! On pace for 50 rec / 10+ TD in an offense with a rookie QB and a offense that took a little time to gel. Good enough blocker. He's contributed down near the goal line recently blocking.
- Ian continuing to run the best DAMN NFL FAN BOARD in the WORLD!!!!!
Thanks for letting me post here
@Ian this place is great and I hope we're here 30 years from now.
- The great insight we get from fans like
@BaconGrundleCandy and
@patfanken
Appreciate it. I started my thread bc of
@patfanken He's the best. We need a Pats Fans HOF for guys like him and
@manxman2601 and many others. Those guys made / make this place great. People care and want to check out what they have to say. That's powerful and awesome we have posters like that here.
I really enjoy reading a lot of people here.
@dreighver @primetime @jimnance @patsinthesnow @50-yard-line @Kontradiction @Tony2046 @Ice_Ice_Brady @Hammer of Thor @Mike the Brit and many others
And lets not forget the following
- the men and women in the US Armed Forces serving here and overseas.
We got the best! Best most well trained military in the world.
- the men and women who are First Responders in the US. Willing to risk their lives for people they don't know on a daily basis.
- the men and women in the Health Care system who have been at the forefront on the S**TSHow known as the Pandemic the last 2 years
Absolutely. No matter how you feel about this mess. These are our friends, sisters and brothers on the front line of a clown show. Pulled in different directions. They've been great!
- The men and women working at our grocery stores and being at risk on a daily basis because they were considered "essential workers".
I live across from one of the original Demoulas (Market Basket) maybe original one. Lots of young & old people working. I always give them a few bucks. Leaving $10-20 change, maybe giving a kid something as he's wrangling up 65 shopping carts in a full parking lot when it's 30 degrees out.
Happy we have a stable and well run team. Ownership on down we've set the standard the last 20 + years.
