The New England Patriots will win their 7th Lombardi Trophy this season.
Now, I expect a possible barrage of, “has this guy hit the legal marijuana shops in Massachusetts?”, or possibly/probably worse.
But folks, that’s how this writer sees it. It may be through rose-colored glasses, but … what the heck! It’s certainly an unusual and most probably an unlikely prediction. But here it is anyway.
So read on to see why the Patriots will accomplish this unexpected yet entirely doable feat and bring the red, white, blue, and silver back to the pinnacle of the NFL.
How the New England Patriots will win their 7th Lombardi Trophy
This writer hopes that no one has predicted this before. I want to be known as the writer who made that silly prediction.
Or conversely, as the “prognosticator of prognosticators” (a line pilfered from the movie “Groundhog Day”). Either way, I’m good with it. Have to have a thick skin in this business.
So, one might ask, why would anyone risk such a seemingly outlandish prediction on a team that only won seven games last year? Good question.
In addition, it has a rookie quarterback in Mac Jones, who hasn’t taken a single NFL snap at the helm, to whom they have entrusted their entire season if not their future.
Well, simply stated, it’s because this team only won seven games last season and has a rookie quarterback. Let’s explore why and how those two factors have made all the difference.
It happened in a roundabout way, yet, it will very likely be the determining factor why this glorified franchise will return to its former greatness after just a sole year of losing its way.
How does the fact that the New England Patriots won only seven games last season make them a Super Bowl winner?
It’s because New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick, New England Patriots Head of Football Operations, are a very determined and focused duo.
Robert Kraft may have had a self-assessment that he had a lot to do with the loss of Tom Brady and the sad state of his six-time Lombardi-winning team in 2020.
Last season was a bitter pill for both Mr. Robert Kraft and Belichick to stomach. And in addition, they were shown up big-time by one Tom Brady.
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That caused an extreme case of GERD (gastrointestinal reflux syndrome) for both of these NFL icons. Simply put, it didn’t sit well for this duo of NFL icons.
Losing was not part of the New England Patriot way and has become totally unacceptable after two decades of Tom Brady’s excellence.
So, the result was a completely atypical offseason for these previously self-satisfied NFL giants. They went for the gusto, so to speak.
Mr. Robert Kraft was clearly looking to get back his winning team and his comments reflected those feelings.
Robert Kraft likely said to Bill Belichick, do what you have to do to give me back my winning team. And he opened his checkbook accordingly.
The New England Patriots free agency spending by Bill Belichick amounted to $159.6M according to ESPN. It was a tidy sum indeed.
But in so spending on some truly quality additions, they may just have helped guarantee a trip to Inglewood, California.
As a result, the New England Patriots not only added to their offensive arsenal but also bolstered a languid defense. That defense is now a veritable powerhouse.
Upgrades in the first two levels, defensive line, and linebacker/edge are not just incremental improvements, they’re dramatic upgrades.
The defensive backfield even without Stephon Gilmore is solid. With him, it’s elite. And that is all good and represents a much better version than in 2020.
Bill Belichick’s free-agent acquisitions and a draft that looks uncharacteristically productive have put the foundation in place for winning.
New England Patriots offensive additions will make all the difference
In addition, the Patriots enhanced a truly dreadful 2020 offensive arsenal with some potent weapons. Bill Belichick brought in some players.
The Patriots improved their wide receiver corps by adding Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne. They are OK receivers but not the best.
Then they monumentally upgraded their tight end complement by securing the top two tight ends on the free agency market, Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry.
Musket Fire
In addition, they finally drafted the big back they had been bereft of since they unceremoniously dumped LeGarrette Blount from the squad.
That would be Rhamondre “the Ram” Stevenson. To our readers, please do not in any way shape or form minimize the importance of this one player’s addition to the Patriots’ success this season.
Stevenson will be a major factor, a major contributor to the Patriots not only going back to the Super Bowl but winning it. As Vince Wilfork won it as a rookie, so will Stevenson.
And lastly, while the quarterback position was well-served by former Patriot Cam Newton, the team brought in a young passer who will excel in this particular (emphasis provided) system.
Mac Jones is a precision, pinpoint passer who is much better suited to the offense in which the Patriots are most comfortable than almost any other quarterback other than Brady.
As a dropback passer (and there may be none better), Mac Jones is exactly what the team has always been comfortable utilizing under Belichick.
Mac Jones was the best pocket passer in college last season, and maybe the best pocket passer in the history of NCAA, as well.
He is a truly intuitive quarterback. He has been seen in the preseason in a limited sample who as a young player has truly mastered the art of quarterbacking.
Much has been written about this young player already, and volumes more will be written so I will lend some superlative predictions for his first NFL season.
Mac Jones will be Offensive Rookie of the Year. Jones will also be Super Bowl MVP. That’s a tall order for a rookie. Indeed, it’s very, very optimistic. But, that’s the prediction.
If it falls flat on its and my face, so be it. But this team could be very, very special and Mac Jones is a unique player, a unique passer, and already an elite quarterback, and their new leader.
So, that’s the prediction and it’s a whopper. So have at it. Let the comments and criticism flow but at the end of the day, as they say in Foxborough, it is what it is.
And it says in this space that the New England Patriots will be Super Bowl Champions once again. And won’t the rest of the NFL be thrilled!
Suffice it to say, we’ve got Mac Jones, and you don’t. Maybe for a decade, or who knows, maybe even two! Won’t that be grand! So, to the rest of the NFL, just deal with it. It is what it is.