New England Patriots are on top again despite their imperfection

The New England Patriots are back where they belong, on top of the AFC standings after pulling out a huge victory over the Buffalo Bills in Week 13. The victory could prove to go a long way to helping them secure a playoff spot down the line.

With this in mind, anyone who might persist in pointing out some deficiencies, personnel gaffes, and other lacks in the Patriots administration or coaching will likely be hammered for their views.

Sorry, but in this space the calls will be as they are seen, nothing more nothing less. There ain’t no “Trust in anyone” here. As they say in Foxborough, it is what it is.

That’s exactly what readers will get here. That would be opinions on what is seen, not what is supposed to be or purported to be by Patriots sycophants who worship at the shrine at 1 Patriots Place.

The New England Patriots real fans call them as they see ’em

Anyone who adopts a candid, realistic, and objective viewpoint about the Patriots or any Boston team for that matter, will likely be castigated, insulted, and otherwise hammered in comments or in other forums.

That ain’t nothin’ new for this space. That’s for certain. It goes with the turf. You make a comment or observation that goes against the popular sentiment, you get the flack. You have to expect it when you go against the grain.

That doesn’t matter here. Having been a Patriots fan who’s been a Pats person for lots of seasons let’s say, the right to be objective, critical, or whatever else you want to call it has been duly earned.

If the need arises to say that the Patriots drafting has been poor many more times by far than good, so be it. Conversely, when they make the right calls, you’ll see them here, as well. The 2021 draft was massively successful. Those calls will be made here.

It’s called objectivity and simply because you’re a fan doesn’t mean you have to swallow the team’s personnel moves, coaching, or anything else wholesale if they’re not what or where you feel they should be.

If you happen to be an opinion writer, that’s what you do. Of course, that can get you called a Patriots hater (that’s the best laugher for this huge Patriots fan) or some other such moniker that couldn’t be further from the truth.

In fact, the thought here is that real, serious Patriots fans have to be critical unless you buy into the, “Trust in whomever” baloney that you’ve heard around here for two decades.

The fact is, the catchphrase if there were to have been one, should have been, “Trust in Tom” if anything.

But the real point here is this, while the quarterback is the key individual, it’s the team, the coaches, the personnel operation, and the ownership that mutually produce the end product.

New England Patriots gaffes will be pointed out here

The NFL draft is a favorite topic in this space. It has a gravitational pull for some. Others could care less. Everyone can have their own opinion on that.

Yet, whether you like it or not, the NFL draft is an integral part of offseason teambuilding, another favorite topic in this space. Teambuilding matters completely.

Division winners, conference contenders, and Super Bowl participants and winners are formed primarily in the off-season. That’s another strong opinion here. A team matures, coalesces, and develops during the season, but the foundation is set between February and July.

For some years, the Patriots drafted poorly and had mediocre free agents. If you take a look back, it’s obvious. They were bailed out for 20 years by the greatest quarterback who ever played the game. They flubbed that up by kicking him to the curb.

Both those miserable drafts and the Brady dismissal have been duly noted and emphasized in this space before. The 2021 season is a whole other situation, thankfully.

New England Patriots comments welcomed here

The opinions floated here belong to the person who writes them. Anyone is entitled to their opinion in our great nation, and it’s good to hear yours whether they are positive or negative.

It seems the negatives are more often seen but that’s OK too. It’s hoped you’ll keep ’em coming. If you don’t have thick skin and you’re not just writing pablum, you’re asking for blowback. If you can’t take the heat, as they say, get out of the kitchen.

Keep giving your views and put out your counter thoughts and suggestions as well, please. It’s always great to hear our readers’ concrete opinions as well as just being told you’re wrong, clueless, a clown, etc. Those comments don’t add anything to the discussion.

So, hopefully, you’ll keep the comments coming. And thanks for taking the time to read these opinions. This space is for opinions not reporting. The beat writers do the reporting.

If you’re looking for opinions on Boston sports, there’s no better place to look. You’ll get analysis and opinions and that’s it.

If you feel like you want to provide input, that’s great too. Just please keep the nastiness out of the comments. They really don’t add anything to the discussion, now do they?

So, in summing all this up, keep those comments coming. They’re always welcome, whether in agreement or disagreement. Please, let us hear your views on what is or should be happening!

Indeed, we can all also hope that the AFC East-leading, AFC-leading, and surging New England Patriots wind up in and win the final game of this season, as someone predicted months ago. Now, wouldn’t that be something!

Oh, and by the way, Happy Holidays to all from this space to yours. Let’s hope that 2022 is a much safer and a truly wonderful year for all of us. That’s a sincere wish from this space to all of you.