New England Patriots flop once again at NFL Trade Deadline
The New England Patriots after eeking out a win against the New York Jets away, with Mac Jones proving himself capable of a solid performance, while having a record of 4-4, still passed on doing anything at all to improve the team at the trade deadline.
That should send a signal to Patriots Nation, this group doesn’t care at all about winning this season. One thing to put on the table before the walls start falling in on this space is this, there is no season but the present. None. There is no 2023. There’s no 2024. There’s absolutely nothing except, 2022.
Anyone who thinks otherwise can look to the dilapidated franchises that think that way. They usually languish in last place for decades, as the New York J-E-S-T has.
But if that’s the New England Patriots way, this space is out. Last season the team made the playoffs. This, in this space, means, they must look to advance this season. Nothing more, nothing less. Instead, they punted on improving this season at the trade deadline. They did nothing.
The New England Patriots have accepted mediocrity
The non-moves at the trade deadline prove that the Patriots football management team is incapable of fulfilling that role with any amount of perspicacity. If this personnel team feels that they are capable of anything more than a playoff berth (possible), a run (unlikely), or anything in addition (no way), they are deluding themselves.
This Patriots team has beaten the lesser competition in its wins and has yet to face the iron of their schedule. They sit at a tenuous 4-4 record-wise, and frankly, inspire little confidence in any further advancement.
They are an 8-9 team or perhaps a 9-8 team (with lots of breaks), and that isn’t good enough to advance to much of anything unless the most favorable circumstances arise in the AFC. And don’t expect it. They’re not going anywhere.
For too many years the Patriots relied on No. 12 Tom Brady to make up for any deficiencies in personnel. He’s been called, “the Great Safety Valve” in this space. Indeed he was. But Brady has now long left the team and their record since has been mediocre.
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The relatively inept personnel management team continues on its determined path. They draft pretty poorly and their free agency acquisitions such as they are, are mediocre.
In fact, instead of seeking to improve in the trade deadline period as a 4-4 team, that has an opportunity to get to “the tournament” as former coach Bill Parcells would say should, they stood pat on an obviously inferior team.
In this space, it’s a lousy MO, method of operation. It surrenders before the real battle has even been waged. It acknowledges, “we’re mired in mediocrity and we’re happy to be there”. It also echoes the old Boston Red Sox adage, “wait ’til next year”.
This space has always felt here, that if you go down you do so fighting tooth and nail. This New England Patriots football operation has eschewed that viewpoint and accepted mediocrity as its operating philosophy. It will fail.
The responsibility of any caretaker on any sports team (or anywhere else, for that matter) is to optimize the opportunities to advance and minimize those to regress. The Patriots have done neither.
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By standing pat at the trade deadline the New England Patriots have decisively shown that they are a franchise in decline and one that will not take aggressive steps to try to rectify their deficiencies. Instead, they took none.
For a long, long-time Patriots fan, this is maybe the worst criticism of all that can be leveled at this once-feared team. They did nothing to get better, nothing.
Rather, they laid down, and folded their hand instead of trying to make a go of it. It is what it is, and frankly, it’s lousy. What do you think?