Define the prototypical Patriot player under the Belichick regime: underpaid, versatile, hardworking, willing to do anything for the betterment of the team. And with guys like Wes Welker, Danny Woodhead, and Bejarvus Green Ellis, I’d go so far as to say underappreciated. Enter Tim Tebow – all of the words above may as well be the cliffnotes to the guy’s NFL career. Which is exactly why New England is a good fit for him.

Let’s get it on the table early – I’ve long been a proponent of Tebow. The reason is simple, really – I’ll take results and attitude over correct arm angles and release points anyday. Is New England the perfect home for Tebow? No, frankly its not. I think there are multiple other franchises in the NFL that would have a better record with Tim Tebow as their starting QB, and frankly I think the guy has earned that opportunity. But New England IS a good fit for Tebow – Bill Belichick won’t allow the media circus that you’ve seen surround Tebow continue on his watch, and there’s no question about whether or not he’ll be starting.

So how will Tebow contribute? That’s a great question, but I’m confident that he WILL contribute this year, albeit in a very limited role. Belichick will recognize his effort level and selflessness and reward it. The rallying cry seems to be “play Tebow at tight end.” While I understand why, he’s got a depth chart including Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, and Jake Ballard ahead of him – undeniably the best class of tight ends in the league. Tebow could see a bit of TE, but I suspect he’ll be mostly blocking and maybe catching short passes and running if that’s the case. I’d like to see Tebow get involved more in running the ball, as well as in the trick plays of sorts where he’s given the option to throw the ball a bit. We’ll see if that becomes a reality or continues to be an unrealized expectation.

All of that said, I think the real opportunity here is for Tebow to continue to refine his mechanics and learn under Tom Brady for the next two or three seasons. What could possibly be better for the guy’s development as an “NFL style” quarterback? As far as a backup quarterback goes, Ryan Mallet has a gun of an arm and none of the intangibles. Tebow has all of the intangibles without the “NFL” throwing motion. I don’t need to tell you which Bill Belichick values more, and I’d be surprised if Tebow doesn’t soon replace Mallet at  #2 on the depth chart.

Regardless of how this experiment works out, it won’t distract the Patriots from doing their usual thing. And I know that when Patriots fans get their first taste of Tebow Time (I’m envisioning some sort of short pass caught and then ran in for a clutch touchdown) Tebow’s passion will spill over to the New England faithful. It should be fun, if nothing else.

Wes Welker is headed to the Denver Broncos, and all I can really say is “shame on you, New England.” Welker has been the most productive receiver in the NFL for years now, yet apparently he’s not worth $12 million over two years to New England. If you ask me, that’s a certifiable slap in the face.

I’ll give you one stat on Welker’s production – in the last 6 years, he’s had 110+ receptions 5 times. In his entire NFL career, Jerry Rice had 110+ catches exactly twice. Don’t get me wrong, they’re very different players. But I think you get the point.

Welker’s production aside, what makes me the most angry about the Pats letting him slip away is this – sure, I see Danny Amendola as well as Julian Edelman as more than capable replacements. Both are younger and faster than Welker. But it could very well take Amendola two or more years to develop half the chemistry with Tom Brady that Wes Welker has right now. Welker is 32 – it’s not like he’s that old – and the window of opportunity for Tom Brady (and Wes) to win in right now. Why the need to bring in new blood and pass on a known (and incredibly productive) commodity?

Sure, it’s the Patriots schtick to stick it to the player and make it known that no one is that valuable and the cogs in their wheel are all mostly interchangeable. But it’s also the Patriot way to look for players, regardless of size, who know their role and compete on every single play. Wes Welker mine as well be the poster boy for that mantra. If I was Tom Brady, I’d sure be ticked.

As for Danny Woodhead, although he plays a different position he mine as well be Welker Jr. Both guys left it all on the field, were pound for pound two of the toughest guys in the entire league, and contributed to the Patriots in a big way. Neither was making unreasonable demands, and both were good for team morale.

Sure, Wes Welker has become something of a scapegoat for the Patriots’ two most recent and brutal playoff loses. But I can just see him in my mind’s eye catching that beautiful touchdown pass from Tom’s biggest rival, Peyton Manning, that sends the Patriots packing in the final seconds of next year’s AFC championship. On second thought, I can see him dropping the pass and New England rejoicing. Whatever the outcome, one thing is for certain – the Patriots better make some moves or they won’t have the opportunity to play against Welker in next year’s AFC championship.

You may have noticed a bit of a hiatus since I last wrote an article; after the Patriots loss to the Ravens, it’s been a bleak winter on the Boston sports landscape. The Celtics’ window of opportunity is clearly behind them. The Red Sox are busy stocking up on players with too many injury issues and too little talent (although I must admit, I was recently in Las Vegas and placed a $20 bet on the Sox to win it all this year with 28 to 1 odds). And the Bruins play in a league that almost ceased to exist. Get used to it New England – Tom Brady may be our only source of sporting joy for some time to come.

That was certainly the case this week, when I woke up to news of Tom Brady’s 3-year, $27 million contract extension. You can read all the Deadspin articles you want, but at the end of the day it boils down to this: Tom Brady took WELL below market value in order to A) hopefully retire a Patriot, and B) give his team the best chance of winning another Super Bowl before he retires. Yes, Brady did receive a signing bonus that is in essence a pay raise over the course of the next two seasons. His actual salary was also slashed dramatically, down to $1 million next season. The result? The Pats will have an extra $15 million in cap space to play with. It’s now up to the Patriots front office to bring in the right players to surround Brady with the talent needed to land a 4th Super Bowl ring.

It’s amazing to me how quickly people want to jump on Brady, discredit this move (which he is making for the TEAM), merely citing that he’ll make more money over the next two seasons. Look at the full scope of the deal and what it does for the team, let alone the fans. I can sleep easy knowing that the Patriots are fully committed to fielding a winning team and Tom will be leading that team for years to come.

I for one could not be happier about this. Few teams have ever had such a complete quarterback, in terms of talent, in terms of leadership, in terms of intensity, in terms of always saying the right thing. And in this case, yes, in terms of personal sacrifice for the betterment of the team. WEEI, who desperately wanted to talk to Brady this morning, instead received a written memo from Brady saying he’s happy to be tied down in New England long-term but he doesn’t want to discuss his salary, whatsoever.

“I dont want to talk about this on the radio or anywhere else for that matter,” Brady wrote. “Athletes are always talking about money at a time when everyone else is struggling so badly to make it. We all make way more than our fair share. And I just think it reflects poorly on myself and my teammates.”

Pinch yourself, New England. Make sure you’re appropriately appreciating the next few seasons.

Before this NFL season began, I was brimming with optimism. The Patriots has addressed their biggest needs in the NFL draft, and I predicted they’d go 13-3 and make the Super Bowl. And after watching the Patriots all season, I’m convinced that they had the personnel this year to win it all. That’s what makes this past Sunday’s loss to the Ravens so difficult to swallow.

First off, let’s give the Ravens some credit – they played a hell of a game. If there are two players I’ve been ridiculed for hyping, it’s been Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco. I’d say that with their respective performances in this year’s playoffs they’ve addressed their critics. But at the end of the day, all the Bud Light in the world can’t wash away the deflating feeling of what could have been for the Pats this year. As I awoke in the wee hours of the morning following Sunday’s game, the reality of the loss quickly washed over me. Left to the confines of my own mind, the following thoughts came to me and seem to have since gained staying power.

1) Wes Welker’s drops have become a problem – I have long been, and will continue to be, one of Wes Welker’s biggest proponents. This is a guy who had led the NFL in receptions 3 of the last 6 seasons, while racking up 1000+ receiving yards in 5 of his last 6 seasons. Any way you cut it, he’s one of the most productive players in the NFL.

The elephant in the room is obvious – despite Welker’s value, he likely cost the Patriots a Super Bowl last year. I for one did not blame him – not nearly to the extent that I blame Asante Samuel for his drop the first go ’round against the Giants. Drops happen, and that’s that. But Tom Brady did exactly what you’d want your quarterback to do in support of a player who has made a big drop – he went right back to him in a crucial situation, and any analyst worth their mettle will tell you that Welker’s drop on 3rd and 7 against the Ravens was the turning point in the game. The Pats had a chance to step on the Ravens neck, Tom threw a perfect ball, and we all know what happened from there. Oh yea, and then he dropped another crucial pass.

Do I think the drops are in Welker’s head at this point? No, I don’t (although I admit that they may be). As Tom Brady said, this guy is the heart and soul of the Patriots. Few players, if any, play as hard every single down as Welker does. To think that this guy hasn’t won a Super Bowl in his years with the Patriots is absurd – he surely deserves one, but unfortunately he’s got himself as much as anybody to blame. Do I want him back? Hell yes I do. But if he doesn’t return to New England there’s no way around it – his drops will have sealed him fate as much as anything.

2) The injuries to Rob Gronkowski and Aqib Talib were too much to overcome - Over the last two seasons, Rob Gronkowski has been the best red zone player in the NFL – fact. When Aqib Talib joined the Patriots secondary this season, there was immediate improvement – fact. My point is not that the Patriots couldn’t win without these two guys – it’s that their odds of winning went down drastically. We saw field goals instead of touchdowns, where we could have used Gronk (not to mention his blocking). If last year’s Super Bowl taught us anything it’s that we aren’t the same team without him. And perhaps even more ironically, Aqib Talib was injured on a play that he successfully broke up. Joe Flacco looked lost up until that point in the game, and looked like Joe Montana once Talib left the game. I realize everyone is going to jump on this as me making excuses. To those people let me ask you this – can you name one team in the NFL that could win without their second best offensive and defensive players? Take Ray Lewis and Torrey Smith off the Ravens… how much of a shot would they have ?

3) Game balls to Brandon Lloyd and Aaron Hernandez - In this game, it wasn’t all negative. I was very impressed with the play of Aaron Hernandez (9 catches, 83 yards) and Brandon Lloyd (7 catches, 70 yards). Both guys brought their A-games, executed, and made some crucial and very difficult plays for the Pats. They should continue to be weapons at Tom Brady’s disposal in future years. Was Brandon Lloyd the missing deep threat, the replacement Randy Moss that we all thought he might be? No. But he’s sticky as hell and fantastic along the sidelines.

4) Season game ball goes to the O-line – Going into this season everyone knew that the Patriots defense would be improved, and it was (although there’s still a long way to go). The real weakness that had me most worried entering the season was the Patriots offensive line. This crew was viewed with extreme skepticism throughout New England, especially early in the year. All in all, the O-line was not a problem for the Patriots this year. They kept Tom Brady healthy, and usually gave him a decent amount of time in the pocket. We did not lose to the Ravens because Tom Brady was under severe pressure, as we’ve seen in most of the Patriots’ recent losses. We lost to the Ravens because they beat us in all facets of the game.

5) Looking into the future – Looking into the future, I can honestly say that I think Tom Brady has 3 productive seasons left in him – he’s 35 now. But realistically, especially given his age, he may have 1 or 2 seasons of those three where he’s not derailed by injury. Not to jinx the guy, but he’s been pretty lucky in his career thus far.

I’m firmly in the “Tom Brady needs to win a 4th Super Bowl” camp, and one or two shots at another title is not a whole lot. The good news is that the Patriots are young, have their primary weapons locked up, and should be an even better team next season. If there is a football God (aside from Roger Goodell), Tom Brady will lob a game winning touchdown pass to Wes Welker to win his fourth Super Bowl, and Welker’s first, in the next few seasons. Once again we’ll have to wait and see.

So who do I want to win the Super Bowl, the Ravens or the 49ers? Who cares.

By Jimmy Cunningham, howiGit New York Writer, Manhattan, NY

Tom Brady began his NFL career winning 9 straight play off games, throwing 3.6 touchdowns for every interception, completing 62.5% of his passes for an average of 216 yards per game, and an had average quarterback rating of 91.5. He did all of this before his 30^th birthday. HE IS JUST A WINNER!

The success the Patriots have had is something that is very rarely seen on the NFL level; you could argue the 1970’s Steelers and 1990’s Cowboys are the only teams to have similar success. However that success was done with quarterbacks towards the end of their careers, both Terry Bradshaw and Troy Aikman only played 4 more years after their last Super Bowl. Brady has 8 playoff appearances since 2005. Since his last Super bowl  Brady has an 8-7 record – that sounds almost Peyton Manningish – and has thrown 1.63 touchdowns for every interception, completed 55% of his passes, and has a respectable 88 QB rating per game which is inflated by his performances against the David Garrad led Jaguars and Tim Tebow led Broncos. He’s also averaged 266 yards a game during this stretch – the only area in which Brady has not declined. Maybe his 19 picks in 15 games are why he had to throw for so many yards in those games.

This is a trajectory that I can not ever remember seeing. Most football players, especially quarterbacks, tend to get better with age. How come Tom Brady in his prime has been significantly worse in the playoffs in almost every statistical category? What could stop Tom Brady from continuing this historic pace? Injury? No, he has only been hurt one season. Then it has to be his team must have fell apart; well no –  he has won his division 7 times since then. What could it possibly be for this guy who was on pace to be the most successful quarterback of all time?

Oh I know, SPYGATE! I win more on partycasino.com than Tom Brady has since he stopped cheating. In 2007 the Patriots were caught of illegally filming the opposing teams’ defenses signals. Something that would allow a quarterback to identify coverages and blitzes prior to breaking the huddle. The narrative out of New England is “oh it really didn’t help that much, and look at his regular season numbers!” Well Brady and the Pats look a lot like the Colts and Peyton Manning since they had to stop filming signals. If a baseball player put up numbers rarely seen before, got caught for steroids and then could not replicate the same success, our very own lead writer would be first in line to give him the death penalty. But what do you Ugg boot loving homers have to say to the facts that Tom Terrific has become significantly worse in the playoffs? Please don’t give me look at the regular season.

All you cared about in the beginning of this century was winning championships – trust me I know because you would point to it every chance you got. It is no longer Tom is the best when it matters most, but instead wow look at how many TD’s he put up against the Jets, Bills, and Dolphins. Whether it be his clock management at the end of the 1^st half yesterday or his no-point, two-pick 2^nd half , overthrowing Wes Welker in the Super Bowl last year, losing to the Jets as a 9.5 point favorite in 2010, a 4-turnover loss to Baltimore in ’09, or scoring 22 points less then his season average in the first Super Bowl against the Giants, you have to wonder what Tom Brady’s legacy would be if his team was not involved in the biggest cheating scandal ever seen in the NFL.

The Patriots proved yesterday that their initial regular season beat-down of the Houston Texans was no fluke, outlasting a gritty effort by the Texans en-route to a 41-28 victory. With countless storylines swirling in the NFL at the moment, what Tom Brady is doing has been under-hyped – a direct result of Tom Brady’s consistent success. Yesterday Brady became the most winning playoff quarterback in NFL history, the day after his only true peer over the last decade, Peyton Manning, became tied for the most losing playoff quarterback of all-time. Brady will suit up next Sunday in his 7th AFC Championship game.

Next week’s AFC Championship should be a douzy – Ray Lewis, motivator extraordinaire, is retiring after this season (if you didn’t get the memo). You know that entire team, and much of the NFL, wants Lewis’ last game to be the Super Bowl. Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan, both of whom have long found an ally in this site, finally performed when it counted most. If Flacco is able to complete a few bombs against the Patriots secondary, we’re in trouble. This should be a rematch of epic proportions.

If the Pats are able to get past the Ravens, we’ll either have to deal with Atlanta or the 49ers. Matt Ryan’s accuracy and weapons should allow him to pick the Patriots secondary apart – the 49ers have looked perhaps more impressive than any team, and are a pretty good mock-up of the blueprint that the Giants have shown to be the recipe for beating the Pats. In other words, it’s going to be a battle from here on out if Tom Brady is going to win his 4th ring.

There were three other storylines in yesterday’s game that also stood out to me, the first of which is Shane Vereen. This guy was the hero yesterday, scoring 3 touchdowns for the Pats. It’s so Belichick to rely on a player in your biggest game of the season who didn’t even play in 5 games this year and is a back-up running back. Vereen had only 8 receptions in his career going into yesterday’s game, where he caught 5 balls including two touchdowns. Kudos to Bill for identifying a mismatch, and kudos to Brady for recognizing and continuing to feed the hot hand.

Secondarily (pun intended), I wanted to give a shout out to Aqib Talib. This guy has come in and truly changed the Patriots on the defensive side of the ball – that’s a lot to say for any one player. This guy is the real deal.

Last but not least, we have to talk about Gronk. It seems ridiculous to me that Gronk played yesterday, seeing as he was so easily injured by landing on his arm a single time. I don’t know who cleared him to play, but shame on them. If we learned anything from last year’s Super Bowl it should have been that we can’t win without Gronk. We don’t need him out there as a decoy, we need him out there flying around and Gronk-spiking all over. That won’t happen now. In all honestly, if Gronk was 100% I’d be calling the Patriots my flat out favorites to win it all. Without Gronk, that’s simply not the case. It’s going to take some seriously elevated play from the Patriots’ defense if they are going win next week, let alone in a Super Bowl.

After watching the Atlanta Falcons dismantle the Giants, 34-0, I splashed some cold water on my face and gave myself a hard look in the mirror. “This can only mean that something bad will happen to the Patriots tonight,” I thought. “The football God’s would never shine on me this bright.”

As expected, the Patriots were then handed their fourth loss of the season. What a day in my NFL life – as I explained to a friend, I’ve recently come to realize that I don’t have anything resembling a second favorite NFL team. I like watching the Patriots, my favorite team, and the Giants, my least favorite team, infinitely more than any of the other games on TV. And as the dust settled after what was a crazy game for the Pats, realizations about the impact of both games began to creep in – the Giants are now only “in the hunt” for the playoffs, and the Patriots’ road to the Super Bowl will be played away from Foxboro.

While this certainly hurts the Patriots more than it helps it them, I definitely see a significant silver lining in the outcome of yesterday’s game. Everything that possibly could go wrong did for the Pats, who found themselves down 31-3 before they knew it. I was ready to pack it in at that point, but as my roommate pointed out, the Pats had a good test in front of them. They’ve shown the NFL that they can blowout the best teams when they are firing on all cylinders. But they haven’t had to show that they can fight back when they’re pinned with their backs on the mat.

The Patriots showed yesterday that they have that fight, which undoubtedly will be needed come playoff time. 28 unanswered points got them right back in the mix and answered that question pretty quickly. But in ultimately losing the game the Patriots also received a gut check. Sure, they can crush the #1 team in the NFL, but they can also surely be beaten.

Many, including myself, believe that the Patriots ultimately hurt themselves in not losing a game the year they went 16-0. They needed that gut check to understand that they needed to bring their absolute best, week in and week out. I think they got the memo yesterday, and they saw first hand what Tom Brady is capable of if needed.

Sure, there will likely be no bye week for the Patriots, and they’ll have to deal with the beds at the Ramada. But for a team that’s playing so well, keeping their momentum rolling (despite the loss) isn’t such a bad thing. And knowing that you only lost to the best defense in the league by a single score when all hell broke loose has to give you some additional degree of confidence.

Last but not least, let’s give Colin Kaepernick his due – the guy was absolutely as electric as advertised, very much living up to the hype. Let’s just hope we get another crack at the Niners come February.

After something of a shaky start (only by their own high standards), the Patriots have managed to scrape together a 9-3 record en route to yet another AFC East title. Many of the trends we’ve gotten used to over the past few seasons have come to fruition once again – Tom Brady is in the midst of another MVP caliber season, the Patriots offense has been far and away the best in the NFL, and the Patriots pass defense has been pretty damned terrible. After a series of promising seasons ending without the Pats hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, how are we to know if this year’s Patriots team has what it takes to win it all?

In short, I think that we don’t know yet – but the next two weeks will be telling.

Tonight the Patriots play the NFL’s top team, the Houston Texans, on Monday Night Football. This game will not only have playoff implications, but will undoubtedly be played by both sides as if it were a playoff game. To the winner goes a major sense of validation, and certainly a jolt of confidence. After several weeks of blow out wins over weaker teams, the Patriots need a true test.

Whether the Pats win tonight or not (I think they will), they’ll get another test next week when they face the San Francisco 49ers. Even in the playoffs the Pats are unlikely to face a two-week test as harsh as the Texans followed by 49ers. Both are defense first teams that very much play the type of football blueprinted by the Giants as the recipe for taking down the Pats.

With the Ravens losing this week, the path to a first round by is open for the Patriots taking. We need Rob Gronkowski back, sure, but that seems likely in time for the playoffs. The next two weeks will tell us what the Patriots are made of – and it all starts tonight on Monday Night Football.

One of the beauties of Thanksgiving football is that you know you’ve got an entire nation of turked-up fans and semi-fans at least gazing in the general vicinity of the TV. For the Patriots, this proved to be very fortunate – it was an opportunity to instill a bit more fear in their opponents and their fans across the league. For the Jets, well, they probably feel like the guy who got pantsed immediately after taking the Thanksgiving Day Plunge.

Obviously this game got out of control in a big way, fast. After a scoreless first quarter, the Patriots reeled off 35 points in the second quarter en route to a 49-19 victory. Rex Ryan, who referred to Tom Brady as a “machine” early this week, seemed more obsessed than ever with stopping the man who has single-handedly ruined his professional life as of late. In 65 plays from scrimmage the Jets would match up with 5 or more defensive backs an amazing 56 times. But get this – the Patriots lined up 3 or more wide receivers on less than a quarter of those snaps. Despite almost every receiver being double teamed, Tom Brady averaged 11.5 yards per attempt and passed for 3 touchdowns (while running one in himself). For the Brady haters out there, chew on that for a bit.

But beyond all the crazy statistics that came out of this game, it also served as a perfect opportunity to stop and reflect on the men that lead both teams. “I’ll put it to you this way,” said Rex Ryan. “We’re about as wounded as you possibly can be, but we’re not dead.” Belichick, on the other hand, won the 200th game of his career. Perhaps more impressively, his Patriots improved to 19-0 in the second half of the season since 2010 (an NFL record). Given that Belichick has had very young teams, nothing could speak more to the coach’s ability to take in a young group in the preseason and turn them into contenders through a system of  week to week improvement.

While I’m sure Belichick washed down this win with a celebratory glass of eggnog, this was undoubtedly one of the toughest losses of Rex Ryan’s career. Despite being a Patriots fan, I’ve long voiced mostly positive opinions of Rex. Sure, he’s a clown and he talks way too much, but I’ve always gotten his schtick. I maintain that if I was a player, I’d be happy to play for Rex. But after years of guarantees gone wrong, of soundbites about being happy Gronk is out against the Jets, of locker room chemistry issues and most importantly, of shotty on-field coaching, Rex now has nowhere to hide. No one feels bad for him, and he has only himself to blame. If he doesn’t turn things around real quick, I suspect it’s just a matter of time before he’s shown the door.

Oh yea, and remember Julian Edelman? That hockey player trapped in the midst of one of the best football teams in the NFL? Yes, he’s still seeing sideways.

Let’s face it – all I really need to say is “insert caption here.” While yesterday’s 59-24 onslaught on the Colts was a hell of a lot of fun to watch, nothing was better than watching Tom Brady bob over to Andrew Luck in his silly hat for the post game handshake. In many ways this was Luck’s true welcoming to the NFL – “you’ve got a long way to go, Junior,” I imagine Tom saying. “Call Peyton for some pointers.”

While Colts vs Patriots games have been my favorite to watch over the last decade, easily, one thing is now clear – the Patriots and the Colts never had a rivalry – Tom Brady and Peyton Manning did. I can guarantee you that both want a shot at each other in the playoffs, and if the damn Ravens would just cooperate, my Brady-Manning fix just might be met. As for Andrew Luck, well, the hype and rushing TDs have been fun to watch… but keep on practicing.

Yesterday’s game solidified the Patriots ranking as the pre-eminent offense in the National Football League – in fact, it’s disgustingly not even close. And with Aqib Talib returning an interception for a touchdown in his first game as a Patriot, there is at least room for some degree of optimism on the defensive side of the ball.

Two things about the Patriots genuinely scare me – first how bad the Patriots secondary has been, and how easily that could end their season prematurely. Secondly, just how good the offense has been, considering it hasn’t even touched upon its total potential as of yet. Gronk has been battling injuries all season, and managed to break his arm with no one noticing yesterday (click here for more information). Aaron Hernandez has been out. Many of the O-line’s best players have been battered, but I won’t lean on that crutch – after all, they’re offensive linemen. Perhaps the most intriguing takeaway from yesterday’s game was the emergence of Julian Edelmen. He did it all yesterday – from amazing returns, to a 47-yard run, to receiving touchdowns. That little bastard is fast, let me tell you. Unfortunately, that’s likely just another sign that Wes Welker will be playing elsewhere next season.

With Gronk and Hernandez now out, it’s a shame that Jake Ballard is also out for the season. Apparently the Patriots don’t have enough depth at tight end. But as I said last week, the question remains to defense’s ability to not be tragically bad against the pass. Keep at ‘em Bill.