NE Patriots Super Bowl Chances

 Ladies and Gentlemen,

I thought with the cold weather around here that I would start a discussion of the Pats chances in the Super Bowl. Please feel free to share your comments and thoughts even if you are in a sunny and warmer climate. I'll be enjoying the warm weather tomorrow.

I just absolutely love this year's Pats team. Vrabel has done a masterful job of coaching and has been aided by an excellent coaching staff. Josh McDaniels and Stretch, who is what Ernie Adams was to Bill B, are 2 of the best in the NFL right now. I've also found it interesting that some of BB's draft choices or signings are having a big impact this year. The players include Gonzalez, Barmore, Stepherson, Hunter Henry, Anfernee Jennings, Marcus Jones, Schooler and guard M Onwenu. Then you sprinkle in some real veterans and good rookies. Most importantly I think every player on the Pats LOVES football and no one is worried about their contract.

Now to the game. On offense the "Kid" Drake Maye will play much better without the terrible weather conditions of the last 2 weeks. The most important part of his games recently was he helped win the games with his running when the passing conditions were terrible. I also like that Maye and the team were able to respond to adversity due to the horrendous conditions recently. How  Maye and the team can respond to some adversity in the SB is one of my keys to a Pats victory. Spillane is a key player to the Pats defense. The nature of his hamstring injury hasn't been discussed much but hamstring injuries can take a long time to heal. If Spillane can't play , he will be sorely missed on defense. The Pats defensive line play has been great. The swim move that Barmore used to beat an all-pro guard in the Denver game was a classic. Williams is a horse and a legitimate all-pro. Final thought on the Pats, Drake Maye needs to play confident. Clearly he was being coached to not turn the ball over in the Denver game but in the SB he has to have the confidence that he can make the throws into some tight areas without giving the defense an interception.

As for Seattle, the last 2 weeks were the first time I've really seen them on TV. Is their defense as good as advertised? yes it is a strength but in all honesty Seattle should have lost to the Rams. A fumbled punt and the resulting TD made the difference in the game. On offense the Seahawks rookie receiver JSN is excellent with great hands and he runs great routes. Also has played in some big games for Ohio State. The Seahawks schedule wasn't any tougher than the Pats. Both teams played against several common opponents. Was the NFC West any tougher than the AFC East? I don't think so. The Cardinals and the 49ers weren't great when Seattle played them. The biggest question for Seattle is whether Sam Darnold will be "Seeing Ghosts" again. I'm virtually certain some of the defensive linemen and other defenders will be whispering that phrase to Sam. I don't care how mentally tough Sam may be, he owns that comment and it will be in the back of his head. What happens to him if he throws an interception? Does he remember how badly he played for the Vikings playoff game in 2024? Finally Sam won't have the huge home field advantage that the Seahawks have experienced in this year's playoff. 

My final point nis coaching. Seahawks head coach was born in Scituate but then moved to the south as a youngster. He calls the defensive plays for the Seahawks and is very young. Is Vrabel likely better than MacDonald? I think so. Why? First Vrabel can concentrate on the game and his awareness was on display last Sunday when he was telling the officials that 1 second should be on the clock before the end of the first half. I've always felt that a head coach who calls either the offensive or defensive plays doesn't allow himself to really be the head coach. A head coach should be coaching the other coaches during the game not so focused on a specific area of the team. Although McDonald was a longtime defensive assistant for the Ravens, he is very young and certainly doesn't have the key decision making experience that Vrabel has. Will McDonald make a key coaching mistake, I think so.

Pats win a  close one. Enjoy the game.

BTW this missive is what happens when an old guy   has nothing planned for the day ( because he was supposed to be in the warm weather of the desert) and an old friend sends an email with such an open ended question "What do you think about the Pats chances in the Super bowl?".