I return to my blogging career* the same way I entered it back in 2008: following the New England Patriots losing to an NFC East team they were expected to beat in a Super Bowl.
Looks like my man Nietzsche was right when he said time is, indeed, a flat circle.
Or was it Rusty Cohle?
#eternalrecurrence
My return doesn't simply come after a frustrating loss, dear readers. It comes amidst turmoil and apprehension surrounding the future of the New England franchise.
There are countless questions swirling: Why did the Patriots trade Jimmy G for such a low-value pick early this season when they went great lengths to keep him previously? Was there pressure from ownership to do so? Is there any truth to the Seth Wickersham story? Why didn't Malcolm Butler play one defensive snap in the Super Bowl after playing 100% of the defensive snaps the previous two playoff games? Was Tom Brady's publicized tweet simply a show of support for his (former) teammate? Or was he picking sides against his (current) head coach? Why did offensive coordinator Jeff McDaniel's abruptly resign from the Indianapolis Colts a mere 3 hours before the scheduled press conference to announce him as the team's new head coach?
And the biggest question of all: Will the greatest coach of all time, Mr. Bill Belichick, be the coach of the New England Patriots next year? If the past few days are any indication, the reality is he probably won't be. I mean, does Bill Belichick seem like the type of guy to be a "lame duck" head coach while his successor is clearly being wooed by the franchise?
And if you don't think McDaniel's is the "next man up", why else would McDaniel's stay? And is McDaniel's really the answer? He failed in Denver. (He drafted Tim Tebow!) He failed even worse in St. Louis with the Rams before crawling back to New England.
All his successes can be tied to one man: Tom Brady. And, avocado ice cream aside, how much does time does Tom Brady really have left? 2 years? Maybe? Then what? Rebuild the team around a strong young quarterback they don't have anymore because they traded him away?
Like I said, questions on questions on questions... No matter the answers, it feels like the fairy tale ride in Patriot Nation seems to be coming to an end, y'all.
Please unbuckle your seatbelt and follow the exit signs to the left.
Hope you enjoyed the ride.
*career is a loose term here. Lately, it's really just a hobby...and a half-hearted one at that.
---------------
Quick Thinking
---------------
-- Josh McDaniels leaving the Colts at the alter is one of the greatest slowplay revenge moves of all time. #deflategate #defendthewall
-- Second only to Andy Dufresne's scheme at Shawshank.
-- Netflix's new documentary series Dirty Money is further proof that big business view individuals in society as nothing more than dollar signs, distractions and lemmings.
-- It's also shows how they lie with impunity.
-- And it's the scariest reality show I've ever seen.
-- Other than Keeping Up with the Kardashians, of course.
-- Who knew the best coverage Belichick would have near him all day was the black-and-white leather pants Kat & Ashley (his girlfriend's twin daughters) were wearing as they walked into the stadium.
-- Shout out to @thehesstwins!
-- Speaking of Belichick, seems he forgot to practice what he's usually preaching to his players during Sunday's disappointing Super Bowl.
-- Pride comes before the fall and all that.
-- The saying still looks good on all those t-shirts in Gillette Stadium's Pro Shop, though.
-- Do.
-- Your.
-- Job.
