Joint practices. Scuffles. Wild overreactions. Peaks of optimism and valleys of depression. Now the preseason is really underway.
Depending on who you listen to/follow out in the sports media world, the Patriots are either going to be the most dangerous team in the league or are light-years behind where they were this time last year. Crown them or start getting ready for the 2027 NFL Draft. This type of preseason buzz used to annoy the hell out of me, but now I just find it amusing. Maybe I’m getting soft in my old age. I’m definitely not any wiser than I was 20 years ago, so it can’t be that.
It seems like we saw even less starters last night than we did in Week 1 of the preseason, so I’m not sure how much sense there is in breaking anything down. These games seem to have gotten even more pointless ever since they altered the preseason format. On the plus side, it makes me feel a lot less guilty for completely mailing these articles in until the season starts in earnest.
I’d be amazed if the starters don’t see at least a few drives on Thursday before the team has two full weeks off leading up to what is going to be an absolutely brutal road opener. So, maybe my next Fan Notes will have something of substance to say. Doubtful, I kn0w; I don’t think I’ve ever once said anything of substance. But I’m looking forward to Thursday, as it means that it’s almost time to really start caring. September can’t get here soon enough.
