I had an unfamiliar sensation this morning.
No. Not that. Wrong. Stop guessing! I didn’t ask you to guess.
The feeling was this: Indignation at a fellow writer for low-balling the Patriots in his power rankings.
I didn’t go in looking to be offended. I was just curious where our guy Connor Orr at The MMQB had the 5-2 Patriots, winners of four straight — including at Buffalo, a team which was the betting favorite to win the Super Bowl before the Patriots beat them.
I’m not telling you where Connor has the Pats. I want you to scroll down — like I did — and feel the, “Holy s— … they can’t be lower than this!” take hold of you.
Here.
See what I mean? Am I right or am I right?
Clearly, Connor ranks on a, “We all know this team is good despite early-season bumps” basis rather than going clean-slate with “2025 results only!”
Which is fine. Who cares? I’m not hammering Connor Orr. I’m more intrigued by the reflexive, “WTF?!” I felt. It kinda rolled back the clock a little bit for me.
It’s been a while since I had the “Patriots aren’t getting the credit they deserve” muscle activated.
It’s not rooting! I’m not rooting!! I’m not sitting here in my tricorn hat yelling at the internet. I’m just seeking truth, justice and a power ranking that gives the Patriots their proper due while also noting the doo-doo that’s ahead of them.
They just won three in a row on the road, for cry-eye. Their most recent loss was literally HANDED to the Steelers, and you really don’t have to do a lot of mental gymnastics to make a case they should be 7-0.
Again … NOT ROOTING!!! Just noting. For those of you who watched Patriots Postgame Live on Sunday, my reaction may seem inconsistent.
When it was my turn to speak on whether the Patriots were the best of second-best team in the AFC, I said – in essence – who gives a s—. Doesn’t matter. It’s October.
Turns out, I don’t give a s— if you’re telling me they are very high. But I do if you are telling me they are too low. I mean, do NOT let Connor Orr tell me they are seven spots behind the Bills and anywhere behind the Bears and Steelers. That gets me riled!!
This sensation has been dormant for about 19 years.
I spent the start of the century in perpetual indignation over the idea that — even after they won three Super Bowls in four seasons — people paid to cover this league STILL believed Tom Brady wasn’t that good, and that the Patriots were not to be mentioned in the same breath as the glory days Packers, Steelers, 49ers or Cowboys.
I might have been a little rooty back then. In hindsight. Whatever. I knew what I was looking at (or so I thought) and wanted to spread the gospel.
Now? I’m a little less sure that what I’m looking at is as real as what I was looking at then. I don’t know what deal with the devil Drake Maye made to go from a turnover factory to a Brady-Montana-Warner-Marino jambalaya before Halloween.
Honestly. All it took was a few, “You can’t do that, Drake…” reminders from Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels, and the kid nods and never makes a bad play again??? How’s that happen? Was it that easy? Can’t be.
I’m starting to think he might be better than J.J. McCarthy. Seriously.
So thank you, Connor. Thank you for letting me use my atrophied indignation muscle on a Tuesday morning.