2020 NFL Off-season

Article on Alex Smith's rehab on his terrible leg injury, including a stint at a center for soldiers with similar damage from combat. There's a photo of his leg in the external fixator that gives you an idea of just how gruesome it was.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...eived-rare-clearance-rehab-military-facility/

 

The Patriots are gonna win a Super Bowl with Andy frackin’ Dalton, aren’t they?

 

No, they aren't.

 

What if I had suggested the same thing Sept. 28, 2001, about the Patriots with Tom Brady?

 

Against would have been the percentage bet. The idea the Pats will strike lightning in a teacup twice is way too far out for me. They wouldn't have won the Super Bowl last year if they'd had Mahomes instead of Brady, and it's gonna be pretty much the same time this year, just minus Brady and a bunch of defensive veterans.

 

Schefter reports Dalton signing with Dallas. Maybe Dak leads Pats to the Super Bowl.

 

A total Jerry play, trying to pressure Dak to sign.

 

Better chance they don't win the division.

 

Like I said, gonna make a damn fine backup for the Cowboys.

 

We will never know. Instead they are now putting their faith in a second-year player who started for a big-time college program, but was not highly regarded at the time he was drafted. That sounds kind of familiar.

Shit.

 

In 2001, Tom Brady was far from the Tom Brady he became. He had a couple big games, and a couple very clutch games in crunch time, but he was also mostly a competent game manager of a team that wasn't looking to score that many points. That Pats team was way stronger than the 2019 team was and the 2020 team looks to be. Stidham could be quite good and New England's ceiling still might be 9-7. If he's just OK, well, the poor guy's gonna wish he was with any other franchise. You know the drill. Pats win one week 6-3. "See, they don't need Brady anymore." Next week Pats lose 38-35. "Without Tom, they're nothing. This kid can't cut it."

 

I don't think anybody knew that 2001 Patriots team was going to be anything special before that season started. They were 5-11 in 2000, a lot worse than the 2019 version of the team.

I am aware that Brady wasn't a great quarterback yet in 2001. I saw plenty of that team. They won mostly with defense and special teams, though Brady came through in a few key moments. I still think there was a chance they could have lost the AFC Championship Game that year if Brady hadn't gotten knocked out of it. He was struggling until he got hurt. Bledsoe came in and led the offense to its only touchdown of the game. The other two touchdowns came from the special teams.

That said, I was making a joke by finding some similarities between Stidham and Brady.