Bob Lobel: What Just Happened to the Patriots?

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

41-14. 

Kinda gets your attention, especially if you’re a palindrome fan, which I am. Don’t be misled by the cheap rhyme. A palindrome has nothing to do with rhyming but, simply put, it’s a word, phrase or number that is the same spelled backward as it is forward. 

Like one of my favorites, Bob! 

Now since 41-14 is an obvious example and it pertains to the subject we are most likely to discuss at the watercooler, we need to find other examples. “Gag” comes to mind. How about “poop." As in, the Patriots played like poop in Kansas city. 

It's not quite  the panic button, but when ABBA sings their hit song, SOS, it’s a cry for help.

By the way, Abba is the only group with a palindrome name to sing a palindrome song in the Top-100. So, using the aforementioned whimsical words, there are examples of longer words and actual sentences or phrases that qualify for the P word… Kayak? Book it. 

“Deified” was always used in some context to describe Tom Brady and/or his coach.  But Brady's innate internal “radar” was not the one we have been used to watching and actually expecting. Poop! 

Here is a word dilemma. Can the Patriots turn it around? Well, no one is about to be “deified” down in Foxboro for a while. Hey, I am certain you could find other pals to discover the Patriots' performance and current playing level (there it is again, “level”, without even trying). 

This appears to be a team in crisis. I have no clue where the problems lie, but maybe starting with the offensive line would be a good bet.  That really was a low water mark. Thoughts swimming around in our collective minds are pretty obvious: Is Brady done? Have they just tuned out Belichick? Does the organization hold the blame?

Can be all three and, of course, it probably is. 

Is this version of the predicted Super Bowl winners for the year just a myth? Lucky the don’t play in a tough division, but that’s not their doing. What was their doing was right out there for people to see, and when it comes to 99 percent of the football fans in America that have Patriot envy, a joyous night. 

Not here, but at least they made somebody happy. Like in golf they say every shot makes somebody happy. Believe it! What we saw in Kansas City was poop on a grand scale. No mas! 

Please. 

And don’t mention the name Jimmy Football or Garoppolo. 

We are not there yet.

A little closer, but not yet. 

More games that produce poop will just accelerate the matter at hand. We cannot go back so don’t try. All that other dynasty stuff is over. We are officially, at the moment, a mediocre football team that is closer to 8-8 than anything else.  That does suck and will continue to be the nature of the beast. “Patriots poop” could be the new bumper sticker, sold only in the pro shop, of course.