When did we forget Thanksgiving?

The Thanksgiving games came and went, along with the turkey, cornbread stuffing, and cranberry sauce.  We waded through the Sunday games waiting for the fireworks that would appear on Monday night.  I know that didn't turn out as we would have liked, but when did we forget to be thankful?  Was Thanksgiving so long ago?

These are the Patriots, and that's come to mean something.  It's easy right now to say the sky is falling, that things look bleak.  But this team that has been to four Super Bowls this decade and won three is far from done.  There's still much to be thankful for.

Here's my top ten list, and I'd be interested in seeing yours.

1. The Patriots are owned by Robert Kraft.  What that means is the wheels won't come off after a few bumps in the road.  No new head coach, no new front office.  Stability.  How many other teams have that?

via www.bostonherald.com

2. Bill Belichick is head coach.  What that means is possibly the greatest football mind is analyzing the mistakes and setting about to correct them.  When is the last time the Patriots lost two in a row?  If they CAN be fixed, he's the one I would want fixing it.  Look at the other NFL head coaches.  Who would you rather have on the job?

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3. Tom Brady is quarterback.  What that means is we've got a guy who knows what it takes to win big games.  Is he all the way back?  No, but look around the league at the other QB's out there.  Tom Brady at 70% is better than most of them.  Anyone prefer Matt Cassel at this stage?

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The rest after the jump.

4. Randy Moss is still a freak of nature.  What that means is he can still run, he can still make plays, and teams have to plan for him every game.  They do.  Sometimes they're successful, sometimes not.  He is still leading the league in yardage and is #6 in receptions.  How many other receivers in the league command the attention Randy gets?

5. Wes Welker is still the best slot receiver in the league.  What that means is he gets open more often than not, catches the ball, and leads the league in yards after carry (YAC).  He also leads the league in receptions even though he missed two games this year.  He faced some coverage he's never faced before, and with BB's help he'll beat it next time.  Who would you rather see in the slot?

6. Kevin Faulk is healthy and contributing.  What that gives us is a blitz blocking, screen catching, 3rd down machine to keep us rolling down the field.  He's a great change of pace back as well.  Sure you can look at the Indy game, but how often has Kevin not made a play?

7. Laurence Maroney is running like a man on a mission.  What that means is the running game and hence the play action can work.  Sure he had some drops, but that's curable and indicative of a back that is trying hard - see Peterson, Adrian.  Lo Mo always has the potential for a big play and he's already setting career highs with five games to go. 

8. Vince Wilfork still mans the middle.  What that gives us is a "no run" zone around the center of the line.  Even double teamed, he makes plays.  Pay the man, it's that simple.

9. The DB depth chart doesn't stop at Wheatley and Wilhite.  What that means is that if those guys have some issues, the cupboard isn't bare.  During the preseason, we considered Butler a step up, Springs has experience, and Sanders has moved to corner in the past.  It's also possible that their problems can be fixed.  Sometimes a guy has a bad day, or month, or whatever.  It's not like last year when we only had Deltha O'Neal on the bench.

10. The Saints aren't in our division.  What we have coming up is a conference game, a couple non-conference games, and a couple tough divisional games.  As tough as the Dolphins are, they're not the Saints.  And for that, we can be thankful.