Too many Pre's, I know. Thursday night can't come soon enough and I'm about to crawl out of my skin. FOOTBALL!! FOOTBALL!! FOOTBALL!! The HoF game with Bills vs. Oilers (Titans) was cool and all but it weren't nuttin' 'bout dem dare boys from Foxburah, nowahdymean? It's time to see what the team's got and whether or not some of the "on the bubble" players will live another week. That is the unfortunate reality of this gig. Some will impress to live another day and some won't.
What's got me really stoked is the quality of rookies we seem to have acquired. Belichick and Nick Caserio essentially schooled the other 31 teams on how to do a draft: don't reach, stockpile picks for the future, grab top guys if you can but pick up a few overlooked players, too. If you don't get what you need, balance it out in free agency. It's no secret we had major league trouble in the backfield. With vets getting old, injuries, and free agents failing us, it was a priority to upgrade. In walks rookies Darius Butler and Patrick Chung. These guys are making starters nervous.
Not to leave the big men out, DL "shot across the Wilfork bow" Ron Brace is doing very well. Offensive linemen Sebastian Vollmer has added some much needed youth to the aging offensive line and he appears to be a stout, young lad.
From a receiving perspective, Julian Edelman is impressing with his day in and day out productivity while Terrence Nunn is making circus catches left and right, showing us his natural ability. Apparently, this is something everyone else in the league was too stupid to pick up on (No one called Nunn - no one). Won't it be sweet to see Terrence tear up the field and watch opposing teams mouth, "Who is that guy?" That's the dude you passed on, dummy.
There is some SERIOUS talent in this year's draft class and I can't wait to see how they do in NFL game situations. That's the best part for me. Who do you have your eye on? Nunn? Brace? Maybe one of the free agents? Let's hear it, Patriots fans, let's hear it.