Twenty-five years ago this month, a noisy, irrepressible, impossibly upbeat little yellow guy was introduced to the world.
SpongeBob SquarePants, the ocean’s most enthusiastic employee, has been with us for a quarter century. Flipping Krabby Patties, hanging with Patrick, trying to keep Squiddy upbeat. That’s the life. That’s what he does.
The job at the Krusty Krab doesn’t pay much. And winning the monthly Golden Spatula isn’t going to keep the lights on in the pineapple. Still, Spongy remains undaunted. Every day? All-in.
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How’s that tie into football? Easy. The 2024 Patriots are going to need a whole lotta SpongeBobs. Because -- for the third year in a row -- it’s not going to be what fans, media and the organization used to consider a successful year.
The team isn’t continuing the post-Brady rebuild that began in 2020. It's starting a whole new one after the first one didn’t take.
The Patriots really haven’t been the PATRIOTS for a half-decade. They are 33-44 since November 1, 2019. They’ve gone 10-19 in December and January, months they formerly owned. February? Probably going to be a minute before they play a game in February.
It happens. Look at the Cowboys. Their little three-Lombardi run in the '90s wasn’t even half the run the Patriots had under Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. They haven’t been to an NFC Championship Game since the ‘95 season. But if you know a Cowboys fan or two, you’ll know they are adorably delusional and have been for almost 30 years. Their dynasty hasn’t ended. It’s just on sabbatical.
Yeah, well. We’re a little more pragmatic here in New England. It’s over. It’s been over. The Jerod Mayo-Drake Maye Era has begun. How long it lasts will depend a lot on the foundation laid this season.
What constitutes “successful” for both head coach and quarterback?
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For Mayo, there’s been so much talk about culture and relating to players that it’s obvious the tenor of the team is going to change drastically. Allowing players to be themselves and take more ownership is designed to ignite enthusiasm.
The chore for Mayo is keeping his team’s collective mood closer to SpongeBob’s than Squidward’s as a not-so-imposing roster with a first-year offensive coordinator, a first-time defensive coordinator and a stopgap quarterback tries to find its identity.
So many of the veterans the Patriots re-signed or extended this offseason spoke of wanting to be part of what Mayo was going to build. It will be on them to follow through even when the end result on Sundays is not good.
There will be myriad missteps and stumbles. How well does Mayo head off any grumbling, especially with a seemingly trade-curious veteran in Matthew Judon coming into camp wanting a new deal?
In this first week of training camp, first impressions will mean a lot. Is there cohesion on the coaching staff? Is the tempo of the practices similar to what we’ve seen? How many mistakes are made and are they the same mistakes over and over?
How does the offense -- which will be swimming upstream daily in practice against a very good defense -- deal with that adversity? How do first- and second-year receivers like Ja’Lynn Polk, Javon Baker and DeMario Douglas handle being part of a slow build on the offense?
As a first-time head coach, what Mayo needs to get is buy-in. Not just from the players, but from his coaches and the front-office too. The past two years, that didn’t exist for Bill Belichick in the way in which he was accustomed. Especially in 2022. That frittering away of faith bled into 2023 and, well, here we are.
As for Maye, in a lot of ways, he’s on the same track as Mayo. He’s going to have bad practices, ugly throws, line of scrimmage mistakes and growing pains galore. Can he be the same enthusiastic, all-ball-all-the-time player he was in the spring even as he itches to get on the field and prove his worth as the third-overall pick?
From the first rookie minicamp practice in May to the final minicamp practice in June, Maye showed tangible improvement. Proficiency? At times. In the next 40 days or so, he needs to show that routinely. Clean footwork, decisiveness in the pocket, command in and out of the huddle and relentless confidence. Pout-free leadership.
The bar for the 2024 Patriots isn’t set ridiculously high. Competency. Watchability. Improvement. An offense that can threaten 20 points on a weekly basis. A team that other teams don’t want to play in December.