COMMENTARY
Just a note before we begin; if you’re reading this from Chicago, Jacksonville, Arizona, Buffalo, the Meadowlands, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Indianapolis, Detroit, Cleveland, Miami, Carolina, Los Angeles, Tampa Bay, or Houston, then you have to understand: it’s been 30 years since we’ve had to do this sort of thing. Forgive the naiveties.
There was a brief period only three seasons ago in this space when we suggested the practice of tanking the season for the NFL’s No. 1 draft pick. But even led by the decrepit Cam Newton, the Patriots could only manage to be the league’s 15th-worst team by season’s end.