Welcome to the Unconventional Review, an instant reaction to standouts, stats, and story lines from the Patriots’ most recent game . . .
It wasn’t so much a wakeup call as a confirmation of what we suspected, but perhaps didn’t want to admit until we actually saw it happen.
The Patriots began the Mike Vrabel coaching era with the reasonable promise of better days ahead. But his debut Sunday, a 20-13 loss to Pete Carroll and the Raiders, was not one of those better days.
Rather, it was a reminder that some serious growth needs to happen for the Patriots’ young and important players before good times return to Foxborough with any consistency.