A Clare Perspective: Sitting Here Playing The ‘What If’ Game

Holy heck, you thought free agency was time for what ifs? Try OTAs and PRE pre-season!

We thought that going into free agency was an uncertainty, will Bill address the needs we think he should? Most fans will agree he did mostly, and me, well he picked up two tight ends, I’m a happy bunny. Hmm, what…? A wide receiver?… Oh yeah sure, sure we can get one of those too…

But anyways, tight ends aside for the moment, we are watching with peeled peepers to see if the guys brought in are any good. What if they aren’t? What if Bill cuts them? What if Cam plays? What if he can’t throw again? What if they put Mac Jones in and he sucks? What if he doesn’t but they burn him out?

Seriously are we putting ourselves through this mental torture again?

More so??

Being a football fan is an emotional business my friends and hey, I know I don’t need to tell you that.

We have a nation-divided, Patriots Nation that is, on the Mac-a-Cam argument… but don’t forget cute lil’ Jarrett Stidham!

I love the “what if Stidham is good?” one though, not because I don’t think he is, I’m one of those “I’m still not sure what we have in him” types, but if he is good, we have a situation on our hands. Anyone heard about the one where when you want a bus there isn’t one and then three come along at once? Imagine having three really good quarterbacks, huh? What if indeed!

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There’s “what if Rhamondre Stevenson beats out the beloved Brandon Bolden for a roster spot?” He’s basically already beaten out the beast that is Rex Burkhead… Hold on I need to wipe away these tears…

Did you think that when the 2020 season ended we would be playing the what-if game where we had so many players they may have to bump the likes of Brandon Bolden!?

We have had to go through the “what if Lawrence Guy doesn’t get re-signed”, “what if James White doesn’t”, “what if Joe Thuney goes?” And well he did, to the Kansas City Chiefs too, but still, our boy got paid!!

I have to say I was not expecting the “what if the monster-of-a-man that is Trent Brown returns”. But I like it, a lot! And I don’t want to even dip my pinky toe in “what if he isn’t very good”…

Oh, this one is a good one… “What if Coach had JUST signed Julio Jones?”

Now I do want to point out here that there are a couple of reasonable scenarios why Coach didn’t hit the aggressive deal button one more time and get one of the top wide receivers out there.  But those are just my musings I know many won’t agree, and I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t!

There are so many ifs and buts and candy and nuts but at least we won’t have to wait until Christmas!

But we do need a little more patience to find out who really is fitting in with the team at Gillette and who will be on that final list of 53 come September but in the meantime we can watch with bated breath, eagerly drooling whilst tearing ourselves apart emotionally as we eagerly await the reports from camp at Foxoborgh and drink in the ‘what if’ Kool-aid.

Go Pats!