Can You Feel The Excitement? No?

Two weeks into the 2024 season, Shank thinks a certain element is missing from the New England Patriots:

After two games, it’s clear that something is missing from Patriots game plan: excitement

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

The Patriots play the Jets at 8:15 Thursday night.

Pretty late, don’t you think? How are we supposed to stay awake after halftime if New England’s rookie coach, Jerod Mayo, keeps game planning as if he’s Amos Alonzo Stagg?

We are two games into the season, and the good news is that the Patriots are 1-1 and could easily be 2-0. The defense is pretty good. They’ve not turned the ball over, they’ve dominated time of possession, and they haven’t committed many penalties.

But would it be OK to maybe throw a deep ball one time? Or try a little trickeration? Maybe some play-action? Perhaps just open things up a little?

The Patriots are Mr. Play-It-Safe. They buy their groceries at Safeway. They buy Safety Insurance. They’ve made Gillette Stadium a safe house. They are fail safe, safe at home, and better safe than sorry. They do the Safety Dance while listening to “Safe European Home.”

I didn't say it was going to be good...