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Can the Patriots follow the Bengals’ team-building blueprint? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The New England Patriots are in the midst of a rebuild after two decades of dominance. As they prepare for what’s likely to be a long season in Foxboro, they can find inspiration in their Week 1 opponent — the Cincinnati Bengals.
There were dark days in Cincinnati before star quarterback Joe Burrow’s arrival. The Bengals had five consecutive losing seasons — including a 2-14 record in 2019 — before Burrow led them to a Super Bowl appearance in his second season. They haven’t had a losing record since 2020.
New England hopes to eventually find similar success with their new first-round quarterback, Drake Maye. Can executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf and Co. follow Cincinnati’s team-building blueprint and regain their reputation as a perennial contender?
Bengals.com’s Geoff Hobson joined Tom E. Curran’s Patriots Talk Podcast and shared his thoughts.
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“Oh yeah,” Hobson said. “I mean, if the quarterback is as good as they say, and it sounds like he’s the next coming of Josh Allen, that’s a good place to start.
“Think about what they’re coming off of. I mean, the last time the Patriots were here to open a season was the last opening day that Drew Bledsoe started for the Patriots. That was 2001 and now we’re all the way back and it’s the first post-Bill Belichick game. If it’s not ground zero, they’re close. They’ve got a guy from the Belichick school (head coach Jerod Mayo), but they need the quarterback.
“If (Maye is) legit, then that’s as good a place as any to start. But if he’s not — you’ve seen what happens if it’s not. Mac Jones wasn’t the answer and there was chaos.”
Burrow and the Bengals squeaked into the 2021 playoffs despite a lackluster offensive line. Since then, Cincinnati has invested heavily in pass protectors…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/patriots-bengals-team-building-blueprint-213207390.html
Author : NBC Sports Boston
Publish date : 2024-09-05 23:34:05
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