When you’ve earned the third pick in the NFL Draft, something hasn’t been going according to plan. That high of a selection can only be earned only the most dysfunctional, unlucky, and/or incompetent organizations.
For those sorry franchises whose failures are tied to poor QB performances, the decision of who to draft with such a coveted spot raises the stakes even more….
… and then there are the Patriots. Believe it or not, the importance of their pick this year goes far beyond that.
Because while other franchises might have their medium-term future as defined in wins and losses on the line, for the Patriots, it’s about being removed from the very consciousness of their fanbase.
Let me explain.
Over the past 2 years, I have come to encounter the recurrence of a rare disease in New England that has attacked the brains of so many otherwise healthy adults and children. It is known as Patsamnesoglect (PAG), a condition marked by the combination of amnesia (loss of memory) and sensory neglect (unable to see or hear something right in front of you). [1]
A typical sufferer from PAG can easily be identified; while they used to be able to name each Pats players’ favorite movie while gathering around the fire to debate Bill Simmons’ “Top 20 Comeback Wins of the Brady Era.” Once stricken by PAG, the very name “New England Patriots” brings up quizzical looks while the mention of Jerod Mayo may elicit a “ooh, was that one of Jayson Tatum’s teammates at Duke?….by the way, do you know that Tatum is only 25 years old?”
Another key symptom of PAG suffers relates to losing the ability to recognize logos and color-schemes. The once super-human power of Bostonians to spot others adorned in the Red, White, and Blue pats logo from miles away under PAG becomes atrophied to the point that they are completely colorblind to those colors, retaining only the ability to discern (Celtic) Green and occasionally (Bruin) Black/Yellow.
