Patriots Keep Rolling Against Bengals

There was a short period on Sunday afternoon when Patriots fans were a little nervous about their matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals. That moment came when the Bengals took the opening possession of the second half and marched down the field for a touchdown and taking a 14-10 lead. Then the Patriots failed to respond and punted the ball away after a three-and-out.

To that point in the game, Cincinnati’s defense had been stout, and hadn’t allowed the Patriots to do much of anything on offense. Brady was hitting the turf regularly and nobody was getting open down field. The Patriots were scrambling while the Bengals looked steady and confident. Then the momentum of the game shifted drastically when Cincinnati backed themselves up to their own eight-yard line on a holding penalty. The next snap led to Dont’a Hightower bursting through the middle of the line unblocked and sacking Andy Dalton for a safety. From that moment forward, it was all Patriots.

After the punt following the safety, Brady hit Martellus Bennett for 24 yards, then Rob Gronkowski for 38 more to give the Patriots a first-and-goal from the four. He then delivered a perfect strike to Gronk and we got to see our first Gronk-Spike of the season. Two minutes and two seconds later Brady found James White for his second receiving touchdown of the game and the lead went to eleven: 25-14 Pats. At that point, we all forgot that we had ever doubted the outcome of the game.

With a final score of 35-17, it would seem like it was a solid win for the Patriots, but there were certainly some concerning aspects of this game. First, the offensive line was atrocious for much of the afternoon. Brady was sacked three times, and hit hard on several more occasions, most of the time with only four rushers to block. On Michael Johnson’s sack in the third quarter, the Patriots left White in to block, giving them six blockers for four pass rushers, and Brady was still on the ground in less than three seconds.

There’s really nothing worse that an offensive line can do than to give up consistent pressure to a four-man rush. It means the defense has the luxury of dropping seven men into pass coverage while still pressuring the quarterback. That’s a bad combination for a team like the Patriots that relies heavily on the passing game with a 39-year-old quarterback who isn’t likely to make many plays with his feet by escaping the pocket. The pass protection just has to be better.

As a team they were also able to manufacture just 79 yards on 23 attempts running the ball for an average gain of just 3.43 yards per carry. The Dallas Cowboys gouged the Bengals on the ground last week, and while they have the best rushing attack in the league, the Patriots should have been able to run the ball more effectively. If they can’t run, or pass protect, we might be seeing Jimmy Garoppolo again sooner than we’d hoped.

Defensively the Patriots were once again just a little bit too generous, allowing the Bengals 357 yards of total offense. Once again, the pass defense was relatively soft, letting Dalton start the game 10-for-10 through the air. They weren’t able to generate much of a pass rush at all aside from two sacks, and as a result Dalton had plenty of time to make his reads and find an open receiver. They moved the ball with ease, and while the defense mad a great goal line stand in the first half on fourth-and-goal from the one, it could have been a very different game had they punched it in for a touchdown. The defense will have to tighten up against better opponents, especially early in games, to avoid falling behind and putting too much burden on the offense.

What might be most encouraging from the win, was that the Patriots managed an 18-point victory while not playing very well for half of the game. They’ve cemented themselves as the best team in the AFC at 5-1, with a one game lead over the 4-2 Broncos, Steelers, Raiders, Bills, and Texans. As Brady gets more and more comfortable with his new weapons, this offense looks positively unstoppable, and a return to the AFC Championship game seems inevitable at this point.

Player of the Game: Rob Gronkowski gets this one and it wasn’t very close. He set a career-high in receiving yards with 162, and grabbed a touchdown as well. Any time Gronk sets a career-high, you know it was a monster day. Without him on Sunday I can’t imagine the offense would’ve snapped out of their first-half slump, as Gronk was the catalyst that got them moving again.

 

2016 NFL Preview: AFC South

For part four of the 2016 NFL Preview I’ll take a look inside one the league’s worst divisions traditionally, that may finally be on the rise. Ever since Peyton Manning left this division, they haven’t produced a true contender while often generating some cellar-dwellers.

The Indianapolis Colts came closest to contending in 2014 when Andrew Luck led a high-flying offense to the AFC Championship game before getting dismantled by the New England Patriots 45-7. All four teams in the division have young quarterbacks that they are confident in, and all have reasons to thing the future will be bright. But what about the present?

 

Tennessee Titans 2015 (3-13)

2016 Prediction (4-12) 4th Place AFC South

Marcus Mariota looked solid in his rookie season after being drafted second overall in 2015. Unfortunately for him, he was the only bright spot on a very bad football team. They’ve made some upgrades to the talent level on offense, but there are too many holes on this team to see major improvement this season.

The biggest curiosity was the team’s decisions to trade for DeMarco Murray and then use their second round pick on Alabama running back Derrick Henry. While a strong running game is important, head coach Mike Mularkey has made it clear that they are going to transition to being a power running team.

Not only is that style of offense outdated in today’s NFL, but Mariota won a Heisman Trophy in college running a wide-open spread offense at Oregon. Why a coach would try to change the playing style of his young quarterback—instead of tailoring his offense to Mariota’s skill set—is beyond me, but it doesn’t seem like the best strategy.

With that said, if the preseason is any indication, the Titans will have a ferocious rushing attack with Murray and Henry keeping each other fresh and splitting the work load. The problem with this team is defense, as they gave up the sixth most points in the league last season. They haven’t done enough to upgrade their defense in the offseason, and there are bound to be more growing pains for Mariota as he tries to learn a completely new offense, so it will be another year in the cellar for the Titans.

 

Jacksonville Jaguars 2015 (5-11)

2016 Prediction: 7-9 3rd place AFC South

The Jaguars have found their franchise quarterback in Blake Bortles who exploded for 35 touchdown passes and almost 4,500 yards through the air last season. His decision-making needs to improve, as he still chucked up 18 interceptions, but it was a very impressive campaign for his first full season as a starter.

He has three great weapons in wide receivers Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns and tight end Julius Thomas. Both Hurns and Robinson are entering their third season in the league, and both eclipsed 1,000 yards last year. As they continue to mature, they could prove to be one of the most dynamic duos at wide receiver in the league. Robinson is poised for a break out year as he looked positively dominant last season, hauling in 80 catches for 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Defensively the team spent big on defensive tackle Malik Jackson from the Denver Broncos and free safety Tashaun Gipson from the Cleveland Browns. The improvements should bring this team a couple more wins, but they are still a young team with some holes in the offensive line and defensive secondary, and will need a few years before they look like playoff team.

 

Indianapolis Colts 2015 (8-8)

2016 Prediction: (9-7) 2nd Place AFC South

The Colts floundered last year as Andrew Luck battled injuries and backup Matt Hasslebeck had to step in. Though, the team can hardly blame all their struggles on Luck’s injury. Even when he did play, his completion percentage was just 55.3% and he threw 12 interceptions in seven games.

The Colts have been one of the most mismanaged franchises in the league over the past four years. They hit the football lottery by landing Andrew Luck in the 2012 draft, but have failed to surround him with real talent on either side of the football. They haven’t been able to protect him with a good offensive line or provide him with any kind of running game, forcing him to throw the ball 40 times per game.

The defense has been an embarrassment finishing 26th in the league last season. Once again, the team hasn’t done much to improve their weaknesses in the offseason, and they figure to struggle in all the same areas. While they managed to make the playoffs in the past despite their deficiencies, their division has gotten much tougher, and they aren’t guaranteed six easy games per season any more. Luck will win games with his arm throwing to a decent receiving core of T.Y. Hilton, Donte Moncrief and Philip Dorsett, but it won’t be enough to make the playoffs this year.

 

Houston Texans 2015 (9-7)

2016 Prediction: 10-6 1st Place AFC South

The Houston Texans managed to eek out a division title in 2015 despite rolling out four mediocre quarterbacks throughout the season in Brian Hoyer, Ryan Mallett, T.J. Yates and Brandon Weeden. It’s quite a feat to make the playoffs with any one of those guys, never mind combining all four of them. So they went out and solved the quarterback problem by throwing an enormous contract at free agent Brock Osweiler, who looked solid in eight games as Denver’s starting quarterback last season.

His favorite new target will be DeAndre Hopkins who had a monster year in 2015 despite the sub-par quarterbacks he was working with. He grabbed 111 balls for 1,521 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. Those are staggering numbers considering the team managed just 3,833 yards through the air. He’s a bona fide superstar that can make any quarterback look good, so he is sure to have another great year with Osweiler looking his way.

The Texans also added running back Lamar Miller who finally finds himself on a team that likes to run the ball. He was an elite running back on a Miami Dolphins team that seemed allergic to handing the ball off, so he’s bound to be a top-five rusher on the 2016 Texans.

Defensively Houston should be strong once again, led by JJ Watt. Though he’s been injured for all of training camp, he’s back on the practice field, and a freak of nature like Watt won’t take too long to shake the rust off. Jadeveon Clowney will look to stay healthy for the first time in his career and finally show that he can make an impact at the NFL level. Even if he can’t, the Texans strong secondary of Jonathan Joseph, Kareem Jackson and Quintin Demps will make throwing the ball against Houston an unenviable task. All of the pieces are finally in place for the Texans to make a real run in a relatively weak AFC.

Brady vs. Manning XVII

For the fifth consecutive year the New England Patriots will play in the AFC Championship game for a chance to represent the conference in the Super Bowl. In 14 years as the starting quarterback of the Patriots, Tom Brady has led his team to the conference championship game a remarkable 10 times now. In six of those previous nine games, he led his team to the Super Bowl. Those six Super Bowls led to four Lombardi Trophies. He is the best to ever play the position, and that debate is over.

A few years ago, the majority of football fans in this country would have argued that Brady’s opponent on Sunday, Peyton Manning, was a better quarterback. Though that argument has since been debunked, Manning easily ranks in the top five quarterbacks ever to play in the NFL, just a spot or two from the top. For the entire 21st century these two quarterbacks have dominated the sport, and set the bar for the position, exchanging records along the way. It has been an era of football we are likely never to see again, with two of the all-time greats going head-to-head 17 times. With Manning on his last legs, it’s also likely that this will be the final chapter.

Sunday’s game, however, is not going to be a showcase of quarterbacking talent. Statistically Manning was the worst quarterback in the NFL this season. His 59.8 completion percentage was his worst since 1998, his rookie season. Manning’s nine touchdown-passes and 17 interceptions was the worst TD:INT ratio of his career by far. The Broncos only made it this far because of their defense, which was the best in the league this season, and they are likely to make even Tom Brady look human on Sunday.

The biggest advantage the Broncos have this weekend is playing at home in Mile High Stadium. Of course, if the Patriots had managed to win against the Eagles, Jets or Dolphins in the final weeks of the season, they’d be playing at home. This game should be in Foxborough, but there’s no reason to dwell on the past, as Dan Shaughnessy has already done that for us in Monday’s Boston Globe.

This game will come down to the Patriots defense, and whether or not they can shut the Broncos down. The key will be to stop Denver’s running game, which torched the Pats for 179 yards and three touchdowns on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. If they can stop the run on first and second down, the Patriots will force Manning to throw on third down, and despite that sentence sounding like a losing strategy two years ago, Manning was the worst quarterback in the NFL this season. On those passing plays, it will be important for the Patriots’ defense to focus on the middle of the field, because Manning simply doesn’t have the arm strength left to make good throws down the field or outside the numbers.

Offensively the Patriots just have to keep it simple and not turn the ball over. They were sluggish in week 12 against this dominant Denver defense, but they were without their two leading wide receivers in Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola. With those two guys healthy, along with Rob Gronkowski and Brandon LaFell, even the secondary of the Broncos will have a tough time matching up. The return of Edelman will certainly help move the chains, as the Pats went just 2-for-13 on third down back in November’s matchup. Here’s one last fun statistic: the Patriots haven’t lost a game with Julian Edelman in the lineup since November of 2014 at Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers.

Prediction: The only way the Patriots lose this game is through turnovers. If they take care of the ball and limit mistakes, their offense is just too good not to score enough points to outpace the lethargic Broncos offense. The Patriots are a better all around football team, and Brady and the offense will find a way to manufacture points against the Broncos defense. Manning looked really bad against a mediocre Pittsburgh defense last week, and all the Patriots have to do is hold them to field goals like the Steelers did. I like the Patriots in this one 27-16.

 

Around the League: I’m sorry I doubted you Carolina. The Panthers are 16-1 for a reason and they’re playing at home. Cam Newton and the Panthers beat the Cardinals 34-28. See you in Super Bowl 50.

Chiefs Week

After a crazy Wild Card Weekend in the NFL with games being swung by dumb penalties and missed field goals, it is finally playoff time in New England. The Patriots will kick off the divisional round on Saturday afternoon as they host the Kansas City Chiefs in Gillette Stadium.

The Chiefs cruised through the first round with a 30-0 decimation of a hapless Houston Texans team. Texans quarterback Brian Hoyer threw four horrendous interceptions and fumbled once on his way to a 15.9 quarterback rating. The Chiefs were certainly the better football team in every aspect of the game, but they won’t have such an easy time in Foxborough on Saturday.

Having started 10-0, the Patriots limped their way through a 2-4 record in their final six games. They battled injuries to just about every key player on the roster aside from Tom Brady, and even he suffered a high ankle sprain in week 17 against the Miami Dolphins. They are expected to be largely healthy again, though there is some doubt surrounding the health of Rob Gronkowski, but I’ll come back to that.

The Chiefs, on the other hand, have rattled off 11 straight wins after a 1-5 start to the season and will come to New England oozing with confidence. The last time these two teams met, the Chiefs dismantled the Patriots 41-14 on Monday Night Football in week four of last season. They have a strong defense and a good quarterback who knows how to win games in Alex Smith. The Chiefs are a team that is more than capable of giving the Patriots all that they can handle.

The keys to this game defensively for the Patriots will be to blanket Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and keep Smith from scrambling by containing him in the pocket. Kansas City built their offense to function through running back Jamaal Charles, receiver Jeremy Maclin and Kelce. Charles is out for the season and Maclin suffered a high ankle sprain last week in Houston and is likely to be limited on the field. Thus, if the Patriots can shut down Kelce, they should be able to hold Kansas City from moving the ball. Additionally, the Chiefs will be without their starting center, so expect Dont’a Hightower and Jamie Collins to be blitzing up the A gap all afternoon.

Offensively the Patriots have a tough task. The Chiefs have one of the best defensive fronts in the NFL, with all-pros in Tamba Hali, Justin Houston and Dontari Poe. They have an elite secondary anchored by Marcus Peters and Sean Smith at cornerback and Eric Berry at free safety. The combination of their ability to get after Brady and cover the deep ball will make it hard for the Patriots to make big plays.

I expect Brady to attack this defense much the same way he went after Rex Ryan’s Buffalo Bills in week 2. He’ll focus on getting the ball out of his hands very quickly to guys like Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola and James White on short, underneath routes. If he can get it out in two seconds or less, like he did for much of the season, the pass rush of the Chiefs won’t have time to get to him, and without their pass rush, the Chiefs defense becomes a whole lot less effective.

The big question mark for the Patriots is the health of Gronkowski, who mysteriously missed practice on Tuesday and Thursday and was a limited participant on Wednesday. This seems rather sudden for a guy who has been practicing in full for weeks after suffering an MCL sprain in week 12. Hopefully it’s nothing more than Bill Belichick playing mind games with his opponent, but if it’s serious, it would be a huge blow to New England’s offense.

Prediction: Gronk or no Gronk, the Patriots should be the better football team on Saturday, but they will have to play well to win. Kansas City is the type of team that won’t beat themselves and will capitalize on any mistakes the Patriots make. This game is very likely to come down to whoever wins the turnover battle, especially if the forecast of 30mph winds and downpours holds up. The fatal flaw for the Chiefs, however, is that head coach Andy Reid hardly changes his game plan, making it a bit easier for Belichick and his staff to come up with a way to stop them. I’m taking the Patriots 24-17.

Around the League

On twitter last weekend I correctly predicted that the Chiefs, Steelers, and Seahawks would win while showing blind, unwarranted faith in Kirk Cousins and the Washington Redskins who were outclassed by the Green Bay Packers. I’ll now take a stab at the other three games this weekend.

The Steelers looked very mediocre against the Cincinnati Bengals last week, and with the league’s best receiver, Antonio Brown, sidelined with a concussion for their trip to Denver, I don’t see a way they can beat the Broncos on Sunday. I’ve got the Broncos 21-10 setting up an 17th meeting between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning in the AFC Championship game.

The Packers were good enough to steamroll an overmatched Redskins team last weekend, but they now have to go to Arizona where they were dominated 38-8 just three weeks ago. Aaron Rodgers is a great quarterback, but I don’t think the Packers have improved by 30 points in such a short period of time. I’m taking the Cardinals 34-24.

Then there’s the Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers. The Panthers had the best record in the NFL at 15-1 including a win in Seattle in week 6, but they played the 29th easiest schedule in the league this season. Seven of the last eight Super Bowl champions finished in the top 10 in strength of schedule. I have a hard time believing in a Panthers team that isn’t battle tested and hasn’t been past the divisional round since 2003, especially when playing the team that has won the NFC each of the past two seasons and was one bad play call away from being back-to-back Super Bowl champions. The Seahawks find ways to win games that they don’t deserve to win, like they did last week in Minnesota. I’m picking the Seahawks 24-23 while fully prepared to be proven wrong. I think the Panthers immaturity and lack of experience in big games will eventually be their downfall.

Dear Brad

Dear Brad,

You are what Jack Edwards likes to call a “one in twenty-niner.” 29 teams, and 29 fan bases around the NHL absolutely despise you. The one team, and city, that still likes you is Boston. So why are you trying to alienate us too? We love you because you score goals, some times spectacular ones. We love you for making opposing defensemen look silly when you dangle around them. We love you for your tenacity, and for consistently being in the top five in the league in short-handed goals. We love it when you get under PK Subban’s skin and force him into taking a dumb slashing penalty.

We don’t love you for your unnecessary, foolish, and selfish cheap shots that get you suspended for three games, including the Winter Classic, and a matchup with the Eastern Conference’s best team, the Washington Capitals. Your low hit on Ottawa’s Mark Borowiecki marks the fourth time in your six-year career you’ve been suspended or fined for a hit to an opponent’s legs. Why do you repeatedly attack a player at his knees when you know full well where the line is?

You lead your team in goals, yet to bring in the new year, with two big games for your team, you are sitting on your couch watching on TV. I remember game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup, when you potted two goals en route to this city’s first Cup in 37 years. You love the big moments. You live for the big stage. So why did you jeopardize your first chance to play outside on New Year’s Day for the most watched hockey game of the regular season?

Your 15 goals thus far this season have you on pace to score over 30 for the first time in your career. Your contract is up after next season and teams will pay a lot for a 30-goal scorer. Yet you continue to take yourself off the ice, missing games due to suspension and decreasing your chances of reaching that scoring milestone. It’s time for you to grow up, stop targeting players’ knees, and start targeting the twine behind the netminder. You’ve got one fan base that still loves you, so stop trying to piss us off too.

 

Sincerely,

Bruins Fans

Ravens Week

Ladies and gentlemen, the 2015 NFL playoffs have finally arrived in New England. After a meaningless Week-17 game and a Wild Card Weekend bye, the Patriots will host the sixth seeded Baltimore Ravens at 4:35 pm on Saturday, January 10th at Gillette Stadium. The Ravens come to Foxborough after upsetting their archrival, the Pittsburgh Steelers, on the road. The final score read 30-17, but the game was a lot closer than the score. They’ll now try to continue the upset streak by beating the Patriots in Foxborough in the playoffs, as they did in the 2009 and 2012 seasons. The Ravens looked good in their victory over the Steelers, though not nearly as good as the score line would indicate. They were actually out-possessed by nearly 11 minutes, holding the ball for just under 25 minutes while the Steelers held it for 35 minutes and change. The Ravens were out-gained 387-295 and ran 17 fewer plays on offense than the Steelers. How’d they win, you ask? Turnovers and sacks. They won the turnover battle 3-1 by intercepting Ben Roethlisberger twice and recovering Heath Miller’s fumble. They also managed to drag Big Ben down five times for a total of 37 yards. On the other side, the Steelers managed to recover one fumble and brought down Joe Flacco just one time. The Steelers weren’t able to get anything going on the ground without Bell, and the Ravens’ pass rushers took advantage of the Steelers pass-heavy game plan. The good news for the Patriots, however, is that without the two interceptions, Roethlisberger had a pretty good day throwing the football. He was 31 of 45 for 334 yards despite being under heavy pressure most of the night. It proved what we already knew about the Ravens: their secondary is very weak. Even though they got their top corner, Lardarius Webb, back from injury, he was victimized by Antonio Brown the tune of nine catches on 14 targets for 117 yards. They also struggled mightily to cover tight ends this season, and that was once again an issue against the Steelers, allowing Miller to haul in six passes for 76 yards. If Heath Miller can rack up 76 yards against this defense, Rob Gronkowski should have a field day. While the Ravens’ run defense can be stout, Tom Brady will be able to air the ball out in this game, and with all of his receivers healthy again, expect him to spread the ball around a lot to keep the Ravens’ defense from focusing on any one player. As long as the offensive line can keep Brady upright, the Patriots will have the potential to score a lot of points in this game. Defensively, the Patriots should be all set. Torrey Smith and Steve Smith Sr. don’t pose too much of a threat for Darelle Revis and Brandon Browner. While Smith Sr. was once a formidable receiver, his game has taken a step back, and he’s no longer the maniac that he was in Carolina. He does still have the unique ability to draw penalties by being an absolute pest, so if it were up to me, I’d keep Browner (leading the defense in penalties) away from him. That would leave Revis in a shut-down role against Smith Sr. while Browner could manhandle Torrey Smith, who gives up four inches and 20 lbs. to the behemoth of a cornerback. As long as Devon McCourty spends this game playing centerfield, not allowing Flacco to complete his patented deep ball, the Patriots will be able to limit the Ravens’ productivity through the air. The Ravens rushing attack, led by Justin Forsett, is their strength. Forsett ranked 5th in the league in yards, but was the top rusher in the league in terms of yards per carry (minimum of 60 carries) with 5.4. He runs in the zone-blocking scheme that offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak developed in his time as head coach of the Houston Texans. That scheme, of course, is the one that has helped Arian Foster to become one of the best running backs in the league. While the scheme can be formidable, Bill Belichick and his teams have had no trouble with Gary Kubiak’s offenses in the past. You only have to turn back to the 2013 divisional round (and my very first post on this blog) when the Patriots shellacked the Texans 41-28 just five weeks after beating them 42-14 on Monday Night Football. Kubiak will have to get more creative with his offense if he wants to move the ball against the Patriots. My Prediction: It is my firm belief that the Ravens have the second-best coaching staff in the AFC (behind the Pats, obviously) with John Harbaugh at the reins supported by Kubiak on offense and former Patriots’ defensive coordinator Dean Pees. Without those guys, I’d say the Patriots would run away with this one. The Patriots are simply the better football team. I predict that Chandler Jones will have his breakout performance with three sacks in the game working against a weak combination at left tackle for the Ravens of Eugene Monroe and James Hurst. If he wants to take the next step to be considered an elite pass rusher, he needs to capitalize on favorable matchups in big moments. I do believe that the Ravens’ coaching staff will come up with a good game plan, but it won’t be enough. The Pats’ defense will smother the Ravens while Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski put up monster numbers on the other side of the ball. #87 is healthy in the playoffs for the first time, and he’s ready to feast. I’ve got the Patriots in a no-doubter, 34-17.   Since I got the Steelers pick wrong, I will update my prediction to a Broncos-Patriots AFC Championship game, with the Patriozts going through to the Super Bowl. Andrew Luck and the Colts still don’t have quite what it takes to steal one in Denver. I’m still sticking with Tony Romo and the Cowboys to come out of the NFC, and while I won’t go so far as to predict this outcome, the Panthers match up favorably with the Seahawks, and could very possibly steal one from the defending champs.

A Day for Patriots

Patriots’ Day is none other than a sacred holiday in the city of Boston. It’s a day that is trademarked by an 11am Red Sox game and of course, the Boston Marathon. For a Bostonian, Patriots’ Day is about spending time in the early spring sun with family and friends and watching the runners go by. Thousands of runners line up in the morning either to fulfill a life-long dream of running a marathon or at least to reward themselves for months of training. Beyond that, hundreds of thousands of Bostonians line the 26.2 mile course to cheer on and support those runners. It’s truly a day when people come out to cheer on fellow human beings in what is essentially a feat that defies biology. In a city full of fast-walkers and aggressive drivers, the feeling of friendliness isn’t always present. That is, of course, on every day other than Patriots’ Day. For one day a year, the entire city of Boston comes together to support those brave enough to attempt the marathon. Patriots’ Day marks the official start of spring in Boston when people look up at the blue sky and smile instead of lowering their heads to power through a snowstorm.

Patriots’ Day of 2013, however, will forever be marked by tragedy. Shortly before 3pm, a bomb was detonated at the finish line of the marathon on Boylston Street. That detonation was then followed by another 100 yards back on the course. The blasts sent thousands of participants and spectators running for their lives. The Associated Press is reporting over 140 injuries and at least 3 fatalities. Watching the video of the first bombing and seeing the people sprint to the site of the blast is what inspires hope for humanity. Why someone would strike a city full of smiles on its proudest day of the year is beyond me, but seeing the Bostonians instantly try to help in any way they could is what makes us proud to be from this city.

Boston is a strong city and will no doubt rebound from this horrific event. President Obama put it best saying, “Boston is a tough and resilient town, and so are its people.” We have never suffered a terrorist attack like this, but if the reaction on Monday is any indication of how we will move forward, there is no doubt that we will endure. While our hearts will forever be with the victims of Monday’s attacks, we will resume a normal life, and smiles will eventually return to the faces of Bostonians. Someone decided to test our resolve as a people, and the city of Boston, the state of Massachusetts as a whole, lived up to the name of the holiday. Monday truly was a display of patriotism.