The New England Patriots startled the NFL world with their Week 1 upset win against the Cincinnati Bengals, which has given Patriots fans optimism that their club may not be the worst in the league after all this season.
But would it genuinely be better for New England to be bad?
That’s what Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon seems to think.
While Gagnon agrees that the Pats will likely be a feisty club most weeks under Jerod Mayo, he feels that losing would improve them.
“It’s probably better for them to compile a bunch of losses this season because they won’t be contending anyway, but a 1-0 start with an overachieving victory is quite valuable in terms of establishing something to kick off the Jerod Mayo era,” Gagnon wrote.
Essentially, Gagnon is arguing that the Patriots should embrace the tank, which is something that Mayo is plainly not open to doing.
In a sense, it would behoove New England to land another good draft pick next spring. After all, it’s glaringly obvious that the team is in severe need of skill on the offensive side of the ball, and the greatest method to amass said talent is through the NFL Draft.
But on the other side, there is something to be said for establishing a winning culture.
There are many of clubs across the NFL who accrue high draft picks year in and year out, and yet, it doesn’t seem to lead them anywhere. There is a reason why often the same teams appear to be drafting in the top 10 every April.
Perhaps putting up a scrappy year in which the Patriots pull out some pretty impressive wins (like Week 1 versus the Bengals) will be primarily advantageous for the team moving forward.
