Unfavorable assessment of Patriots roster should become bulletin board material

At this point in the 2024 offseason, it's well known that most analysts do not have much optimism that the Patriots are going to do much of anything successful this fall, especially offensively. While many fans will agree, it still feels like some of their more talented players are being overlooked and undervalued, even some of the wide receivers.

Besides the offensive line, the most questionable part of the offense has been the receiving corps by far, a weaker unit on the team for the past several years that the new regime didn't completely address in free agency.

Despite their double-dipping at the position in the draft, there are still many doubts that the pass catchers will be helpful to either quarterback. The latest roster assessment is one of the worst evaluations of the offseason.

The ever-so-polarizing Jason McIntyre of Fox Sports doubled down on his recent statement of which teams he believes have the worst receiver groups in the entire NFL.

Among the seven teams he lists at the bottom of the league is the Patriots, which isn't exactly breaking news. But it should also be used as fuel for the young players on the team and perhaps the latest addition to the bulletin board they surely have hanging in Gillette Stadium.

The negativity surrounding the Patriots has only heightened this offseason, but they can use it to their benefit

Because of the Patriots' history of consistently winning and dominating the rest of the league, plus the occasional controversy, they have been subjected to a lot of scrutiny and dislike from every other fanbase and media analyst.

Although those days appear long behind them as they enter the Jerod Mayo era, the conversation surrounding the team remains the same. The constant negativity and celebration of the team at the top tumbling to the bottom is now primarily focused on their top name-less receiver room, which, in the minds of many, means they're not talented, nor will they be very good.

Given Bill Belichick's reluctance to add such players to the roster during his Patriots tenure, you'd think seeing the Patriots offense not having an A.J. Brown or Tyreek Hill wouldn't rule them out from being a good offense.

However, the legendary head coach and Tom Brady are gone, and so is the belief that the quarterback can bring out the best in his receivers despite their obvious inefficiencies.

While that might be true, we've seen great performances from the likes of Kendrick Bourne, who has put together some of the best seasons of his career since joining the team in 2021, DeMario Douglas, who was the leading receiver as a rookie last year, and the newly drafted players Javon Baker and Ja'Lynn Polk have stolen the show throughout training camp.

They look to be in a better position to be successful with Jacoby Brissett under center than with Mac Jones or Bailey Zappe, and the group could very easily outperform all expectations, like McIntyre's low assessment of their talent.

They should use the negativity to their benefit, which already appears to be the case based on what Douglas said to reporters recently. The underdog narrative can benefit them as they hope to not only make themselves look good and their teammates, but also Mayo in his first year as head coach.

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