Summer is here, and we are at its peak. For most of you, it’s hot. You can smell the fresh-cut grass outside, and it’s giving you a football vibe. The dawn of the season is upon all of us. Football, specifically New England Patriots football, is almost upon us. Drake Maye to AJ Brown scenes, Caleb Lomu pancaking everyone. Quite frankly, this calls for a Mug Root Beer. It may even call for an A&W Ice Cream Sundae (insane).

But…

The days are beginning to shorten. Fall is coming upon us. FOOTBALL. I’m not going to wish this wonderful time of year to go by any faster, but I can feel what’s around the corner.
Let me give you some inside baseball before we start another beautiful season, because I love you all, and I feel as if this is an important reminder from me to you.

When I write these articles, I never force it. I have no deadlines, no reason to even write them other than pure enjoyment. It never occurs to me to force something in order to have another piece of slop content in an oversaturated market. My time is valuable, your time is valuable. I want to make something I love and something that will make you think and feel. These are my purest thoughts, refined for days, weeks, years even. Some are ridiculous, some are on-point, and some you’ll learn are just so Brycen-coded.

I appreciate all of you deeply for all the support, kind words, and fun. That is what it’s about.
For the past month or so, I’ve had this very familiar feeling. It’s funny, because @TitleTalkTCL has told us he remembers years as seasons for the Patriots. I think a lot of you do the same. The calendar in my mind begins with some playoff game in January and ends with clinching home field in December. My mind sort of works the same way.

Last year, when it wasn’t obvious to anyone, I wrote an article about how the 2025 Patriots would be the best offense since 2018, at least. We also talked EARLY about how Drake Maye could be MVP, the Bills game was the biggest in years (Mike Tirico agreed, friend of the program), the Patriots could win the SB, and that was all before the trade deadline.
I’ll save the overarching football predictions for a few weeks, but there’s something else that’s been really itching in my mind.

I’m going to do it again. Yes, hyper-focused Brycen is going to give another 2018 comparison.

I figured it out. This is easily my favorite Patriots team since the 2018 season, and this summer has reminded me of it heavily.

Both the 2017 and 2025 teams were coming off somewhat devastating Super Bowl losses. If you remember, there was also a ton of drama coming into the 2018 season as well with Tom Brady. Not even to mention the Butler situation. You had pretty minimal player turnover. Cooks/Lewis/Solder/Butler departed, but the core was pretty much the same. Edelman was coming back from injury, JMac was acquired, and eventually Josh Gordon joined the Patriots in an extremely exciting moment for us all.

Most notably of all, Matt Patricia left the Patriots and Brian Flores was elevated to Defensive Coordinator. All-time moment for me. A real heartbreak. Sike. Flores immediately elevated the team, and there was an overwhelming sense that things were going to be different… and they were.

The energy all summer was different. You saw Trent Brown towering over people, Edelman hyping everyone up again, the Mac twins in the secondary, our king Brian Flores. One of my favorite, most lovable teams of all time for many reasons. That’s before Josh Gordon completed my all-time dream of seeing him catching passes from Tom Brady.

If you’ve heard me say this, you know ball. I’ve said it all offseason, before the Patriots acquired multiple awesome players.

Super Bowl losses can devastate a team. We’ve seen the Patriots do it to other teams, never to be heard from again. I kept thinking the way to overcome the Super Bowl loss hangover is to inject delusional optimism and belief into all the players on the team. Yes, skills matter. Roster matters. Talent matters. There is ALWAYS something to be said about belief. Belief matters almost more than anything. Few understand this.

Many players over the years talk about how certain moves an NFL team makes get everyone to buy in. It forges belief where there may not be any. The players will tell you that these front office moves show that they are serious about competing for a Super Bowl, too. I thought the biggest issue the Patriots would have was combating this Super Bowl loss hangover.

The summer leading into the 2018 season was exciting, but remember that September? It felt like everything was slipping away. I know, September is an extension of the preseason. I know. Thank you, Bill. Specifically, Josh Gordon’s addition gave the Patriots an injection of hope and belief they so desperately needed. Forget them, I so desperately needed it.

The timeline is a little off, but that feels exactly like where we are after the AJ Brown trade. The Patriots signed Doubs, Gilliam, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Dre’Mont Jones, Kevin Byard, etc.
Before the AJ Brown trade, Diggs left (for now?), our king Kayshon Boutte (who just messaged me a couple of weeks ago) is looking for a trade/extension (stay, king), and the Vrabel situation was still looming.

The AJ Brown trade changed everything. It is the same catalyst that Josh Gordon was, but to an even higher level. He is a much better player, in shape, and so ready to play for the team he has always loved. All of the whispers behind the scenes are raving with excitement about the prospects of Drake Maye to AJ Brown.
I say this to say, I feel the similarities. I feel the energy. The signs and synchronicities are there. I can feel it in my gut, which I trust.

This 2026 Patriots team has to be one of my early favorite Patriots teams of my lifetime. I know, it’s early. But think about it? They are an extremely likeable team with a chip on their shoulder after the SB loss, schedule criticism, and Vrabel drama. Drake Maye has come into his own. He’s solidified himself as a top-tier player and carries that extra motivation to prove he’s as real as they come. Some are saying he’s going to have much more responsibility this year, and I think that’s going to take this team to the next level.

This feels like one of those peak dynasty 2.0 years. You just know the Super Bowl is the aim, and it’s 100% possible. There aren’t the same questions like there were last summer. This team has proven a lot and seeks to prove a LOT more this season.

Not to mention, Caleb GOATMU is keeping things interesting. The Gonzo extension probably happens soon (@Gordon_Hultz) that’s really the last personal issue the team has to deal with other than our king Kayshon Boutte.
It’s early, but this roster seems loaded, and the team feels like they’re on the path to greatness once again.

Will Campbell, you are the captain of our ship.
AJ Brown, you are the engine.
Caleb Lomu, you are our dancing king.
Gonzo, you are the quiet destroyer of universes.
Mike Reiss, you are our microphone.
Ben Volin,
Rhamondre Stevenson, you carry us.
Hogdale, you have the call.
Drake Maye. Enough said.

This team’s favorability rating is at a 96/100 for me (all-time on the Brycen2047 favorability scale). I couldn’t be more excited to see how this translates on the practice field within the coming weeks.

I’m here to say it first, it’s going to be epic. Just as epic as you. These are the moments where dynasties are made.

As always, thank you all so much for sharing, liking, retweeting, commenting, and supporting this article. I look forward to hearing your favorability ranking.

And,
LET’S GO!
-Brycen