The New England Patriots and Duke Blue Devils have a lot in common- east coast powerhouse, dynastic programs. Both are a very popular/polarizing brand; best embodied by their Mt. Rushmore level Coach (Bill Belichick and Mike Krzyzewski) who inspires both admiration and hatred. They sit in similar pedestals in their respective worlds of college basketball and the NFL.
This year, the Pats have yet another trait in common with Duke: white players everywhere, in places you don’t often see Caucasians. If you’re a white, blue-chip hoops recruit, you’re most likely going to Duke. If you’re white and good, but not elite, you might be headed to Wisconsin, Butler or Notre Dame.
And in 2012-13, if you’re a white receiver or tailback, you might be a Patriot.
The most powerful weapon Tom Brady has to work with is Wes Welker, the greatest slot receiver in NFL history. NFL Network analyst Michael Irvin called him the best receiver in the game right now.
And he inspired a great parody song. “Moves like Welker, moves like Welker, moooooooooooooooves like Welker.” Watch it here.
When Welker is covered, Brady next looks to Rob Gronkowski, a big, fast third year tight end out of Arizona. Unfortunately, he’s been very injury prone this year.
He reached 20 touchdowns in 26 games, faster than any tight end in history. Chicago Bears icon Mike Ditka required 31 games to reach that mark. And that’s “Gronkowsking” on the field.
Off the field, he may just be my favorite player in the league by a far margin! He’s funny, colorful, zany, and outspoken.
Make sure you have a valid passport for international travel, and list all the goods you intend to declare because we’re about to enter Gronk Nation. It’s a land that includes posing for risque pics with porn star Bibi Jones while she wears his jersey, or shirtlessly tweeting pics with large phallic symbols to supermodel Kate Upton.
In a world of corporate controlled communication and sanitized image manipulation, he is a breath of fresh air.
And don’t forget tailback Danny Woodhead, not to be confused with the infamous Danny Woodcock! Yes, an actual Caucasian at the position, what a very endangered species.
Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, a Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports.
A Fulbright scholar and MBA, Banks has appeared on live radio all over the world; he’s also a member of the FWAA, USBWA and SPJ. The President of the United States follows him on Twitter (@Paul_M_BanksTSB) You should too.