Tag: 221208

Wishing you a Merry Christmas

Two local productions bring holiday classics to the stage

By Mya Blanchard

[email protected]

Two Christmas classics will be brought to the stage this holiday season with the Majestic Theatre’s production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and Peacock Players’ A Charlie Brown Christmas.

The production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever will run at the Derry Opera House from Friday, Dec. 9, through Sunday, Dec. 11, while A Charlie Brown Christmas is happening the following weekend at the Janice Streeter Theatre in Nashua from Friday, Dec. 16, through Sunday, Dec. 18.

Originally a book published in the 1970s by Barbara Robinson, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever puts a musical spin on a classic story.

“[The story] centers around the Bradley family, who is … a typical suburban churchgoing family … getting ready for the Christmas season. … The mother, Grace Bradley, ends up in charge of directing the church’s annual Christmas pageant,” said Katie Gifford, the director of the show. “The town bully children, [the Herdmans] … show up at church [and] demand to be a part of the Christmas pageant.”

This is something that Helen Armstrong, the usual director of the pageant, is very unhappy with.

“She’s quite the control freak. … She’s trying to control the whole show [from her hospital bed],” said Bethany Layne, who plays the part of Helen.

By the end of the play, Helen and the rest of the characters eventually come around to the Herdman children.

“The Herdmans put their own take on the classic Christmas story, which ends up being even more endearing than the traditional Christmas story,” Gifford said. “They’re the ones who end up teaching the town the true meaning of Christmas. It’s just a really heartwarming story.”

Peacock Players will bring Charles Schulz’s 1965 classic Christmas special to life with their production of A Charlie Brown Christmas.

“If anybody’s ever seen the holiday special, it’s basically just like that,” said Kendall Toupin, who plays the role of Snoopy. “At Peacock Players we are adding on the actual Christmas pageant [scene]. [Snoopy] gets to be all the animals in the Christmas play and that’s very exciting for him.”

Being a nostalgic classic that is sentimental to many, this is a show that is sure to spread holiday cheer and get everyone in the Christmas spirit.

“Audiences will love this show because it is just so wholesome,” Elle Millar, the show’s director, said in an email. “It has a lovely sense of nostalgia and warmth that is so fun for this season.”

Featured photo: From The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: Jonathan Kaplan as “Bob,” Suzy Denu as “Grace” and Gavin Abbott as “Charlie.” Photo by Matthew Morin.

The Art Roundup 22/12/08

The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities

• The next generation of actors: The Palace Youth Theatre (Palace Youth Theatre at Forever Emma Studios, 516 Pine St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org/pyt) has a lineup of classes this winter and for 2023 vacation camps. Classes that run in January and February include stage makeup (for grades 5 to 12), teen improv (grades 10 to 12), improv and acting games (grades 2 to 5, and grades 6 to 9) and mini-camp: musical edition (grades 2 to 6). The winter vacation camp (Feb. 27 through March 3) will perform Sleeping Beauty and the spring vacation camp (April 24 through April 28) will perform Pinocchio. Registration is open now.

• Not a fragment of underdone potato: Ebenzer Scrooge continues to be haunted by three ghosts at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) this weekend, with shows of A Christmas Carol Thursday, Dec. 8, through Sunday, Dec. 11 (7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday as well as 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday; the show runs through Friday, Dec. 23).

The Hatbox Theatre (270 Loudon Road in Concord; hatboxnh.com) also continues its Dickens’ A Christmas Carol this weekend with shows Friday, Dec. 9, and Saturday, Dec. 10, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 11, at 2 p.m. The production runs through Sunday, Dec. 18.

Other productions offering up the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come this weekend include the New Hampshire Theatre Project, which presents a one-woman theatrical performance of A Christmas Carolby Jennifer Munro at the West End Studio Theatre (959 Islington St. in Portsmouth; nhtheatreproject.org), with showtimes on Friday, Dec. 9, and Saturday, Dec. 10, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 11, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $30 for adults and $26 for students, seniors and veterans, with a livestream option also available for $20. The Rochester Opera House (31 Wakefield St., Rochester; rochesteroperahouse.com) presents A Christmas Carolfrom Dec. 9 through Dec. 17, with showtimes on Thursday and Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 5 p.m. Tickets range from $22 to 28. The Garrison Players present Inspecting Carol, a riff on A Christmas Carol that features that play within a play about a theater company seeking grant funds,at the Garrison Players Arts Center (449 Roberts Road in Rollinsford; garrisonplayers.org) Dec. 9 through Dec. 18, with showtimes on Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $15 for students and $20 for adults.

Made by you
Twiggs Gallery (254 King St. in Boscawen; twiggsgallery.org, 975-0015) is holding a free make & take holiday ornament craft this Saturday, Dec. 10, from 1 to 3 p.m. Mixed media artist Shela Cunningham will have the materials to help make and embellish an ornament, according to a press release, which said the activity is family-friendly.

• A joyful noise: The Souhegan Valley Chorus (souheganvalleychorus.org) performs its holiday concert, “Sharing Christmas Joy,” on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 7 p.m. at First Congregational Church (10 Union St., Milford). Tickets cost $18 for adults and $15 for students and seniors and are free for children ages 12 and under.

The Manchester Choral Society and Orchestra presents its holiday concert on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 7 p.m. at Ste. Marie Parish (378 Notre Dame Ave., Manchester), and on Sunday, Dec. 11, at 4 p.m. at Manchester High School Central (535 Beech St., Manchester). Tickets cost $30 for adults and $25 for seniors and are free for children. Visit mcsnh.org.

The New Hampshire Gay Men’s Chorus wraps up its holiday concert series, “Suddenly Silver Bells,” with shows Saturday, Dec. 10, at 7:30 p.m. at The Park Theatre (19 Main St., Jaffrey) and Sunday, Dec. 11, at 4 p.m. at The Derryfield School (2108 River Road, Manchester). Tickets cost $20 for adults; admission is free for children ages 12 and under. See nhgmc.com.

The Granite Statesmen will perform at Pinkerton Academy’s Stockbridge Theatre on Sunday, Dec. 11, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $30 for adults, $20 for seniors and $10 for kids.

The Canterbury Singers will sing holiday Shaker songs at the Canterbury Shaker Village (288 Shaker Road in Canterbury; shakers.org) on Sunday, Dec. 11, from 4 to 5 p.m. Donations will be accepted.

• The pops: The Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra performs its Holiday Pops concert at the SNHU Arena (555 Elm St. in Manchester; snhuarena.com) on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $55.

Symphony NH performs its Holiday Pops concerts on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 7:30 p.m. at Keefe Center for the Arts (117 Elm St. in Nashua), and on Sunday, Dec. 11, at 3 p.m. at Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St. in Concord). Tickets are free for youth under age 12 and start at $10 for students, $18 for seniors age 65 and up and $20 for adults. Visit symphonynh.org

Craft & art fairs

More fairs and art shows offer shopportunities this weekend. Know of any coming up? Let me know at [email protected].

• Main Street Art (75 Main St. in Newfields; mainstreetart.org) will hold a reception for their annual “Holiday Small Works Show” on Thursday, Dec. 8, from 4 to 7 p.m. Additional gallery days are Wednesdays, Dec. 14 and Dec. 21, from noon to 3 p.m.

• The Great Holiday Shopping Extravaganza is being hosted by The Great New England Craft and Artisan Shows at the Hampshire Dome (34 Emerson Road in Milford) on Friday, Dec. 9, from 5 to 9 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 10, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit gnecraftartisanshows.com.

• Bishop Brady High School (25 Columbus Ave. in Concord; bishopbrady.edu) will hold its Craft Fair on Saturday, Dec. 10, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• The Holly Jolly Craft Fair will bring more than 75 artisans to the DoubleTree Hilton (2 Somerset Plaza in Nashua) on Saturday, Dec. 10, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free. See joycescraftshows.com.

• The Canterbury Community Farmers Market Association (canterburyfarmersmarket. com) will hold a market with food, fine arts and more on Saturday, Dec. 10, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. inside the gymnasium of Canterbury Elementary School (15 Baptist Road).

• The Holiday Food & Arts Market focus this Saturday, Dec. 10, at the YMCA Allard Center of Goffstown (116 Goffstown Back Road) is “Holiday Hodge Podge” with assorted festive crafts, according to a post on the YMCA’s Facebook page. The fair runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• The New Hampshire Audubon’s Holiday Craft Fair will take place on Saturday, Dec. 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the NH Audubon McLane Center (84 Silk Farm Road in Concord; haudubon.org). The fair will feature local handmade crafts and other products and the food truck The Spot To Go, which serves Puerto Rican street food.

• The annual Hudson Holiday Fair will take place at Dr. H.O. Smith Elementary School (33 School St. in Hudson) on Saturday, Dec. 10, from 11 to 4 p.m. and feature pictures with Santa and the Grinch as well as crafters and vendors, according to an event Facebook post.

• The Wrong Brain Holidaze Bizaare (facebook.com/wrongbrain) will take place Saturday, Dec. 10, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Millspace (55 Main St. in Newmarket) featuring artwork and artisan crafted items: “We aim to bring the strange, unconventional, underground, and alternative to the Seacoast, serving the fledgling and under-represented artists from our area and beyond,” according to the group’s Facebook page. Admission costs $1 and masks are required.

An artistic present

Give the experience of a live performance this year

By Katelyn Sahagian

[email protected]

Theaters, orchestras and cinemas are offering gift cards and season memberships for live performances.

“I think when you come to a show the overall experience is elevated,” said Shannon Sullivan, the development director at the Palace and Rex Theatres in Manchester. “It’s a chance to get out and come be part of the community. We love getting people over here to the Palace and the Rex to experience it firsthand.”

Sullivan said that the Palace is in the swing of its 2022-2023 season now, with showings of A Christmas Carol throughout December, to be followed by the Piano Men tribute show in January and Broadway classic Rent coming later in the year.

The Rex will continue having live music performances and comedy shows every Friday evening, as well as tribute bands and other entertainment, like magicians and silent films. Both venues will have local and national musicians playing throughout the year.

Sullivan recommended that people purchase gift certificates or memberships to the theater. She added that tickets could be bought as presents, but they wouldn’t be exchangeable for other days due to all ticket sales being final at checkout. Memberships for the Palace and Rex start at $100 and gift cards could be for any price.

According to Sullivan, the base level of membership includes “two tickets, access to private members club at the palace … various discounts … acknowledgement in the playbill, and members are invited to receptions and dress rehearsals as a perk.”

At Tupelo Music Hall in Derry, owner Scott Hayward said that it’s incredibly important to him to give people a fantastic experience. Growing up, Hayward said, his favorite presents were gift cards to movie theaters.

“I love getting experience for that,” Hayward said. “You want to do something and now you can without paying for it.”

The Tupelo has season memberships for $250 and also offers gift cards people can purchase. As at the Palace and the Rex, ticket sales are final, and Hayward advises against purchasing tickets over the gift cards. He said the average price for one ticket at Tupelo is $42.

There’s a whole series of comedians, musicians and other performers coming up at Tupelo, Hayward said. He is most excited about Crash Test Dummies, an alternative and folk rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba. They’ll be playing on Feb. 19 at 8 p.m. The ticket price wasn’t listed on the website at the time of printing.

When it comes to a choice with gifting, Hayward said that there’s nothing like live entertainment.

“You can give a physical gift but when you give them tickets or venue gift cards it’s giving an experience,” Hayward said. “You get to give them a full night out.”

Here are some organizations in the Granite State that are offering gift certificates or memberships:

• Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh.com, 225-1111) Memberships are available starting at $120 and include exclusive access to the best seats in the house at the Chubb Theatre, members-only ticket insurance exchange policy, a 24-hour presale window, concession quick-lane pass, access to Listener Lab programming club, and free access to online content.

• Community Players of Concord (435 Josiah Bartlett Road, Concord, communityplayersofconcord.org, 344-4747) Season tickets are still available at the time of printing, costing $16 per ticket. Order by calling or by emailing [email protected].

• Chunky’s (707 Huse Road, Manchester, 206-3888; 151 Coliseum Ave., Nashua, 880-8055; 150 Bridge St., Pelham, 635-7499; chunkys.com) The movie theater offers physical and printable gift cards ranging from $10 to $100 and an anytime movie pass for $8. There are also gift boxes for $22 that include a $10 gift card, one prepaid admission and one prepaid popcorn coupon. Chunky’s also offers gift baskets for one, two or a family of four priced at $25.50, $43 and $84 respectively.

• Flying Monkey (39 S. Main St., Plymouth, flyingmonkeynh.com, 536-255) In addition to gift cards starting at $25, Flying Monkey also offers a “Prime-Mate” membership package for $250 that includes 48-hour advance notice on new shows, a $100 gift card, a copy of the “Rockin’ the Flying Monkey” photo book, merchandise, a pair of tickets to the annual anniversary bash, and special membership offers and discounts.

• Hatbox Theatre (270 Loudon Road, Concord, hatboxnh.com, 715-2315) The theater has tickets for sale for the 2022-2023 season; tickets for adults cost $22 to $25 while tickets for students, seniors and members cost $19 to $22. Memberships are still available, and prices start at $40 a year.

• Nashua Chamber Orchestra (505 Amherst St., Nashua, nco-music.org, 978-226-8575) Ticket prices are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors ages 65 and older, military and college students, free for students under 18. A season pass costs $50 for adults, $35 for seniors, military and college students.

• O’neil Cinemas (24 Calef Hwy., Epping, oneilcinemas.com, 679-3529) The movie theater offers gift cards from $5 to $100. Gift cards can be purchased online or in the cinema.

• Palace and Rex Theatres (80 Hanover St. in Manchester for the Palace Theatre and its box office, palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) Memberships start at $100. Gift certificate pricing starts at $25.

• Red River Theatres (11 S. Main St., Concord, redrivertheatres.org, 224.4600) Gift cards can be purchased online or at the theater for $10 or more. The theater also has package deals that include two movie passes for Red River Theatres and a $25 gift card to a participating restaurant, and also a year-long membership that starts at $65.

• Symphony New Hampshire (6 Church St., Nashua, symphonynh.org, 595-9156) Memberships are not currently available at the time of printing, according to the website. Ticket prices start at $20 per show.

• Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St. in Derry, tupelomusichall.com, 437-5100) Memberships start at $250 and gift cards can be purchased for any amount.

Featured photo: Margaret Kasper of Mountain Girl Clothing, based in Milford. Courtesy photo.

This Week 22/12/08

Big Events December 8, 2022 and beyond

Friday, Dec. 9

Catch SNHU Penmen basketball this weekend. The women’s team takes on Post University tonight at 5:30 p.m. The men take on Post tomorrow at 2 p.m. Both games take place at Stan Spirou Field House at Southern New Hampshire University (2500 River Road in Manchester) and admission is free. See snhupenmen.com.

Friday, Dec. 9

Jimmy Cash & Friends will bring the laughs to the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org) tonight at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $25 each. Find more comedy shows this weekend in the Comedy This Week listings on page 36.

Friday, Dec. 9

Catch musician Caylin Costello at Millyard Brewery (25 E. Otterson in Nashua) tonight from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Find more live music at area restaurants, breweries and other locales in the Music This Week listing, which starts on page 38.

Saturday, Dec. 10

It’s a weekend of cookie tours! The Currier & Ives Cookie Tour will return for its 17th year today from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. More than a dozen businesses in and around the Monadnock region participate, providing visitors with homemade treats, refreshments and recipes to take with them. Tickets cost $20 per person (cash only) and are available now at The Inn at East Hill Farm (460 Monadnock St., Troy), New England Everyday Goods (16 Colls Farm Road, Jaffrey) and the Woodbound Inn (247 Woodbound Road, Rindge). Visit currierandivescookietour.com. Up north, the Inn to Inn Holiday Cookie and Candy Tour returns for its 25th year today and tomorrow, Sunday, Dec. 11, with self-guided tours from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. Several inns in various White Mountain region towns provide cookies and candy to taste, as well as holiday recipe and decorating tips. Those not wishing to reserve an overnight package at an inn can purchase tickets for $35 per person by visiting cookietour.square.site. See countryinnsinthewhitemountains.com.

Saturday, Dec. 10

Take a break with some art. Today is free admission second Saturday at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org); admission is free to New Hampshire residents with ID. Come back tomorrow, Sunday, Dec. 11, for “ARTalk with JooYoung Choi,” whose works are a part of “State of Art 2020: Locate” the exhibit on display now through February. The talk starts at 2 p.m. and admission costs $15 (which includes admission to the museum).

Saturday, Dec. 10

The Dave Matthews Tribute Band will bring its Dave Matthews experience to the Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St. in Derry; tupelomusichall.com) tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $35. Find more ticketed concerts in the listings on page 42.

Sunday, Dec. 11

The Capital Jazz Orchestra will present its Holiday Pops show today at 4 p.m. (doors open at 3 p.m.) at the Capitol Center for the Arts’ Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com). Tickets start at $27.50 plus fees. For more holiday concerts and performances, check out the Arts section, which starts on page 12.

Save the Date! Saturday, Dec. 31
St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral (650 Hanover St. in Manchester; 622-9113) will host a New Year’s Eve Dance, with doors opening at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $60 per person (children 12 and under get in free). The evening will feature music by the Kosta Taslis Band, Champagne, dinner, dancing and a cash bar, according to a press release.

Featured photo. Courtesy photo.

Quality of Life 22/12/08

Golden Girls

The Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains honored dozens of Girl Scouts at the Young Women of Distinction ceremonies in Bedford on Nov. 16. According to a press release, the Gold Award was presented to Girl Scouts in grades 9 through 12 who have spent at least 80 hours in service to their communities, demonstrating leadership in developing solutions to challenges and creating lasting positive changes. Additionally, Girl Scout Cadettes in grades 6 through 8 who have given at least 50 hours of service were recognized with the Silver Award, and Girl Scout Juniors in grades 4 and 5 who have given at least 20 hours in service received the Bronze Award. “Today’s celebration is a testament to the dedication and hard work necessary to accomplish the highest achievements in Girl Scouting,” Patricia K. Mellor, CEO of the council, said in the release.

QOL score: +1

Comment:Gold Award recipients participated in a variety of initiatives, including a geocaching project to promote mental health and wellness; providing home-cooked meals to local food pantries; publishing a collection of interviews with inspiring women; and amending state legislation to facilitate environmentally conscious burials without the need for embalming.

New books!

Dr. Norman W. Crisp Elementary School in Nashua and the Nashua Public Library unveiled dozens of new books courtesy of the Children’s Literacy Foundation during Library Day on Tuesday, Nov. 29. According to a press release, the school received CLiF’s “Year of the Book” grant, which provided the school’s library and Nashua Public Library with $1,000 each to purchase new books for their collections. The grant also funds author visits and special programs throughout the school year, plus 10 free books for each student. “Today’s Library Event is a chance for our students to see 55 to 60 exciting new books that we have been able to purchase for our library and also have a chance to see the Nashua Public Library’s new books and to learn more about NPL’s many programs for the children of Nashua,” school principal Cherrie Fulton said according to the release.

QOL score: +1

Comment: CLiF, a nonprofit based in Vermont, has been around since 1998, working to inspire a love of reading and writing among children in low-income, at-risk and rural environments.

Cough, cough, sneeze

Your suspicions based on sick coworkers, kids home from school and that cough you can’t shake are correct: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that influenza cases in New Hampshire are the highest they’ve been in a decade for this time of year, according to a WMUR report from Dec. 5. Flu cases dropped significantly in the 2020-2021 season as a byproduct of Covid mitigation measures. The number of cases increased in the 2021-2022 season, but was still significantly lower than in a typical season pre-Covid. Now, the health care system contends with an immune-sensitive population that is more susceptible to the flu than in years past, in addition to a post-Thanksgiving spike in Covid cases and cases of respiratory syncytial virus, which have been nationally on the rise.

QOL score: -2

Comment: Health officials urge people to stay up to date on their Covid and influenza vaccinations. No vaccine is available for the prevention of RSV.

QOL score: 87

Net change: 0

QOL this week: 87


What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at [email protected].

Dynasty is over

I never listen to talk radio or even read the papers much after a Patriots loss. Especially a bad one like last Thursday to Buffalo. That’s because for the most part all you get is blame, finger-pointing and vitriolrather than insight and perspective on what happened.

Not that there weren’t things that were bad, or even exasperating, like wasted timeouts and the usual for 2022 high number of penalties at the worst time.

Most watchers these days are in denial, judging the Patriots with expectations based on what they have been for the last 20 years, rather than a sober evaluation of what they are now, an ordinary team with a lot of holes that hasn’t been as good as their former patsy Buffalo for three years now.

Given how long their former relationship lasted, it is understandably hard to compute even with the evidence piling up, making much of Patriot Nation and the media unwilling or unable to go against muscle memory to face the reality that Brady and company ain’t walking through that door to save the day.

Said another way: The dynasty is over. Done.

It’s not an unusual reaction when that has happened, as fans and the media are the last to know. Or maybe the last to give up/in.

And it’s not confined to football. Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy still refers to the Celtics as the NBA’s greatest franchise when they have won just one title since 1986. That, for the mathematically challenged, is 36 freaking years ago. They certainly have a glorious history, but their rivals in L.A. have won that title eight times in the same period. Ditto with the Canadiens in Montreal, who haven’t won the Cup since 1993, or much of anything else for that matter since Patrick Roy left the building in a snit with the brass two years later.

Bringing it back to the NFL, there have been four dynasties since I have been following the NFL. Which I define as lasting for 15 years or more amid turnover of the original group of players to more good players that eventually formed a completely different team as the winning continued.

That takes out historically superior teams like the 1960s Packers and ’70s Steelers because both faded as their throng of Hall of Fame players declined or retired as they aged with no one near good enough to step in for them to keep it going.

And sorry, ’90s Cowboys, while you were a dominant team, winning three times in four years is not nearly long enough to qualify. Ditto for one-year wonders like the 1986 Bears and 2000 Ravens.

The final qualification is that being in the mix to contend for a Super Bowl title year in and year out is more important than actually winning a huge number of SBs. Which is a legit point of debate as the aforementioned Packers and Steelers won five and four respectively during their impressive reigns but missed the cut because their excellence didn’t last long enough and a dynasty by definition is about length of time.

So that leaves the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s Oakland/L.A. Raiders and Dallas Cowboys, the ’80s/’90s Bill Walsh 49ers and the Patriots from 2001 to 2019. Notice I said the Patriots dynasty ended in 2019, to drive home the point that dynasties end long before most realize it.

Each ended for different reasons. Oakland ended as maverick owner Al Davis lost his fastball. That was somewhat the case for the Tom Landry-led Cowboys, but it probably had more to do with losing their edge in finding talent as the rest of the league copied their sophisticated use of newfangled computers and method of drafting players for athletic skills — speed, quickness, size — over the position they played. Their mantra was “get me the best athletes and we’ll find a position for them.” Concepts now identified by all at the pre-draft combine.

The advent of the salary cap croaked the 49ers, because it leveled the playing field for a team always willing to outspend others for talent or to keep their own.

Which brings us back to the Patriots. I know a lot of people bring it back to the “Was it Bill or Tom?” debate. But while losing Tom Brady certainly was a blow, it started before that. The one who knew it first was probably Brady because he pouted all throughout 2019 that he had terrible receivers and the offense was a disaster for a lot of the year. Along with other factors, this led him to take his talents to Tampa Bay, who, oh by the way, had two 1,000-yard receivers, so voila, he was TB-12 again.

As for the rest of us. While the dual drubbings by Buffalo at the end of 2021 made it clear how big the gap was between the two teams, it didn’t kill the notion that they could close it.

That’s come this year via a number of signs like their non-effort vs. Chicago on MNF, (used to be) uncharacteristic penalties piling up and the fact the team no longer has swagger or conveys the feeling they can get out of any jam.

The final piece for me is knowing they were gonna get thumped again on Thursday.

The culprit has been horrible drafting dating back to the early teens along with swinging and missing on almost everyone outside of Matthew Judon and Jalen Mills in their 2021 free agent spending spree.

Then there’s also that in not seeing how important game-breaking speed receivers have come to be in the 2022 NFL, there could be a creeping early sign it may be passing Bill Belichick by.

Hopefully, that feeling is wrong. But if it isn’t, the dynasty is dead and buried.

Email Dave Long at [email protected].

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