FOXBOROUGH -- Homecoming could not have been sweeter for captain Jake Bobo of the Seattle Seahawks.
Teeming with emotion and playing in Gillette Stadium for the first time since his prep school days at Belmont Hill, Bobo -- who ran his first pass routes on the grass at Brooks School where his mom, Casey, taught -- was part of a Seattle aerial attack that torched the Patriots for 312 passing yards in the Seahawks' 23-20 overtime win here on Sunday.
"It was fun. It's good to get a 'dub' anywhere, but to do it here is special. I had a lot of family in the stands, so it was a lot of fun," said Bobo, who is now in his second year out of UCLA, after starting his college career at Duke.
"Pregame, it hits you a little bit. You're a little bit in awe, being the guy who was sitting up there at the top of the bowl, watching those games forever.
"As soon as the ball kicks off, it's just ball. It was cool to be able to play these guys, seeing that logo on the side of the helmet was really cool, but again its about coming here and getting a win."
Bobo caught two balls for 15 yards, a number that would have placed him at the top of the charts for New England receivers in this one.
It was an emotional day and week for the kid raised in the Valley. Leading into the game, he was named a "captain" for the week back here in his old stomping grounds.
"It meant a lot to lead this team, especially here for me, with so much family in the stands. It was special," Bobo said. "I thank coach (Mike) MacDonald, and I thank this team. It's something I will remember for a long time."
Bobo is basically the No. 4 receiver in one of the most talented receiver rooms in football, a fact that was certainly on display here at Gillette.
Pro Bowler DK Metcalf caught 10 balls for 129 yards and a TD, while running mate Jaxon Smith-Njigba snagged a dozen grabs for 117 yards.
"That guy is special right there," he said, pointing to Metcalf. "And this guy (JSN) is special too. Being in the room with those guys, on an offense with those guys, it's fun. It's fun for me to watch from the sidelines. and (quarterback Geno Smith) played his (butt) off today."
Bobo doesn't get back here much anymore, although he's fortunate that Seattle's bye week falls on the same weekend that Amherst collides with Williams, where his brother Luke is a senior quarterback. He'll fly back for that one.
One thing he truly misses in North Andover is the food. So, of course, the discussion moved to Harrison's Roast Beef (now Patrick's North Shore Eatery).
"Are they still going?" Bobo asked -- relieved to hear that the roast beef is still coming off the slicer there. "That's just irreplaceable."
1 - The first to me is a tale of two fronts. On defense, the Patriots front four unit, Deatrich Wise, Daniel Ekuale, Keion White and Davon Godchaux, controlled the line of scrimmage much more than you might think.
They are the clear strength of this football team.
On the other side, the offensive line is not good and is getting banged up at a record rate. They are rolling through bodies already. Chuks Okorafor's desertion didn't help either.
2 - Jacoby Brissett plays with heart, will and courage. You can't say enough about the punishment he absorbs and just keeps fighting.
3 - A sleeper spot to watch is the Ja'Whaun Bentley injury at linebacker. He left the game and did not return. Bentley is the leader in the box. Any extended absence will hurt this group, which is razor thin to begin with.
4 - Two games in, it's tough to find fault with Jerod Mayo and his coaching staff. For a pedestrian QB turned pedestrian assistant coach, Alex Van Pelt calls a darn good game.
You could nit-pick about an ill-timed blitz or two, or the wasting of second-half timeouts, but overall the coaching staff through two weeks has been rock-solid.
5 - Geno Smith is a real, legit professional quarterback. I know, it's tough to fathom because when we saw him regularly, Smith was a bum's bum with the Jets.
I'm sold on the two-time Pro Bowler. He made a handful of big boy throws on Sunday, won his team the football game. He may not be a top 10 QB in the league, but he's clearly in the upper half.