Rob's House Posted June 17, 2010 Share Posted June 17, 2010 The Patriots may still be competetive, but their reign as a top flight team is over. Their GM whose moves have made Bellichick a legend is gone, most of their veterans are old/retired/gone, their defense is a shell of its former self, the anchor of their line is disgruntled, and Tom Brady has a wife and kid to chase around instead of living and breathing football. I'm not predicting they'll flat out suck, but it wouldn't surprise me to see them finish under .500. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hossage Posted June 17, 2010 Share Posted June 17, 2010 They shouldnt have won as many games as they did last year, but of course they did and could do it again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kota Posted June 17, 2010 Share Posted June 17, 2010 They are still the team to beat in the AFC East. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SF Bills Fan Posted June 17, 2010 Share Posted June 17, 2010 I think that is a bit premature to say. I think they are on the downside, but still have the ability to beat us twice and contend for the division and more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob's House Posted June 17, 2010 Author Share Posted June 17, 2010 They are still the team to beat in the AFC East. I know that's the conventional wisdom, but I just don't see it happening. The division is full of young hungry teams with big expectations. I'm not outright predicting it, but I wouldn't be shocked to see them in the cellar by seasons end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pneumonic Posted June 17, 2010 Share Posted June 17, 2010 In today's NFL it's all about being strong at QB and at HC. Without a doubt the Pats are the best in the division at those two spots and, arguably, are the strongest team in the league at those two spots. So long as they have Brady and Belichick they'll be the team to beat in the division and will be a very strong combatant to represent the AFC in the SB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBill Posted June 17, 2010 Share Posted June 17, 2010 In today's NFL it's all about being strong at QB and at HC. Without a doubt the Pats are the best in the division at those two spots and, arguably, are the strongest team in the league at those two spots. So long as they have Brady and Belichick they'll be the team to beat in the division and will be a very strong combatant to represent the AFC in the SB. I agree completely. The Bills have to answer both questions - do they really have the right coach and do they have the right QB? Perhaps a team with a monster defense can overcome the coach / QB combination but even then I would say the Coach /QB combination needs to be one that does not lose games for you because they are ineffective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFanInLV Posted June 17, 2010 Share Posted June 17, 2010 "Tom Brady has a wife and kid to chase around instead of living and breathing football" These are the types of guys I get to play fantasy football with in my league....they suck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meark Posted June 17, 2010 Share Posted June 17, 2010 Brady wasn't very impressive last year.. dare I say average? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattM Posted June 17, 2010 Share Posted June 17, 2010 In today's NFL it's all about being strong at QB and at HC. Without a doubt the Pats are the best in the division at those two spots and, arguably, are the strongest team in the league at those two spots. So long as they have Brady and Belichick they'll be the team to beat in the division and will be a very strong combatant to represent the AFC in the SB. Keep telling yourself that. A key injury or two (I'd say to any of Brady, Moss or Wilfork) and this team is lucky to hit 8-8, IMHO. They've got one decent WR (we all know Welker won't be back before Week 8 or so, despite the recent grandstanding at OTAs) and a stable of RB's nearing 35 (hello Dr. HGH) and a disappointment in Maroney, all to go along with a D that's not getting any better most likely (having lost several players, like Springs and Thomas) and was absolutely gashed by the Ravens in the playoffs. I say not getting any better most likely since their drafts have stunk the last few years, so to count on draft choices in New England* would not be wise. To top it all off, you know have a disgruntled Logan Mankins making holdout noises. Yeah, keep telling yourself that..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pneumonic Posted June 17, 2010 Share Posted June 17, 2010 Brady wasn't very impressive last year.. dare I say average? Guess it depends on your reference. Brady put up pro bowl numbers despite coming off a major knee surgery. Passing Comp Att Comp % Yds Y/Att TD Int Rating Tom Brady 371 565 65.7 4398 7.78 28 13 96.2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob's House Posted June 17, 2010 Author Share Posted June 17, 2010 One reason I think they'll have trouble is b/c they're going to face a lot of 3-4s which requires strong guards to protect the inside. Mankins has been their anchor, both with inside running, and maintaining that pocket for Brady. Add to that all the young guys (I've heard over 50% of their roster has been in the league for < 2yrs, but don't quote me) and mainly, they just don't seem to have that swagger anymore. And when you loose that you often crash hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pneumonic Posted June 17, 2010 Share Posted June 17, 2010 Keep telling yourself that. A key injury or two (I'd say to any of Brady, Moss or Wilfork) and this team is lucky to hit 8-8, IMHO. They've got one decent WR (we all know Welker won't be back before Week 8 or so, despite the recent grandstanding at OTAs) and a stable of RB's nearing 35 (hello Dr. HGH) and a disappointment in Maroney, all to go along with a D that's not getting any better most likely (having lost several players, like Springs and Thomas) and was absolutely gashed by the Ravens in the playoffs. I say not getting any better most likely since their drafts have stunk the last few years, so to count on draft choices in New England* would not be wise. To top it all off, you know have a disgruntled Logan Mankins making holdout noises. Yeah, keep telling yourself that..... Key injury to any superstar player like the ones you mention would potentially cripple any team, including the Pats. Neither Springs nor Thomas will be missed. Like it or not ...... the Pats will keep winning because they have Brady and Belichick. The rest of the team is interchangeable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atlbillsfan1975 Posted June 17, 2010 Share Posted June 17, 2010 For the past 3 years i have been thinking this. And until other teams in the league treat the Pats like the Ravens did in the playoffs they will keep winning. The Ravens did not look at the uniforms or Bellichek, they played football and beat the crap out of the Pats. When/if the Bills do this and the rest of the AFC east i will agree they are done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob's House Posted June 17, 2010 Author Share Posted June 17, 2010 Key injury to any superstar player like the ones you mention would potentially cripple any team, including the Pats. Neither Springs nor Thomas will be missed. Like it or not ...... the Pats will keep winning because they have Brady and Belichick. The rest of the team is interchangeable. I'm not as quick to annoint Bellichick as the best coach in the division just yet. Let's see what Rex Ryan (or Chan Gailey for that matter) does this year. In my opinion Bellichick is a pretty good coach who has had top talent throughout his tenure in New England. Before Tom Brady nobody thought much of him. Oh yeah, and he cheated. Now that he doesn't have Scott Pioli to build his team, he's being exposed. And yes, Brady had good stats last year, but then, outside of Oakland everyone who's thrown to Moss has had good stats. With Moss getting old, the safety valve (Welker) not up to form, a diminished line, and a crumbling team culture... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ofiba Posted June 17, 2010 Share Posted June 17, 2010 I've read one of these threads every year since the Lawyer Malloy game. Guess how many of those years the Bills finished ahead of the Pats? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SawchukBills Posted June 17, 2010 Share Posted June 17, 2010 They are still the team to beat in the AFC East. Agreed. In my mind they will always be the "team to beat" until, well, they get beat... They do seem like they are on the slide though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pneumonic Posted June 17, 2010 Share Posted June 17, 2010 I'm not as quick to annoint Bellichick as the best coach in the division just yet. Let's see what Rex Ryan (or Chan Gailey for that matter) does this year. In my opinion Bellichick is a pretty good coach who has had top talent throughout his tenure in New England. Before Tom Brady nobody thought much of him. Oh yeah, and he cheated. Now that he doesn't have Scott Pioli to build his team, he's being exposed. And yes, Brady had good stats last year, but then, outside of Oakland everyone who's thrown to Moss has had good stats. With Moss getting old, the safety valve (Welker) not up to form, a diminished line, and a crumbling team culture... Belichick is a "pretty good coach" who has "had top talent throughout his tenure" Good grief man did you just starting watching the Pats the last couple of seasons? Neither Rex nor Chan are in the same stratosphere as Belichick as a head coach. Dude, many of the experts believe Belichick may well be the best head coach ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob's House Posted June 17, 2010 Author Share Posted June 17, 2010 Belichick is a "pretty good coach" who has "had top talent throughout his tenure" Good grief man did you just starting watching the Pats the last couple of seasons? Neither Rex nor Chan are in the same stratosphere as Belichick as a head coach. Dude, many of the experts believe Belichick may well be the best head coach ever. Experts believe a lot of things. Those SB teams had a lot more talent than they ever got credit for. He won 3 SB's each by a FG. Impressive, yes. I give credit to any SB winning coach, but I'm not going to annoint Mike Tomlin the greatest just yet either. It'll all come out in the wash. I'd like to see what he does outside that ideal situation that has been NE for the last 10 yrs, and I'd like to see him turn around another franchise like Parcells has done. And I don't claim Rex or Chan have done anything to warrant a higher ranking than BB, but let's give them a couple seasons and see how it plays out. Bellichick wasn't in Bellichick's stratosphere when he came to NE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted June 18, 2010 Share Posted June 18, 2010 Such talk bring bad ju ju. Me no want bad ju ju. PTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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