jad1 Posted May 4, 2005 Share Posted May 4, 2005 You can argue all you want, but last year there wasn't a team close to NE's level. Not one. Sure, they lost their coordinators, but they still have a great D, the best QB in the league, and one of the best offensive schemes in the business. They get the most out of their players. What players did they lose? Bruschi hurts...other than him they didn't lose anyone who isn't easily replaceable. Law? Brown? Andruzzi? Bah. Who in the AFC East can/will beat the Pats? Certainly not the Bills or Dolphins (far too many question marks). Thats 4-0 in the AFC East for the Pats. The Jets will be better this year, but the most they will get is a split. Baring a major injury or two during the season, there is no doubt the Pats will win the AFC East again this year. Who in the AFC can beat them in the playoffs? Maybe Indy...that's about it. But the only way they win is if they play the game in Indy. Deny it all you want, but the Pats are going to be very good once again in 2005. 328259[/snapback] NE's LBs, including Brushi are all well into their 30s, with no one on the roster to replace them. Harrison is also considered an "old" player. If these guys hit the wall (think Eddie Robinson), NE's reign is finished. Of course, that's a big 'if,' but players do tend to drop off as they reach these guys' age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuckeyeBill Posted May 4, 2005 Share Posted May 4, 2005 Wow, I'm in complete disagreement with this. 1- We ended last year 7-1 (would have been 8-0 if Lindell doesn't miss from 28yds) 2- We have one of the best coaching staffs in the league (MM TC JG) 3- We have the number 1 special teams 4- We have the number 2 defense (2 consecutive years) 5- We have one of the best runningbacks in the league 6- We have one of the best widerecieveing duos in the league 7- We have the best offensive line coach in the league in McNally 8- We don't have a terribly difficult schedule 9- We have a quarterback with great skills and a work ethic I haven't seen in anyone in a while. 10- We didn't lose anybody besides overrated JJ and Phat Pat. How in the world does that make us a run of the mill 15th place team? I also don't agree with New Orleans, and New England should not be number 1 after losing 2/3 of their brain-trust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CosmicBills Posted May 4, 2005 Share Posted May 4, 2005 Wow, I'm in complete disagreement with this. 1- We ended last year 7-1 (would have been 8-0 if Lindell doesn't miss from 28yds) 2- We have one of the best coaching staffs in the league (MM TC JG) 3- We have the number 1 special teams 4- We have the number 2 defense (2 consecutive years) 5- We have one of the best runningbacks in the league 6- We have one of the best widerecieveing duos in the league 7- We have the best offensive line coach in the league in McNally 8- We don't have a terribly difficult schedule 9- We have a quarterback with great skills and a work ethic I haven't seen in anyone in a while. 10- We didn't lose anybody besides overrated JJ and Phat Pat. How in the world does that make us a run of the mill 15th place team? I also don't agree with New Orleans, and New England should not be number 1 after losing 2/3 of their brain-trust. 328382[/snapback] 1. The stretch was against medocre at best teams. When push came to shove, the Bills lost to a bunch of 4th stringers AT HOME in a must win game. That loss put the above mentioned stretch in harsh definition. (i.e, maybe the Bills weren't as good as that record) 2. The Bills have a 2nd year Head Coach. I think he will be a good one, but it is far too early to call the staff one of the best in the league. 3. They HAD the number 1 special teams last year and still only won 9 games. Besides, last year's rankings mean nothing. 4. Again, they HAD the number 2 defense and still didn't make the playoffs. The year before the Defense couldn't get the Bills above 6-10. AND, last year's rankings mean nothing. 5. Willis is good. Time will tell if he's great. But it's very hard to run behind a bad offensive line. And the Bills line is worse than it was last year. 6. WR duos don't mean much if the QB doesn't have the time or ability (due to lack of experience, not lack of talent) to throw the ball. Factor in that the Bills have ZERO healthy TEs, and you take away another option from JP. 7. McNally couldn't turn turds into stars his last few years in NY. And his turds in the Big Apple (like Pettigoute) were better than the crap we have assembled on the left side of the line. Coaches can only do so much. The Bills line is in trouble. 8. There are no easy games in the NFL. If you think the opener is going to be a walk in the park, refer back to last year's opener that everyone assumed would be a gimme. 9. The Bills have a FIRST YEAR STARTER. Truth is no one knows how good the kid will be. No one. While it's possible he could come in and be great from the start, the precentages say he will struggle (as 99 percent of all first year starters do) and put up lesser numbers than Drew last year. JP, despite his apparent talent, is still a HUGE question mark. To assume otherwise is just insane. 10. The Bills didn't gain anyone either. Both lines are worse than last year (although I have confidence in Anderson/Edwards filling in on D). And last year's Bills team wasn't that good to begin with. Again, the Bills have more questions than answers at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadBuffaloDisease Posted May 4, 2005 Share Posted May 4, 2005 Deny it all you want, but the Pats are going to be very good once again in 2005. I'm not saying the Pats won't be good, they just won't be the top team next year. With all of the losses I mentioned, I'd say they have to PROVE they're still the champs, instead of getting the BOTD. Oh and if Belichick can win without Crennel, Weis, and the guys they lost, he should be enshrined in the HOF immediately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CosmicBills Posted May 4, 2005 Share Posted May 4, 2005 I'm not saying the Pats won't be good, they just won't be the top team next year. With all of the losses I mentioned, I'd say they have to PROVE they're still the champs, instead of getting the BOTD. Oh and if Belichick can win without Crennel, Weis, and the guys they lost, he should be enshrined in the HOF immediately. 328417[/snapback] But honestly, what players did they lose that have any real impact besides Bruschi? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadBuffaloDisease Posted May 4, 2005 Share Posted May 4, 2005 But honestly, what players did they lose that have any real impact besides Bruschi? Law, Brown, Phifer, Patten (led the Pats in receiving last year) and again Bruschi. All were guys with tons of experience who played key roles last year. To lose them and replace with guys like Terrell and Starks (and for Prisco to talk about them as if they're upgrades at all!) and not seeing a dropoff, is asking a lot, in face of losing some great coordinators as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CosmicBills Posted May 4, 2005 Share Posted May 4, 2005 Law, Brown, Phifer, Patten (led the Pats in receiving last year) and again Bruschi. All were guys with tons of experience who played key roles last year. To lose them and replace with guys like Terrell and Starks (and for Prisco to talk about them as if they're upgrades at all!) and not seeing a dropoff, is asking a lot, in face of losing some great coordinators as well. 328437[/snapback] Law hardly played (didn't seem to slow them down) and Phifer was a situational player who was in decline. Same with Brown. He was a stop gap at CB (a position they addressed and upgraded) and not much more than a 3rd down WR for the past two years. All those players have replacements ready to fill in. Patten led the team, but is no where close to the player Givens is. Plus with young studs like Johnson and Sam mixed with experience guys like Dwight, and Terrell, Patten won't be missed. As I said before, they haven't lost anybody of any import aside from Bruschi (who, by the way, may still play this season). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadBuffaloDisease Posted May 4, 2005 Share Posted May 4, 2005 Law hardly played (didn't seem to slow them down) and Phifer was a situational player who was in decline. Same with Brown. He was a stop gap at CB (a position they addressed and upgraded) and not much more than a 3rd down WR for the past two years. All those players have replacements ready to fill in. Patten led the team, but is no where close to the player Givens is. Plus with young studs like Johnson and Sam mixed with experience guys like Dwight, and Terrell, Patten won't be missed. As I said before, they haven't lost anybody of any import aside from Bruschi (who, by the way, may still play this season). They're still key players who contributed to the SB winning seasons, and their coordinators who also played huge roles, are gone. Like I said, they'll be hard-pressed to duplicate their success ever again, much less the year after losing so many key people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CosmicBills Posted May 4, 2005 Share Posted May 4, 2005 They're still key players who contributed to the SB winning seasons, and their coordinators who also played huge roles, are gone. Like I said, they'll be hard-pressed to duplicate their success ever again, much less the year after losing so many key people. 328535[/snapback] Do you think anyone in the AFC East has a legit shot at taking the division title from them? Won't be the Dolphins or the Bills (rebuilding and too many ? for both) That leaves the Jets, while I think they will be good, I don't know if they have enough to beat the Pats. If no one in the AFC East can beat them, then that makes it a certainty that they will be in the playoffs yet again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckeyemike Posted May 4, 2005 Share Posted May 4, 2005 http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/8441273 31 Cleveland Browns 31 The last regime left behind a mess that will take time to clean up. But Phil Savage will make that happen. 327665[/snapback] And I think that was WITH Winslow. I agree with the statement, though. Savage and Crennel will prove to be the right men for the job. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jad1 Posted May 4, 2005 Share Posted May 4, 2005 Do you think anyone in the AFC East has a legit shot at taking the division title from them? Won't be the Dolphins or the Bills (rebuilding and too many ? for both) That leaves the Jets, while I think they will be good, I don't know if they have enough to beat the Pats. If no one in the AFC East can beat them, then that makes it a certainty that they will be in the playoffs yet again. 328555[/snapback] I believe the Bills will challenge the Pats this year and will beat them at least once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CosmicBills Posted May 4, 2005 Share Posted May 4, 2005 I believe the Bills will challenge the Pats this year and will beat them at least once. 328562[/snapback] I hope you're right. But that seems highly unlikely considering the Bills have a new QB and the worst left side of the offensive line in the NFL. Oh, plus the Bills play NE on Sunday night (we all know how those national games turn out). NE will finish the year 5-1 in the AFC East, but I don't think that loss will come from Buffalo. My money is on a split with the Jets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jad1 Posted May 4, 2005 Share Posted May 4, 2005 I hope you're right. But that seems highly unlikely considering the Bills have a new QB and the worst left side of the offensive line in the NFL. Oh, plus the Bills play NE on Sunday night (we all know how those national games turn out). NE will finish the year 5-1 in the AFC East, but I don't think that loss will come from Buffalo. My money is on a split with the Jets. 328568[/snapback] I see it differently. McGahee and Evans greatly improved the offense after they became starters last season, after the 0-4 start. They should continue to improve. Losman won't be the sitting duck that Bledsoe was in the pocket. Parrish will help move defenders out of the box. Buffalo's offense is going to be much different this year. As the season moves on, they'll face fewer and fewer loaded fronts, which will make the O-lines job much easier. Losman's a young QB, but Mularkey, Clemments, and Wyche should they could manage a QB with Bledsoe last year, and Losman has the ability to make a guy miss. Something that Bledsoe never had. And if he falters, Holcombe can step in. As for the Jets, the Bills lost by a last minute field goal to them in NY and beat them in Buffalo. The Jets aren't that much better than the Bills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drnykterstein Posted May 4, 2005 Share Posted May 4, 2005 man, i'm gunna make a power poll Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadBuffaloDisease Posted May 4, 2005 Share Posted May 4, 2005 Do you think anyone in the AFC East has a legit shot at taking the division title from them Maybe no team will take the division title, but I can see other teams in other divisions beating them come playoff time. Again I didn't say they'd miss the playoffs, just that I don't expect them to make the SB this year, at the least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyDingo Posted May 4, 2005 Share Posted May 4, 2005 ..."30 Miami Dolphins 30 Nick Saban will be a heck of a coach. It just won't show for two or three years. .." You see thats just what I was saying--it takes a few years but then, gosh, how happy you'll be. Promise. --Josh Reed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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