AFPatsFan12

The west coast trips do suck, but to be fair, teams like Seattle consistenly travel more during the season, and we don't hear the outcry for them. I'd be compelled to complain if the opponents weren't set years and years in advance....

JoePats

Us having the easiest SOS makes no sense.

We have 14 of 16 games that are the same as everyone else in our division, but since we came in first place, we play first place teams in the AFC South and AFC North, while Miami plays the last place teams in those divisions.

Thus Miami has the easiest SOS next year.

Ethan 55

Simple math...we're one of two teams that gets the benefits of playing the Jets and Dolphins twice each. However, unlike the Bills, we don't have a 16-0 team on our schedule twice.

Miami has a harder schedule than us because we get a 1-15 team twice and they get a 16-0 team twice.

fnordcircle

Read->Comprehend->Post

He said '3 hours plus flights' which means, yes more than 3 hours.

FrontSeven

That is true, as I've experienced it. All subjects, all the time ..... there is no stopping the human mind or imagination or curiosity.

Unfortunately, some people seem to want to control this and desire to "just savor" the victory. I kinda think that you might make the same request about a meal. No talk, no reading, no looking at the blonde at the next table, just eat and shut up. Just savor the meal.

Well, no. I really like to do meals my way, but thanks for your does of food religion.

ALP

just keep one thing in mind...that SOS depends on this year....

we wont really know how strong the schedule is until we see how the teams do next yr...

whon knows, maybe the fins will go 14-2 (joke....big joke here, LOL)

__________________
Last time I lived in New England the Pats became a Dynasty

Then I moved away and they haven't won since

...now I'm moving back, and a Lombardi I predict

AzPatsFan

Its time that the Pats FO consider chartering a Jet equipped with Pullman type sleeper berths. That way the team could sleep their way back and forth across country. When I used to do lots of transcontinental flights I much preferred doing it on the "Red Eye" and found it much less disruptive as far as Jet lag was concerned.

Unfortunately there were no sleeperettes, (even First Class recliners don't work well), so you had to try to sleep in a seat or across several lumpy seats if there was room in an empty plane. Not great, but better than the alternative.

The Pats will need 8 cross country flights; back and forth. Might not be a bad Idea!

Bob Kraft, what do you say?

FrontSeven

It's much easier than coming east to play (time zone differences).

arrellbee

Not only are the teams in the schedule predetermined, but which team is home and which is away is also preset and flip-flops each time the Patriots play that division. So the west coast trips are not just some schedulers' arbitrary burden on the Patriots.

In 2005, Oakland and San Diego traveled to Foxborough, so this year, the next time they play AFC West, the Patriots get the pleasure of travelling to them. It would have been fairer for the AFC West schedule to have Oakland paired with Denver or KC so there would only be one West coast trip - but when the rotation was cast in concrete, somebody didn't think about that.

Prefect

The Steelers also have to face the AFC South on top of the NFC East. Both divisions had all 4 teams end up at least .500. But at least from that perspective it isn't any less likely that the wild card teams couldn't still come from the same division since the AFC South and NFC East aren't playing each other.