Pats in first place for Wild Card

[PonyExpress]

Provided the defense improves, which usually happens down the stretch with BB, this team has a good shot for post season play.

The other contenders are Indy, Jax, SD and the NYJ.

IMO Indy will finish 10-6, Jax 9-7, SD 8-8, NYJ 8-8.

If the Pats beat Denver they will be in solid position to seize one of the two WCs.

On another point, this season is a great opportunity to evaluate the Patriot's true talent level. For some time, Brady's excellence has disguised creeping weaknesses on the rest of the roster.

Now the safety blanket is gone, and players and coaches are forced to demonstrate their true value.

This is a positive in the long run, once Tom returns. Areas of need, overrated and underrated players are being exposed by Brady's absence. No longer can the defense be frontrunners, playing from ahead in advantageous situations all season.

No longer can the O-line look forward to Brady bailing them out, or consistent 2nd and shorts.

No longer can rbs expect defenses in permanent dime packages.

After 2002, it was obvious that the decks had to be cleared on defense before commencing another march to glory.

Similarly, regardless of this season's outcome, the front office will have all the evidence it needs to accurately evaluate this team's talent for 2009 and beyond.

 

[Sivy]

Good post, but its wrong because they are going to win the east.

 

[dtbrks]

How about, as the old ball coach would say, let's worry about winning Monday nights game

 

[scout]

Good post, but its wrong because they are going to win the east.

Ditto on the good post, not on the east. I think Buffalo has come of age. Even with Brady, I think it would be a contested battle.

 

[muslimman]

Good post, but its wrong because they are going to win the east.

Ok Im assuming you saw our game vs. SD last Sunday. Now did you get the chance to see the Bills play SD this Sunday?
Heres why I ask, the Bills looked better (much better in fact) than the Patriots against the same exact team. They have also looked pretty good all season against other teams, so the Patriots winning the division is definitely not a given. It's very possible, but its also very possible the Bills will win it.
Trent Edwards is money.

 

[Sivy]

Ditto on the good post, not on the east. I think Buffalo has come of age. Even with Brady, I think it would be a contested battle.

Brady would crush that fluke of a team.

 

[Sivy]

Ok Im assuming you saw our game vs. SD last Sunday. Now did you get the chance to see the Bills play SD this Sunday?
Heres why I ask, the Bills looked better (much better in fact) than the Patriots against the same exact team. They have also looked pretty good all season against other teams, so the Patriots winning the division is definitely not a given. It's very possible, but its also very possible the Bills will win it.
Trent Edwards is money.

The bills played one good team the cards, who actually had a winning records. The rest of the games the bills would have lost if the other teams didnt hand over the games. I saw most of the bills game to day, and if it wasnt for an OVERRATED qb on a OVERATED team (once again without a winning record) making a huge mistake of a throw at the goal line, they would have lost today. The bills are the luckiest team in the nfl when it comes to getting a game handed to them in the 4th. Every game they play this year against a decent team, they will lose. That will hurt there "we are good now" attitude that they have and they will start to lose to worse teams as well.

 

[muslimman]

The bills played one good team the cards, who actually had a winning records. The rest of the games the bills would have lost if the other teams didnt hand over the games. I saw most of the bills game to day, and if it wasnt for an OVERRATED qb on a OVERATED team (once again without a winning record) making a huge mistake of a throw at the goal line, they would have lost today. The bills are the luckiest team in the nfl when it comes to getting a game handed to them in the 4th. Every game they play this year against a decent team, they will lose. That will hurt there "we are good now" attitude that they have and they will start to lose to worse teams as well.

Alright I can see theres no point in arguing with you that the Bills are a legit team since you seem to be pretty set on your opinion on them. Only time will tell which team is better.

 

[CheerforTom]

Ok Im assuming you saw our game vs. SD last Sunday. Now did you get the chance to see the Bills play SD this Sunday?
Heres why I ask, the Bills looked better (much better in fact) than the Patriots against the same exact team. They have also looked pretty good all season against other teams, so the Patriots winning the division is definitely not a given. It's very possible, but its also very possible the Bills will win it.
Trent Edwards is money.

I'm not contesting that the Bills are a very good team or even that they have a very good chance at winning the division, but to me it was pretty obvious that SD had gameplanned much, much harder against us than them.

 

[muslimman]

I'm not contesting that the Bills are a very good team or even that they have a very good chance at winning the division, but to me it was pretty obvious that SD had gameplanned much, much harder against us than them.

Yea thats probably true. Im also gonna go ahead and say that San Diego played a lot harder against us because of our history with them. They had a lot more motivation and intensity against us.

 

[Deus Irae]

Yea thats probably true. Im also gonna go ahead and say that San Diego played a lot harder against us because of our history with them. They had a lot more motivation and intensity against us.

San Diego was also going all the way across the country to face a team that was coming off of a bye. Buffalo had everything going for it this week.

 

[Patjew]

Yea thats probably true. Im also gonna go ahead and say that San Diego played a lot harder against us because of our history with them. They had a lot more motivation and intensity against us.

Also, don't forget that it was much easier for SD to play at home against a team that had been on the road for more than a week VS. them flying 3000 miles east to play a game in Buffalo which to their bodies' felt like it was starting at 10 AM.

 

[Patjew]

San Diego was also going all the way across the country to face a team that was coming off of a bye. Buffalo had everything going for it this week.

Yeah, that too.

 

[reflexblue]

I wasn't a member here back in the day when the Pats were so,so is this what it was like ? Pats pushing for wild card spot.

 

[dtbrks]

I wasn't a member hereack in the day when the Pats were so,so is this what it was like ? Pats pushing for wild card spot.

I donno but the pats have played 5 games so I am not going to get excited about being in first for the wild card. Let's see in week 10. I know the OP was trying to make a point that the season is not lost and I agree but it's too early to figure out which way this team will go.

 

[spacecrime]

Trent Edwards is money.

He's a lock for a first ballot Hall of Famer.

 

[Rob0729]

Provided the defense improves, which usually happens down the stretch with BB, this team has a good shot for post season play.

The other contenders are Indy, Jax, SD and the NYJ.

IMO Indy will finish 10-6, Jax 9-7, SD 8-8, NYJ 8-8.

If the Pats beat Denver they will be in solid position to seize one of the two WCs.

On another point, this season is a great opportunity to evaluate the Patriot's true talent level. For some time, Brady's excellence has disguised creeping weaknesses on the rest of the roster.

Now the safety blanket is gone, and players and coaches are forced to demonstrate their true value.

This is a positive in the long run, once Tom returns. Areas of need, overrated and underrated players are being exposed by Brady's absence. No longer can the defense be frontrunners, playing from ahead in advantageous situations all season.

No longer can the O-line look forward to Brady bailing them out, or consistent 2nd and shorts.

No longer can rbs expect defenses in permanent dime packages.

After 2002, it was obvious that the decks had to be cleared on defense before commencing another march to glory.

Similarly, regardless of this season's outcome, the front office will have all the evidence it needs to accurately evaluate this team's talent for 2009 and beyond.

I think you are too high on Indy. I am thinking they will go 8-8 or 9-7 at this point. I thought 10-6 before the season started and they have even disapointed me in their play. They have just completed one of the easier parts of their schedule and now embark on a stretch of @ Tennessee, the Pats, @ Pittsburgh, Houston, and @ San Deigo. I can see them losing every one of those games the way they are playing now. At best unless they get their act together, I think they go 2-3, maybe 3-2. That would be six losses right there and they still have to play Tennessee and Jacksonville again. I easily see at least 4 or 5 more losses on their schedule.

I don't see the Jets as a serious playoff contender. They lost to the Raiders and had a real difficult time with the Carson Palmerless Bengals (no matter what the score indicated). I can still see those guys finishing 4th in the division.

The thing is that this is a down year in the AFC. I wouldn't be surprised if an 9-7 or 8-8 team made it in. Granted at 8-8, what shot would you realistically have to win the Super Bowl?

 

[spacecrime]

I donno but the pats have played 5 games so I am not going to get excited about being in first for the wild card. Let's see in week 10. I know the OP was trying to make a point that the season is not lost and I agree but it's too early to figure out which way this team will go.

??? His point wasn't that the season wasn't lost - it was that we are having a good season.

You say it is too early to say the Patriots are on a course to make the playoffs, but it isn't too early for you to think the Pats season might be over? What kind of logic is that? If you don't want to project into the future, and only look at the present, why can't you just admit that the Pats have the fifth best record in the AFC?

It's not too early to look at the standings and see where teams are.

All teams will win and lose games, but right now, the Pats are one of the better teams.

Try and accept that.

Repeat after me: The Pats are currently one of the best teams in the NFL. Most teams in the NFL have a worse record than the Patriots.

 

[spacecrime]

I wasn't a member hereack in the day when the Pats were so,so is this what it was like ? Pats pushing for wild card spot.

Most of the fans today became fans in 2003, or worse, 2007. They can't relate to shooting for a wild card. If they team loses a game, they think it is the end of the world. Good thing they weren't fans back in the early 90's

 

[reflexblue]

Most of the fans today became fans in 2003, or worse, 2007. They can't relate to shooting for a wild card. If they team loses a game, they think it is the end of the world. Good thing they weren't fans back in the early 90's

Yeah really there were many Sunday's, few Mondays that you watched in anticipation that the Pats could/would beat whoever they were playing. And it was exciting just that they won the game.