Dilfer: Pats Most Complete Team in AFC

[BionicPatriot]

i love how three weeks ago after the jets loss we were a team who had seen ourselves peak and were rebuilding. we were on the steep decline and our glory days were behind us. the pats were a team that was depleted on defense because we lost so many playmakers in harrison, bruschi, vrabel, seymour, etc. our offense was so unbalanced that we might have trouble winning against good teams.
now all of a sudden we go back and make adjustments on offense to a more balanced attack and we have to big wins in a row against two supposed super bowl contenders in the falcons and ravens, and now we are the most complete team. i can't take the bandwagoners hopping on and off.
let's keep it rolling in denver next week and lay the ******* wood on every single team way play from here on out.

Amen. This extreme bipolar disorder by fans and the media is funny. I give Dilfer something though, he said from day 1 Brady would come around. But it was, no bull****, TWO freaking weeks ago posters here were talking about how dissapointing this team looked. It's going to be crazy with the huge emotional shifts every week.

 

[gmtaxi27]

I would add the Ravens to that list also. Just because we beat them, doesn't mean they are not complete. As we saw yesterday they have a legit offense now. Flacco and Rice are the real deal. They are not the same defense and seem a little weak in pass coverage, but they have a real good front 7.

The Colts are in no way complete. Without Manning that team wins 3 games. He is literally carrying that team.

 

[Nikolai]

I said in that one thread after the Jets game that I was still thinking Super Bowl for this team, and while things have improved, there are still improvements to make.

The Giants look pretty good, but the best team they've faced thus far is the unstable Cowboys. Let's see what they look like after New Orleans.

 

[TriplecHamp]

The Colts, Saints and Giants all have looked superior to the Patriots thus far. I expect the Patriots to keep improving, especially on offense, but also on D, but I wouldn't say they are THE best team overall or even just in the AFC. As of now, anyway.

The Colts don't scare me at all. I think they could beat the Pats but I think if the Pats continue to play the way they are playing now and iron out some of these red zone offense problems we are a great match up for Indy. Right now we are playing physical on both sides of the ball.
1) The Colts cant run the ball or stop the Run IMO. We have a good running game and I feel like we can stop the run when Mayo comes back.
2) The Pats can Control the clock. In that Miami game the dolphins ran up and down the middle of indys D and they kept Manning off the field. I feel like the Pats can do the same. (One of the good things about Brady not completing some of these deep bombs haha)
3) The Pats pass D is playing very well and The colts best asset is their passing game. If we can shut down the run which shouldn't be that hard to do based on what Ive seen from them so far. we can force them into 3rd and longs where I think we will start to see more from our D.
4) The Play action is looking better and better every week. If we can force the Colts to honor the run and they start biting I think you will see more throws down field to Randy and Co.

 

[captain stone]

On NFL Live today, Trent Dilfer says with Tom Brady, they will only get better. Pats are the most complete team in the East.

Hoge? Not surprisingly the d---bag said the Steelers, to which host Trey Wingo rattled off about 5-6 teams with better records right now than the Steelers.

QB12

NFL Live is Dead to me. I haven't watched that pile of crap for over 2 years now, and am a better human being because of it. Seriously, I wouldn't get worked-up about what any of them say, ever.

 

[mayoclinic]

NFL Live is Dead to me. I haven't watched that pile of crap for over 2 years now, and am a better human being because of it. Seriously, I wouldn't get worked-up about what any of them say, ever.

Stop looking at things through rose colored glasses.

 

[Wildo7]

Not sure I understand what "complete" means.

 

[captain stone]

I was just about to advise QB12 that none of those snapper-heads at the 4-letter network was worth 30 seconds of his time, never mind 30 minutes, but I didn't want to appear too negative.

 

[falloutboy14]

Not sure I understand what "complete" means.

I assume it involved being very good or better in every segment of the game:
rushing, passing, rush D, pass D.

If you'll indulge me a little, I'm going to bring some stats into this, try to defend my team. Let's compare the Saints/Giants/Colts/Pats some.

Rush defense yards per carry.
10) Saints 3.7
13) Colts 4.0
21) Pats 4.5
31) Giants 5.5

Rush defense yards per game.
8) Saints 83.2
11) Patriots 95.2
16) Colts 106.5
18) Giants 117.2

I realize that the Miami game was the definition of disaster for a run-defense. But when a good running team runs the ball 50 times, you're gonna give up some yards. It may be worth mentioning that we didn't have the worst run defense that week. Dallas ran the ball 28 times for 248 yards (8.9 ypc) compared to Miami's 48 for 235 (4.9 ypc).

Obviously 4 games into the season, 1 game can skew the stats & who you've played has a big part. If not for the Miami game, the Colts might be in the top-5, since Arizona & Seattle weren't able to run much.

Rushing the ball, the Colts aren't so hot, 3.5 ypc which is 26th Just enough to keep teams honest &

 

[billdog3484]

The Colts, Saints and Giants all have looked superior to the Patriots thus far. I expect the Patriots to keep improving, especially on offense, but also on D, but I wouldn't say they are THE best team overall or even just in the AFC. As of now, anyway.

i agree...but i wil say each elite team has a weakness...

Giants--suspect receiving corp
Steelers-suspect rushing offense and pass blocking
colts-suspect defense
saints-defense has been better, but im not convinced yet

us---i think brady has not been brady. i dont think most of use would have expected that at this point. i do think he has improved gradually. he still has a long way to go, but there are signs of his old self

also, the pass rush hasnt been great, but we did a much better job getting pressure on the QB this week, especially up the middle in the 2nd half. we blitzed some more which i liked, and we missed flacco by about 1/2 of a step a few times.

 

[Wildo7]

I assume it involved being very good or better in every segment of the game:
rushing, passing, rush D, pass D.

Better than who? Good compared to what? If it just means the "best team" then I understand that, or even if it means "the most balanced," but "most complete" makes no sense to me. Among the top 5 or so teams, you won't find a single team that is better in all phases than the competition. I can't ever think of a SB-winning team that was anywhere near the best in every area, and I don't know how you'd quantify being "complete" in any other way. What if my defense is just adequate but my offense is spectacular, or your defense is dominant and your offense adequate (as is usually the case among top teams)? Is that "incomplete?"

I've never understood the function of the word "complete" when talking about teams, as if you can say X is the best team but Y is the most complete team and z is the most balanced team. What function does "complete" have in evaluating anything?

 

[Kontradiction]

hey guys, the colts are a tough team too, even if they are playing inferior competitition right now. but teams playing great right now may not be so good at the end. colts are playing the best football they probably will play all year
in....September. If they are playing this way in January, we got problems.

They're not really what I would call a "complete team" though. Their passing offense is on par. Their running offense? Not so much. Their pass defense is somewhat on par. Their running defense? Not so much.

Take away a 50 yard rumble that was largely the result of someone being out of place at the time (happens every once in a while), and the Pats still haven't allowed a 100 yard rushing performance this season.

 

[mayoclinic]

Better than who? Good compared to what? If it just means the "best team" then I understand that, or even if it means "the most balanced," but "most complete" makes no sense to me. Among the top 5 or so teams, you won't find a single team that is better in all phases than the competition. I can't ever think of a SB-winning team that was anywhere near the best in every area, and I don't know how you'd quantify being "complete" in any other way. What if my defense is just adequate but my offense is spectacular, or your defense is dominant and your offense adequate (as is usually the case among top teams)? Is that "incomplete?"

I've never understood the function of the word "complete" when talking about teams, as if you can say X is the best team but Y is the most complete team and z is the most balanced team. What function does "complete" have in evaluating anything?

"Most balanced" comes closest. I don't the implication is that you are "better" in all phases of the game, but that you are "good" in all phases of the game. A "complete" team should have both good running and passing games on offense, should be able to defend the run and pass, should be able to rush the passer, and should have good special teams.

We're pretty close to that. Most other teams - even good teams - are lacking in one or more areas. The Ravens are fairly complete but their pass defense is a bit weak. The Colts haven't consistently been able to run this season, and their run defense is terrible. The Steeler's haven't consistently been able to run this season, and their pass defense has been average at best. Denver and the Jets have had great defense but have been average at best offensively. San Diego has no running game and no defense at all. And those are the "good" teams.

 

[TedyB54]

And I do agree that Indy is probably the most dangerous REGULAR SEASON team. Come playoff, one and done.

BINGO! We've got Bingo here!

What value is there to multiple 12+ win seasons if all it's going to get you is a 7-8 post season record that boasts 6 "One and Dones" ?

 

[patsfaninpittsburgh]

NFL Live is Dead to me. I haven't watched that pile of crap for over 2 years now, and am a better human being because of it. Seriously, I wouldn't get worked-up about what any of them say, ever.

I watched a small snipit of ESPN on Sunday for the first time in years. The segment was dominated by the fact that Flacco "outplayed" Brady on third down.

Time to switch the channel.

The most interesting fact is that only the Pats and Saints have beaten two teams with winning records. We don't know where the other teams really are because a feast on the Chiefs, Bucs, Seahawks, and Dolphins isn't exactly a measuring stick.

Besides, of these four teams, only the Pats still have major upside potential.

 

[Kontradiction]

I assume it involved being very good or better in every segment of the game:
rushing, passing, rush D, pass D.

If you'll indulge me a little, I'm going to bring some stats into this, try to defend my team. Let's compare the Saints/Giants/Colts/Pats some.

Rush defense yards per carry.
10) Saints 3.7
13) Colts 4.0
21) Pats 4.5
31) Giants 5.5

Rush defense yards per game.
8) Saints 83.2
11) Patriots 95.2
16) Colts 106.5
18) Giants 117.2

I realize that the Miami game was the definition of disaster for a run-defense. But when a good running team runs the ball 50 times, you're gonna give up some yards. It may be worth mentioning that we didn't have the worst run defense that week. Dallas ran the ball 28 times for 248 yards (8.9 ypc) compared to Miami's 48 for 235 (4.9 ypc).

Obviously 4 games into the season, 1 game can skew the stats & who you've played has a big part. If not for the Miami game, the Colts might be in the top-5, since Arizona & Seattle weren't able to run much.

Rushing the ball, the Colts aren't so hot, 3.5 ypc which is 26th Just enough to keep teams honest &

The Cardinals and Seahawks have zero running game. The Bills, Jets, Falcons, and Ravens do. Sorry but the stats don't really matter on this one. If you played vs. our schedule, your rush defense would be A LOT worse than it is right now.

 

[Ryan]

Why does Merrill Hoge still have a job with ESPN? All he does is constantly praise the Steelers (even when they're hovering around .500), and talk about "factor backs". He has to be the worst analyst in history.

I don't know if the Pats are the most complete team in the AFC. They're up there, but saying the Steelers is just dumb at this point.

 

[mesoslo]

The Colts, Saints and Giants all have looked superior to the Patriots thus far. I expect the Patriots to keep improving, especially on offense, but also on D, but I wouldn't say they are THE best team overall or even just in the AFC. As of now, anyway.

the colts and the saints dont have a strong defensive front like the patriots. The giants donts have the offensive power to match the patriots like the colts and saints do.

If the young defense keeps playing strong, and the brady bunch become in sync, the patriots will be a complete team.

 

[lostjumper]

The colts have looked very good so far. However, their offense seems simplified from what it has been in years past. Manning has 2 reliable targets to throw to, Clark and Wayne, and that is it. There receiving corp drops of considerably after that. In years past they've had Wayne as #2 and Stokely as slot receivers, making them very difficult to defend. Now they have gonzalez and ??. I think McGowan can blanket clark, you can put boddden on wayne with Merriweather bracketing him, and there isn't much left for Manning to throw to. I'm also not impressed with their running backs much. Addai doesn't seem to be what he used to before his injuries, and Butler is still very young. The O-line does seem very strong, but that may be more a product of the poor defenses they have played.

On the offensive side, I think Taylor and Morris could have a field day much lke they had against the falcons. The colts D is very undersized, just like the falcons. Once they hav to commit 8 into the box to stop the run, Brady should be able to pick them apart.

Never count out the colts, and alot can change between now and then. If manning gets hot in a game they can beat anyone. But I really, really like how the pats match up with the colts this year.

 

[Blackmon55]

OT: I have been coming to this site for a long time! Never posted....and since I cannot start a thread until I have 100 posts.

Can some one who can start a thread about how this Ravens game feels alot like that 2003 Titans game.

I have the same feeling after this one as I did after that one back in 2003.

The Pats handled a very tough and solid Ravens team just like the 2003 Pats handled a tough and solid Titans team then.

Also, there were question marks about the Pats back in 2004 just before that game and the same goes for this Ravens game.

Let me know if anyone feels the same

Thanks