2010 Season Pats/NFL Media Predictions Mega-Thread

[jmt57]

The board is starting to get clogged up with a separate thread by every columnist who has a prediction on how the Pats will do this season, their record, and how far they advance. How about we post all the links, quotes from those columns, and our comments on those articles here in this thread.

 

[Deus Irae]

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/10/589175-local-media-predictions-patriots-2010-season.html

 

[jmt57]

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/10/589175-local-media-predictions-patriots-2010-season.html

Thanks Deus.


I didn't want to merge that thread into this one since it's focused on just the local media, but the link will be most helpful for anybody that takes the time to look back on predictions later on this season.

 

[jmt57]

Also, don't forget to post your own predictions in this thread:

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england...edict-2010-patriots-season-record-merged.html

 

[jmt57]

Sports Illustrated made some predictions for the 2010 season:

SI.com's 2010 NFL Season Predictions - NFL - SI.com

The first category was Best Team That Won't Make The Playoffs. Between the nine writers, the Vikings were the only team mentioned twice. Tim Layden selected the Pats.

This is a dynasty on the downside. Belichick's defense is mediocre at best. As good as Wes Welker has looked in the preseason, he's still only eight months out from knee reconstruction and now Randy Moss says he's unhappy. Plus the Jets and Dolphins might both be better. troupe to overcome.

Next was Team With The Worst Record; the Bills, Bucs and Rams all got multiple votes. After that the next topic was Star Who has Subpar Season; Donovan McNabb and Brett Favre both got two votes while Damon Hack went with another QB.

Mark Sanchez, Jets: While we were sleeping, he became the face of the franchise and surpassed Eli Manning as the quarterback of New York. I feel a tough sophomore season coming.

After there was no agreement on the Non-Star Who Will Have A Breakout Season, but there was more agreement on the Coach Who Won't Be back For 2011; both Jon Fox and Jack Del Rio were mentioned three times each. As for the Player Who Won't Be Back For 2011 three of the writers went with Brett Favre while Derrick Mason got two votes.

In the category of The Game I'm Looking Forward To Most, two games got more than one vote: Thursday's Vikings-Saints game, and next week's game between the Pats and the Jets.

Banks
Patriots at Jets, Sept. 19: New England gets its first look at the Jets' new $1.6 billion digs, and its first of two chances to shut up brash-talking Rex and his all-star cast of characters.

Layden
Patriots at Jets, Sept. 19: The big-talk, big-hype Jets might already be 0-1 by the time Tom ("I hate the Jets'') Brady and the fading Patriots come to the New Swamp. That should only intensify the emotions, as the Patriots try to hang onto their past and the Jets try to justify their noisy future.

 

[jmt57]

Part Two of Sports Illustrated's predictions focuses on the playoffs.

2010 NFL Season Predictions for playoffs, Super Bowl, awards - NFL - SI.com

• Peter King has the Pats losing in the playoffs as a wildcard team, and the Steelers winning the Super Bowl over the Packers.
  
  
• Don Banks also has the Pats losing as a wildcard team; he predicts the Ravens will beat Green bay in the Super Bowl.
  
  
• Jim Trotter has Miami winning the division, the Pats missing the playoffs, and the Packers beating the Jets in the Super Bowl.
  
  
• Jerome Bettis picks the Pats to win the division and end up losing to the Chargers in the AFCCG; he has San Diego over Green Bay for the Super Bowl.
  
  
• Damon Hack has the Pats winning the division and Baltimore over Green Bay in the Super Bowl.
  
  
• Tim Layden thinks the Pats will miss the playoffs (see his comments in the previous post) and Green Bay over San Diego in the Super Bowl.
  
  
• Kerry Byrne has the Pats as a wildcard team and the Packers over the Ravens.
  
  
• Andrew Perloff has the Pats winning the AFCE and New Orleans repeating as SB champs, over San Diego.
  
  
• Dominic Bonvissuto thinks the Pats will miss the playoffs and the Cowboys will beat the Jets in the Super Bowl.
  
  
• Overall the predictions for New England are split equally: three have the Pats winning the division, three think the Pats will be a wildcard team, and three believe the Pats will miss the playoffs.
  
  
• All nine think the Jets will make the playoffs: five as division winners, four as a wildcard.
  
  
• Only two of the writers think Miami will make the playoffs; one as a division winner, one as a wildcard.
  
  
• Not much love for the Colts: nobody thinks they will return to the Super Bowl; three think they will lose in the AFCCG.
  
  
• Five say the Ravens will get at least as far as the conference championship; three have the Chargers going at least that deep, and three have the Jets going at least that far.
  
  
• In the NFC Green Bay got the most love; seven out of nine have them representing the NFC in the Super Bowl. The most common pick for the NFCCG was the Packers over the Saints.

 

[italia44]

The board is starting to get clogged up with a separate thread by every columnist who has a prediction on how the Pats will do this season, their record, and how far they advance. How about we post all the links, quotes from those columns, and our comments on those articles here in this thread.

Well done,jmt57.....I propose that we rename the Dewey Decimal System after you.

We are not worthy.....:youtheman:

 

[jmt57]

Well done,jmt57.....I propose that we rename the Dewey Decimal System after you.

We are not worthy.....:youtheman:

Meh, this is easy. The heavy lifting is done by people like you, Box O'Rocks, Metaphors, Urgent, PatsPsycho, PatsNutMe, and many others (apologies in advance to all the many others I did not name) with the deep football analysis. Just tidying things up a little bit to make a little more room for the good stuff.

 

[jmt57]

NFL Power Rankings - Top 32 NFL Football Teams - FOX Sports on MSN

Yeah, it's power rankings rather than predictions, but since it is before the season starts it's pretty much the same thing.

FoxSports' Adam Caplan ranks the Pats at #12 with this comment:

Can anyone find a pass rusher for this team? Is Tully Banta-Cain the answer to their pass-rushing woes? It's never a good thing to have a weak pass rush when you have a very young secondary. The good news is Tom Brady looks like he's back to his pre-injury form.

He ranks week one opponent Cincinnati #3, week two opponent NYJ #4, and the Saints #1. The Dolphins are #18 and the Bills #30 on his list. More surprising than the Bengals at #3 is the Seahawks at #31.

 

[Deus Irae]

Thanks Deus.


I didn't want to merge that thread into this one since it's focused on just the local media, but the link will be most helpful for anybody that takes the time to look back on predictions later on this season.

Merge away if it works for you. I only made it local because that's the group Ian wants people to lighten up on, so I was keeping it separate.

 

[jmt57]

Merge away if it works for you. I only made it local because that's the group Ian wants people to lighten up on, so I was keeping it separate.

No. I'd like to keep yours separate. In fact, I think it was a great idea. I really like the idea of keeping one thread dedicated to the local media on that topic.



However, I may be using my newly found super power to merge threads with the many threads on national sites letting us know what they see in their crystal ball.

 

[jmt57]

In this September 8th column, Pete Prisco of CBS Sports predicts the Pats will win the AFC East - and then meet the Raiders in the playoffs. After defeating Oakland the pats then beat the Chargers before falling to the Colts in the AFCCG; Indy then goes on to beat the Falcons in the Super Bowl.

Season picks: Colts gallop on, but Falcons rising - NFL - CBSSports.com Football

Prisco does not include the Jets in the playoffs in his 2010 predictions, and chooses Peyton Manning as the MVP. The Falcons' Mike Smith is his coach of the year; Aaron Rodgers is the offensive player of the year and DeMarcus Ware is the defensive player of the year. CJ Spiller is his offensive rookie of the year; DE Brandon Graham from Philly takes the honors on defense. The Raiders are his team on the rise while the Cardinals are his team on the decline.

 

[jmt57]

Also on CBS Clark Judge has the Jets beating the Pats in the wildcard round of the playoffs, and then losing to San Diego the following week.

Season picks: Raven-ous AFC, but Pack-ed XLV - NFL - CBSSports.com Football

Judge predicts Aaron Rodgers will be the MVP, John Harbaugh the coach of the year, Adrian Peterson and Patrick Willis the offensive and defensive players of the year, Ryan Mathews and Ndamukong Suh the rookies of the year - and Wes Welker to be the comeback player of the year. Judge predicts the Chiefs will be the team on the rise while the Broncos will be the team on the decline.

 

[jmt57]

2010 NFL predictions, from top to bottom by Adam Schein of FOX Sports as of September 9th.

AFC EAST
Jets 11-5
Patriots 10-6 (wild card)
Dolphins 10-6 (wild card)
Bills 3-13

1. I usually get ripped for thinking the Bills always have a chance. Not the case this year. I don’t like the choice for head coach. I don’t love the staff. I’m concerned about the offensive line. I think the quarterback is talented but suffers from a lack of confidence.

2. But Buffalo did do one thing right in drafting C.J. Spiller, my pick for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

3. The Dolphins defense is vastly improved with Mike Nolan taking over, and the club added Karlos Dansby, Koa Misi and Jared Odrick. The second-year cornerbacks will play even better.

4. Chad Henne is going to surprise you with how many yards he throws for this year. Brandon Marshall changes everything.

5. The Patriots have no running attack. And Logan Mankins is certainly stubborn enough to hold out for an entire season. But Tom Brady is flat-out amazing. Wes Welker is healthy. I like the young tight ends.

6. The Patriots will be much better than you think. I like the young defensive backs. I love a healthy Jerod Mayo.

7. Even if Darrelle Revis didn’t play a down, the Jets defense would still lead them to wins. Antonio Cromartie needed a change of scenery. Rex Ryan and Mike Pettine do a great job. But the Calvin Pace injury is a big deal. Ryan and Pettine love this cat. Pace is an underrated pass rusher.

Schein has the Colts over the Ravens in the AFCCG (that pairing would surely open some scrutiny on fans from Baltimore), Green Bay over New Orleans in the NFC, and the Packers over the Colts in the Super Bowl.

 

[jmt57]

Football Outsiders are of the opinion that the Pats will win the AFC East, and Miami will narrowly edge the Jets for a wildcard spot.

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | 2010 Staff Predictions

They think Baltimore will defeat Atlanta in the Super Bowl, Kansas City and Washington will be division winners, the Saints will just miss making the playoffs, and Detroit will own the first pick of the 2011 draft.

FO does note that although they think the Ravens have the best chance to win it all, they have only about a 20% chance of doing so - which means there is a four in five chance of their pick being incorrect.

 

[jmt57]

Half of the panel of NFL experts at National Football Post believe the Pats will win the AFC East:

NFP Super Bowl Predictions | National Football Post

Andrew Brandt, Dan Pompei, Randy Cross and Greg Gabriel selected the Pats to win the division. Matt Bowen picks the Dolphins to not only win the AFCE, but the Super Bowl as well. Brad Biggs also picks the Dolphins to win the division while Aaron Wilson and Joe Fortenaugh take the Jets. All but one (Biggs) think the Pats will make the playoffs; four out of eight have the Jets in the playoffs and three out of eight think Miami will be in the post-season. Fortenaugh has the Jets winning the SB, and Gabriel has the Pats going as far as the AFCCG. The Ravens and Colts got the most votes as AFC champs, while the NFC was split between the Packers, Cowboys and Saints.

 

[jmt57]

AOL's Fanhouse.com has a panel of twelve making NFL predictions; five went with the Ravens to win the AFC, followed by the Colts (3), Patriots (2) and Jets (2).

2010 NFL Predictions: Super Bowl XLV -- NFL FanHouse

Bill Belichick has one more Super Bowl trip in the cards for his current group of players, and with Wes Welker back early, Tom Brady should contend for MVP.

For the Super Bowl winner, the Ravens got four votes, the Colts and Packers two a piece, and the Jets, Vikings, Cowboys and Pats each got one vote.

One final ring for the Tom Brady/Bill Belichick dynasty.

As for the AFC East, half their panel is picking the Patriots; the Jets were right behind with five votes and one person selected Miami.

http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/09/08/2010-nfl-predictions-afc-division-winners-wild-card-teams/

Too many questions for New England on defense. And once Santonio Holmes gets there, the Jets' offense won't be nearly as bad as everyone thinks based on preseason results.

The Jets are beating their chests, but they won't be beating the Patriots. Unless Mark Sanchez makes mega-strides in Year 2, I'll take the team with the Canton-bound QB.

Here is their full preview of the Pats. Rather than concern with the defense and pass rush, they start out with the 'aging' routine - though this year it is Moss and Brady rather than the 'old and slow defense' line that we've become so used to reading about over the last few years.

http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/08/30/new-england-patriots-2010-season-preview-aging-bunch-still-top/

 

[jmt57]

Greg Cote of the Miami Herald is picking the Pats to win the AFC East.

Sorry Packers fans: Team will win it all - Greg Cote - MiamiHerald.com

• AFC East: Patriots 10-6, Jets 9-7, Dolphins 8-8, Bills 3-13.
The BBs, Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, keep New England as the team to beat in this division until proven otherwise. New York is not as good as the hype and not as good as the blowhard Ryan thinks, but good enough to likely snare a wild-card spot. Miami has potential to hang in the playoff hunt, but a brutal first-half schedule and shaky preseason make it a crapshoot.

Cote picks the Ravens, Colts, Chargers, Cowboys, Packers, Falcons and 49ers as the other division winners. In the Super Bowl he predicts the Packers will beat the Ravens - while noting that he has selected the correct SB winner before the season started once in 19 previous preseason outlooks.

 

[jmt57]

USA TODAY's NFL staffers make their picks for the playoff field and individual awards in the 2010 season:

The Packers' year? USA TODAY's projections for 2010 NFL winners - USATODAY.com

Four out of eight pick the Pats to win the AFC East; three go with the Jets and one with the Dolphins. Three more have the Pats as a wildcard, making it seven out of eight believing the Pats will make the playoffs. Six of them have the Ravens winning the AFC, and five believe the Packers will win the Super Bowl. Half of them think Aaron Rodgers will be the league MVP.

 

[jmt57]

Gregg Rosenthal of NBC Sports picks New England to win the division on a tie-breaker over Miami with a 10-6 record.

NFL preview: division breakdowns, predictions - NFL- nbcsports.msnbc.com

New England Patriots

Training camp solution: Not so long ago people thought Wes Welker could miss the season’s first six weeks. Now it’s clear he’ll be a huge part of the offense in the season opener. He looks the same as ever; you wouldn’t know he underwent ACL surgery last offseason.

Hanging problem: The Patriots have already lost their best defensive end (Ty Warren) and their best cornerback (Leigh Bodden) for the year. That won’t help out a weak pass rush or an extremely young secondary.

Surprise: The Patriots should start three rookies (tight end Dan Gronkowski, cornerback Devin McCourty, and linebacker Brandon Spikes.) Look for a lot of two tight end sets featuring Gronkowski and fellow rookie Aaron Hernandez.

PREDICTIONS

1. Patriots (10-6)
2. Dolphins (10-6)
3. Jets (9-7)
4. Bills (3-13)