Patriots = 3rd toughest schedule

[PATSNUTme]

According to the Sporting News NFL 2007 preview magazine they have the Patriots ranked #3 in strength of schedule.

Oakland and Buffalo were tied for #1. Once again this is their opinion. Has anyone seen other publications rank schedules, not that it means much?

One more month until Traning Camp!:rocker:

 

[stinkypete]

According to the Sporting News NFL 2007 preview magazine they have the Patriots ranked #3 in strength of schedule.

Oakland and Buffalo were tied for #1. Once again this is their opinion. Has anyone seen other publications rank schedules, not that it means much?

One more month until Traning Camp!:rocker:

How does Oakland get the hardest srength of schedule?

 

[BelichickFan]

How does Oakland get the hardest srength of schedule?

How you finished last year affects only two games.

 

[Remix 6]

these schedules were made in advance. the opponents were on paper..just depends when u play them. has nothing to do with how u did last year or year before. its pre-set. some teams get lucky with easier teams..others dont.

 

[TomBrady'sGoat]

How does Oakland get the hardest srength of schedule?

Oakland doesn't get to play themselves twice like SD, Denver, and KC while their division probably plays a tough combination of divisions.

 

[BelichickFan]

has nothing to do with how u did last year or year before.

Two games do.

AFC East plays itself twice and it's designated NFC and AFC divisions once. That leaves two games and we play the team from each of the other AFC divisions that finished in the same position last year - which is why we play Indy every year.

 

[Pat_the_Patriot]

It really stinks to be Oakland right now.... I don't know about you all... but I think that the AFC West is the toughest division going into the year. Can you imagine being KC or Oak and seeing an (almost) auto 4 losses on your schedule before even starting to look outside of the division? OUCH!

Without being a homer, I feel that our rivals should be counting on two losses (both from us) in that same situation... but they could all beat each other (just my opinion).

BTW: Placement does effect the 2 games... BUT, even that can be an odd one... the Saints would have been considered an "easy" game for the NFC at this point last year.

 

[PATSNUTme]

How does Oakland get the hardest srength of schedule?

they get to play SD, Den , & KC twice. They are all predicted to have winning record with SB 14-2 and Denver 11-5.

It's just like Buffalo having to play us twice and the JEST twice, the AFC North, and the NFC East.

 

[godef]

According to the Sporting News NFL 2007 preview magazine they have the Patriots ranked #3 in strength of schedule.

Oakland and Buffalo were tied for #1. Once again this is their opinion. Has anyone seen other publications rank schedules, not that it means much?

One more month until Traning Camp!:rocker:

Need ... more ... information...

What is their criteria? Are they making a judgement about how good each team will be in 2007? Or are they simply adding up last season's wins and losses?

If it's the latter, then this is useless information, because you know some teams will fall and some teams will improve.

Now, already good teams don't have much room for improvement... how much potential is there for additional wins over the prior season if you were already 13-3 as opposed to 6-10?

So a team whose schedule is stacked with good teams would probably not typically see those teams get even stronger as a whole.

OTOH, teams with weak schedules will see greater potential among the teams on their schedule to improve in 2007.

I can virtually guarantee that none of these three teams will have any of the top 3 toughest schedules when this is ultimately recomputed based on 2007 results instead of 2006.

 

[zippo59]

The Patriots have to play 7/11 playoff teams last year (not including themselves), and they have to play the Jets twice.

 

[brdmaverick]

The Patriots have to play 7/11 playoff teams last year (not including themselves), and they have to play the Jets twice.

wow, 7/11, you're right, I went through the teams in my head and for those of you who were wondering like me, the only playoff teams we don't play are....

CHI
SEA
NO
KC

 

[solman]

How you finished last year affects only two games.

From a fan's perspective this is exactly right.

But from the perspective of folks who rank schedules, this is incorrect.

Every team in the NFL will play:

4 games against first place teams
4 games against second place teams
4 games against third place teams and
4 games against fourth place teams.

By finishing fourth in their division, Oakland may gain two games against Cleveland and Miami, but they lose two games against the fourth place team in their division, themselves.

Oakland's dismal performance last year also improved the records of their division opponents, who now account for six games on their 2007 schedule.

 

[Phoenix111]

From a fan's perspective this is exactly right.

But from the perspective of folks who rank schedules, this is incorrect.

Every team in the NFL will play:

4 games against first place teams
4 games against second place teams
4 games against third place teams and
4 games against fourth place teams.

Exactly correct. Which is why the prior year can have an effect on the next year's schedule. Pats finished in first, therefore they play the Ravens (1st), Chargers (1st) and Colts (1st).

 

[PATSNUTme]

Need ... more ... information...

What is their criteria? Are they making a judgement about how good each team will be in 2007? Or are they simply adding up last season's wins and losses?

If it's the latter, then this is useless information, because you know some teams will fall and some teams will improve.

Now, already good teams don't have much room for improvement... how much potential is there for additional wins over the prior season if you were already 13-3 as opposed to 6-10?

So a team whose schedule is stacked with good teams would probably not typically see those teams get even stronger as a whole.

OTOH, teams with weak schedules will see greater potential among the teams on their schedule to improve in 2007.

I can virtually guarantee that none of these three teams will have any of the top 3 toughest schedules when this is ultimately recomputed based on 2007 results instead of 2006.

It is based on what they project team to do in 2007. So they project Dallas to be 13-3, Indy 13-2,SD to be 14-2 and the Jest to be 10-6.

It is their projection, if it comes to pass or not remains to be seen.

 

[godef]

Exactly correct. Which is why the prior year can have an effect on the next year's schedule. Pats finished in first, therefore they play the Ravens (1st), Chargers (1st) and Colts (1st).

Not quite...

The Pats paly the Ravens as part of a round-robin competition between the AFC's East and North divisions in 2007, not because they were in 1st place last year. They would have played teh Ravens in 2007 regardless of how they did last year.

But you are correct about the Chargers and Colts.

 

[ilduce06410]

there it is, Belichick Fan

How you finished last year affects only two games.

only two games.
dat's it.
patriots' strength of schedule will remain high as long as jets and dolphins are competitive. if the bills become a first-rate team, then the SOS will be #1.
BTW if the bills improve, it'll be hard for any AFC East team to make playoffs as a wild card. they'll be beating each other up so much that 11-5 will win the division, and 10-6, second place, may not get a team into the tournament.