PatsFanSince74 said:
First of all, thank you. And, you clearly know a lot more about NFL Teams than I do.
But, I still can't answer one question in the affirmative: did the Pats improve during this past offseason? I don't see how the answer to that question is "Yes." We lost Givens, McGinest, Vinatierie and Ashworth and didn't pick up players of anywhere near comparable experience or credentials.
The good news is that the Jets and Bills didn't get any better either and the Dolphins are depending on Culpepper returning to his old form, which is a bet I wouldn't take.
Many analysts and fans are superficially looking at the list of the Patriots additions and subtractions, and naively concluding they haven't improved as a team. What gets lost in all of this is the return of injured players which absolutely crippled the team early, forcing Brady to carry a beaten and battered offense on his shoulders. The loss of Ashworth is negligible - the Pats will have Kaczur and Light (missed almost all of '05) at the tackles, with Brandon Gorin providing some depth. Inside, even if Koppen doesn't return for the start of the season after missing the second half of '05, will still have Mankins, Hochstein, and Neal. Look for Kaczur and Mankins to continue to improve in their second seasons.
The WR position took a hit losing Givens, but received first-round talent from Chad Jackson in return. Fortunately, he won't have to carry too heavy of a load as Brady will have PLENTY of targets between Branch, Watson, Graham, Caldwell, Jackson, Faulk, Brown, Maroney, Thomas, Mills, and Pass. The additions of Mills, Thomas, and Jackson through the draft and the continued emergence of Watson will really offset the Givens loss.
While it would be impossible to replace what Vinatieri brought in pressure situations, Gostkowski, a 4th-round draft pick, brings a stronger leg, something that will help as we all saw Vinatieri's kickoffs and long field goals start to decline over the past few years.
The defensive backfield has been shored up with the return of Gay and Chad Scott, and the additions of Warfield and Tebucky. When Rodney can return still remains a big question, but the Pats have more backfield depth than they've had in years to lessen the impact if he wasn't to return.
So, I'd agree we win the Division, but I don't see 13--3. And I would disagree with describing any NFL schedule as "very relaxing," especially one that includes Payme and Favre along with a couple of pretty hungry teams.
Favre is a shell of his former self. The Packers have slipped all the way down to the bottom of the NFL barrel.
Considering what the Pats went through early in the season last year (@ Car, @ Pit, vs. SD, @ ATL, @ DEN, vs. IND), this schedule certainly is a breath of fresh air. The NFC North with Detroit and Green Bay isn't nearly as good as the NFC South with Carolina, Tampa, and Atlanta. The AFC South has Houston and Tennessee, while the AFC West was the strongest in the league last year between Denver, Kansas City, and San Diego.