2010 Previews - What the Magazines are Saying

[stinkypete]

Good find. Are there football outsiders previews like this for the other NFL teams as well?

I tend to see the Jets as a 9-10 win team and in the mix for a wild card with Miami, Pitt, Houston, Tennessee and KC (my own sleeper binky).

Pats win 11 games and the AFC east. They take one playoff game, maybe even two, but I don't see them in the Super Bowl...at least this year.

 

[Fixit]

What's not to like about the Jets this year? I mean, their rushing offense has most likely taken a big step backward, their #1 receiver is notorious for drops, their #2 is suspended for the first three games, their defense might (if they're lucky) be on par with last year's, they replaced a solid veteran leader with a guy that hasn't done anything in two years except impregnate every woman he touches, their best player is pissed because he wants $16M/year, they have more headcases and loudmouths than any team in the league (coach included), and now they have high expectations, to boot.

Combine that with the stomping that they received at the hands of the dying Pats (who apparently won't have a completely healthy All-Universe QB and receiver back, didn't add a future HOF receiver, and skipped the draft altogether) last time they played and you have the classic recipe for a winner.

 

[Too_Funny]

What's not to like about the Jets this year? I mean, their rushing offense has most likely taken a big step backward, their #1 receiver is notorious for drops, their #2 is suspended for the first three games, their defense might (if they're lucky) be on par with last year's, they replaced a solid veteran leader with a guy that hasn't done anything in two years except impregnate every woman he touches, their best player is pissed because he wants $16M/year, they have more headcases and loudmouths than any team in the league (coach included), and now they have high expectations, to boot.

Combine that with the stomping that they received at the hands of the dying Pats (who apparently won't have a completely healthy All-Universe QB and receiver back, didn't add a future HOF receiver, and skipped the draft altogether) last time they played and you have the classic recipe for a winner.

Agreed 100%

The Patriots have no issues of their own.

Their best WR may start on the PUP.

Their QB most likely isn't going to get paid. His line can't protect him, it seems like their most consistent interior pass protector is on his way out.

They're still counting on Maroney to do something. Taylor? LMAO.

Springs didn't work out, maybe Wilhite will finally do something

The Patriots have as many if not more ?'s than the Jets.

Who gives a sh!t what fans on a message board think in July.

See you in week 2

 

[Fixit]

Agreed 100%

The Patriots have no issues of their own.

Their best WR may start on the PUP.

Their QB most likely isn't going to get paid. His line can't protect him, it seems like their most consistent interior pass protector is on his way out.

They're still counting on Maroney to do something. Taylor? LMAO.

Springs didn't work out, maybe Wilhite will finally do something

The Patriots have as many if not more ?'s than the Jets.

Who gives a sh!t what fans on a message board think in July.

See you in week 2

Yes, the Pats have questions.

But:

Welker may PUP, but they have Moss, Holt, and Edelman, and maybe even Tate and Price.

They couldn't protect Brady past year, and he still put up a season that the Sanchise has wet dreams about. And if you think that Brady's contract has anything to do with what he does on the field, you haven't been paying attention.

Joke about Maroney all you want, but check the Pats' rushing offenses for the last several years. Not spectacular, but solid.

You do know that Wilhite is behind a bunch of other guys, right? Wait...you probably don't.

As I said, the Pats have questions. The difference is that they consistently win despite them. The Jets look slightly worse this year than the team that was gifted the Wild Card. Whereas the Pats have added solid but unsexy guys, have STARS coming back healthy, and have young players who look to contribute heavily to a team that actually won the division and kicked your team's ass with a QB with broken ribs, a #1 with a separated shoulder, and all of the questions they may or may not have.

 

[JoeSixPat]

Here's a well reasoned contrarian opinion about the Jets prospects. It talks about how lucky the Jets were not to be eliminated from the playoffs by the Colts and goes on from there:


http://www.footballoutsiders.com/files/FOA 2010 Sample - NYJ.pdf

It's well worth reading the whole preview.

Good read - and a good reminder to all that if not for a Colts organization that didn't have the sack to go for an Undefeated Season, the Jets finish 8-8 and out of the playoffs.

Ironically that would have put them in a better position this year, giving them better draft position and the ability to have been more active in free agency.

Regardless, I'm wasting no time worrying about the Jets - the Patriots have their games to play, and hopefully find some inspiration in widespread consideration as an underdog. With tough games against the Ravens, Packers, Colts, Bengals, Steelers, Chargers and Vikings and a much improved AFC East, it seems to me that 10 wins this season would be every bit the accompishment of "better" seasons when 6-0 in the division was not only probable but expected.

 

[PATSNUTme]

I have 3 of those magazines (summer reading). I consider PFW as the best not because of their predictions but because to the player rankings and some other articles.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

I'm actually serious with that prediction. I looked at all 4 teams' schedules. Of course, I accounted for a few upsets (Bills beating Jets, Lions beating Patriots on Thanksgiving). I just feel like this is "the year" where the Patriots don't lose to the teams that have given them trouble in past regular seasons (Chargers, Steelers, Colts).

May you be as prophetic as your namesake!

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

The homer in me is going to predict Torry Holt being the 2nd wideout we severely needed, Welker coming back to full strength eventually this season, and Brady having a much better season without the injuries and rust. All this while our rebuilt defense improves a bit with a year under their belt. I think we win the division and if we are playing our best when it counts, could do alot of damage in the postseason. That said it's hard to find fault with the general opinions... this team has alot of question marks and there's no guarantees of the improvements I see taking place.

 

[Kasmir]

there football outsiders previews like this for the other NFL teams as well?

The Jets article is a free sample of their $12 2010 NFL report:

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | FOA 2010 Preview

 

[Rob0729]

Their QB most likely isn't going to get paid. His line can't protect him, it seems like their most consistent interior pass protector is on his way out.

Brady was sacked 0 times in the last five games of the season. How is Brady going to survive a 16 game season if an o-line only can give him enough time all the time to get the ball out of his hands? A good line would have had Brady sacked at least ten times a game.

Say what you will about the Pats' o-line, but protecting Brady hasn't been one of their issues. Maybe if Mankins holds out, it will change. But as long as this o-line is healthy, protecting Brady isn't an issue.

 

[Rob0729]

Personally, I don't care about preseason pubs. I read them for entertainment purposes only. Best entertainment is to keep them until after the Super Bowl and laugh about how much they all get wrong.

 

[Ian]

I just don't get the fascination with the Ravens - it's bizarre. I know they grabbed a couple of guys who they have high expectations for in the draft, but that hardly warrants anointing them as champions.

I understand why the media is buzzing about the Jets since they were in the AFC Championship game, and that generally causes that result. But for the Ravens - I just don't get it.

 

[BlueThunder]

I just don't get the fascination with the Ravens - it's bizarre. I know they grabbed a couple of guys who they have high expectations for in the draft, but that hardly warrants anointing them as champions.

I understand why the media is buzzing about the Jets since they were in the AFC Championship game, and that generally causes that result. But for the Ravens - I just don't get it.

Making the Patriot's look like a CFL team in the playoffs will do that for a team

 

[Uncle Rico]

Making the Patriot's look like a CFL team in the playoffs will do that for a team

That's a good start; trouncing the Pats still gets you some attention. But I think it's also legitimate to view them as a team on the rise. Flacco's done pretty well in a short time, Ray Rice is the RB I wish we had and Flacco's got some receiver help now (they were one Clayton drop from beating NE in regular season). If their D can stop letting their emotions get the best of them, they are very good.

 

[The_Riddler]

Wow, the Cowboys draft one player, Dez Bryant, the guy we passed on and all of a sudden the are headed to the show, makes you wonder what the experts would have predicted if we had drafted him to play with Moss.

 

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

I just don't get the fascination with the Ravens - it's bizarre. I know they grabbed a couple of guys who they have high expectations for in the draft, but that hardly warrants anointing them as champions.

I understand why the media is buzzing about the Jets since they were in the AFC Championship game, and that generally causes that result. But for the Ravens - I just don't get it.

Making the Patriot's look like a CFL team in the playoffs will do that for a team

I'm with Ian on this one. Obviously the Ravens have made improvements with their offense, but I still think their defense isn't that great. In fact, take away Ed Reed, and they have one of the worst secondaries in the NFL. A team with a good passing offense like the Colts will walk all over them.

When I look at the AFC, I don't really see any elite teams. Obviously, the Colts are the best until someone beats them. But until someone rises up, the rest of the AFC is pretty mediocre.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

I just don't get the fascination with the Ravens - it's bizarre. I know they grabbed a couple of guys who they have high expectations for in the draft, but that hardly warrants anointing them as champions.

I understand why the media is buzzing about the Jets since they were in the AFC Championship game, and that generally causes that result. But for the Ravens - I just don't get it.

As someone else observed, trashing the Pats in the Wild Card game before a national audience didn't hurt.

But, I think it's more likely that the "pundits" like to have ABCAP ("Anybody But the Colts and Patriots") to talk about in the AFC in July. The Jets are obvious because they went to the AFCCG; the Ravens are as good a foil for them as any.

 

[Ian]

As someone else observed, trashing the Pats in the Wild Card game before a national audience didn't hurt.

I guess that's a valid point (although the Pats just played really poorly in that game), but they're just a disfunctional bunch and haven't gone deep into the postseason in quite a while. I was just surprised to see so many people picking them to win it all.

 

[patsfaninpittsburgh]

I just don't get the fascination with the Ravens - it's bizarre. I know they grabbed a couple of guys who they have high expectations for in the draft, but that hardly warrants anointing them as champions.

I understand why the media is buzzing about the Jets since they were in the AFC Championship game, and that generally causes that result. But for the Ravens - I just don't get it.

Ian

Very simple. The NFL has 32 teams and no writer can be proficient on all of them. Look at the work you put in to keep up to date on one team.

the general cluelessness of writers has led to numerous NFL myths:

Manning is the GOAT and really earned last year's MVP.
The reality is Brees was deserving of the MVP and was the better 2008/9 QB.

McNabb never had weapons.
The reality was McNabb puked in the post season, literally and figuratively.

The Ravens are again the darlings like 2009.
The reality is writers love Ray Lewis because he doesn't shut up. He's a "story". The natural draw to that clown and the whiners make them a natural magnet.

Then there are the Texans, Favre, and the Cardinals before.

Finally, the Jets were a borderline 9-7 team that lucked into the playoffs and the AFCCG because a dependable kicker missed field goal.

Their vaunted "#1" defense actually surrendered 6 4th Qtr leads in 2009.

As such, a precursory review makes the Jets seem much better than the reality of the Jets.

 

[Koma]

It's not the best use of disposable income, but I pick up at least one NFL preview magazine per year. In fact, I think I now have 20 years of Sporting News Preview issues (which, for collectible purposes, means I have absolutely nothing of value.)

While I have a weakness for buying them, I agree with everyone who doesn't put much stock in these magazines. They are a helpful for reference for player and coach movement, draft picks, and depth charts. Being an accurate predictor is not their strength.

From what I have seen over the years, the writers basically take the playoff teams from the year before, juggle them according to who had the best offseason, and maybe add in a "hot" non-playoff team while dropping a playoff team team that faded at the end of the year. They never go out on a limb with things like the Panthers and Titans going from division winners to missing the playoffs or tabbing a team like the Saints to improve by 5 wins.

The one thing I did have a quibble with in their preview of the Patriots was the "View From the Other Sideline" section. This short piece used the word "older" 6 times to describe this year's team. Is it 2006 or 2007? Are Bruschi, Harrison, Vrabel, and Phifer still on the team? Or do other NFL teams just never age?