ESPN's Patriots Preseason Preview has the Pats as the consensus division winner

[Rob0729]

New England Patriots 2010 Preview - ESPN

Three of the five guys picking have the Pats winning the division with the other two finishing second.

 

[Los]

The AFC East is wide open. The team that can win on the road (something the Pats were incapable of last year) will win the division. @NYJ and @MIA will be the two biggest games of the year, IMO.

 

[moosekill]

The AFC East is wide open. The team that can win on the road (something the Pats were incapable of last year) will win the division. @NYJ and @MIA will be the two biggest games of the year, IMO.

No, the division is not wide open. The patriots are hands down the best team and will easily win the division while sweeping the division games.


I hope.

 

[Seels]

New England Patriots 2010 Preview - ESPN

Three of the five guys picking have the Pats winning the division with the other two finishing second.

How's that a consensus?

 

[Deus Irae]

How's that a consensus?

con·sen·sus
 
 /kənˈsɛnsəs/ Show Spelled[kuhn-sen-suhs]
–noun, plural -sus·es.
1.
majority of opinion: The consensus of the group was that they should meet twice a month.
2.
general agreement or concord; harmony.

Consensus | Define Consensus at Dictionary.com

 

[shmessy]

How's that a consensus?

I agree. The two heaviest guys pick the Pats 2nd. Our three is stuck with Clayton.

 

[Holy Diver]

We will know all we need to know by week 3.

The Benglas will test our secondary, and Jets will test our front 7. The Offense shouldn't have too many problems keeping defenses off balance, and the real test will be week 2 against the Jets, but the Bengals should also provide us with a challenging D to see if we can confuse.

 

[shmessy]

We will know all we need to know by week 3.

The Benglas will test our secondary, and Jets will test our front 7. The Offense shouldn't have too many problems keeping defenses off balance, and the real test will be week 2 against the Jets, but the Bengals should also provide us with a challenging D to see if we can confuse.

I have no worries about our offense. Any confusion will be for opposing D's - - there are simply too many weapons for Brady to use now.

I just see alot of 45-38 games this year.

 

[emoney_33]

I look at the defense and I don't know what to think. Lots of talent, lots of inexperience, lots of new faces, lots of questions. I'm optimistic, but also prepared for a roller coaster.

But then, then I look at the offense. Patriots got the division, no doubt about it!

 

[emoney_33]

We will know all we need to know by week 3.

The Benglas will test our secondary, and Jets will test our front 7. The Offense shouldn't have too many problems keeping defenses off balance, and the real test will be week 2 against the Jets, but the Bengals should also provide us with a challenging D to see if we can confuse.

I don't think we will know all by week 3. I expect the young defense has a LOT of room to grow and probably won't look the same in the last 1/4 of the season as they will in the first 1/4.

 

[Rob0729]

I agree. The two heaviest guys pick the Pats 2nd. Our three is stuck with Clayton.

How do agree that a majority of the people picking them are not a concensus?

Also, when did Tim Graham and Seth Wickersham become heavier than Adam Schefter and Matt Williamson? Schefter is the premier NFL reporter in the league. Williamson is a scout for Scout Inc. Wickersham is an At Large columnist for ESPN and although his primary focus is the NFL writes for every sport. Tim Graham is the AFC East blogger of ESPN.com.

Personally, it is just a bunch of guys making predictions, but let's not spin it to Schefter and Williamson are lightweights because they agree with Clayton.

I will say that both Schefter and Graham have a bit of an agenda since Schefter had been saying the Pats would win the division since February and Graham has been saying the same thing about the Jets. Both could ignore some the facts looking at them in front of their face because of their somewhat definitive opinions made before the offseason started.

 

[emoney_33]

Seth's reasoning seems odd. He is excited about the defense but feels the offense is too worrisome?

 

[Holy Diver]

I have no worries about our offense. Any confusion will be for opposing D's - - there are simply too many weapons for Brady to use now.

I just see alot of 45-38 games this year.

Thats what I meant by confusion....opposing Ds figuring out who to cover. we are stacked on Offense.

 

[Rob0729]

Seth's reasoning seems odd. He is excited about the defense but feels the offense is too worrisome?

Well, he said the o-line. But I think he is just assuming since Mankins is out and the general perception the Pats o-line isn't that good. But the Pats' o-line overall has played much better than the much hyped Jets offense that seems to have had breakdowns at every position other than center all preseason.

 

[shmessy]

How do agree that a majority of the people picking them are not a concensus?

Also, when did Tim Graham and Seth Wickersham become heavier than Adam Schefter and Matt Williamson? Schefter is the premier NFL reporter in the league. Williamson is a scout for Scout Inc. Wickersham is an At Large columnist for ESPN and although his primary focus is the NFL writes for every sport. Tim Graham is the AFC East blogger of ESPN.com.

Personally, it is just a bunch of guys making predictions, but let's not spin it to Schefter and Williamson are lightweights because they agree with Clayton.

I will say that both Schefter and Graham have a bit of an agenda since Schefter had been saying the Pats would win the division since February and Graham has been saying the same thing about the Jets. Both could ignore some the facts looking at them in front of their face because of their somewhat definitive opinions made before the offseason started.

Dear Lord, you missed the intended humor of my post.

Clayton weighs about 78 pounds.

 

[Rob0729]

Dear Lord, you missed the intended humor of my post.

Clayton weighs about 78 pounds.

Sorry, I guess my humor radar was off. Probably because I fully believe that I am the only funny one on this board so why should anyone else try? And yes, I truly believe this.

 

[Los]

No, the division is not wide open. The patriots are hands down the best team and will easily win the division while sweeping the division games.


I hope.

That might have been so two years ago, but not anymore. The Jets and Dolphins have both made up ground and the Pats have questions on defense. "Hands down" is a bit strong.

 

[shmessy]

Sorry, I guess my humor radar was off. Probably because I fully believe that I am the only funny one on this board so why should anyone else try? And yes, I truly believe this.

The rest of us can still try, though!

 

[shmessy]

That might have been so two years ago, but not anymore. The Jets and Dolphins have both made up ground and the Pats have questions on defense. "Hands down" is a bit strong.

I think the "I hope" part he sneaked in the end kind of softened it though.

 

[jmt57]

Clayton is picking the Pats? We're doooooomed ........


Pete Prisco of CBS Sports also predicts the Pats win the division, with a 10-6 record. He has the Jets going 9-7 and Miami finishing 7-9. In summation he thinks the Jets are a trendy pick but he has little faith in Sanchez.

AFC East preview: Pats still too much for trendy Jets - NFL - CBSSports.com Football

Overview: Yes, they have some defensive issues, especially in terms of the pass rush. But Belichick is one of the great defensive minds. He will find a way to scheme around that. The offense will be sensational. Brady is another year removed from his knee injury and he has a slew of weapons on the outside, including rookie tight ends Gronkowski and Hernandez, two pass-catchers who will play a lot in their first season. He also has Randy Moss, and Wes Welker is back from injury. Early on, the Patriots will have to put up a lot of points as the defense grows together. By the end of the season, when the young players on defense have worked things out, the Patriots will really shine.

I did have to laugh when I saw the first commenter accusing Prisco of being a Pats homer (perhaps this is the first time he has read one of Prisco's column) while another trots out the worn-out 'Pats are old and slow' line.


Ben Reiter of Sports Illustrated has the Pats finishing third with a 9-7 record, apparently basing much of his prognosis on last year's playoff loss.

Jets, Dolphins, Patriots should all contend for AFC East crown - Ben Reiter - SI.com

Predicted record: 9-7.
The Patriots' embarrassing 33-14 wild-card loss to the Ravens, in which they yielded 234 yards on the ground, served to expose just how far removed the team was from its glory days, which effectively ran up until it shocking, undefeated season-killing Super Bowl loss to the Giants in February 2008. This year's team is very different from that 18-1 iteration -- just 18 players remain from that season (not counting Ty Warren or the holding-out guard Logan Mankins). While the defense features a fair amount of young talent (like rookie inside linebacker Brandon Spikes, the former Florida Gator) with the potential to quickly develop, it is the offense that will bear the brunt of the Patriots' load. The offense, however, is talented enough to lead New England to a potential wild-card berth.