Here's more from Dr. Z at SI.com as to why Miami will win the division

[PatsDeb]

"The AFC East is the Four-B Division, three Belichicks and the Bills. The Patriots of Belichick One, also known as Original Belichick, have the good fortune to face their three toughest nondivision foes, Denver, Indy and Chicago, all at home. I give them a season's split against the Dolphins and the Bills ... don't laugh, Buffalo ran Willis McGahee down their throats last year and should have beaten them. I give them two wins over Belichick Three, Eric Mangini, who coaches the Jets, and the Patriots are in the postseason with a formful 11-5 record."

They have us SPLITTING with the Bills!! Sorry Dr. Z, I have to laugh!!AHAHAHAHAHA!!! This is how they came up with the manufactured Miami win of the division. Don't give me the "any given Sunday" stuff. If we lose to the Bills we have a big problem. Just thought I'd share that. I can't wait for the season to start.

 

[pats1]

McGahee did "run down the Pats' throats" in the first Bills game (133 yds.), but remember that was against Duane Starks and Arturo Freeman.

The second game, in December, McGahee rushed for an astounding, breath-taking...



3 yards on 8 carries.

 

[zippo59]

"The AFC East is the Four-B Division, three Belichicks and the Bills. The Patriots of Belichick One, also known as Original Belichick, have the good fortune to face their three toughest nondivision foes, Denver, Indy and Chicago, all at home. I give them a season's split against the Dolphins and the Bills ... don't laugh, Buffalo ran Willis McGahee down their throats last year and should have beaten them. I give them two wins over Belichick Three, Eric Mangini, who coaches the Jets, and the Patriots are in the postseason with a formful 11-5 record."

They have us SPLITTING with the Bills!! Sorry Dr. Z, I have to laugh!!AHAHAHAHAHA!!! This is how they came up with the manufactured Miami win of the division. Don't give me the "any given Sunday" stuff. If we lose to the Bills we have a big problem. Just thought I'd share that. I can't wait for the season to start.

Yeah and how did the Bills do running McGahee against the Pats in the most recent game they played against eachother, which featured a defense more similar to the one the Pats will be fielding this year (barring injuries...please) than the one they had in the game he is referring to. Call me crazy, but I think that is a lot more valid gage of McGahee against the Pat's defense. In that game Starks was a starter, Hobbs had yet to break out, Bruschi was in his first game back, Atrell Hawkins had yet to sign with the team, and Arturo Freeman was playing safety (released following this game). I also don't believe Richard Seymour was playing and if he was he couldn't have been back long, meaning he had not fully gelled with the rest of the team. I also think Mike Mularkey is a better coach than **** Jauron but there is really no way to know that, at least not yet.

 

[PatsDeb]

McGahee did "run down the Pats' throats" in the first Bills game (133 yds.), but remember that was against Duane Starks and Arturo Freeman.

The second game, in December, McGahee rushed for an astounding, breath-taking...



3 yards on 8 carries.

Right - just as the experts always forget to mention Miami beat our backups in the last game of the year (when, in my opinion, while we didn't "intend" to lose, Belichick assumed we would), they always forget to mention that in the first Bills game we had like, 50% of our defense playing. As lots of people have said, it's okay - we play better when we're mad.

 

[zippo59]

This Dolphin hype is really funny. I fully agree that the Dolphins are taking big steps in the right direction, and should be better this year. I wouldn't be shocked if the Pats split with them. It is not that ridiculous for the media to be saying they are a good team. What is ridiculous is the reasons given by the pundits as to why why the Pats are a worse team. I have yet to see one reason that is half legitimate.

 

[RayClay]

"The AFC East is the Four-B Division, three Belichicks and the Bills. The Patriots of Belichick One, also known as Original Belichick, have the good fortune to face their three toughest nondivision foes, Denver, Indy and Chicago, all at home. I give them a season's split against the Dolphins and the Bills ... don't laugh, Buffalo ran Willis McGahee down their throats last year and should have beaten them. I give them two wins over Belichick Three, Eric Mangini, who coaches the Jets, and the Patriots are in the postseason with a formful 11-5 record."

They have us SPLITTING with the Bills!! Sorry Dr. Z, I have to laugh!!AHAHAHAHAHA!!! This is how they came up with the manufactured Miami win of the division. Don't give me the "any given Sunday" stuff. If we lose to the Bills we have a big problem. Just thought I'd share that. I can't wait for the season to start.

I'm sorry Dr.Z is the most overrated analyst going IMO.

He says he watches all these players but spends half his time talking about wines.

If I'm not mistaken we were missing Bruschi as well. McGahee should have run for 250 against Beisel and Brown?

No Rodney and our CBs in shambles.

Who care, I hope they pick us last.:bricks:

 

[zippo59]

I'm sorry Dr.Z is the most overrated analyst going IMO.

He says he watches all these players but spends half his time talking about wines.

If I'm not mistaken we were missing Bruschi as well. McGahee should have run for 250 against Beisel and Brown?

No Rodney and our CBs in shambles.

Who care, I hope they pick us last.:bricks:

It was Bruschiis first game back.

 

[patsox23]

That Bills thing is a joke. phins are good, but we will ROLL OVER Buffalo both times. People don't yet appreciate how good this Patriots team can be - especially if Branch comes back.

 

[RayClay]

It was Bruschiis first game back.

Thanks, I started to look it up then I got lazy.

I remember the game,though. We royally sucked, but they couldn't score.

For you scoring at home, that was the game where Dillon probably destroyed his injured ankle because we needed to move the ball and had no one else.

 

[Oswlek]

C'mon guys, Dr. Z has a point. It is entirely possible that NE goes into a Bills game missing Seymour, Hobbs, Harrison, Hawkins, Sanders, Gay, Maroney, Faulk and Light, as well as having Bruschi just returning from a stroke, Vrabel playing a new position for the first time, Dillon playing on one leg and Pass injuring his leg during the game.

I see no reason why the first game between Buffalo and NE shouldn't be the primary indicator for how they match up this year.

All of this is entirely possible.

 

[zippo59]

Thanks, I started to look it up then I got lazy.

I remember the game,though. We royally sucked, but they couldn't score.

For you scoring at home, that was the game where Dillon probably destroyed his injured ankle because we needed to move the ball and had no one else.

Ahh yes, that was the game of Patrick Pass' infamous phantom fumble.

The one bright spot of that game I think was the arrival of Rosevelt Colvin. When we need a turnover to get the go ahead score Colvin sacked Holcolmb causing him to fumble and then recovered the fumble. The Pats offense was given a short field and scored a TD to win the game. It was a crappy played game but that part was cool.

 

[Oswlek]

Ahh yes, that was the game of Patrick Pass' infamous phantom fumble.

The one bright spot of that game I think was the arrival of Rosevelt Colvin. When we need a turnover to get the go ahead score Colvin sacked Holcolmb causing him to fumble and then recovered the fumble. The Pats offense was given a short field and scored a TD to win the game. It was a crappy played game but that part was cool.

That was the first play Colvin made all last season. Prior to that he basically let himself get engaged by every blocker until the play was past him, and that included most of the Bills game as well. Frankly, I was almost ready to give up on the hope that he would return to his pre-injury level, but he lhas ooked downright dominant in the past 6-7 games that he has played.

 

[feelthepain]

The responses in this thread are shocking

 

[zippo59]

The responses in this thread are shocking

Come on. You are a Dolphins fan and you think they will win the division next year. That's fine, and completely reasonable. But do you really think the Patriots are going to lose to the Bills, barring mass catostophic injuries?

 

[PatsDeb]

C'mon guys, Dr. Z has a point. It is entirely possible that NE goes into a Bills game missing Seymour, Hobbs, Harrison, Hawkins, Sanders, Gay, Maroney, Faulk and Light, as well as having Bruschi just returning from a stroke, Vrabel playing a new position for the first time, Dillon playing on one leg and Pass injuring his leg during the game.

I see no reason why the first game between Buffalo and NE shouldn't be the primary indicator for how they match up this year.

All of this is entirely possible.

You're right. I take back my scornful laughter.

 

[Oswlek]

You're right. I take back my scornful laughter.

Thank you.

 

[letekro]

Right - just as the experts always forget to mention Miami beat our backups in the last game of the year (when, in my opinion, while we didn't "intend" to lose, Belichick assumed we would), they always forget to mention that in the first Bills game we had like, 50% of our defense playing. As lots of people have said, it's okay - we play better when we're mad.

Why do people have such a hard time believing that a logical, outside of the box thinker like BB would instruct Cassel to throw the ball high on the last play of that game? His backups had more than held their own. The benefits to winning the Miami game would've been miniscule - presumably only the confidence gained by the backups that played the majority of the game, but even this is debatable b/c they played on par with the Miami starters. On the other hand the benefits to losing the game - facing an inexperienced warm-weather team instead of Pittsburgh, a team that BB respects above all others, and knocks out half of our roster every time we play them - were substantial.

 

[PatsDeb]

Why do people have such a hard time believing that a logical, outside of the box thinker like BB would instruct Cassel to throw the ball high on the last play of that game? His backups had more than held their own. The benefits to winning the Miami game would've been miniscule - presumably only the confidence gained by the backups that played the majority of the game, but even this is debatable b/c they played on par with the Miami starters. On the other hand the benefits to losing the game - facing an inexperienced warm-weather team instead of Pittsburgh, a team that BB respects above all others, and knocks out half of our roster every time we play them - were substantial.

My impression at the time was that they had decided they would lose the game, were surprised it was that close, and that if BB told Cassell to throw the ball high, it was more to avoid overtime (and more wear and tear) than to "lose" on purpose.