My way too early and I will deny making them when they end up being wrong predictions

[Ivan]

LOL! Oops. I will have to fix that.

EDIT: I removed one of the line items.

No you didn't, I agreed with both predictions

 

[Ivan]

13-3

Brady is the MVP.

Patriots win the Super Bowl over Seattle.

Gronkowski plays a full season.

Both Ridley and Vereen have strong contract years.

Easley has a strong rookie season.

The Patriots receivers are a strength of the team, Dobson, Amendola, and Edelman put up almost 3,000 yards and 21 TD's between them.

The Patriots have a top 3 scoring defense.

Revis and McCourty both re-sign.

Talib sits out as the Broncos season says goodbye.

Stork wins starting center job.

Mayo, Hightower, Collins are a top 3 LB unit.

Wilfork is solid but no longer dominant all of the time.

Vollmer has a strong rebound season.

Chandler Jones has 12+ sacks.

Collins has a big season.

The Patriots lead the NFL in interceptions.

 

[Big-T]

If Gronkowski plays a full season he beats Randy Moss' 23 TD record.
Collins wins/is in contention to win DPOTY.

 

[mayoclinic]

Great stuff, Rob. Thanks for spicing up the slow season.

I only have a few:

- Collins will have a dominant, breakout season. Not quite at the level of what JJ Watt did 2 years ago, but nearly as dominant in his own way.
- Easley will start week 1 and will terrorize all season.
- Revis will have a season comparable to his 2009-2011 years, and the Pats' secondary will be one of the 2 best in the NFL.
- The Pats will have a top 3 defense.
- Hightower will have a decent but not particularly good season, and the Pats will start thinking about moving on after his rookie deal. James Anderson will steal reps from him by the end of the year.
- The Pats will trade for a veteran TE to complement Rob Gronkowski. After doing so, the offense will explode, and be a top 3 offense.
- The Pats will use a lot of 2 RB sets with Shane Vereen and James White.
- Josh Boyce will explode as an all-purpose weapon.

Since we're drinking Koolaid, I vote 14-2 and the SB.

 

[Sticky Caulk]

19-0

 

[BTTA]

I can't remember another team that had this much strength and depth in all three units on the D. Who would have thought that the LB's could end up being the weakest unit?
The Easley pick and potential changes the entire outlook.
Ah, summer.

 

[BelichickFan]

Loved Rob's. I'll play. These are a little more esoteric but I think each has a good shot.

- Mallett isn't on the team. Jimmy G shows enough to use the roster spot elsewhere.

- Vereen and White combine for more catches than any one WR.

- By the end of the season, Boyce has shown the most potential of last year's rookie WR.

- Stork is the starting Center. I know that's not exactly ground breaking.

- We do nothing roster wise at TE and just work around it if Gronk gets hurt. With WR and RB we'd be OK.

- Our DL starts to get more recognition. On upside it matches up fairly well with the Rams' supposedly all world DL.

- They work Easley in a little slower than expected. Not due to a setback but just as a precaution with a long season/career ahead.

- Siliga does fine and cuts into Vince reps a decent amount. Vince becomes more of a part time player with strong leadership while splitting time. This isn't meant as a negative.

- Hightower shows up in the Tackle column more than many expect as teams run on us more due to the new found talent in the secondary. He'll come out on a lot of passing downs though.

- McCourty has a huge season and is tougher to sign than some might think as he has the versatility to play CB.

- Gostkowski and Allen are the best kicking combination in the league both with pro bowl caliber seasons (even if they don't actually make the pro bowl).

 

[BelichickFan]

On upside it matches up fairly well with the Rams' supposedly all world DL.

What I meant by this, is our players aren't too disimilar :

Long - Ninkovich. Both hard working players with legit but not crazy ability.
Donald - Easley - Very similar.
Quinn - Jones. Jones could take that step this year.
Brockers - Vince/Siliga. Brockers has the upside edge here.

Not saying ours is better or as good but it matches up better than the average NFL fan might think.

 

[patsinthesnow]

Patriots 14-2
KT & Dobson both starting by midseason.
Defense #2 PPG, #5 yards
Gronk gets injured midseason, done for the year. The trio of Edelman and the 2nd year WRs proves they can move the offense along this year.
#1 seed, beat the Broncos 27-17 in the snow in the AFCCG.
==========================================
Saints win NFC home field and thus the NFC. IMO, the NFL is a big 5 rather than big 4, as I see the Saints on the level of the Pats/Broncos/Seahawks/49ers. Adding Byrd to an already top 10 defense for Rob Ryan, wow. Can't see the Seahawks going into New Orleans and winning in the dome.
==========================================
SB 49: Patriots vs. Saints: 21-13
Superbowl MVP: Brandon Browner

BB puts Browner on Jimmy Graham, while Revis shuts down Colston. Saints offense struggles big time as the Patriots D helps Brady to #4.

 

[patfanken]

Thanks for the great effort Rob. This JUST might get me through the next 2 weeks. . No real comments here. Your opinion is as good as anyone else's at this p oint. But I did really need a good read and you provided me with one.

Just one point. Rob Gronkowski is the single most impactful non-QB offensive player in the league.....
PERIOD. It wasn't a coincidence that the Pats led the league in scoring while Gronk was playing. That's despite all the newbie WR's and injuries on offense (Volmer, Vareen, Amendola, etc). Even, outscoring Denver and their historically great offense over that 6 we.ek span. THAT's how much of a difference Gronk makes on the field. IIRC, there hasn't been a receiver in the history of the game that has scored as often as Gronk does per game.

So my only prediction is as follows. If Gronk is on the field for 19 games this season the Pats will win the Superbowl. Everybody else just has to be solid and the offense will thrive.

 

[Marqui]

Brady continues to significantly decline and proves Sam Monson's claim that Brady isn't a top 5 quarterback. Revis, Wilfork, and Easily do not recover well from their ACL injuries and the defense disappoints. The Patriots don't win the AFC for the first time in 7 years and miss the playoffs.














Just providing some balance in here

 

[Joker]

Brady continues to significantly decline and proves Sam Monson's claim that Brady isn't a top 5 quarterback. Revis, Wilfork, and Easily do not recover well from their ACL injuries and the defense disappoints. The Patriots don't win the AFC for the first time in 7 years and miss the playoffs.














Just providing some balance in here

well then, if so then Amendola leads the league in minutes played, catches and TD's....if you want to remain balanced and all....

 

[Kontradiction]

1. Stork beats out Wendell in TC and is the starting center going into the season. Wendell gets cut.
2. Amendola gets injured at some point during the season.
3. The Patriots field a top five defense.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Amendola gets injured, missing games
Vereen has a breakout season, catching lots of balls
Brady posts an above average career QBR
Stork the OC before game 5
Dobson starts slowly, but has a great season
Gronk's YAC drops but he's there post season
Easley works his way into serious minutes as season progresses
Chris Jones contributes to a strong fresh, DT rotation
Logan Ryan develops into a force
Gost misses a makable kick costing an in season game, Patsfans board crashes
Defense is Top 10 and opportunistic, though not Top 5, enough to win SB

 

[JackBauer]

Boyce doesn't make roster

I find this to be fairly unlikely.

 

[Efstratios]

I guess I'll throw out some inane predictions.

-The Pats go 12-4

On O:
-Brady will have a better season than he had last year, but it won't be as statistically impressive as the ones in 11' or 12'
-Gronk will miss a few games, but will get to the playoffs relatively healthy. He's not gonna put up 11' numbers, but he'll still be the best TE in the game.

- Edelmen will continue to impress, and be Brady's go to guy.

-Amendola will get injured, and miss 3-6 games. Despite this, I predict that he has a better season than last year, since the nature of his injuries will be ones that simply force him to sit out games (concussions and the like) rather than ones that nag him throughout the season in the long term (groin tear). All said and done, he emerges as the #3 WR in the O. His real contributions are gonna be drawing coverage and blocking. Not sure that he'll stay beyond this year, but I'm confident that he makes a better case for staying than he made last year. Brady6 is under the impression that DA is the kinda guy who will go off in 3-4 games a season, and I think that's fair, he'll have his moments this season.

- Dobson will look a bit rusty, and shaky. But by the end of the season, he'll become the #2 option provided
that he's healthy

-LaFell: Honestly zero clue. I'd have to get some reports from TC to make a guess.

-Thompkins will contribute if the injury bug hits any of the 3 aforementioned WR's. However, provided that all 3 guys are relatively healthy, and LaFell plays decently well, he'll get phased out.

-The O-line will have some growing pains, and the absence of Scar will be felt. Despite this, they'll eventually develop into a solid unit, and Brady will mask some of their deficiencies. Solder will improve.

On D:

-Playing next to Revis and Brwoner will allow DMac to elevate his game and convince doubters that he's a top 8 safety.

-Revis will be Revis.

-Harmon will be the clear weak link in the secondary, and will cause fans to pull their hair out early on in the season. By the end of the regular season, however, he'll develop into a competent, but not great safety.

-Wilfork won't be the player that he used to be. Despite this, he'll be a big contributor still, and will remain the heart of the D.

-Easley will spend a few games shaking off rust, and Tommy Kelly won't look nearly as good as he looked early in the last season. As a result, guys like C. Jones and Siligia will be forced to take on bigger roles.

-Collins will elevate his game. Mayo will look a bit shaky returning from injury, but will still be the best LB on the team. Hightower will be more comfortable playing in a role that suits him, even though I believe we'll let him walk after this season.

-The coaching staff will experiment at DE, and will experiment by putting Easley and Hightower in those roles. Jones and Nink will still be the two main guys at the position, though. Jones will have another 10+ sack season.


Playoff projection:

AFC
1: Patriots
2: Broncos
3: Colts
4: Ravens
5: Chiefs
6: Bengals.

NFC:
1: Seahawks
2: Saints
3: Packers
4: Redskins
5: 49ers
6: Falcons

 

[PatFanCraig]

13-3

Brady is the MVP.

Patriots win the Super Bowl over Seattle.

Gronkowski plays a full season.

Both Ridley and Vereen have strong contract years.

Easley has a strong rookie season.

The Patriots receivers are a strength of the team, Dobson, Amendola, and Edelman put up almost 3,000 yards and 21 TD's between them.

The Patriots have a top 3 scoring defense.

Revis and McCourty both re-sign.

Talib sits out as the Broncos season says goodbye.

Stork wins starting center job.

Mayo, Hightower, Collins are a top 3 LB unit.

Wilfork is solid but no longer dominant all of the time.

Vollmer has a strong rebound season.

Chandler Jones has 12+ sacks.

Collins has a big season.

The Patriots lead the NFL in interceptions.

Good stuff!! Couple tweaks. I can't help but like Halapio to start at center. He already showed his power/aggression in minicamp and has impressed coaches. At guard he could be vulnerable to Atkins/Easley/Dockett quick penetrators. Won't be a problem at center. He would be that rare center that can man up a NT without any help. Patriots want to convert to more of a power OLine. What better way than to display Halapio as their new weapon. The most devastating drive blocking center in the NFL. I haven't given up on stork but reports from camp said he was a little overwhelmed and seemed to lack power which triggered his mental errors. Hightower is a concern. He said himself he doesn't like shadowing speedsters like Vereen. This is a passing league. Leaving the field on third and long helps but Many teams often passing on first/second down makes him a liability. Most top LBs only weigh 230-240 now because coverage on early downs is a must. Maybe if he plays closer to the new prototype size, anybody think it helps Hightowers' burst,lateral quickness and cover ability? It would suck to see him get beat repeatedly while the secondary is doing shutting down their assignments.

 

[Wheelman]

And yes, I know my predictions are mostly looking at the optimistic stuff, but isn't that what the offseason is for? Being way too optimistic.

You call yourself "way too optimistic" and you don't even predict a 19-0. What kind of homer are you!

 

[PatFanCraig]

My concerns on the patriots are wilfork/Kelly,can they dominate the line to free up the playmakers. We really need Logan Ryan to make the leap as a top flight #2 corner. Can Browner regain his form. He struggled last year with speed and was outplayed by Maxwell at times. The interior OLine is a concern. Mankins looked bad in afccg. Connolly/Wendall's are terrible. The planned replacement center Stork struggled with power. With that you have to consider how many centers struggle in the NFL due to being bullied. Many patriot fans liked Konz. He is struggling with NFL power. Remember Stork was an award winning center more for playing intelligently and making the line calls and sound technique, not for being dominant. He has struggled with mistakes that's uncharacteristic for an intelligent leader technician. Many said his mistakes and penalty laps were a result of being overwhelmed. Let's hope he makes the strides. That's why I like Halapio at center so far with his power/aggression. So the pats fans aren't over optimistic.

 

[PatFanCraig]

On the optimistic side Boyce makes the team. Wwe need to get him some reps in the slot. He is a home run threat from the slot and adds dimensions that puts the DBs on their heels and gets attention. They can't guard the slot like they normally do with a threat like Boyce. It takes them out of their scheme and disrupts concentration. At times a safety or even LB covered Edelman from the slot. They can't defend Boyce like that if its a TD. Slots who. Are also deep threats out of the slot are sought after. Tavon Austin was a top10 pick. Wright a top20 and many others went in round1 like cooks. Boyce has similar skill/speed if they can get him some reps in the slot.