The jury is still out on the Pats...

[Sunqueen212]

Funny thing about the Patriots--any time you look at who they've played, they have at least one loss. Those teams with fewer losses, are still ahead on the schedule. I just can't imagine how this statistical abhorrance shows up every year. It's as if, the teams the Patriots have already played suck, but those they haven't yet played, have more formidable records than teams the Patriots already handed L's to.

It may have something to do with copycaters respecting our gameplan against the teams that we beat. For example, few teams could figure out how to stop LT. After our game against SD, teams took note and are imploying a similar gameplan vs. SD. Another example was MIN last year who had a strong run D. Pats went in a spanked them through the air; ever since, everyone else has done it and it seems that MIN still hasn't recovered from that loss.

 

[patsfan13]

The jury will be out on the Pats until we win the game in Feb, but the riode is off to a FINE start

 

[Dragda]

After us and Indy and maybe Dallas; how many good teams are there really?

We are in great position. Lets take em one at time.

Green Bay looks good.

 

[wpdougie2180]

The jury is still out on all the Undefeated teams:

Indy whose beat NO(sucks), Denver(should be 0-4), Houston(2-2 who they barely beat without Andre Johnson and whom just lost to Atlanta), and Tennessee(who beat a horrible NO team and an average Jaxsonville team)

Dallas has beaten all cupcakes including Chicago who with all their injuries and bad QB play gave up 34 points to Detriot in the 4th quater alone.

Green Bay hasn't played anyone either San Diego was their toughest test yet and their in shambles now.

 

[JJDChE]

As Bill Belichick says, we dont make the schedule, we play who is on it..

So, hypothetically, if we went through the whole season and didn't end up playing a team over .500, and another team ended up with the same record but played half their games against teams over .500, couldn't someone reasonably say the other team was better because they played better competition?

We don't make the schedule, but that doesn't mean it doesn't matter who we play.

 

[Sunqueen212]

So, hypothetically, if we went through the whole season and didn't end up playing a team over .500, and another team ended up with the same record but played half their games against teams over .500, couldn't someone reasonably say the other team was better because they played better competition?

We don't make the schedule, but that doesn't mean it doesn't matter who we play.

Agreed, but schedules are determined on previous year's results. i.e. New England and Indy are playing a 1st place schedule because we won our respective divisions last year while San Fransisco and Cleveland are playing a last place schedule. For your scenario to work, it would mean that all the all year's division champs are now cellar dwellers while the sucky teams are not sucking anymore. I think "parity" has its downside; one can no longer determine the good teams from the bad teams.

 

[FlyingElvis75]

If we played 16 poofball teams and ended 16-0 then history wouldn't pay much attention to the other team that went 15-1 with a tougher schedule, people would just talk about the first undefeated season since '72.

But I definitely agree that here and now, and until the end of the season, quality of opponents matters, since it's a big factor in helping us predict the outcome of the next game.

 

[jbb9s]

You cant discount the 1-3 records of our opponents because they probably would be 2-2 if they hadn't played the Pats. The Patriots have the third rated schedule in the league and Dallas, Pittsburgh and Indy are in line upcoming.

 

[patsox23]

Green Bay looks good.

Green Bay barely beat the Chargers. I suspect we'd kill Green Bay.

 

[shakadave]

After us and Indy and maybe Dallas; how many good teams are there really?

We are in great position. Lets take em one at time.

Great question. Fewer good teams than ever this year.


Top Tier: us and Indy

[Gap!]

Next Tier: Dallas (whose defense will get steadily better as the season wears on); Green Bay maybe; Pittsburgh (who sure looked mediocre vs. Arizona); Tampa Bay? Denver if they get on a roll? For now I'll also put Tennessee on this list.

 

[Patriot_in_NY]

Funny thing about the Patriots--any time you look at who they've played, they have at least one loss. Those teams with fewer losses, are still ahead on the schedule. I just can't imagine how this statistical abhorrance shows up every year. It's as if, the teams the Patriots have already played suck, but those they haven't yet played, have more formidable records than teams the Patriots already handed L's to.

But, the Patriots are lucky, since the AFC East is very weak. The Patriots hand out an average of + 5 L's, and - 5 W's, to the other AFC East teams, but that's just a coincidence.

It may have something to do with copycaters respecting our gameplan against the teams that we beat. For example, few teams could figure out how to stop LT. After our game against SD, teams took note and are imploying a similar gameplan vs. SD. Another example was MIN last year who had a strong run D. Pats went in a spanked them through the air; ever since, everyone else has done it and it seems that MIN still hasn't recovered from that loss.

I posted the exact same thing in a similar thread. Look at the the losses to SD after we played them. GB and KC used our exact formula to beat the Chargers, which essentually boils down put the game in Rivers hands.

Ditto the Jets. Buffalo used pretty much the same plan we did to beat the Jets today as well. That's three more losses on those teams (in addition to the 3 we handed them) that can be argued to stem from the loss by us.

By the same Tolken, NO is 0-4 in large measure due to the ass-whooping Indy handed them in w-1, and exposing just how soft and vulnerable they are to the deep ball.

When a team shows absolute domination over another one in this league, its usually for a reason, like an exposed weakness. Follow on teams that exploit that same weakness stand better chances at winning.



I expect BB made a call to his buddy Romeo this weak and knows zacky how they managed to put a 50 spot on Cini's D. D

 

[JR4]

Think about it... they've beaten up three 1-3 teams. I mean, I think this team is the best ever... but they haven't played anyone halfway decent.

I understand what you are saying. PATs have looked real good but
PATs have not played any top 5 teams.
PATs are certainly in the top 5 if all are healthy but we are starting to
see a larger injury report.

I was wondering about this after the Bills win. I think tests will
soon be coming. After Dallas and Indy we should have a real good
idea of how really good this team is.

But Indy is the real test unless they get bit by the injury bug. I hope they don't.
Indy has a good well rounded Offense ... pass and run ... they are very good.
Their Defense did not regress any where near what I had thought they would
but are allowing 20+ points by some middle of the road offenses.
If they stay healthy it will be interesting to see how they handle the
PATs offense.

In the mean time ... I'm having fun...

 

[nowayback]

jury still out? yet we give credit to dallas,indy and gb for being good ? we are the same team as last year except we have a few more quality players. last years team was pretty good. oh yes and same coaching staff. we beat the jets when they were psych up. beat the chargers when they were still thiking they were great. today our secondary will be tested.

i think after today we can see just how good we are.

 

[IndyPatriotsfan]

Think about it... they've beaten up three 1-3 teams. I mean, I think this team is the best ever... but they haven't played anyone halfway decent.

But before they played the Pats they weren't 1-3.
Jests was a season opener 0-0, not a losing record.
Chargers was 1-0, not a losing record.
Bills, well, what can you say about them.

So, by looking at that, the only team that had a losing record when the Pats played them was the Bills.

You really can't take into consideration what their record is after they play the Pats.

 

[Oswlek]

Has there ever been a 3-0 team that the jury had come back in for?

 

[FlyingElvis75]

You really can't take into consideration what their record is after they play the Pats.

Uhh...what? That was one of the most nonsensical things I've heard...