Winning the division is no longer that easy...

[BlitzFritz]

For major stretches on this decade, the other teams in the AFC East flat out stunk. Unfortunately, they are all resurgent now, and will make for a tough year. I think I hadnt appreciated that:

- the Jets were actually pretty good last year, and got a lot better this year
- Miami ditto
- the Bills may be actually pretty good

Im glad Miami lost last night. We are going to need all those divisional losses...

Thoughts?

-- FRITZ

 

[JSn]

I agree with you. A lot of people predicted the AFCE would be tough this year, but maybe not this tough.

The Pats will have to play a LOT better to even nab a wild-card this year.

 

[nashvillepatsfan]

For major stretches on this decade, the other teams in the AFC East flat out stunk. Unfortunately, they are all resurgent now, and will make for a tough year. I think I hadnt appreciated that:

- the Jets were actually pretty good last year, and got a lot better this year
- Miami ditto
- the Bills may be actually pretty good

Im glad Miami lost last night. We are going to need all those divisional losses...

Thoughts?

-- FRITZ

Yeah, the division has improved, but....Miami doesnt worry me. Buffalo doesnt concern me either. The Jets, on the other hand, are a good team. They'll put up a fight, but we'll top them in the end. We'll be peaking by then, and defenses will have film on Sanchez, and find his weaknesses.

Fear not, the division will be ours once again. (just as soon as we remember how to score )

 

[nashvillepatsfan]

The Pats will have to play a LOT better to even nab a wild-card this year.

They need to play alot better to win 5 games...good news is, they will be better. Its only week 3. If by week 6, they havent gotten the offense on track, i'll start to panic.

 

[PromisedLand]

I agree with the general theme here, but let's not overreact either. We lost one game, on the road in a very hostile environment, by one touchdown. The Jets have a very good defense, but our team has not gelled yet.

1. Our quarterback is two weeks into what will likely be a lengthy readjustment to the perils of playing quarterback in the NFL. But I expect him to be in midseason form by ... midseason.

2. Our defense has a lot of new parts, and its young leader will be out for another few weeks. It will take a few more games for this group to get used to working together and really learn the scheme...but I think they are an upgrade in speed and athleticism from past years. They'll be fine by - midseason.

So for me the key is whether we can stay in contention until some of these things come together.

 

[Tunescribe]

The big difference is that the other three teams now have stability in coaching/management. I expect from now on the division will be very competitive and whoever wins it will have two division losses.

 

[BlitzFritz]

The big difference is that the other three teams now have stability in coaching/management. I expect from now on the division will be very competitive and whoever wins it will have two division losses.

thats a good point and punch line. rolling thru the division games unscathed is no longer possible.

-- FRITZ

 

[Sean Pa Patriot]

Its not going to be 07 easy that is for sure...


The Jets are better, but the key will be get a early lead and not by 2 fg's..

The Bills will give us trouble in Buffalo...

And last night, the Wildcat will not be dead in Miami...


We were all frustrated by the jets loss, but by week 12, we will be saying we should be in great position for the playoffs...

 

[Gwedd]

You shouldn't kid yourselves. The AFC East has always been a dogfight, even in the best of Patriots times. Although the Pats have consistently taken the division, it has never been easy, and the games a lot closer than you think. Folks remember the blowout games because they were few. most were like like weekend, where the last team scoring won the game.

Anytime you play the same three teams twice a year, you get institutional memory about how they like to play, what wrinkles they use, and even though coaches and players change up, there are only so many new variations they bring.

This division has always been hard to win, and to be honest, i wouldn't want it any other way

 

[mayoclinic]

You shouldn't kid yourselves. The AFC East has always been a dogfight, even in the best of Patriots times. Although the Pats have consistently taken the division, it has never been easy, and the games a lot closer than you think. Folks remember the blowout games because they were few. most were like like weekend, where the last team scoring won the game.

Anytime you play the same three teams twice a year, you get institutional memory about how they like to play, what wrinkles they use, and even though coaches and players change up, there are only so many new variations they bring.

This division has always been hard to win, and to be honest, i wouldn't want it any other way

Bingo. Winning the division has never been easy, and it won't get any easier.

 

[DarrylS]

The other factor not mentioned is familiarity.. everyone knows each other's strengths and weaknesses well...

maybe after they find out that the Jets cheated on the Crabtree case, they will just have to forfeit the season.. we all know how much Goodell hates cheatin...

 

[Rob0729]

For major stretches on this decade, the other teams in the AFC East flat out stunk. Unfortunately, they are all resurgent now, and will make for a tough year. I think I hadnt appreciated that:

- the Jets were actually pretty good last year, and got a lot better this year
- Miami ditto
- the Bills may be actually pretty good

Im glad Miami lost last night. We are going to need all those divisional losses...

Thoughts?

-- FRITZ

Ditto Miami?!? Miami is going to struggle to make .500. Their secondary sucks. They don't have much of an offense (running down the throats of the Colts isn't much of a statement since their run defense sucks). Unless Miami turns it around quickly, they may be out of the division race by November. The Dolphins did little to improve in the offseason and they weren't as good as their record last year.

As for the other two teams, it is still too early. Teams that come out on fire out of the game many times burnout by midseason. The Bills are notorious of this. It is a long season and you can't draw too many conclusions in week # 2.

 

[PittPatriot]

Yeah, the division has improved, but....Miami doesnt worry me. Buffalo doesnt concern me either. The Jets, on the other hand, are a good team. They'll put up a fight, but we'll top them in the end. We'll be peaking by then, and defenses will have film on Sanchez, and find his weaknesses.

Fear not, the division will be ours once again. (just as soon as we remember how to score )

Historically, New England has ruled November and December in this division and the likes of the NYJ and MIA have fizzled after strong starts. In fact, I would say I can't recall a Jets team finishing strong in my lifetime (except for the Parcells led team that made it deep into the playoffs in the early part of the decade).

The MIA Wildcat is very impressive to me. Watching last night's game only proved to me how helpless it must have felt to be Pees/BB when they mutilated us in Foxboro last year. In Round 2, they continued to have success, but by then Cassel lit them up and we just outscored them. I hope Brady gets it together soon so we can at least go to outscoring certain teams that may be hard to stop (NO, MIA, Indy, etc).

 

[upstater1]

You shouldn't kid yourselves. The AFC East has always been a dogfight, even in the best of Patriots times. Although the Pats have consistently taken the division, it has never been easy, and the games a lot closer than you think. Folks remember the blowout games because they were few. most were like like weekend, where the last team scoring won the game.

Anytime you play the same three teams twice a year, you get institutional memory about how they like to play, what wrinkles they use, and even though coaches and players change up, there are only so many new variations they bring.

This division has always been hard to win, and to be honest, i wouldn't want it any other way

Some years the division has been excellent recently, other years not so much. Don't forget that Mangini and the Jets were close a few years ago to making some waves. Miami shut the Patriots out in 2006. I agree with Gwedd.

If anything, the improvement of Buffalo may be a concern, but Buffalo looked good early last year as well.

Let me tell you, the people up here in Buffalo are very worried that Owens is about to go out of his mind.

 

[klinefan]

Win the division!??!!

Said in the same manner as "PLAYOFFS!?, you want to talk PLAYOFF?!?".

Miami is tough and will run over New England. The Jets already demonstrated their superiority and Buffalo was even stevens with our boys and we needed luck to pull it out, AT HOME!!

Look, fellas, I'm not saying all is lost. We may start doing a lot better. But we have a LOT of work to do.

 

[Oswlek]

The Jets are a 9-7 team, maybe 10-6 with their win this past week. Neither Miami nor Buffalo are any better than that.

NE will still win this division by 2 games.

 

[vyrago]

The Jets are a 9-7 team, maybe 10-6 with their win this past week. Neither Miami nor Buffalo are any better than that.

NE will still win this division by 2 games.

Not that anyone cares, but Steve Young feels NE is still the team to beat.

Young: Patriots still 'the team to beat' | NECN

 

[PatsFanSince74]

...

Thoughts?

-- FRITZ

I have no freaking idea how the season is going to play out.

My only "thoughts" today are about Atlanta, which comes to town with a much better QB than either of the guys we barely beat or lost to over the last two weeks.

Then, I'll start having some thoughts about the Ravens.

The Bills, Jets and Fins are gonna do what they're gonna do. We have no control over that except on the four days we play them between now and December, before which I will have some thoughts about them. For now, we barely beat one of them and got our butts kicked by the other, so thinking about them depresses me and I'll avoid it for now.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

It seems that way thus far, but it's still really early. At one point last year (past midseason too) the Jets looked like maybe the best team in the AFC and look how that turned out. It's only week 2.

Miami can't catch us offguard again, if Cassel beat them with ease in last year's rematch imagine what Brady will do when he is in sync. We don't play them till November so chances are he will be fine.

Buffalo also seems to be at their best in September.

We have the best coach and hopefully by midseason or so the best QB by far.

 

[JSn]

Not that anyone cares, but Steve Young feels NE is still the team to beat.

Young: Patriots still 'the team to beat' | NECN

"I see no reason to question what we already know about this organization and this quarterback."

Uh oh, common sense comes sniffing around again...