NFLN morons: Patriots will "take a step back" this season

[brady199]

I think it's very possible that the OFFENSE will take a step back come September, but it only matters where they are come December and no NFL coach has a better track record the BB of always having his teams better come Dec. then they were in Sep.

I think everyone (national media and certainly Jets fans ) is sleeping on our Defense. This year I think its gonna be the first time in a long time I'm more excited to see how are "D" develops then I will be by our offense. :rocker:

They need to bring back Michael Lombardi to make their coverage of the Pats fair and balanced, lol!

 

[brady199]

I'm not sure how you could expect anything else from the media.
These so called experts give "analysis" that mentions 3 players as if they are the entire team.
We lost Welker, Hernandez and Woodhead. Those are 3 good skill position players so that must mean a step backward.
These guys rarely get it right, so why care what they say?

That's cuz half those jokers get most of their info and opinions based on Fantasy Football Rankings... You know it's true

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

If taking a step back means they will go from 12-4 last year to 10-6 this year that's not a big issue to me.......as long as they win the division and make the playoffs where anything can happen and usually does.

Anything can happen,but I see a 10-6 team with a division title won by tiebreakers and a 4th seed......and judging by champion winners of the past,that may not be such a bad position to have heading into the playoffs if they get there.

 

[Joker]

Half of WHAT Jokers???

...be careful...be very very careful with the next words you choose to post...

 

[supafly]

I think that one aspect that the media is undervaluing is the expected improvement of the defense.

The defense, as long as health prevails, will carry us a little farther this year in my opinion.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Could not care less if we "stepped back" and backed into the post season doggy style at ~ 10 & 6 like the '07 Jints as long as we kick ass in the playoffs. I'm tired of Patriots in-season juggernaught teams fizzling out post season. After 2006 we morphed into the Manning led Colts. All glitzy offense and weak, crunch time failure D. I never would have expected that.

 

[Huckleberry1]

In all honesty I can't say that I blame them, Brady has never been a QB who could perform at a high level unless he was surrounded by the best talent and I expect this to be another one of his really down years. I'm getting a little tired of it to be sure as we can't continue to rely on the defense year after year. Brady makes the big bucks it is about time he was able to have a big season without having to surround him with the top free agents and highest skill position draft picks.

 

[supafly]

Speaking of spygate it is amazing to me that people still actually believe the lie that Patriots were "taping practices". Incredible.

From the period of Sunday to Goodell's decision on Thursday, the media ran with the story like it was the most important thing in the entire world.

There were so many false rumors and unproven speculation that included taping defensive players up with microphones, taping practices, and somehow jamming signals in the opposing coaches headsets. Of course NONE of them were true...but it made for "must see TV" on all of the talking head shows that week.

It really makes the story on Friday night before the SB that much worse, considering that it happened 5 months later.

 

[ATippett56]

NFLN "expert" consensus -- the Patriots will (their favorite phrase) "take a step back" this season while Houston and Denver are darlings for the conference title and Miami will seriously challenge for the division. So say Darren Sharper, Deion "Screaming Clown" Sanders and one or two others I've heard lately.

To me, this is more wishful thinking than anything based in reality. Screw those azzholes.

I'll make that call for a wahmbulance.

 

[Archeryaddict12]

In all honesty I can't say that I blame them, Brady has never been a QB who could perform at a high level unless he was surrounded by the best talent and I expect this to be another one of his really down years. I'm getting a little tired of it to be sure as we can't continue to rely on the defense year after year. Brady makes the big bucks it is about time he was able to have a big season without having to surround him with the top free agents and highest skill position draft picks.

Idk if this is suppose to be a serious post or one with sarcastic remarks.......

 

[SVN]

The only time I've heard Sharper rail about spy gate is in a bit when they were comparing bountygate with spygate. Sharper won a ring with the 09 Saints so obviously we know what side he'd be on in this debate.

Shannon Sharpe always chirps about spygate - although he admitted on twitter he just does it to tweak Pats fans....

Speaking of spygate it is amazing to me that people still actually believe the lie that Patriots were "taping practices". Incredible.

And that all the tapes were destroyed . No one remembers the tapes shown to the media containing the SD cheerleaders.

 

[QB12]

In all honesty I can't say that I blame them, Brady has never been a QB who could perform at a high level unless he was surrounded by the best talent and I expect this to be another one of his really down years. I'm getting a little tired of it to be sure as we can't continue to rely on the defense year after year. Brady makes the big bucks it is about time he was able to have a big season without having to surround him with the top free agents and highest skill position draft picks.

Lay off the sauce, will you?

 

[supafly]

And that all the tapes were destroyed . No one remembers the tapes shown to the media containing the SD cheerleaders.

Not to harp on the subject too much, but it always cracks me up to hear the conspiracy theorists complain about the tapes being destroyed, instead of just assuming that they were destroyed to finally remove any doubt of an advantage and keep any tendencies and/or specific ways they were done away from anyone else.

 

[Huckleberry1]

Lay off the sauce, will you?

"You can't handle the truth...."

 

[Deus Irae]

Anyone who thinks there's not a very reasonable argument to be made for this team taking "a step back" needs to enter a drug/alcohol treatment center immediately, because they're obviously on something.

Their biggest advantage continues to be the fact that they are in the AFCE, with the LOLphins, Jests and Jills. That should be at least 5 wins right there, taking a lot of pressure off with regards to the other 10 games.

 

[Tunescribe]

I'm not sure how you could expect anything else from the media ... These guys rarely get it right, so why care what they say?

I'm just venting; tired of the thinly veiled Pats hate when all I want is a bit of agenda-free objective insight. These days it's more exception than rule when you get "professional analysis" (i.e., from someone who is paid) that is both objective and insightful. A BIG mistake at NFLN and elsewhere is hiring ex-players as analysts and assuming they're qualified for the job because of time logged onfield. These guys aren't trained journalists.

Anyone who thinks there's not a very reasonable argument to be made for this team taking "a step back" needs to enter a drug/alcohol treatment center immediately, because they're obviously on something.

Their biggest advantage continues to be the fact that they are in the AFCE, with the LOLphins, Jests and Jills. That should be at least 5 wins right there, taking a lot of pressure off with regards to the other 10 games.

There's a big difference between "very reasonable argument" and "declaration." Regardless, there is no direct evidence supporting "reasonable argument" as we haven't even played a game yet with the new personnel. So until we have more information, the "reasonable argument" holds little weight.

I'll make that call for a wahmbulance.

Shut up, you.

 

[belichick010405]

Who cares? Last year at this time, people thought the 49ers would take a step back. Houston was the favorite to win the Super Bowl at this time last year. People thought San Diego was a contender at this time last year. Preseason predictions are like butts. Everyone has one and they usually stink.

I can see why the national media would think the Pats would take a step back. I don't know if I would agree with them, but I can see why.

Rob - I'll say this about individuals who think that the Pats are going to take a "step back".

When the Niners, Seahawks and Colts take a "step back" because their quarterback play is not on the same level as it was last year and Brady continues to play as one of the better quarterbacks in the league, they will be talking about the teams that actually took a step back while the Patriots are competing for the top seed again.

And they will be saying the same thing when the Broncos still have the same issues on defense as they did last year.

 

[Deus Irae]

There's a big difference between "very reasonable argument" and "declaration." Regardless, there is no direct evidence supporting "reasonable argument" as we haven't even played a game yet with the new personnel. So until we have more information, the "reasonable argument" holds little weight.

That's an incorrect argument, since there's quite a bit of your "direct evidence", starting with the WR and TE situations.

I don't get why you had to try drumming up false controversy when there's plenty of real controversy to go around already. Whether the team actually takes a step back or not, the notion that they would/could, given the circumstances, is neither unexpected nor unwarranted.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

I say 10-6 as I see 1 loss at home and it will come against New Orleans,still not sure the secondary can handle Brees and co...so it's 7-1 at home

I think the team has a 3-5 record on the road with losses to Atlanta,Cincinnati,Houston,Baltimore and Miami....that is some tough road games (all 5 of those teams have definite playoff hopes) and with a young team and a vastly different offense I could see some problems with noisy opposing fans.....thus 10-6 is my guess and a slight drop off of last season.

 

[supafly]

I say 10-6 as I see 1 loss at home and it will come against New Orleans,still not sure the secondary can handle Brees and co...so it's 7-1 at home

I think the team has a 3-5 record on the road with losses to Atlanta,Cincinnati,Houston,Baltimore and Miami....that is some tough road games (all 5 of those teams have definite playoff hopes) and with a young team and a vastly different offense I could see some problems with noisy opposing fans.....thus 10-6 is my guess and a slight drop off of last season.

I get exactly what you're saying, but in all reality only winning 3 out of 8 road games would probably equal a pretty big step backwards.

We'd be back to the 2009 season all over again with that kind of road failure. Actually it would top it.