Skip Bayless says Patriots are best team in the AFC

Froob said:

He left out Tebow?

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Every time I see his name I wonder what he could do here. He's a hell of a football player and could probably fit somewhere, somehow.

JMarr said:

We see this every year--when all is said and done, you look back and it turns out the Texans were vastly overrated. Maybe this is the year the buck the trend and show that they aren't perennial chokers, but I have a hard time seeing Schaub ever leading them to the promised land, regardless of how good their defense is. I also think that, much like teams like the Giants have found ways to stop BB's offenses when it counts the most, the same holds true with Wade Phillips' defenses--the right team can break them down. It should be a pick 'em type game by the time we play them, but I say we beat them like a drum in the December cold.

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I used to feel the same way about the Texans concerning the hype. That changed last year. They lost all of their QBs and still made a decent run at a SB. I wouldn't sell Schaub short either. He's no Tommy LomBrady but he's not too bad. The Texans look all-around strong this year and will be very tough to overtake as the best team in the AFC.

There is no way you can say we are better than Houston right now, with how our defense has looked since the 2nd half of the Baltimore game.

Do we have a chance to be the best? Absolutely, if the secondary improves by season's end. But right now Houston has earned the right to be recognized as #1. Let's face it, if we were 6-1, undefeated within the conference, and pretty solid in all facets of the game (better than solid in run game and defense, the 2 most important traits of a championship team) and somebody annointed a 4-3 team with obvious issues on defense over us, we'd be pretty irate.

I like when Skip talks about the Pats.......... Of course, I like when my wife says I'm handsome too

nekromantique said:

while true, the point is that the patriots arent the best in the AFC RIGHT NOW.

i do find it funny that mangini seems to be one of the few others that isnt biased against NE (on that show at least)... i remember at one point him stating that he really regretted ever saying anything about the patriots videotaping because it went in a completely different direction than he thought it would. hes also otherwise the most neutral person ive ever listened to (which makes him probably the best analyst they have).

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If pats fans set aside their hate for him, you can learn alot about the game from listening to him on ESPN.

Also, I think he stays neutral because he wants another coaching job.

JMarr said:

We see this every year--when all is said and done, you look back and it turns out the Texans were vastly overrated. Maybe this is the year the buck the trend and show that they aren't perennial chokers, but I have a hard time seeing Schaub ever leading them to the promised land, regardless of how good their defense is. I also think that, much like teams like the Giants have found ways to stop BB's offenses when it counts the most, the same holds true with Wade Phillips' defenses--the right team can break them down. It should be a pick 'em type game by the time we play them, but I say we beat them like a drum in the December cold.

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When were the Texans proven to be overrated? Last year with their 3rd string QB they went right down to the wire with the Ravens on Baltimore's field, right before the Ravens took us the distance on our field. They proved that they were right up there with the best in the AFC, with their 3rd string QB and a host of other key injuries. Also it took some major screwups by Jacoby Jones or else they'd have won that game. So far this season they've picked up right where they left off, 6-1.

Before that, they never were a factor or hyped up to be a contender so I'm a bit confused at the 'every year' comment.

The talent is there to be #1. The execution is not. The Texans are playing in mid-season form. The Pats are not. If the Pats improve throughout the season they will surpass the Texans.

After the Texans, the rest of the upper echelon AFC teams are a bunch of frauds propped up only by their past accomplishments. The AFC as a whole is 9-19 vs. the NFC this year

Here's what needs to happen in order for the Patriots to hit their stride and even threaten the Texans right now...

1. O-Line needs to return to health. A return to health means a return to a capable starting unit which means a return to normalcy for the guys protecting Brady on a weekly basis.

2. Passing game needs to keep doing what it's been doing since Edelman went out with injury, which is more Welker. Also, Hernandez and Gronk need to fully heal from the dings that they've suffered this year.

3. Front seven needs to become the dominant force that it's capable of being. If Ninkovich keeps improving and Wilfork and Love can keep bottling the run, Cunningham can keep providing the interior pass rush (return of Pryor would be nice as well), and Hightower develops as quickly as possible, this will happen. At that point, we can use the front seven to somewhat mask the defensive backfield.

4. Find the least ****ty combination of safeties and CB's. Pretty much speaks for itself.

I don't see how anyone can say they have been the best team in the AFC to this point but they do have the potential to be the best team in the conference by the end of the season.

Bayless is just saying this because Stephen A. is not.

If Stephen A. said Obama is Black, Bayless would say Obama is White.

If Stephen A. said Belichick is not a cheater, Bayless would say he is.

If Stephen A. said Mangini is a rat snitch ingrate, Bayless would say, okay, he is Fredo and we all know it.

The 4-3 Patriots are what their record says they are - one game over .500 and one week away from creating separation in the division or falling over the Cliffs of Mediocrity.

PATRIOTSFANINPA said:

Houston is best in the AFC and right now I don't think it's close

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This.


Unless they're decimated by injuries, Houston should be clear favorites to win the AFC.

There's no way Matt Schaub is going to beat Tom Brady, whether they play in Reliant Stadium, Gillette Stadium, or a neutral field in Wichita, KS. Not gonna happen. Book it.

QB12 said:

There's no way Matt Schaub is going to beat Tom Brady, whether they play in Reliant Stadium, Gillette Stadium, or a neutral field in Wichita, KS. Not gonna happen. Book it.

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except we're talking about the houston texans playing the new england patriots, not some QB-only cage match


houston is the clear best right now


long ways to go, lots of season to play out, lots of getting healthy to go, lots of injuries left to happen

the patriots are one of the teams that should be there at the end.....after houston, you've got probably NE, B'More and maybe Denver.....then a whole lot of slop

and all of those teams, Houston included, have holes....Houston is just doing the best job of execution and covering their holes right now......i still believe the Pats will get there come December and January

The Ravens are worse than Blank?

QB12 said:

There's no way Matt Schaub is going to beat Tom Brady, whether they play in Reliant Stadium, Gillette Stadium, or a neutral field in Wichita, KS. Not gonna happen. Book it.

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Yeah,Only budding superstar QBs like Russell Wilson and Kevin Kolb are talented enough to outdo or outperform Brady

QB12 said:

There's no way Matt Schaub is going to beat Tom Brady, whether they play in Reliant Stadium, Gillette Stadium, or a neutral field in Wichita, KS. Not gonna happen. Book it.

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OK, I bet nobody thought this about Eli Manning in 2007.
Or Joe Flacco in 2009.
Or Mark Sanchez in 2010.
Or Jake Plummer in 2005 and all the times he beat Tom in the regular season.
etc, etc.

Houston is built just like the teams that have traditionally given us trouble in the playoffs. Strong front 7, strong defense overall, mediocre to above average passing game but not necessarily a stud QB. Since 2004, this team has given us zero reason to feel as confident as you are in your statement against a team like Houston.

The best team is the team with the best record.

This isn't rocket surgery Bayless.

QB12 said:

There's no way Matt Schaub is going to beat Tom Brady, whether they play in Reliant Stadium, Gillette Stadium, or a neutral field in Wichita, KS. Not gonna happen. Book it.

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They wouldn't be going one on one. This isn't tennis. It would be the Texans TEAM vs. the Patriots TEAM. I would give the Patriots a slight edge on offense and the Texans a healthy edge on defense. As of right now, I would say that the Texans would win pretty handily in a contest between the two teams. If the Patriots front seven realizes it's ability and the offense begins to hit their stride through all four quarters, the game would be MUCH closer.

Jackson 2 said:

Good God Almighty, what a kiss of death. I wish he'd said we are the worst.

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Voooooodoo Chile comin' to GIT YA!