12 wins, book it.

[XLIX]

Never said he sucked. Quite the opposite I gave him the highest compliment I can think of, he was a football player. Not some high strung diva WR that thinks the sun shines out his butt. I have a signed picture of Bingo that is my most prized possession. The man did it all punt returner, DB, WR at a high level but to talk like he was dominant and a game changer is revisionist history garbage.

Except I never said he was “dominant and a game changer.” I said that in 2001, the year the Patriots won the Super Bowl, he was a legit #1 receiving option.

The stats 100% bear me out. In fact the stats are so overwhelmingly on my side that I question the intelligence of anyone who disputes it.

 

[XLIX]

Just look at 2001.

If you have to go back 21 years to make your point, then you have a very weak point. The game has changed radically since then.

In 2001, 2 guys threw for 4,000 yards. In 2020 (I use 2020 since it is the last 16 game season) 12 guys did.

 

[mgteich]

There are new pieces at WR, but really I think it's a less than ironclad blueprint to be ultra-concerned about a "true number 1" receiver if you can rely on a QB leading the team to success.

We had an offense good enough to win 10 games, with an OK defense, and an relatively weak ST's.

Yes, there are new pieces at WR
Parker will replace Harry
Thornton will replace Gunner
Our top 3 are back.

As a side note, White will replace Bolden as a RB.
Strong will replace Taylor.
Our top 2 are back.

 

[mgteich]

Miami split
Buffelo get swept
Jets Sweep

They were swept by Miami last year and split with Buffalo. Both are improved as are the Jets.

Steelers and Ravens split. It could be the other way around who knows but I can't see them winning both. Honestly they could be 0-4. That's a brutal first quarter of the season.

Packers and Lions split.

Cleveland and Chicago split. Maybe you can make an case they sweep these two but with Watson I expect the Browns will have a bounce back year.

Indy and Minn split. Has the defense done anything to make you think Taylor won't run all over them again? Ryan > Wentz.

Cards, Raiders and Bengals. By this time in the season who knows where all the teams will be at with injuries. I'll give them the Cards as they seem to implode down the stretch. They'll be a dog against both the Bengrals and Raiders.

8-9 but I could see them scheming it up to go as good as 10-7 again. I hope you're right and they are 12-5. I'd be psyched to be wrong. I'm setting my expectations that this is year two of the rebuild with MJ10. I expect the offense will be more dynamic. I also think the defense still has a lot of holes. Losing Jackson hurts. We'll see.

Sun, Sep 11	@	Miami0-0	1:00 PM EDT CBS	Loss
Sun, Sep 18	@	Pittsburgh0-0	1:00 PM EDT CBS	Win
Sun, Sep 25	vs	Baltimore0-0	1:00 PM EDT FOX	Loss
Sun, Oct 2	@	Green Bay0-0	4:25 PM EDT CBS	Loss
Sun, Oct 9	vs	Detroit0-0	1:00 PM EDT FOX	Win
Sun, Oct 16	@	Cleveland0-0	1:00 PM EDT CBS	Loss
Mon, Oct 24	vs	Chicago0-0	8:15 PM EDT ESPN	Win
Sun, Oct 30	@	NY Jets0-0	1:00 PM EDT CBS	Win
Sun, Nov 6	vs	Indianapolis0-0	1:00 PM EST CBS	Loss
		Bye Week
Sun, Nov 20	vs	NY Jets0-0	1:00 PM EST CBS	Win
Thu, Nov 24	@	Minnesota0-0	8:20 PM EST NBC	Win
Thu, Dec 1	vs	Buffalo0-0	8:15 PM EST	Loss
Mon, Dec 12	@	Arizona0-0	8:15 PM EST ESPN	Win
Sun, Dec 18	@	Las Vegas0-0	8:20 PM EST NBC	Loss
Sat, Dec 24	vs	Cincinnati0-0	1:00 PM EST CBS	Loss
Sun, Jan 1	vs	Miami0-0	1:00 PM EST CBS	Win
Sun, Jan 8	@	Buffalo0-0	Time: TBD	Loss

Why will we lose to BUF in Game 17? The game is unlikely to have any meaning for them.

It is very pessimistic to think that we will be 0-3 against CLE, BAL and IND.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

So many so-called Patriots fans on here just want to criticize Bill.

Plenty of fools would have drafted Jamarr Chase over MAC!!! Lol. Chase LOST in the Super Bowl.

Try this on for size: in 1986, the Giants beat the Niners 49-3. Jerry who? Try the no name band of WRs the Giants used to hammer the superstar show boaters. Who was the Giants defensive coordinator? Exactly. I think Bill knows a little something you don’t.

 

[archstanton543]

So many so-called Patriots fans on here just want to criticize Bill.

Plenty of fools would have drafted Jamarr Chase over MAC!!! Lol. Chase LOST in the Super Bowl.

Try this on for size: in 1986, the Giants beat the Niners 49-3. Jerry who? Try the no name band of WRs the Giants used to hammer the superstar show boaters. Who was the Giants defensive coordinator? Exactly. I think Bill knows a little something you don’t.

You can be a Patriots fan and criticize Bill. He's had some bad drafts over the last couple of years and he mishandled the Brady situation.

Mac has never been to the Super Bowl let alone lost one.

That was also when you were allowed to play defense in the NFL. Different game these days.

 

[sb1]

Why will we lose to BUF in Game 17? The game is unlikely to have any meaning for them.

Yeah I don't mind seeing the Bills in week 18. Could be a freebee for us but assuming they've clinched their spot I can also see them go 2007 Giants on us to try and keep us out if we need that game for a playoff spot. If we're out of contention then different story.

 

[sb1]

So many so-called Patriots fans on here just want to criticize Bill.

Plenty of fools would have drafted Jamarr Chase over MAC!!! Lol. Chase LOST in the Super Bowl.

Try this on for size: in 1986, the Giants beat the Niners 49-3. Jerry who? Try the no name band of WRs the Giants used to hammer the superstar show boaters. Who was the Giants defensive coordinator? Exactly. I think Bill knows a little something you don’t.

Cam would be throwing to Chase. Woof.

 

[Pats2000]

Yeah I don't mind seeing the Bills in week 18. Could be a freebee for us but assuming they've clinched their spot I can also see them go 2007 Giants on us to try and keep us out if we need that game for a playoff spot. If we're out of contention then different story.

personally I think that game will have playoff implications and even potentially divisional implications.

 

[State]

Isn’t the saying supposed to end with “Dan-O”?

 

[everlong]

Why will we lose to BUF in Game 17? The game is unlikely to have any meaning for them.

It is very pessimistic to think that we will be 0-3 against CLE, BAL and IND.

If the Buffalo game does mean nothing to them then sure we could win that game. They could however be playing for home field and a bye. Who knows.

I didn't have them losing to those three per say. I have them splitting a series of games which in my mind are coin flips. Thus split with Miami, win and lose one of AZ and Indy, Pitt and Balt, Minn and Vegas.......They could easily win all three games you've chosen to call out and lose other games. So swap out losses to Clev, Balt and Indy with Pitt, AZ and Minnesota.

 

[neuronet]

18-0 (oh wait is it 19-0 now? How many damn games are they playing?)

Whatever, undefeated. You saw it here first.

 

[Pats1971]

We had an offense good enough to win 10 games, with an OK defense, and an relatively weak ST's.

Yes, there are new pieces at WR
Parker will replace Harry
Thornton will replace Gunner
Our top 3 are back.

As a side note, White will replace Bolden as a RB.
Strong will replace Taylor.
Our top 2 are back.

Well technically the defense was ranked #2 in points allowed and 4th in yards allowed which would be ranked as the 3rd best defense the pats ever had....so when you say they had an ok defense, that seems a bit off. As far as offense...6th in points scored and 15th in yards, so that seemed a bit more ok, so looking at that, it seemed the top 3 defense probably lead to a few of those 10 wins.

 

[TommyD4207]

You can be a Patriots fan and criticize Bill. He's had some bad drafts over the last couple of years and he mishandled the Brady situation.

Mac has never been to the Super Bowl let alone lost one.

That was also when you were allowed to play defense in the NFL. Different game these days.

Did he?

 

[Kasmir]

Well technically the defense was ranked #2 in points allowed and 4th in yards allowed which would be ranked as the 3rd best defense the pats ever had....so when you say they had an ok defense, that seems a bit off. As far as offense...6th in points scored and 15th in yards, so that seemed a bit more ok, so looking at that, it seemed the top 3 defense probably lead to a few of those 10 wins.

By DVOA, the 2021 team was 4th overall, 9th on offense, 4th on defense and 18th on special teams.

But the variance was 30th overall, i.e. the team was very unpredictable. They ran into the 2nd overall DVOA team, Buffalo, which was itself the highest variance team in the league. On any given Sunday (or Saturday) pertains...

People only remember the ending, and forget that the Pats were the #1 DVOA team entering December, as well as being the #1 seed in the AFC at that time and actually super bowl favorites by Football Outsiders forecast.

They were a good team last year despite the catastrophic ending.

 

[archstanton543]

Did he?

He did.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

“Not having an elite wide receiver isn’t everything. It’s the only thing.”

-Vince Lombardi

 

[TinhWoodhead]

10-7 again but we win the sb this year

 

[SHOWTIME15]

He did.

How so? At most we're going to miss 3 years of a Tom Brady already well into his 40s...and with the lack of talent on this team over the past few years there is no way Brady would have brought us a super bowl. So what did we miss, exactly, besides the nostalgia of having Brady on this team?

 

[XLIX]

Did he?

Yes. Yes he did.