After today... This looks like a 9-7 team as of today..

[goz421]

I think way to many of you are non athletes who have never had an acl surgery. it takes two years to fully recover, trust me. Look at how McNabb was in his second year after the ACL. I believe Palmer as well. Not to mention Brady had a host of other issues the end of last season. He is still the best. # superbowls, 4 appearances. yet he is still underrated.

How does that happen?

Manning 1, Rothleisberger 2, who els can you compare?

Did anyone notice the shameless self promotion of Drew Brees. he is in for a rude awakening when everyone will be gunning for him.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Cunningham will be a project, and is questionable right now and hope he can generate a pass rush... We can have all the guys we want in the secondary, but no pass rush we will still see alot of frustration on third downs..

You are under-valuing Cunningham's out-of-the-gate contribution. The kid will be on the edge in 4-3 sets and will bring 2x the speed of TBC and Burgess. Providing he can get 1/2 the playbook down, at a minimum he'll be in on 20 snaps a game.

Now, he is a project in terms of reading offenses, the passing game and playing the run in this type of D (aka hands off the ground). But like any rookie you just don't know what you will REALLY get, but he will be an upgrade over AD and DB for sure.

 

[PatriotsInGA]

No predictions can really be made until after Week 1. You never know...Flacco,Manning, Sanchise, and Rivers could all go down with injuries

 

[Triumph]

Yep. I want them to go 9-7 and in the process have their last two opponents tank the games so they back into the playoffs. Once there, they win twice on the road and win the AFCCG in Indy.

In the SB, Groskowski catches a TD w/ :28 seconds left to put the Pats up 17-14.

Thats good for me because I'll be at that game. Im about 6 hours away and have been to almost all NE @ Indy games the last few years.

 

[Triumph]

No predictions can really be made until after Week 1. You never know...Flacco,Manning, Sanchise, and Rivers could all go down with injuries

Hopefully not the great Sanchise.

Bodden and Mcourty need Ints.

 

[Sivy]

Re: After today... Still a 9-7 team..

We were a fumble or a great comback by Brady in week 1 from being a 9-7 team this past year...

and also a bad call on 4th and 2, and a welker injury from 12-4...bla bla bla.

 

[eom]

I think way to many of you are non athletes who have never had an acl surgery.

I'm actually pretty happy with the number of us who haven't had acl surgery.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

On the 2009 retrospective debate: those who say the Pats "could" have been 12--4 have a point and those who say they "could" have been 8--8 have a point, which is probably why they ended up 10--6.

As for this season, Belichick is fond of saying that he doesn't feel he really knows what he has in a team until around Game Six. Given that we are still in the middle of a rebuilding that BB started last season, I think that's gotta be true in spades this year.

Personally, I think they are already a collection of better players, for many of the reasons pointed out in this thread...everything ranging from Brady having a full season under his belt post surgery to the presence of the new guys. Will they be a better "team" and ready to compete with Baltimore and Indy and others for the SB? I'm going to wait and see how things evolve through training camp before I know what I think.

 

[Wolfpack]

Re: After today... Still a 9-7 team..

We were a fumble or a great comback by Brady in week 1 from being a 9-7 team this past year...

Weak logic. They were 2 plays away from being 8-8 and they were 2 plays away from being 12-4. That final Houston game they threw away but certainly would have won if it meant anything. It may not be true mathematically, but realistically this team was closer to 13-3 than they were to 8-8 or even 9-7.

 

[RhodyPatriot]

Schedule is brutal so a 10 win season may be in the cards.
Personally I think the Patriots are going to be a better team this coming year.
Our Hall of Fame QB comes into the 2010 season knowing his knee will stand up. That was a psych hurdle Tom had to get over last year. He also won't have babies being born in his bathtub during next season. And given how last season ended for Tom Brady and knowing his fierce competitve nature think we're going to see a very very focused Tom Brady in 2010. Don't care what his personal stats said last season. We all know that was not vintage Tom Brady last season.
Jerod Mayo got hurt early and was pretty much a non-factor all season long. Expect Mayo to return to his defensive rookie of the year stature this season. And I'm really excited about the Mayo/Spikes combo. Awesome black and blue potential.
Vince is signed, Vince is happy and Vince will LEAD that defense and that locker room.
Kids in the secondary (Butler, Meriweather, Chung) are a year more experienced.
Have TE's who will be quite active in the passing game.
My concerns remain with the Patriots inability to pressure the QB and the inability to run the football when needed.
However I do believe this Patriot team will be a better team on and off the field than last year.
Not buying the Jets hype. Signing every aged "name" player simply means more egos to juggle. They've also added some highly questionable character guys into the mix. Jets might be a playoff team this year. Might be. Just keep in mind when reading all the hype about the Jets is how they weren't even making the playoffs last season until teams they were playing literally laid down.
Miami is a nice team but they're not better than the Patriots and they're not making the playoffs.

 

[Ring 6]

Re: After today... Still a 9-7 team..

With the amount of needs that this team has to fill yes I would have wanted my first round pick to be a starter. Where else are you going to fill these holes? FA, all of the quality guys are gone and players that get released during training camp well they will be released for a reason. I just felt that through the first round of the draft was one of the better chances to improve our team for 2010, not for 2011 and beyond.

I didnt think our corner play was that bad last year. It could be said that our corners looked worse than they actually were because the lack of a pass rush and opposing QBs had all day to throw. That is why I would have ranked the OLB/DE need higher than the CB need. As yes I think Butler did prove to be 1st round quality last year, I cant say that about Wilhite and Wheatley though.

It could be said that our pass rush was made to look worse than it was because of our poor coverage.
If Butler played like a 1st rounder, why was he in and out of the lineup? With our weaknesses at the position he wasnt even a full time starter.
I like Butler, but if he is competing with Wilhite and Wheatley as the 2, 3 and 4 corners, we won't cover anyone very well.
Regrdless, if Butler came in and started sometimes, yet with little competition couldnt fully win the job, how does that block a first round corner from playing a lot?
You just seem to be creating a scenario to back up your postion.
If MCcourty can't start (and again a nickel corner is as good as a starter) who would you have drafted that would?

 

[The Dynasty]

Re: After today... Still a 9-7 team..

It could be said that our pass rush was made to look worse than it was because of our poor coverage.
If Butler played like a 1st rounder, why was he in and out of the lineup? With our weaknesses at the position he wasnt even a full time starter.
I like Butler, but if he is competing with Wilhite and Wheatley as the 2, 3 and 4 corners, we won't cover anyone very well.
Regrdless, if Butler came in and started sometimes, yet with little competition couldnt fully win the job, how does that block a first round corner from playing a lot?
You just seem to be creating a scenario to back up your postion.
If MCcourty can't start (and again a nickel corner is as good as a starter) who would you have drafted that would?

It wasnt until the middle to end of the season as to when Butler started to come around. It took him sometime to adjust to the NFL, which there is nothing wrong with. Right now I think he is better than both Wilhite and Wheatley, and better than McCourty.

I would have drafted either Odrick or Hughes. Also, I might have even given Bryant a shot, it rarely happens in a draft that you can get a top 5 talent at pick #27 and add a third and a fouth rounder.

 

[Ring 6]

Re: After today... Still a 9-7 team..

It wasnt until the middle to end of the season as to when Butler started to come around. It took him sometime to adjust to the NFL, which there is nothing wrong with. Right now I think he is better than both Wilhite and Wheatley, and better than McCourty.

I would have drafted either Odrick or Hughes. Also, I might have even given Bryant a shot, it rarely happens in a draft that you can get a top 5 talent at pick #27 and add a third and a fouth rounder.

None of those guys are any more likely to start, especially if you don't keep closing your eyes to the fact that 3 corners have 'starter impact'.
Odrick, IMO, will not be ready to start as a rookie, Hughes doesnt really fit our system well, and do we really need to recount the history of rookie WRs drafted at the end of round 1? If you think Bryant is top 5 talent, then you need to ask yourself why 19 times teams found reasons to say the risk outwieghs the talent. Plus you want a year 1 starter yet seem to ignore that Bryant hasnt played football in a year and a half?

 

[The Dynasty]

Re: After today... Still a 9-7 team..

None of those guys are any more likely to start, especially if you don't keep closing your eyes to the fact that 3 corners have 'starter impact'.
Odrick, IMO, will not be ready to start as a rookie, Hughes doesnt really fit our system well, and do we really need to recount the history of rookie WRs drafted at the end of round 1? If you think Bryant is top 5 talent, then you need to ask yourself why 19 times teams found reasons to say the risk outwieghs the talent. Plus you want a year 1 starter yet seem to ignore that Bryant hasnt played football in a year and a half?

How can you say that any of those guys that I named are any less likely to start on the Pats than McCourty? Odrick will be ready to start as a rookie, thats why the Dolphins drafted him. What makes you say Hughes doesnt fit our system well?, guys can adjust. These guys have never played in the NFL this would be the time for them to adjust their styles. Bryant was definitely a top 5 talent, you can deny that. Teams passed on him because they didnt want to pick a guy with that much baggage, thats probably why the Pats passed on him as well. I dont really have an issue with that though I would still had been satisfied with Odrick or Hughes. Bryant did play in 3 games last season, so it wouldnt be a year and a half, a non issue IMO.

 

[Ring 6]

Re: After today... Still a 9-7 team..

It wasnt until the middle to end of the season as to when Butler started to come around. It took him sometime to adjust to the NFL, which there is nothing wrong with. Right now I think he is better than both Wilhite and Wheatley, and better than McCourty.

I would have drafted either Odrick or Hughes. Also, I might have even given Bryant a shot, it rarely happens in a draft that you can get a top 5 talent at pick #27 and add a third and a fouth rounder.

Dude, Butler started FIVE games. It is wrong to say he took over the job in the middle of the season.
He started weeks 6,9,12,13 and 17

He was 'benched' from 14-16 after his only back to back starts.
Wilhite started 8 games including 10,11,12 and 17.

Wilhite played 580 snaps, Butler 525, and Springs who is 36 played 525 too.

So our corners last year were
1 Bodden
2 Wilhite
3/4 Butler/Springs
5 Wheatley

You dont think a first round caliber player can crack that lineup?

Don't go all revisionist history and act like we alreaqdy have a #2 corner because the guy you think is # 2 played tied for the 3rd and 4th most snaps, started only 5 times, including only 1 of the final 4 games. That isn't the definition of someone who started slow, learned and progressed and now is locking down the job.

By the way Springs started each of the last 4 regular season games and the playoff game, so it may be the 35 year old corner that we drafted a player to take a starting job from.

 

[Bostonian1962]

Schedule is brutal so a 10 win season may be in the cards.
Personally I think the Patriots are going to be a better team this coming year.
Our Hall of Fame QB comes into the 2010 season knowing his knee will stand up. That was a psych hurdle Tom had to get over last year. He also won't have babies being born in his bathtub during next season. And given how last season ended for Tom Brady and knowing his fierce competitve nature think we're going to see a very very focused Tom Brady in 2010. Don't care what his personal stats said last season. We all know that was not vintage Tom Brady last season.
Jerod Mayo got hurt early and was pretty much a non-factor all season long. Expect Mayo to return to his defensive rookie of the year stature this season. And I'm really excited about the Mayo/Spikes combo. Awesome black and blue potential.
Vince is signed, Vince is happy and Vince will LEAD that defense and that locker room.
Kids in the secondary (Butler, Meriweather, Chung) are a year more experienced.
Have TE's who will be quite active in the passing game.
My concerns remain with the Patriots inability to pressure the QB and the inability to run the football when needed.
However I do believe this Patriot team will be a better team on and off the field than last year.
Not buying the Jets hype. Signing every aged "name" player simply means more egos to juggle. They've also added some highly questionable character guys into the mix. Jets might be a playoff team this year. Might be. Just keep in mind when reading all the hype about the Jets is how they weren't even making the playoffs last season until teams they were playing literally laid down.
Miami is a nice team but they're not better than the Patriots and they're not making the playoffs.

This is one of the most level headed, and reasoned responses I've seen. Before we crown the Jets as Champions, lets see how that locker room does with The Human Mouth Bart Scott, "Roid Boy Calvin Pace, Head Case Braylon Edwards, Toke Holmes, LaCrymian Tomlinson, and The Human Child Support Lawsuit Cromaritie. I say it only half jokingly, because they have just merged a bunch of iffy characters together, and this is an implosion waiting to happen. Especially since their head coach is not exactly Mr. Normal.

 

[Ring 6]

Re: After today... Still a 9-7 team..

How can you say that any of those guys that I named are any less likely to start on the Pats than McCourty? Odrick will be ready to start as a rookie, thats why the Dolphins drafted him. What makes you say Hughes doesnt fit our system well?, guys can adjust. These guys have never played in the NFL this would be the time for them to adjust their styles. Bryant was definitely a top 5 talent, you can deny that. Teams passed on him because they didnt want to pick a guy with that much baggage, thats probably why the Pats passed on him as well. I dont really have an issue with that though I would still had been satisfied with Odrick or Hughes. Bryant did play in 3 games last season, so it wouldnt be a year and a half, a non issue IMO.

Good logic. Odrick is ready to start because the Dolphins drafted him. Therefore MCcourty is ready to start because the Patriots drafted him. That should end the argument
You want to get a guaranteed starter so you will draft a guy because 'guys can adjust'.
You are just reaching to support your feeling.

We have Mike Wright, Damione Lewis, Gerard Warren and Myron Pryor at DE.
You think Odrick has a better chance to beat out ALL of those than McCourty does of ending up in the top 2 of Springs, Butler, Wilhite, Wheatley?
I dont think there is a lot of hope that a college DE---and one who is better suited to 43 DE than 34 OLB--is going to 'adapt' and start as a rookie in a BB defense, that has always been considered the longest shot of all. Cunningham has as good a chance as any.

 

[The Dynasty]

Re: After today... Still a 9-7 team..

Dude, Butler started FIVE games. It is wrong to say he took over the job in the middle of the season.
He started weeks 6,9,12,13 and 17

He was 'benched' from 14-16 after his only back to back starts.
Wilhite started 8 games including 10,11,12 and 17.

Wilhite played 580 snaps, Butler 525, and Springs who is 36 played 525 too.

So our corners last year were
1 Bodden
2 Wilhite
3/4 Butler/Springs
5 Wheatley

You dont think a first round caliber player can crack that lineup?

Don't go all revisionist history and act like we alreaqdy have a #2 corner because the guy you think is # 2 played tied for the 3rd and 4th most snaps, started only 5 times, including only 1 of the final 4 games. That isn't the definition of someone who started slow, learned and progressed and now is locking down the job.

By the way Springs started each of the last 4 regular season games and the playoff game, so it may be the 35 year old corner that we drafted a player to take a starting job from.

I really dont think McCourty can be any higher than our #3 corner, probably #4. He has talent, but he also has some flaws. These flaws will be worked on this season and he will most likely be ready to start in 2011 or 2012. There isnt anything wrong with that. I think he has a tremendous upside and could potentially be a very good corner in the league.

It can be argued that Butler didnt start down the stretch because BB wanted a veteran starting in those games, and also look at the opponents weeks 14, 15 and 16. Panthers, Bills, Jaguars. They arent very pass dominant. Against the Texans a very pass dominant team Butler did start.

 

[Patspsycho]

This is one of the most level headed, and reasoned responses I've seen. Before we crown the Jets as Champions, lets see how that locker room does with The Human Mouth Bart Scott, "Roid Boy Calvin Pace, Head Case Braylon Edwards, Toke Holmes, LaCrymian Tomlinson, and The Human Child Support Lawsuit Cromaritie. I say it only half jokingly, because they have just merged a bunch of iffy characters together, and this is an implosion waiting to happen. Especially since their head coach is not exactly Mr. Normal.

I do not perceive the Jets as an actual threat this season. They have put all the pressure on themselves by making all those short-term/instant results move, on top of which they did not take character or team traits into consideration while assembling this team, which for me, makes it all the more of a pressure-cooker waiting to explode.

 

[The Dynasty]

Re: After today... Still a 9-7 team..

Good logic. Odrick is ready to start because the Dolphins drafted him. Therefore MCcourty is ready to start because the Patriots drafted him. That should end the argument
You want to get a guaranteed starter so you will draft a guy because 'guys can adjust'.
You are just reaching to support your feeling.

We have Mike Wright, Damione Lewis, Gerard Warren and Myron Pryor at DE.
You think Odrick has a better chance to beat out ALL of those than McCourty does of ending up in the top 2 of Springs, Butler, Wilhite, Wheatley?
I dont think there is a lot of hope that a college DE---and one who is better suited to 43 DE than 34 OLB--is going to 'adapt' and start as a rookie in a BB defense, that has always been considered the longest shot of all. Cunningham has as good a chance as any.

Odrick is ready to start because the Dolphins need him to start on their DL. Thats why if the Pats drafted Hughes, we would step in and most likely start at OLB. Thats what I meant when I wanted the 1st round pick to be a starter. Where are the Pats going to get a starter at OLB? Cunningham isnt ready. Where are they going to get a starter at DE? You are really telling me that Odrick wouldnt beat out Wright, Lewis, Warren and Pryor. Come on, those guys arent starters they are quality back ups. Springs, Wilhite, Butler and Wheatley are a lot stronger than the guys you named at DE.