Aqua4Ever04 said:
The thing about you Pats fans is when we do when the division you'll still be looking for excuses and will be extremly bitter. I just can't wait till we do win the division. Welker83 is right and is saying what I am trying to tell all of you.
The Dolphins have gotten much better and the Patriots have just gotten worse. I think both significantly enough so that the 1 game difference from last year will change. We will be around 12-4 you guys will be around 10-6 or 11-5. That's my predicition. You guys are still good and will still make the playoffs, just not the division.
If we didn't have lousy Gus Frerotte last year we would have beaten you in week 10 taking the series and the division. Now we have that new quarterback who can win games. That's the reason I have for my comments. How is that not a good argument? You can't tell me Culpepper doesn't make our team at least 1 game better than Frerotte.
1 game difference, sure.
But to use it as your friggin' gospel? Give me a break.
Are you forgetting this fact?
QB – Tom Brady – 16 games active, 16 starts, sports hernia and shin injury
QB – Doug Flutie – 16 games active, 0 starts, no injury
QB – Matt Cassel – 16 games active, 0 starts, no injury
RB – Corey Dillon – 8 games active, 8 starts, 6 games missed to injury
RB – Kevin Faulk – 8 game active, 1 start, 8 games missed to injury
RB – Patrick Pass – 12 games active, 3 starts, 4 games missed to injury
RB – Heath Evans – Signed on November 2nd, 6 games active, 1 start, 3 games missed to injury
RB – Michael Cloud – Signed on November 5th, Released on November 29th, re-signed on December 2nd, released on December 13th, 6 games active, 0 starts, no injury
RB – Amos Zereoue – Signed on September 28th, Released on November 2nd, 3 games active, 0 starts, no injury
WR – Deion Branch – 16 games active, 16 starts, no injury
WR – David Givens – 13 games active, 13 starts, 3 games missed to injury
WR – Troy Brown – 13 games active, 2 starts, 3 games missed to injury
WR – Tim Dwight – 16 games active, 1 start, no injury
WR – Andre’ Davis – 9 games active, 0 starts, no injury
WR – Bethel Johnson – 11 games active, 0 starts, 4 games missed to injury
WR – Bam Childress – Signed on January 1st, 1 game active, 0 starts, no injury
WR – Michael McGrew – 0 games active, 0 starts, 16 games missed to injury
WR – Cedric James – 0 games active, 0 starts, 16 games missed to injury
TE – Daniel Graham – 9 games active, 9 starts, 7 games missed to injury
TE – Ben Watson – 14 games active, 9 starts, 1 game missed to injury
TE – Christian Fauria – 5 games active, 5 starts, no injury
OT – Matt Light – 2 games active, 2 starts, 14 games missed to injury
OT – Nick Kaczur – 14 games active, 12 starts, 2 games missed to injury
OT – Brandon Gorin – 12 games active, 8 starts, 4 games missed to injury
OT – Tom Ashworth – 14 games active, 10 starts, 2 games missed to injury
OG – Logan Mankins – 16 games active, 16 starts, no injury
OG – Steve Neal – 16 games active, 16 starts, no injury
OG – Gene Mruczkowski – Signed on September 28th, Released on October 10th, Signed on November 16th, 7 games active, 0 starts, no injury
OG – Billy Yates – Signed in November, 4 games active, 0 starts, no injury
OG – Ross Tucker – Signed on December 13th, 1 game active, 0 starts, no injury
OC – Dan Koppen – 9 games active, 9 starts, 6 games missed to injury
OC – Russ Hochstein – 16 games active, 7 starts, no injury
DE - Richard Seymour - 4 games missed to injury
NT - Vince Wilfork - no injury
DE - Ty Warren - no injury
OLB - Rosvelt Colvin - no injury
ILB - Tedy Bruschi - 6 games missed to the stroke recovery
ILB - Mike Vrabel - no injury
OLB - Willie McGinest - no injury
CB - Tyrone Poole - 15 games missed to injury
CB - Duane Starks - 9 games missed to injury
CB - Randall Gay - 11 games missed to injury
CB - Chad Scott - 13 games missed to injury
CB - Asante Samuel - 1 game missed to injury
CB - Ellis Hobbs - no injury
SS - Rodney Harrison - 14 games missed to injury
FS - Eugene Wilson - no injury
S - Guss Scott - 11 games missed to injury
S - James Sanders - 6 games missed to injury
S/CB - Artrell Hawkins (signed in mid-November) - 2 games missed to injury
And oh, did I forget to mention that all of those players in bold will be back outside of Givens, Ashworth, Starks, and Poole (the latter two are addition by subtraction, anyways).
The Pats didn't need to do very much this offseason. Simple nature (injury recovery) did a lot of the work for them.
Also, what's in common about the following players?:
Brady
Branch
Graham
Watson
Light
Mankins
Koppen
Neal
Kaczur
Seymour
Wilfork
Warren
Wilson
Samuel
Hobbs
Gay
They're YOUNG. They're HEALTHY. They're STRONGER. They're FASTER. But they're ALSO EXPERIENCED WINNERS.
Now, let's call some players to mind on this Dolphins defense, in terms of their AGE:
Kevin Carter - 33
Keith Traylor - 37
Vonnie Holliday - 31
Jason Taylor - 32
Donnie Spragan - 30 / Sedrick Hodge - 28
Zach Thomas - 33
Channing Crowder - 23
Let's roll on into the secondary while we're at it:
Will Allen - 28
Andre' Goodman - 28 / Renaldo Hill - 28 / Travis Daniels - 24
Tavares Tillman - 29
Deke Cooper - 29. (a/k/a starting SS in the Jaguars' secondary the Patriots tore apart in January.)
And, quick...name their starting offensive line!:
...too late!
L.J. Shelton.
Jeno James.
Seth McKinney.
Rex Hadnot.
Vernon Carey.
...Ouch!...