Every year you overrate the competition. In 2013, it was the Ravens who missed the playoffs all together. Last year, it was the Broncos (although you were not alone) who were one and done. You seem to be going back to the well with the Broncos.
That's a pretty bold statement because I was on the other (correct) side of the "Baltimore is no longer a competitor" argument the summer that they lost a bunch of free agents. Pointing out that they are normally a 10-6 or 9-7 team every year shouldn't be seen as "overrating the competition." Hell, they won the SB with that record. Why so many posters assumed such a drastic drop was beyond me.
I think the majority of level-headed posters on this forum would agree that Baltimore is one of those teams that's going to be a fairly tough out in most years, even if you're somehow trying to hang your hat on a week #16 loss removing them from postseason contention as leading to some kind of "proof" that your (completely) over the top arguments that year were suddenly correct. The bottom line is that they were very competitive until the last week or two of the season, which is basically on par with most of their seasons. That's hardly "overrating" anyone. You were the one who "
overrated" their demise, and yet you still cannot even admit that to this day. I guess that's just something we'll agree to disagree on.
As far as "going back to the well" with Denver, they were the #2 seed in the AFC last year with a 12-4 record. My prediction is that they'll take a step or two back, but be no worse than 10-6, as I've stated in other posts in this thread. If that is your definition of "going back to the well," so be it, I suppose...
If this team became a run first team, everyone would be biatching that we have Brady and we are running the ball. Let's get real.
But I can only speak for myself and if the Patriots installed an offensive system that didn't play to Brady's strengths, I would either admit that Brady is done or Belichick lost his mind.
We've had seasons here in N.England where Tom Brady's pass-to-run ratio was anywhere between 55/45 and even as low as 52/48, which means that they were running 4.8 out of every 10 plays. I don't exactly remember a bunch of people standing up and openly complaining that we had Brady and were wasting his talents just because Belichick was running the ball at a pretty good clip. More importantly, I don't believe that anyone thought that it was a foretelling sign that meant that he was washed up as a QB.
I think you are developing your own conclusions at a torrid pace, assuming that all of a sudden,
an attempt at better balance will mean that Peyton Manning is going to completely suck, and that the Denver Broncos will fall so far that a 10-6 record (or better) isn't seen as a possibility. I'm guessing that they'll still be using players such as Demarius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, even if they are running more than past years.
