Honest Assessment of AFC East

[CrazyDave]

Dude all you do is make smart a** comments. You know nothing about football and can't debate because you're just an stupid idiot who likes the Pats because they win. I haven't seen you make one good football point ever on this site.

You're the guy using the term "patsie". Is that smart ass?

 

[Aqua4Ever04]

You're the guy using the term "patsie". Is that smart ass?

At least I attempt to make points with most of my posts. That guy is just a airheaded moron.

 

[coltshater]

At least I attempt to make points with most of my posts. That guy is just a airheaded moron.

The operative word here is "attempt".

 

[Aqua4Ever04]

The operative word here is "attempt".

Attempt and acheive my friend.

 

[feelthepain]

The fact is that you think every change that Miami has made is for the better and every change that the Patriots has made is for the worse, and therefore the teams are roughly equals. That's wishful thinking, and a best possible scenario for the Dolphins.

Suggesting that the Dolphins coaching staff is "as good if not better" than the Patriots is so absurd that it doesn't justify comment. So ......

Now it's your turn, Prove where I've said the fins have imporved on every move and the Pats moves are worse??? You won't, nice try though.

I could give a crap that you wnet to school with Will Allen, your a Pat fan and that has more bearing on your opinion then anything else. So spare me the "I want him to succeed" nonesense!!! The Giants wouldn't have let him go?? Really, I guess the Vikes wouldn't let Moss go..but they did, or Culpepper...but they did!! Right, I mean Randy was arguably the best WR in the league, but he was traded. Daunte was one of the top 5 QB's in the league just 2 seasons ago, yet he has a new home. We traded Pat Surtain a top 5 CB last year and we released Sam Madison. The fact is top talent is moved all the time. So your point that the Giants wouldn't have let him go if he were any good is just a stupid assumption.

The Pats fans just refuse to acknowledge anything the fins do and they look to knock every single move beacuse they want to justify their opinion of the Fins. If you don't say everything Miami does sucks then you have to give them credit for improving and you're just not willing nor mature enough to do that...I guess. This is where we stand, Pats fans think they have no chance of coming in second in th division. They think it's not even close. They think the fins will be jsut ahead of the Bills and Jets. While the Pats are head and shoulders above everyone else in the divison.

On the other hand Fin fans know in order to win the divison we have to beat the Pats. None of the fin fans here think it's just a cake walk to the division title. We know we are a team on the rise. We also know the Pats stranglehold on the division isn't going to last forever. Add to that Saban and the all Pro coaching staff, and upgrades to the personell. The experts around the league think the fins will battle the Pats for the division title. The Pat fans are the only ones who don't think it will be a battle for the division title.

 

[CrazyDave]

The operative word here is "attempt".

OMG lmao at your new avatar.

 

[5 Rings for Brady!!]

I think we have met the evil energizer bunnies from hell....

 

[Brady-To-Branch]

..especially since McMichael became one of the better blockers in the league last year after many sub-par years...Go check the tape... There is a reason why our backs average over 4.4 yards and we gave up less than 30 sacks...

Joyner's latest book will verify your claims since he checks the tape for me. He's doing a special on individual run-blocking metrics.

Hey Welker, to show you what a nice guy I am...

http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=12108

Doug (DC): I'm not all that familiar w/ your work (I'll get to the book soon), so forgive me if you answer this question somewhere in your writing: do you have a system for judging TE's value based on combining run blocking and pass catching stats? If so, are there any surprises as to who is ranked highly?

SportsNation K.C. Joyner: Scientific Football 2006 will have run blocking and pass catching metrics for tight ends, though I haven't figured out how to combine the two into one single metric.

The big surprise among tight ends was Randy McMichael. McMichael ranked 4th among tight ends in the POA blocking metric but was dead last among qualifiers (40+ receptions) in modified yards per catch. He is thought of as a great receiver/lousy blocker but the metrics say just the opposite.

NOTE: POA = Point of Attack block

 

[feelthepain]

Hey Welker, to show you what a nice guy I am...

http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=12108



NOTE: POA = Point of Attack block

That would make sense, first year with Houck, first year with Gus and Linehan. Randy is a great TE, he will improve in both blocking and receiving this year. Add Fred Beasly and Justin Peelle to the blocking schemes and Miami's Oline will be even better then they were last year.

 

[Welker83]

I don't know where to begin here.
Bull. I went to school with Will Allen, and have followed his career. He's not starting caliber. By the way, what numbers would you like me to check? As good as any CB in the league. You're officially off the reservation. YOU obviously don't know much about Will Allen, except the Giants got rid of him and he's now a Dolphin. This is like someone here saying 'Brandon Gorin is as good as any lineman in the league. Check all the numbers except for sacks allowed.' I know Welker83. Welker83 generally has fine points to contribute to this board. Welker83 has an enjoyable avatar to boot. You, sir, are no Welker83.

LOL!!!! Alright! YOU WIN...PATS ARE BETTER THAN THE FINS....This year! Someone please knock me out and wake me when football starts!

 

[Welker83]

Hey Welker, to show you what a nice guy I am...

http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=12108



NOTE: POA = Point of Attack block

I like you!!!! See! i'm not ALL hot air..just around 90%...

But it's also a great lesson for other teams..Have your TE's work with the lineman to help out their tecnique... to many TE's are just told to go out and "block some one"... but are never taught the fundamentals because these days receiving TE's is all the rage...

I haven'tseen his tape..how good is Ben Watson at Blocking?

 

[Brady-To-Branch]

I like you!!!! See! i'm not ALL hot air..just around 90%...

But it's also a great lesson for other teams..Have your TE's work with the lineman to help out their tecnique... to many TE's are just told to go out and "block some one"... but are never taught the fundamentals because these days receiving TE's is all the rage...

I haven'tseen his tape..how good is Ben Watson at Blocking?

Thanks!

My reason for doubting you before, in regards to McMichael is that appearances can be deceiving. I like to tape games and then watch them. Firstly, because I hate commercials. Second, I like to review some of the plays to see the LOS blocking. I could tell if a player made a good block, but can't tell if that player was as good a blocker for the entirety of the season. As far as Watson is concerned, I can't honestly tell you without metrics. Watson seems to be a capable blocker. For example, I know Daniel Graham is a good blocker, but how good was he in 2005???

Another example of what I'm talking about...

Barry (San Diego): I was surprised to read that Jeff Hartings was the only Steeler lineman rated in your run-blocking metrics system, given all of the accolades Alan Faneca has received over the years. How do you rate the Steeler offensive line as a whole in your RBA and where does OT Max Starks grade out in this regard? My sense is that he is vastly underrated.

K.C. Joyner: I thought the Steelers O line was a bit overrated last year. Steelers fans think this is because I don't like Pittsburgh, but the facts are that their POA blocking numbers simply weren't great. They were good, and that's what I'd call the Pitt O line.

Starks did OK in the POA numbers. He ranked tied for 26th with 3.8 yards per POA run (with success % factored in). There were 67 tackles rated, so he was in the upper half.

 

[Welker83]

Thanks!

My reason for doubting you before, in regards to McMichael is that appearances can be deceiving. I like to tape games and then watch them. Firstly, because I hate commercials. Second, I like to review some of the plays to see the LOS blocking. I could tell if a player made a good block, but can't tell if that player was as good a blocker for the entirety of the season. As far as Watson is concerned, I can't honestly tell you without metrics. Watson seems to be a capable blocker. For example, I know Daniel Graham is a good blocker, but how good was he in 2005???

Another example of what I'm talking about...

I don't have total faith in his Blocking rankings... for his lineman he had Seth Mckinney very well rated and had L.J. Shelton rated almost dead last... That seems a bit funny to me.


I like to watch tape also...I have Tivo with a DVD burner in the unit..So i record all the games and then burn them to DVD...it really helps cause i have season tickets now and i really like to be able to go back and see what i missed...

 

[SunnyDenmark]

i have season tickets now and i really like to be able to go back and see what i missed...

How good are your seats? Are you the one we see on the TV network quick crowd shots with the porpoise on his head?

 

[dryheat44]

How good are your seats? Are you the one we see on the TV network quick crowd shots with the porpoise on his head?

Don't let Ace Ventura hear you call it a porpoise.

 

[SunnyDenmark]

Don't let Ace Ventura hear you call it a porpoise.

That was a funny movie. And the Marino cameo was a nice touch. (Though naturally not on the same Shakespearian level as Brady on SNL).

 

[spacecrime]

Don't let Ace Ventura hear you call it a porpoise.

It was an accident - He didn't say it on porpoise.

 

[SunnyDenmark]

It was an accident - He didn't say it on porpoise.

good one! Well I think this thread is dying. Our Fins groupies have left the building (with Elvis) - no reply to my question from Welker83. Maybe he was offended - then he really IS the one in the crowd with the Fish on his head at the games. Too bad, he made the best points for MIA in this 'jousting' tet-a-tet. Well as this thread is dying I would like -being a new member - to sum up the last many pages with the DEFINATIVE answer to the original question: Honest Assessment of AFC East -
NE - We are still the Kings of the Hill, come and try to knock us off!
MIA - Improving (especially in Fantasy leagues and on Madden 2007). But not going to be AFC champions THIS year folks except maybe in some alternate parallel universe where BB has a frontal lobotamy and Brady is frozen in time by some temporal force field.
J-E-T-S - rebuiding, probably a few years away. Pick your QB on the merry-go-round.
Buffalo - Definately lost in some parellel universe where backwards thinking pays off.
Bed time ----goodnight folks from Sunny (but dark) Denmark:singing:

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

I like you!!!! See! i'm not ALL hot air..just around 90%...

But it's also a great lesson for other teams..Have your TE's work with the lineman to help out their tecnique... to many TE's are just told to go out and "block some one"... but are never taught the fundamentals because these days receiving TE's is all the rage...

I haven'tseen his tape..how good is Ben Watson at Blocking?

Ben started having some devastating blocks near the end of the season, but he also whiffed on key blocks right up to the end in Denver. He is learning, but I would not call him a good blocker yet, great potential and the TE coach (Mangurian) is a good man to bring it out, but not there at yet.

If I had to critique him from a technique standpoint (with the caveat that I'm as amateur an analyst as they come) I'd say he hasn't gotten his field vision in tune, his angles are off a degree or he sees his targets too late. He also tries to pancake them instead of locking on and steering them with leverage. What is encouraging is his improvement over the course of the season, he got better at knowing his assignment (or the coaches adjusted the way they used him to get the most out of his play). He had a wonderful wham block in the Jacksonville game, where he came from being split wide, and decked the DE with as nasty a (clean) blind-side hit as you could ever want. That guy saw some stars.

 

[pats1]

Ben started having some devastating blocks near the end of the season, but he also whiffed on key blocks right up to the end in Denver. He is learning, but I would not call him a good blocker yet, great potential and the TE coach (Mangurian) is a good man to bring it out, but not there at yet.

If I had to critique him from a technique standpoint (with the caveat that I'm as amateur an analyst as they come) I'd say he hasn't gotten his field vision in tune, his angles are off a degree or he sees his targets too late. He also tries to pancake them instead of locking on and steering them with leverage. What is encouraging is his improvement over the course of the season, he got better at knowing his assignment (or the coaches adjusted the way they used him to get the most out of his play). He had a wonderful wham block in the Jacksonville game, where he came from being split wide, and decked the DE with as nasty a (clean) blind-side hit as you could ever want. That guy saw some stars.

Agreed. I was also very pleased at what I saw from Watson by a blocking standpoint at Denver. Even though he was out there instead of Graham most of the time, Brady had to check off in the shotgun, which drew Watson in to pick up the blitz.