They upgraded their receiving corp, upgraded their LB corp (AD would like to say hello, lol), they upgraded the secondary by adding Meriweather, I don't think Samuel is going to leave $7.79M on the table, Ellis Hobbs has another year of experience, and Tory James should be a decent backup.
Unless this team gets hit with a serious amount of injuries I can't see them going 10-6 or 11-5. If they stay reasonably healthy and finish with an 11-5 record I'll be dissapointed.
Right now I'm think anything from 14-2 to 12-4 is much more likely, than 11-5.
let's go through their schedule:
@ Jets: Tough game. I think NE has the edge on this team, but this will be early in the season, so NE's offense might not be at full speed, yet. It can take time for new players to adjust.
vs Chargers: Will be a very tough game with a revenge factor, but they also have a new head coach, new DC, new OC, and they are trying to fill a few holes in their defense with young players. I need to see more of the '07 Chargers before I can really say anything. NE could have a slight edge, but it could go either way.
vs Buffalo: This team has taken steps backwards, and I can only see them winning if NE has an off game.
@ Cincy: NE beat them 38-18 in '06, and they added some defensive players, but I'm not really sure they've improved. They lost key players to injury, and lost a starting Safety to FA. They added Leon Hall who has all the potential, but he's a rookie and this is the Bengals defense, not NE's. Their offense is still high powered, but NE shut it down last year. Now NE has added more weapons on defense, and more weapons on offense. NE should win this game.
VS Cleveland: This should be a win. Maybe a trap game? Probably not.
@ Cowboys: Could be a tough game, but they've changed head coaches, and I think NE has the type of offense to move the ball on their defense. I also think NE has the type of defense to stop that Dallas offense. NE has the edge in this game, but Dallas can be weird. They can beat teams they shouldn't and loose to the bottom dwellers.
@ Dolphins: Nice to have this game a little later in the year, and the Dolphins have seen some changes. On paper NE should beat the Dolphins, especially considering they're new HC, but the Dolphins usually give NE a hard time, and could win one of these matchups. Honestly, it's Jason taylor who gives NE a hard time, lol. Anyways, if NE comes to play they should win, but I'm well aware of Miami's unusual ability to beat NE no matter how bad they are.
VS Redskins: Should be a win. Might be closer than it should be just because they could be thinking about Indy. Players will say "I don't look ahead", but it happens.
@ Colts: Looking at what NE has done in the offseason, and looking at what the Colts have done would make you think NE should role (like the old days), but the Colts have beaten NE a few games straight. This means they have confidence in knowing they can pull it out against NE, no matter what the odds. Because of this I'm not ready to say NE wins this game. I will say I think this version of the Patriots should be stronger, and the '07 version of the Colts seems slightly weaker. I'm interested to see them play, then I should have a better idea.
Bye: I love having the Bye week this late in the season, instead of week 3 or 4.
@ Buffalo: Should be a win.
vs Eagles: To me this Eagles team isn't any better than the one NE handled in the regular season a few years back, and the one NE beat in the SB. they've added some players but they've also lost some players, McNabb is Mr.Injury, and like NE some of their key players are getting older. Who knows what version of this team will show up. I think NE should win this game.
@ Baltimore: Strong defense that could be slightly less powerful without Adalius Thomas. An aging Ray Ray isn't the LB he used to be either. I don't think their offense will be anything special against a defense like NE's, and that's probably the key here. NE has defense and a powerful offense, while Baltimore is mostly defense. I'll give the edge to NE, but I'll also point out that their defense like Chicago's could do some of their scoring.
vs Pitt: This team isn't as strong as it once was, they've changed coaches, and could be changing defensive schemes. I don't think Mike Tomlin and his new staff are going to outclass BB, staff, and Tom Brady. If NE doesn't win this game I'll be dissapointed, especially since I think they used to be stronger and NE has beaten them pretty frequently under BB. NE also rolled Mike Tomlin's Vikings D.
vs Jets: Tough game, and depending on records the Jets could be fighting for their playoff lives, while NE might be looking for home field advantage in the playoffs. The Patriots could have a slight edge, but familiarity, and so many other things can factor in.
vs Dolphins: Late in the season at home NE should have the advantage, and I think the '07 Dolphins could be playing for little more than pride at this point.
NE's record cold factor into this game. If they have a really good record BB could rest some starters for part of the game. This seems like more likely a win if NE goes full strength the entire game, but again all this stuff I mentioned will factor in.
@ Giants: They could be fighting for a playoff spot, and NE could have little to play for (depending on their record), so this game could go either way depending on the circumstances. If both teams are at least somewhat healthy and NE keeps their starters in the entire game it seems like a Patriots win, but the last few weeks of the season are always hard to call.
