One of the more balanced looks at the AFCE

[Box_O_Rocks]

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2006/09/05/SPGE6KTJOI1.DTL

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

A look at Miami's secondary...

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/15442451.htm

 

[Oswlek]

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2006/09/05/SPGE6KTJOI1.DTL

Seems to me that someone didn't bother to look at the non-division teams that the AFCE plays. No way that they end up with an average of 7 wins per team.

My take:

NE - 12-14 wins
Miami - 7-9 wins
NYJ - 6-8 wins
Buffalo - 5-6

Worst case scenerio is 30 total wins, with a higher likelihood of 33.

 

[Richter]

Actually, this article is terrible. Since when was Andre Davis the Pats #2 receiver? Think he means Givens.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

"He?" It looks like the author is Blue's cousin...

 

[flutie2phelan]

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2006/09/05/SPGE6KTJOI1.DTL

Pretty balanced?

I'm afraid i find it rather routine ... insipid ... and uninformed.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Pretty balanced?

I'm afraid i find it rather routine ... insipid ... and uninformed.

Which still makes it a more balanced look at the AFCE than those I have seen claiming the fish are for the bowl...

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

A really skewed perspective focusing on the Colts winning it all, but a couple remarks from fellow travelers Steve Young and Micheal Irvin that are startling for the moment of lucidity that framed them...

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/local/states/california/15441869.htm

 

[Brady-To-Branch]

A look at Miami's secondary...

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/15442451.htm

Same old tired premise: Saban + Culpepper = Success

Culpepper's Postseason numbers (4 games)...

W-L: 2-2

C% - 54.5
YPA - 7.3
TD% - 6.0
INT% - 3.7 (ouch!)
TD - 8
INT - 5
QB Rat - 82.3

Regular Season...

C% - 64.2
YPA - 7.7
TD% - 5.1
INT% - 3.3 (still ouch!)
TD - 135
INT - 86
QB Rat - 91.4

Quality Record (including playoffs): 14-27 (.341)

Despite his gaudy 2004 stats, the only way the Vikings made the playoffs on a 8-8 record was due to the rest of the NFC stinking even worse. The Vikings lost to the Eagles thanks to a couple of key fumbles by Culpepper and lots of junk yards. 343 passing yards - 1 TD. That's an offense which choked constantly. The loss against the Giants is also at Culpepper's feet, since he stunk it up with 2 INT's plus 1 lost fumble, wrapped up with his 62.1 QB rating. Then there's the 3 INT's he coughed up against the Bears in October. Despite a terrific outing by the defense in week 17, the lack of offense still tanked the Vikings in week 17 against the Redskins. The Vikings could have gone 12-4 and had the tiebreaker over the Eagles for home field.

Culpepper has a record of 39-41 as a starter for the Vikings (.488) and has had only one winning season in 2000. He had 2 seasons of .500 and 3 losing seasons. This is a guy who piled up gaudy passing stats, but he's not a winner. Those losing seasons can be at least partially attributed to his horrible TD-INT ratio in those seasons.

Saban is loved by the media because of his college record. As was Spurrier. Sure, Saban has the Belichick pedigree, but he doesn't have a good personnel man like Scott Pioli. IMO, Saban is repeating the mistake of Jimmy Johnson. JJ should have unloaded Marino for picks and rebuild. Instead, he kept Marino and failed. Saban has this same "win now" approach. His top two defensive players are in their 30s (Taylor and Thomas). He coughed up a #2 for Culpepper, who would have been cut anyway. Saban will fail in the same way JJ did. OTOH, BB waited and evaluated his team in 2000 and rebuilt the team his way.

 

[Brownfan80]

"Some of the Pats' offensive struggles (10th in scoring, 23.7 ppg) can be traced to Brady's problems with a sports hernia, which was fixed in the offseason."

HUH? First, since when does being 10th out of 32 teams indicate a struggle? I thought being in the top ten at something in the NFL was a GOOD thing. And second, how in the world did any struggle we had last season have ANYTHING to do with Tom Brady or his hernia? Brady had the best season of his career and took the offense on his back as the RUNNING GAME struggled.

That article, balanced or not, was apparently based in an alternate reality.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

That article, balanced or not, was apparently based in an alternate reality.

HELLO! San Francisco! Check the author's name while your at it...not that there's anything wrong with that.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

An AFC overview...

http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_4287543

The usual suspects, the New England Patriots, return Rodney Harrison - the secondary's knuckle buster - and they still have Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, but did they allow dollars to get in the way of sense by letting Adam Vinatieri walk away and playing hardball with former Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch?

The Indianapolis Colts, who lured Vinatieri, don't have to get so jittery about close games anymore and their defense should continue its gradual improvement, but we'll see whether all the talk of Edgerrin James as the key to the offense for all those years was just lip service.