QB – Pats – I don't really have to explain this one, but Sanchez' best moments have come against the Pats. That needs to stop, Sanchez is an average QB at best, one thing he has going for him is he is ****y and doesn't know any better.
Of course I agree with the edge going to Tom Brady. The question is 'how much of an edge is it?'
Tom Brady a 93 out of 100
Mark Sanchez a 70 out of 100
RB – Draw – I would rather have BJGE and Woodhead over an aging LT and an underachieving Greene who can't seem to hold onto the ball, but it's a close call. Ridley and Vereen could very well push the pats over the edge here, we'll just have to wait and see.
No argument here. Although I think Shonn Greene is more talented than any runner on the Pats and has better tackle breaking ability, but he has to show it for a full season. And yes he has to hold on to the ball too. Call it a wash.
WR & TE's – Pats – Holmes is clearly the best WR from either side, but the jets seem less formidable with Mason and Plax vs. Cotch and Braylon. Mason is still a crafty vet, but I don't expect much other then a nice redzone target from Plax. Keller is a good TE, but for whatever reason his production faded after a fast start. We'll have to wait to see how fast Ocho picks up the offense. Branch is a solid, dependable WR. Welker is still the best slot WR in the league, and we are all hoping to see Price shine this year. What really puts the Pats over the edge here is Gronk and Hernadez, they are a nightmare matchup for any team.
Would reluctantly agree with this as well. Not because the Patriots are all world at receiver/TE but because there is so much uncertainty surrounding the Jets receiving core. However I don't think the gap is wide at all, simply because there is uncertainty with Ochocinco. Agree that Holmes is the best of both groups. Frankly, what gives the Patriots receivers the edge is Tom Brady & Bill Belichick.
Oline – Pats – The Jets have looked awful. I expect them to make a pickup or trade to improve their Oline, but it won't be enough to surpass what the Pats have done. Vollmer, Light, Solder, Mankins, & Koppen provide a solid group going foward, and were all routing for Cannon to be able to do some great things. Mangold is a stud at Center, Dbrick is a decent LT IMO, not a top 5 guy like most Jets fans think he is. Other then that, they might get Sanchez killed. (Not that it would be a huge loss)
Heeeeere we go. Judging everything about the Jets O-line by one (1) preseason game (albeit an embarrassing performance). Two of our starters were out: Mangold & Moore. But allow me to keep it simple for all of us: The Jets had a better offensive line than the Patriots last year and we both replaced a starting tackle. So how does that make the Patriots O-line better? Unless Nate Solder is Jake Long (which me might be but we need to see it first) it defies logic. Deeper? Yes. Better? No. 'The Jets have looked awful' is based on one PRESEASON game minus 2 starters. Sheesh.
Front 7 – Pats – I'm not going to get into a 4-3 vs 3-4 is he a lb or a de? So the front 7 for the Pats looks to be as good this year as it's been in sometime. The 3 most talented guys on either side are Mayo, Wilfork and Haynesworth. Carter and or Anderson should give the pats some pressure from the edge. Meanwhile the Jets line is going to depend on a few rookies. Ellis could be deported possibly, assuming he's not, he's still a rookie and doesn't concern me at all for this year. Wilkerson I'm not sold on either, but we'll see, but as the theme with this thread, I'm not counting on any rookies to produce much. Harris is a good LB even though his production along with Bart Scott's has been down. Scott's skills IMO have slipped quite a bit over the last few years, but he still adds a lot with his leadership and knowledge of the system.
We dont know what we'll see from Haynesworth this season. He was the most talented player on the Redskins defensive line and look what happened. Pats get the edge because Wilfork & Mayo at their respective positions are better than what the Jets have at their respective positions. However, Bart Scott & Calvin Pace are better than whoever else the Patriots have at linebacker you'd like to mention. There is uncertainty on both sides as to what we'll see on the front 7, but Wilfork & Mayo give you the moderate edge. We'll have to revisit this later.
DB – Jets - With Revis and Cromartie returning, you have to give the Jets the edge here. Whether you think Revis gets help from Safeties or not, he's one of the best. Cromartie is solid, but I don't think he will match up as well against Branch or Ocho on the outside as he did against Moss. I think Wilson, while somewhat dissapointing, could be a good cover guy in the slot. McCourty is as good as any rookie DB I've seen in a long time. Sometimes we all assume 2nd year players will only progress, hopefully thats the case with McCourty, but it may be hard to top that season. If Bodden is healthy, I think the Pats will be just fine in the secondary. I like the Pats Safeties better then the Jets, even though, Merrieweather is a bonehead. Chung played well last year and hopefully can build on that this year.
Jets with the big edge not only because of talent but because of scheme. I do like McCourty though, but I want to see him succeed for another season. Also agree with Pats safties over Jets safties. Jets miss Kerry Rhodes more than they thought they would.
Coaching – Pats – BB is the best coach I've ever seen, but Rex Ryan is a top 5 coach IMO. Going against most teams the Pats have a huge advantage when it comes to coaching, I think Rex neutralizes that somewhat with what he's been able to do.
Can't argue with this at all.
ST – Pats – I'll take the Ghost and Zoltan over whoever the Jets deciede is their punter and Folk. Jets take a big loss losing Brad Smith, I'm not sure Cromartie at his age is a viable option long term to return kicks, maybe Kerley is the guy? The Pats are probably going to be without Tate, but Vareen was very good in College, not sure they would want to risk McCourty out there. Hopefully Edelman makes the team (I think he will) and is our Punt Returner. Coverage teams all depends on who is going to make the 53 man roster. Both teams are well coached, but based on the Kickers, I'll take the Pats.
Pats with the edge simply because Gostkowski > Folk & we have a battle for starting punter.
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IMO the pats are clearly the suprerior team heading into 2011. I think that was also the case last year, but the results would perhaps tell a different story. I know on any given Sunday any team can win, but this usually happens when a team sneaks up on you. There is no way the Jets can sneak up on the Pats, so if the Pats continue to lose, that tells me one thing...
Rex Ryan is outcoaching BB. I know overall you can't compare Fat Rex to BB until he wins multilple rings, but when it comes to head to head matchups, it seems like Rex has gotten the best of this match-up. I think Rex is responisble for making that Defense as good as it is. He instills pride and an expectation for every defensive player to live up too, he also doesn't an excellent job with his schemes.
Bottom Line is... I wanna see the Pats take Pride in their Defence again and not stand around and rely on Brady to pull it out time after time.
And if the Pats don't lay the smackdown on the Jets 2x this year in the regular season and hopefully once in the post-season, I'm gonna be pissed. I wouldn't mind hearing Jets fans talk all their smack if their team was actually better then the Pats. To me, they are a joke compared to the Pats, but the bigger Joke unfortunatley is that the Pats can't seem to beat them, when they should.
