So how's the schedule lookin' now?

[MassPats38]

The schedule hasn't changed. Only individual perceptions of the Patriots have changed. I am not going to go flying off the handle over San Diego (serious defensive issues), Denver (see previous deficiency), Colts (see previous deficiency + offensive injuries), Pittsburgh (see how Big Ben holds up as he is already grumbling about his shoulder), Seattle (injuries everywhere), Buffalo (had some problems with Chokeland last week, how good is Chokeland?).

This year, seemingly more than most, sees pretty much every team on the list with major issues. Other than Dallas and Philadelphia, I am not prepared to call any team a juggernaut.

The question is what Patriots team can you expect for these games? The team you saw Sunday, or a team that moves ahead and rights its deficiencies. For the Cassel haters, we are 7-9 or worse and doomed from the moment Brady went down. I will base any schedule prediction on what I see against the 49ers. If the team looks sharp, given the state of health of other teams, the Patriots will be in the thick of things. If the team looks like it did on Sunday, 7-9 would be a generous estimate.

Based on past Belichick responses to injuries, I expect we will see significant improvement and then will commence the roller coaster ride of week to week battles to make it to the playoffs. At this point, I am not about to concede that other teams with their own issues will prevail and New England will not show substantial improvement adjusting to life this season post-Brady.

 

[woolster22]

Of course the schedule is going to look tougher after losing to last year's door-mat. Am I panicking? Not yet (one or two more no show o-line/d-line games and ill be bald at 20), but I dont expect the pats to make the playoffs anyway. 9-7 or 8-8 would be ok seasons in my book. On the plus side, if we get spanked the next few weeks, with the same inconsistency on the short passes and painful attempts down field, maybe they'll hand the reins to the O'Connell kid (the one long ball he threw to welker should have been picked, and Randy was there for a td 10 yards deeper down field). yeah, yeah, backup qb most popular on a bad team, but O'connell looked like he had a lot of potential (think big ben) in the preseason...

 

[SeymourTrophies]

The entire league sucks. That's all there is to it. The only thing the schedule tells me now is that if Brady were healthy, we would go 16-0 again.

 

[Salva135]

I think one of the most important things we learned from last week's game is that this whole "at least the Pats have the weakest schedule in the league" thing is now completely out the window. The Pats have now shown that they can lay an egg against literally ANY team in this league, and not a single win on that schedule is now a given. Everyone was already looking ahead past not only Miami but San Fran, and checking off the "gimmes." Well, we now have no gimmes, and it's hard to predict at all where this team is going to end up.

 

[JoePats]

Let me get this straight. Kicking a field goal is a riskier play than going for it on 4th and 2 and risking a fumble and/or not converting? Huh.. Oh, and why would you not kick a FG?, thereby putting yourselves up 3 scores (19 points) versus possibly not getting the conversion, and the Jets score to put them within 1 score (8 points). Gee, kicking a FG sure was dumb. If you're going to worry about blocked FG attempts, why even have a place kicker? That's why they're on the team.

Why let one fluke play let the Jets back in the game when you can end the game by getting 2 yards? The Jets don't even get the ball back. Run a little safe pass into the flat. Run the ball off tackle. Who cares? The only way the Jets get back in the game is if they get a fluke TD. What if you miss the FG? it wasn't a gimme, 49 yards. I think there's a better chance, in my opinion, of getting two yards, then making a 49 yard FG on grass.