RelocatedPatFan
Experienced Starter w/First Big Contract
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AFCE
Some pundits say we are the weakest division. While we seem to have as many wins as 4 other divisions, though we haven't had any teams on bye like some of those other 7 total win divisions. The biggest difference to me, is those divisions have one clear leader based on win loss.
On to the Teams
Jets. 2 wins have come vs division foes. Does it appear, that the JETS are in a death spiral? Even before their best defender and Santonio went out on IR, it seems the team was more talk than walk. I'd say they get what they deserve and let this be a reminder about BB believing in having quality backups. They’ve been living off their first team talent and injuries had previously stayed to a minimum. Well, it looks like the injury bug has final taken notice on the Jets. The Tebow-Sanchez thing will kill them it Sanchez has another bad game or two...heck even if he's ok and they lose, the fans will start calling for Tebow. And Woody wants to sell tickets more than he wants to win, so he’s already pushing for Tebow. Will we miss Rex when he's gone?
Bills. If they can come together, they could be anywhere from mediocre to good, but no real threat
Dolphins. Still a couple years and keep players away from being any real threat. They'll win some, but never enough
Patriots. Is it possible we have the 3rd best qb in the division (in Mallet)? Probably wouldn't put him that high, but could make an argument for #4, especially with the talent on our offense. We’ve played 3 games on the road and 1 at home.
For the Patriots. We've certainly had key people injured this season and we keep on plugging along. You get the impression that this team is still working on getting better and hopefully they'll put it all together for the final quarter of the season. I mean, you have to feel pretty good about the personality of this team and the emerging identity on defense. Any real concerns (other than injury) on offense. Is the offense so balanced and Brady in tune that we are back to taking whatever the defense gives us? I heard Brady stating that the Bills were daring the Pats to run andthey took it (rather than force the ball through the air).
It’s really now a matter of picking your poison though the outside receiving would have to be viewed as the weak point of the offense. Can an elite defense still crowd the box/lower third/middle of the field?
After the Bills, does anyone think the o line is going to continue having problems or are the Bills just that inept? We’ll have the Texans and 49ers coming in week 14 (12/2) and 15 (12/10 –Mon) (we’re hosting them both at Gillette). Provided we win, the only excuse the pundits will have is, what about seeing them on a neutral or away field?
Leftover thoughts from the last game
Some pundits say we are the weakest division. While we seem to have as many wins as 4 other divisions, though we haven't had any teams on bye like some of those other 7 total win divisions. The biggest difference to me, is those divisions have one clear leader based on win loss.
- NFC East 9-7 with Philly at 3-1, the rest at 2-2 fairly strong or fairly average?
- NFC North 9-7 with Minnesota and Chicago at 3-1. People consider Green Bay/Detroit as solid teams despite record
- NFC South 6-10 with Atlanta having 4 of the 6 wins
- NFC West 12-6 won't get any argument abotuthem being strong (for now) and the Cardinals at 4-1 see legit, despite the loss to the Rams
- AFC East 7-9 with 3 teams tied at 2-2
- AFC North 7-8 with 2 teams at 3-1
- AFC South 7-8 with Houston at 4-0
- AFC West 7-9 with San Diego at 3-1
On to the Teams
Jets. 2 wins have come vs division foes. Does it appear, that the JETS are in a death spiral? Even before their best defender and Santonio went out on IR, it seems the team was more talk than walk. I'd say they get what they deserve and let this be a reminder about BB believing in having quality backups. They’ve been living off their first team talent and injuries had previously stayed to a minimum. Well, it looks like the injury bug has final taken notice on the Jets. The Tebow-Sanchez thing will kill them it Sanchez has another bad game or two...heck even if he's ok and they lose, the fans will start calling for Tebow. And Woody wants to sell tickets more than he wants to win, so he’s already pushing for Tebow. Will we miss Rex when he's gone?
Bills. If they can come together, they could be anywhere from mediocre to good, but no real threat
Dolphins. Still a couple years and keep players away from being any real threat. They'll win some, but never enough
Patriots. Is it possible we have the 3rd best qb in the division (in Mallet)? Probably wouldn't put him that high, but could make an argument for #4, especially with the talent on our offense. We’ve played 3 games on the road and 1 at home.
For the Patriots. We've certainly had key people injured this season and we keep on plugging along. You get the impression that this team is still working on getting better and hopefully they'll put it all together for the final quarter of the season. I mean, you have to feel pretty good about the personality of this team and the emerging identity on defense. Any real concerns (other than injury) on offense. Is the offense so balanced and Brady in tune that we are back to taking whatever the defense gives us? I heard Brady stating that the Bills were daring the Pats to run andthey took it (rather than force the ball through the air).
It’s really now a matter of picking your poison though the outside receiving would have to be viewed as the weak point of the offense. Can an elite defense still crowd the box/lower third/middle of the field?
After the Bills, does anyone think the o line is going to continue having problems or are the Bills just that inept? We’ll have the Texans and 49ers coming in week 14 (12/2) and 15 (12/10 –Mon) (we’re hosting them both at Gillette). Provided we win, the only excuse the pundits will have is, what about seeing them on a neutral or away field?
Leftover thoughts from the last game
- The defense is starting to get that punishing attitude. It will be interesting to see how that develops. Let's see how well they maintain gap responsibility as they continue to develop.
- Has the front 7 had any effect on the DBs? Is that why our pass defense seems better?
- Do the fans like to pick their scapegoats and just highlight the bad and overlook the good?
- For all the slack that McCourty gets, I think one undervalued aspect of his game is his ability to support the run defense. While there may be a spot on the highlight reel for him to be tackling (or missing) 10 yards past the LoS. How many times has he broken off his man and made a play to save a first down or drop the runner back near the LoS?
- Did anyone notice Mayo on CJ Spiller. Sure he gave up that 1 long receiving play, but I also recall him blocking Spiller off the line well and one time made Spiller fall out of bounds and out of the play. The guy really can do everything pretty well and while he may not always show up with highlight real he may be shutting other players down.
- Have we heard any discord from the team? I mean were only 2-2 and had been below .500. You get the impression that this team buys into the Patriot Way and there’s definitely an energy and confidence building. This team might be downright scary by the end of the year. The record may not show it, but we’ll be a scary prospect for any team.
- That Big Hit from Vince..real impressive and very clean. Almost as impressive is that Jones only needed a few moments to get back up after that.
- Brandon Spikes – we love you man, but lay off the hits that gets you fined. But, keep that edge and don’t give refs something to look for. Still, I hop his play is infectious with the D.
- Last week is over and Manning is in town as a Bronco. As he's 4-2 in the last 6 games against us, some people think he's figured BB out. I think this will eb a good testto dsee how our new look defense is and if it can force Manning into some bad throws. Additionally, we'll see how the O lines handles the pass rush and how McD calls the plays to counter them. It seem we have all the tools we need, just have to use them right.
