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2013 NFL Preseason/Season Thread


Daniel

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New thread for various NFL ramblings not covered by another thread.

 

Wanted to respond to CR1976's post in the Jets thread where he said the Pats will probably be 10-6.  I'll tell you they'll win at least 11 games, if only by virtue of the fact that they'll once again go 6-0 in the division. 

 

Yes I know, it's one preseason game, but the Dolphins -- the team that was supposed to challenge the Pats -- look like they're headed for a disaster season.  Everything you're hearing is that the O-Line is going to be atrocious, with Martin being perhaps the worst LT in the NFL.  In practice he's getting absolutely destroyed by every defensive end he goes up against.  The great QBs can manage with a subpar O-Line, but Tannehill is not a great QB, and it remains to be seen whether he'll have a career that's any better than Chad Henne. 

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I'd love 11+ wins of course, and we'll probably know whether or not that's possible after Week 2...up until then, it will be how is Hernandez affecting the team, how are the Pats going to use Tebow, how can the Pats survive losing Welker/Gronk/Hernandez, etc.  This is a big year for BB...the offense has been covering up for his poor defensive schemes for years now.  The 2013 Patriots are probably not scoring over 500 points again...I'm thinking it will be in the low 400s...I think Brady still has more than enough left in him to get what he needs to with the receivers he's got, but scoring 500+ points even in today's NFL is not an easy task.  In ways I'm glad the Pats are getting the Jets early (Week 2 and Week 7)...I can see the Jets getting better as the season goes on, even if they only finish the season with a record of 7-9 or 8-8. 

 

The Pats may have gone 6-0 in the division last year, but three of the games were battles that could've been won by the other team. 

 

Re:  the Dolphins, yeah, a lot of it depends on what Tannehill does (this guy predicts a breakout season for him):

 

http://espn.go.com/fantasy/football/story/_/page/nfldk2k13breakoutbust/ryan-tannehill-pierre-garcon-break-2013-antonio-gates-danario-alexander-disappoint

 

 It's probably a small factor if it's a factor at all, but I'm sure the Jets, Dolphins, and Bills see what's happened to the Patriots and feel like they might be more vulnerable than ever, as opposed to "deep down we know we're playing for a #5 or #6 seed".  I expect the Bills and Jets to come out VERY hard in Weeks 1 and 2.  It's one thing to start out 0-2, but quite another to start off 0-2 with two divisional losses.  I won't give up the Pats for dead if that happens (some will), but suddenly some games become must-wins on the sched from then on out...starting with Week 3.       

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I'd love 11+ wins of course, and we'll probably know whether or not that's possible after Week 2...up until then, it will be how is Hernandez affecting the team, how are the Pats going to use Tebow, how can the Pats survive losing Welker/Gronk/Hernandez, etc.  This is a big year for BB...the offense has been covering up for his poor defensive schemes for years now.  The 2013 Patriots are probably not scoring over 500 points again...I'm thinking it will be in the low 400s...I think Brady still has more than enough left in him to get what he needs to with the receivers he's got, but scoring 500+ points even in today's NFL is not an easy task.  In ways I'm glad the Pats are getting the Jets early (Week 2 and Week 7)...I can see the Jets getting better as the season goes on, even if they only finish the season with a record of 7-9 or 8-8. 

 

The Pats may have gone 6-0 in the division last year, but three of the games were battles that could've been won by the other team. 

 

Re:  the Dolphins, yeah, a lot of it depends on what Tannehill does (this guy predicts a breakout season for him):

 

http://espn.go.com/fantasy/football/story/_/page/nfldk2k13breakoutbust/ryan-tannehill-pierre-garcon-break-2013-antonio-gates-danario-alexander-disappoint

 

 It's probably a small factor if it's a factor at all, but I'm sure the Jets, Dolphins, and Bills see what's happened to the Patriots and feel like they might be more vulnerable than ever, as opposed to "deep down we know we're playing for a #5 or #6 seed".  I expect the Bills and Jets to come out VERY hard in Weeks 1 and 2.  It's one thing to start out 0-2, but quite another to start off 0-2 with two divisional losses.  I won't give up the Pats for dead if that happens (some will), but suddenly some games become must-wins on the sched from then on out...starting with Week 3.       

 

Wasn't too long ago that Chad Henne was supposed to have a breakout season.

 

I think the Pats will still be great on offense so long as the O-Line does its job.  They always find a way to make it work with the likes of Julian Edelman, Danny Woodhead, Rydley and and Shane Vareen.  The pass protection Brady has gotten over the course of his career is more important to his success than the rest of his supporting cast. 

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Wasn't too long ago that Chad Henne was supposed to have a breakout season.

 

I think the Pats will still be great on offense so long as the O-Line does its job.  They always find a way to make it work with the likes of Julian Edelman, Danny Woodhead, Rydley and and Shane Vareen.  The pass protection Brady has gotten over the course of his career is more important to his success than the rest of his supporting cast. 

 

In fairness, Brady helps in that he reads defenses pretty quickly and doesn't hang onto the ball too long...those were not strengths of his predecessor.  The same line that was considered to be a problem in front of Drew Bledsoe suddenly wasn't anymore when Brady was taking the snaps...that helped to make Bledsoe's weaknesses that much more apparent.  But it goes without saying that not too many QBs (especially slower-footed ones like Brady and Manning) are going to have much success without protection.

 

That's one of many differences between Brady and Bledsoe...Bledsoe could play well, but he needed EVERYTHING in place around him to succeed.  Brady seems to find a way even if the personnel around him isn't stellar...up until the playoffs in recent years, anyway.  Not knocking Bledsoe...he did have some terrific moments (was God-awful in the playoffs though), and was the beginning of the Pats no longer being a historical "meh".  Since 1996, the Pats have had just one losing season.  Bledsoe was a central figure in that franchise turn-around, flaws and all.

Edited by Colorado Rockies 1976
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