This is why I never....

[HOF-ELWAY-7]

Try to forecast how a season will go before the first quarter. I don't begrudge those that do but in today's NFL its pretty common to at least have one worst to first, first to worst team. It looked as though when the schedule was released that the 6 of the last 9 on the road starting Nov 2 was pretty treacherous with tough games at NE, (possibly the Rahduhs) STL, KC, Chargers and Bengals. It appears now that in first three games we will be pretty heavy favorites and should beat those teams.

I know there is a ton of football to play and a lot can still happen but based on how things are going I think the Oct. 23 home game against the Chargers will be the biggest game of the season. If you look at their schedule and ours, if we lose that game it could be big trouble for the Broncos.

 

[cdumler7]

Very understandable...Everybody thought the Patriots and Colts would run away with their divisions and so far that just does not look like the case. I still expect both to win their divisions but not in the dominant way that most predicted. Both of those teams I think their biggest downfall is they just don't invest in the OL like they should. For the Broncos right now they have Clady a 1st round pick, Franklin a 2nd round pick, Vasquez was a 3rd round pick but the Broncos made him a priority signing. The other two yes are not premium pick players but they definitely serve their role decently. On the Defensive Line the Broncos have 3 1st round pick players and a 2nd and 3rd round guy as well. They have devoted quite a bit of resources to winning in the trenches and it shows that they separate themselves from those two teams at least because of that. Same with Cincinnati.

 

[HOF-ELWAY-7]

Yeah cd, the Broncos and Bengals could be playing each other twice in a short period of time.

The last 3 away games are brutal. If they can win two of those we should be fine.

I agree about the o-line observation and that's why I think NE is done. I'm sure Brady's comments today sent shivers up the spine of every Pats fan.

 

[cdumler7]

Yeah I have never quite heard the Pats talk like this...given they haven't been in this situation in a long time so hard to judge it against anything.


Chargers are definitely going to keep this division interesting. To me that is a good thing. The last 2 years we have pretty much run away with the division and honestly I do think that hurts us come playoff time. 2 years ago against Baltimore we had 11 straight games of winning by 7 or more points if I remember right. We hadn't been in a dog fight in a long time and honestly I just think our players were not ready to handle a close game. I honestly like our tougher schedule this year even if it means we do not get the 1-seed. Home Field is nice but being prepared to go up against the toughest teams in the league is that much better. Seems like every week presents us with a new challenge this year so we should be well prepared for whatever a team might throw at us come playoff time.

 

[Broncos6482]

Yeah cd, the Broncos and Bengals could be playing each other twice in a short period of time.

The last 3 away games are brutal. If they can win two of those we should be fine.

I agree about the o-line observation and that's why I think NE is done. I'm sure Brady's comments today sent shivers up the spine of every Pats fan.

What did he say?

 

[cdumler7]

What did he say?

Pretty sure it was something along the lines of "our offense sucks." His actual words were a little more well spoken but essentially that is what it boils down to. He said that the players they have just don't have the ability to perform at a high level like they need to. Can't remember the last time I saw a Patriot offense look this bad. Running or throwing they just are not very good. Now what worries me some is Gronk is not a 100% at this time. Him being fully healthy completely changes that offense. Don't know if he will get back to that but we shall see.

 

[WalkerBoh]

Very understandable...Everybody thought the Patriots and Colts would run away with their divisions and so far that just does not look like the case. I still expect both to win their divisions but not in the dominant way that most predicted. Both of those teams I think their biggest downfall is they just don't invest in the OL like they should. For the Broncos right now they have Clady a 1st round pick, Franklin a 2nd round pick, Vasquez was a 3rd round pick but the Broncos made him a priority signing. The other two yes are not premium pick players but they definitely serve their role decently. On the Defensive Line the Broncos have 3 1st round pick players and a 2nd and 3rd round guy as well. They have devoted quite a bit of resources to winning in the trenches and it shows that they separate themselves from those two teams at least because of that. Same with Cincinnati.

Take a closer look at the Colts, and I still see them running away with the South. Since playing us and Philly, the Colts have obliterated the AFC South opponents they have played against. I don't see that changing anytime soon. As for the Pats, their O-line is crap. They are lucky to be playing in such a poor division, otherwise they would be screwed. If Brady keeps up the poor play, and if he's true to his word, this could be his last season (at least as a Patriot.).

 

[HOF-ELWAY-7]

He said our offense can't perform at a high level. He also said when asked if they can turn it around on offense, he relied, I don't know we'll have to see. He always says of course we can we need to execute better.

 

[WalkerBoh]

Pretty sure it was something along the lines of "our offense sucks." His actual words were a little more well spoken but essentially that is what it boils down to. He said that the players they have just don't have the ability to perform at a high level like they need to. Can't remember the last time I saw a Patriot offense look this bad. Running or throwing they just are not very good. Now what worries me some is Gronk is not a 100% at this time. Him being fully healthy completely changes that offense. Don't know if he will get back to that but we shall see.

Gronk being 100% won't do much for that O-line of theirs though.

 

[cdumler7]

Gronk being 100% won't do much for that O-line of theirs though.

You are right it doesn't do much for the OL troubles but it does give Brady a bit more of a security blanket when things are collapsing around him. Right now Gronk only seems to be on the field for a handful of plays and even when he is he doesn't have the speed he once had so his timing with Brady is off. Before when they were at their best Brady knew in times of trouble though that he could just throw it up into Gronk's general direction and at worst it was going to be an incomplete pass and more times than not it would be a big catch. That to me is where I could see the offense getting a nice boost. Plus teams would have to devote a bit more coverage to Gronk meaning more one on one opportunities and maybe not as many guys in the box getting after Brady and the run game.

Also I do agree the Colts will still run away with the South but winning the division for both of these teams is not really what I am concerned about. I still after watching both of them have them winning the division and making the playoffs. I just don't see them as the Super Bowl contenders that at the beginning of the year were being considered our biggest competition to make it back. Right now I would say the Chargers, Bengals, and Ravens are going to be our stiffest competition.

 

[HOF-ELWAY-7]

It didn't help that they traded Mankins for 6 pack of Blatz and a two day old slice of pizza. You can tell that Brady's fed up with the Pats letting all of the offensive talent out the door. A few years ago I got into a sprited argument with a guy on another board and we debated Belicheat and his "genius" tag. I think he has really ruined the Pats with questionable drafts, trades and letting talent walk. There are writers in NE that say Belicheat the GM is killing Belicheat the coach. I wonder where we have heard that before.

 

[WalkerBoh]

It didn't help that they traded Mankins for 6 pack of Blatz and a two day old slice of pizza. You can tell that Brady's fed up with the Pats letting all of the offensive talent out the door. A few years ago I got into a sprited argument with a guy on another board and we debated Belicheat and his "genius" tag. I think he has really ruined the Pats with questionable drafts, trades and letting talent walk. There are writers in NE that say Belicheat the GM is killing Belicheat the coach. I wonder where we have heard that before.

An HOF quarterback will make almost any head coach look like a genius (cough..... Shanahan....cough), and sounds like BB's career is taking a very similar tack to Shanny's too (I mean, really. Look at the history and they're almost mirror images of each other).

 

[cdumler7]

It didn't help that they traded Mankins for 6 pack of Blatz and a two day old slice of pizza. You can tell that Brady's fed up with the Pats letting all of the offensive talent out the door. A few years ago I got into a sprited argument with a guy on another board and we debated Belicheat and his "genius" tag. I think he has really ruined the Pats with questionable drafts, trades and letting talent walk. There are writers in NE that say Belicheat the GM is killing Belicheat the coach. I wonder where we have heard that before.

After seeing it first hand with Shanahan I have said I never want to see us give a coach both GM and Coaching responsibilities. That is just too much for one person. I mean when a coach during the season seems to work something like 80-100 hours a week where in the world is there time to do the GM side of your job? It is one of those you truly can't do your best work in either of them so then both end up suffering from lack of time and energy devoted to it. I like the idea of the Head Coach having some say in the draft...heck I like the idea of the OC and DC voicing their thoughts on what the offense and defense are lacking and letting the GM and Scouts know this is the type of player that fits our system best as I do think there are some great players in the NFL that look terrible who if they got in the right system could really make a difference. Heck look at Knighton over last year and this year where he is a star player where with Jacksonville he was benched. Again though doing both jobs is just too much for one person.

The old BB is untouchable is quickly starting to turn into a Shanahan situation quickly. After the Super Bowls I thought Shanahan would only leave the Broncos if he retired or died. This league is a what have you done for me lately thing and although I still think BB the coach is top notch the Pats have some decisions to make of what happens moving forward. Now given this is still early in the year so might be jumping a little early on some of this but even listening to the players talk it does seem even they seem there seems to be some major issues brewing.