NFL Network gave the Pats the Lombardi trophy but...

[HHURRICANE]

NFL Network gave the Pats the Lombardi trophy but decided to ask the question of where the holes are just in case. They came up with two:

1) The age of the LB corps. which doesn't have anybody below the age of 30. Matter-of-fact they might have the oldest in the league.

2) RB. Maroney obviously didn't play as well the second half of the year and they are saying that he has missed a fair amount on mini and OTA camps do to lingering injuries.

However, they did mention the improvements at WR and when they say it your jaw does have to drop a little. Moss, Stallworth and Wes Welker in the same sentence does sound pretty unbelievable.

[Goobylal]

Re: NFL Network gave the Pats the Lombardi trophy but...

I see the age of the LB's, and their decline, as a major problem for them. And injuries annually hit the team, and an aging group like this is a prime target. And it remains to be seen whether Adalius Thomas can buck the trend of former Ravens departees who struggled with new teams.

As for RB, I agree that Maroney didn't prove himself as a full-time starter, has shoulder concerns, and they have no one else to take the load off (Sammy Morris? Not!).

But at WR, Moss and Stallworth have not only been headcases, but they haven't been able to stay healthy. And they're both longball players, something which isn't the strength of Brady.

But they also have problems in their secondary. With Samuel holding out, Harrison on the decline, Hobbs and Gay unable to stay healthy, Troy Brown still recovering from knee surgery, and Chad Scott reportedly lost for the season after being carted off the field yesterday, they're going to be hurting there.

[Nighthawk]

Re: NFL Network gave the Pats the Lombardi trophy but...

NFL Network gave the Pats the Lombardi trophy but decided to ask the question of where the holes are just in case. They came up with two:

1) The age of the LB corps. which doesn't have anybody below the age of 30. Matter-of-fact they might have the oldest in the league.

2) RB. Maroney obviously didn't play as well the second half of the year and they are saying that he has missed a fair amount on mini and OTA camps do to lingering injuries.

However, they did mention the improvements at WR and when they say it your jaw does have to drop a little. Moss, Stallworth and Wes Welker in the same sentence does sound pretty unbelievable.

There is no doubt that the Pats are going to be good. The WR corps was upgraded immensely and they still have Belichek. However, I hope the Bills can knock them off this year. We will see.

[HHURRICANE]

Re: NFL Network gave the Pats the Lombardi trophy but...

There is no doubt that the Pats are going to be good. The WR corps was upgraded immensely and they still have Belichek. However, I hope the Bills can knock them off this year. We will see.

I actually believe that the Bills have a better chance of beating them this year than last year:

1) I think Lynch, Thomas, and Wright are going to absolutely pound the **** out of teams this year. Our OL is going to be dramatically improved and the teams in our own division are not counting on this. Jp should be able to fire at will.

2) I think the Bills secondary will be surprisingly good this year. Teams will not be able to throw at will on us. Brady will make his plays but we shouldn't be giving away plays.

3) Maroney with Dillon and Faulk was a scary threat. I'm not that worried about him on his own. Our running D will still be awful but not any worse than last year.

I think we beat them this year. Hell, we almost beat them last year in Foxboro.

[PECKERWOOD]

Re: NFL Network gave the Pats the Lombardi trophy but...

I actually believe that the Bills have a better chance of beating them this year than last year:

1) I think Lynch, Thomas, and Wright are going to absolutely pound the **** out of teams this year. Our OL is going to be dramatically improved and the teams in our own division are not counting on this. Jp should be able to fire at will.

2) I think the Bills secondary will be surprisingly good this year. Teams will not be able to throw at will on us. Brady will make his plays but we shouldn't be giving away plays.

3) Maroney with Dillon and Faulk was a scary threat. I'm not that worried about him on his own. Our running D will still be awful but not any worse than last year.

I think we beat them this year. Hell, we almost beat them last year in Foxboro.

I agree with all besides #3. I think our running game will be vastly improved with Crowell and Ellison now being more seasoned and experienced. I also like Posluszny's size and speed and I think he will make some big plays for us this year and we won't miss Fletcher or Spikes.

[Ickybaluky]

Re: NFL Network gave the Pats the Lombardi trophy but...

I was at camp yesterday.

1) The age of the LB corps. which doesn't have anybody below the age of 30. Matter-of-fact they might have the oldest in the league.

The Pats LB group will be one of the best in the NFL this year. I went to camp yesterday and Thomas is a monster. He is playing SSILB and is running step-for-step covering guys downfield. His presence allows Vrabel to stay outside and play less ILB and will be a boon for Colvin by taknig pressure off him. Tedy Bruschi will play less this year, however, as I don't see him staying on the field on passing downs.

If you want to question their defense, DB is where they are uncertain. How long will Samuel hold out? Can Rodney Harrison and Randall Gay stay healthy? Can Eugene Wilson regain his pre-injury form? Will Brandon Meriweather have any impact as a rookie? These are all legitimate concerns, especially for a team that likes to play a lot of different sub-packages.

Up front, they look incredible. Seymour was banged up all last year, playing less due to an elbow injury that required surgery, and they are being cautions with him this year. Having him healthier will be a big help. Ty Warren is becoming a monster (he had a great year last season) and Vince Wilfork looks like he lost about 30 lbs. They are deep there as well with the likes of Mike Wright, Jarvis Green, etc.

2) RB. Maroney obviously didn't play as well the second half of the year and they are saying that he has missed a fair amount on mini and OTA camps do to lingering injuries..

Maroney looked great at practice yesterday, although he is still wearing the non-contact jersey (offseason shoulder surgery). He looks about 10 lbs. bigger and was catching the ball great (they obviously worked on it with him this offseason, as he is much more natural catching the ball this year). He is going to have a monster season in the spread sets both running and catching the ball. I think he will still rotate out a lot, as Sammy Morris and Heath Evans are seeing a lot of reps in short-yardage situations. I expect they will try to get Maroney the ball in the open field more in their spread sets.

However, they did mention the improvements at WR and when they say it your jaw does have to drop a little. Moss, Stallworth and Wes Welker in the same sentence does sound pretty unbelievable.

Stallworth is on the PUP for now. Moss looked incredible yesterday. The guy is the most natural pass-catcher I've ever seen, catching everything away from his body with his hands. He runs great routes, never giving away when the ball is coming. He was getting deep yesterday and looked great. Welker was Mr. Consistent, and he will make his living in the short zones. Jabar Gaffney actually looked incredible yesterday, seeming a lot more confident in the system after his big playoff performance last year. He really stood out.

The Pats have an aura about them this year, you can tell they have a ton of confidence. Brady looked in midseason form, and seems very excited about the new guys. It is obviously early, but this team will be a bear for opponents.


Their offense looks like it will be significantly improved. They brought back their entire OL from last year, and competition there will be great.

[DynaPaul]

Re: NFL Network gave the Pats the Lombardi trophy but...

Call me a non-believer. They have added a lot of talent to the roster this year but it looks to me like they are following in the footsteps of the Redskins. If Belichick can make headcases like Randy Moss work I'll give him props. But for now I see them as a collection of star players with no solidarity yet. We'll see what happens when the season starts, don't annoint them yet!

[YardRat]

Re: NFL Network gave the Pats the Lombardi trophy but...

They've got to be everybody's pre-season favorites. We'll see if they can deliver on the hype as the season unfolds.

[Earthquake Enyart]

Re: NFL Network gave the Pats the Lombardi trophy but...

The only way they don't win is if Brady goes down.

[HHURRICANE]

Re: NFL Network gave the Pats the Lombardi trophy but...

Call me a non-believer. They have added a lot of talent to the roster this year but it looks to me like they are following in the footsteps of the Redskins. If Belichick can make headcases like Randy Moss work I'll give him props. But for now I see them as a collection of star players with no solidarity yet. We'll see what happens when the season starts, don't annoint them yet!

I have to say that during the offseason I was believing that they were going to be unbeatable. However, when you look at it closer I agree that throwing a bunch of free agents, at talent positions, translates into wins.

I would make the argumnet that this was the Pats last ditch effort to make one more meaningful run.

[HHURRICANE]

Re: NFL Network gave the Pats the Lombardi trophy but...

I was at camp yesterday.



The Pats LB group will be one of the best in the NFL this year. I went to camp yesterday and Thomas is a monster. He is playing SSILB and is running step-for-step covering guys downfield. His presence allows Vrabel to stay outside and play less ILB and will be a boon for Colvin by taknig pressure off him. Tedy Bruschi will play less this year, however, as I don't see him staying on the field on passing downs.

If you want to question their defense, DB is where they are uncertain. How long will Samuel hold out? Can Rodney Harrison and Randall Gay stay healthy? Can Eugene Wilson regain his pre-injury form? Will Brandon Meriweather have any impact as a rookie? These are all legitimate concerns, especially for a team that likes to play a lot of different sub-packages.

Up front, they look incredible. Seymour was banged up all last year, playing less due to an elbow injury that required surgery, and they are being cautions with him this year. Having him healthier will be a big help. Ty Warren is becoming a monster (he had a great year last season) and Vince Wilfork looks like he lost about 30 lbs. They are deep there as well with the likes of Mike Wright, Jarvis Green, etc.



Maroney looked great at practice yesterday, although he is still wearing the non-contact jersey (offseason shoulder surgery). He looks about 10 lbs. bigger and was catching the ball great (they obviously worked on it with him this offseason, as he is much more natural catching the ball this year). He is going to have a monster season in the spread sets both running and catching the ball. I think he will still rotate out a lot, as Sammy Morris and Heath Evans are seeing a lot of reps in short-yardage situations. I expect they will try to get Maroney the ball in the open field more in their spread sets.



Stallworth is on the PUP for now. Moss looked incredible yesterday. The guy is the most natural pass-catcher I've ever seen, catching everything away from his body with his hands. He runs great routes, never giving away when the ball is coming. He was getting deep yesterday and looked great. Welker was Mr. Consistent, and he will make his living in the short zones. Jabar Gaffney actually looked incredible yesterday, seeming a lot more confident in the system after his big playoff performance last year. He really stood out.

The Pats have an aura about them this year, you can tell they have a ton of confidence. Brady looked in midseason form, and seems very excited about the new guys. It is obviously early, but this team will be a bear for opponents.


Their offense looks like it will be significantly improved. They brought back their entire OL from last year, and competition there will be great.

You do realize that I reported this from NFL Network? This wasn't my opinion.

However, I'll give you mine:

1) I think your FA was significant. Any team would have been happy with the signings you made. IMO Adalius and Welker were great signings.

2) However, I think you are going to be major league disappointed in Stallworth and Moss if you're thinking "great" additions.

3) The competition in the AFC East is better this year than a year ago. I think that you will have your work cut out for you.

Bellichek is one great coach and he hasn't had the wheels come off yet but this team might have some stamina issues. We'll see.

[ddaryl]

Re: NFL Network gave the Pats the Lombardi trophy but...

The only way they don't win is if Brady goes down.

he's had some healthy seasons, but at some point he is bound to take a hard hit.


I think the Bills have the capabilites of going toe to toe with NE in a shootout this year, or woth any team. Our DL might not be able to close the deal in the end though.... of course that could just be me being overly optomistic, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't real excited about the our O.

[clumping platelets]

Re: NFL Network gave the Pats the Lombardi trophy but...

Time to take Brady out

[HHURRICANE]

Re: NFL Network gave the Pats the Lombardi trophy but...

he's had some healthy seasons, but at some point he is bound to take a hard hit.


I think the Bills have the capabilites of going toe to toe with NE in a shootout this year, or woth any team. Our DL might not be able to close the deal in the end though.... of course that could just be me being overly optomistic, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't real excited about the our O.

If McCargo plays well and we get Walker I'd be more worried about the LB Corps. We have no depth at LB.

You could make the argument that Tripplet, Williams, MCargo, and Walker could hold their own with Hargrove working himself in there.

[Earthquake Enyart]

Re: NFL Network gave the Pats the Lombardi trophy but...

The Pats getting Adalius Thomas was huge. The guy is a beast.