How far the mighty have fallen!!!

[X-Era]

Who exactly should we worry about in the Pats secondary at this point?

Gay- Gone
Samuel- Gone
Wilson- likely gone
Colvin- gone

Who exactly should we worry about on their offense?

Moss- likely gone
Stallworth- gone

This team is very depleted IMO. The now have siginificant holes that teams can exploit.

Its about time for a new leader in the AFC East!

Go Bills!

[Mr. Pink]

And in years past they've lost big name players in the system and what has it done to them? Nothing.

Ty Law gone? No effect.
Lawyer Milloy gone? No effect.
Deion Branch gone? No effect.
Ted Johnson gone? No effect.
Drew Bledose gone? No effect.
Troy Brown playing CB because of injuries and depleted secondary? No effect.

Why is this year going to be any different?

[justasportsfan]

Paper doesn't count.

[kgun12]

And in years past they've lost big name players in the system and what has it done to them? Nothing.

Ty Law gone? No effect.
Lawyer Milloy gone? No effect.
Deion Branch gone? No effect.
Ted Johnson gone? No effect.
Drew Bledose gone? No effect.
Troy Brown playing CB because of injuries and depleted secondary? No effect.

Why is this year going to be any different?

Good point FTY! Good teams just seem to reload.

[jchild178]

I think its going to hurt them because of losing those players all at once. Who cares screw the Pats!

[Mitchy moo]

Now you've done it.


Who exactly should we worry about in the Pats secondary at this point?

Gay- Gone
Samuel- Gone
Wilson- likely gone
Colvin- gone

Who exactly should we worry about on their offense?

Moss- likely gone
Stallworth- gone

This team is very depleted IMO. The now have siginificant holes that teams can exploit.

Its about time for a new leader in the AFC East!

Go Bills!

[X-Era]

And in years past they've lost big name players in the system and what has it done to them? Nothing.

Ty Law gone? No effect.
Lawyer Milloy gone? No effect.
Deion Branch gone? No effect.
Ted Johnson gone? No effect.
Drew Bledose gone? No effect.
Troy Brown playing CB because of injuries and depleted secondary? No effect.

Why is this year going to be any different?

Huge difference...

Who have they replaced these guys with as of now? NO ONE! They replaced all the guys you mentioned in the past. They also never lost so much in one year.

[OpIv37]

The gap between us and the Patriots has gotten smaller, but it's still huge.

It's kind of like the morbidly obese guy who lost 400 lbs but still weighs 450- we're better off but still not even close.

[Ed]

And in years past they've lost big name players in the system and what has it done to them? Nothing.

Ty Law gone? No effect.
Lawyer Milloy gone? No effect.
Deion Branch gone? No effect.
Ted Johnson gone? No effect.
Drew Bledose gone? No effect.
Troy Brown playing CB because of injuries and depleted secondary? No effect.

Why is this year going to be any different?
I was going to say, even when they've been decimated with injuries and had to start Troy Brown in their secondary, they still owned us.

Plus, they could still get Moss back, and Tom Brady has never needed top talent at WR to beat us in the past.

I love this team and I'm always optimistic, but lets not thump our chests and crown ourselves paper champions before we do anything. We haven't been to the playoffs in 8 years. The last thing we need to do is overhype ourselves and laugh at the Patriots.

Remember that off-season when we picked up Spikes, Adams, Posey and Milloy and looked like superbowl contenders two weeks into the season only to go 4-10 the rest of the way in one of the most monumentally dissapointing seasons we've had. Not to mention we had to watch the Pats win another superbowl.

[Meathead]

considering they won a superbowl with troy brown playing cb i wouldnt get too bonerfied over them losing yet more corners

the only way that wouldnt be astonishing is if we found out they were stealing offensive signals

i dont know how they do it. nobody else can. yet the parade of good corners leaving or getting injured is huge and yet they keep on finding ways to make plays. unreal

[gr8slayer]

The gap between us and the Patriots has gotten smaller, but it's still huge.

It's kind of like the morbidly obese guy who lost 400 lbs but still weighs 450- we're better off but still not even close.
Great analogy.

[justasportsfan]

The gap between us and the Patriots has gotten smaller, but it's still huge.

It's kind of like the morbidly obese guy who lost 400 lbs but still weighs 450- we're better off but still not even close.


It's a good thing posters like us are keeping the homers in check . :huh:

[raphael120]

Let's see who they still have.

Tom Brady

Bellichick

The Almighty Bruschi

Welker

And their pro bowl filled o-line.

They might be hurt in certain areas, but they still have talent left on that team.

[OpIv37]

It's a good thing posters like us are keeping the homers in check . :huh:

ha.

honestly, I like the moves so far and we've gotten better, but we're a lot more than two players away from being able to compete with the Pats.

There's a lot of off-season to go yet and there's a chance we could close the gap even further, so I guess we'll have to wait and see :snicker:

[JerseyBoofaloBills]

Let's see who they still have.

Tom Brady

Bellichick

The Almighty Bruschi

Welker

And their pro bowl filled o-line.

They might be hurt in certain areas, but they still have talent left on that team.

But the thing with welker is that he might have to be moved to 1st or second..he wont be playing the slot, so that ups the chances..but still the patriots always find a way to be awesome..they might just draft a corner with their like 7th or 8th pick or w.e it is.

[mikemac2001]

And in years past they've lost big name players in the system and what has it done to them? Nothing.

Ty Law gone? No effect.
Lawyer Milloy gone? No effect.
Deion Branch gone? No effect.
Ted Johnson gone? No effect.
Drew Bledose gone? No effect.
Troy Brown playing CB because of injuries and depleted secondary? No effect.

Why is this year going to be any different?

they cant cheat anymore

[X-Era]

Let's see who they still have.

Tom Brady

Bellichick

The Almighty Bruschi

Welker

And their pro bowl filled o-line.

They might be hurt in certain areas, but they still have talent left on that team.

Lets recap my post, they now have holes that they havent filled.

WAY too much love for the Pats here folks.

The will have a total of 1 starter in the secondary back from last year. And all the good replacements are already gone.

[Mr. Miyagi]

I wouldn't be 100% confident that Bellichick will still be coaching the Pats next season, depending on what happens in the SpyGate thing.

Dom Capers anyone?

[OpIv37]

Lets recap my post, they now have holes that they havent filled.

WAY too much love for the Pats here folks.

The will have a total of 1 starter in the secondary back from last year. And all the good replacements are already gone.

dude, as FTY already pointed out, this happens to the Pats EVERY year and it has yet to effect them. And EVERY year, someone comes on here and talks about how much of a beating the Pats have taken and how they're going to be so much worse- like you're doing now- but it NEVER happens.

So, some of us are skeptical with very good reason. History is on our side here.

[Mitchy moo]

It's a good thing posters like us are keeping the homers in check . :huh:
your onboard the playoff express anyways.

[JJamezz]

they cant cheat anymore

We're gonna find out how much of an impact it's had for sure.. May not be as easy to plug those holes with no-name 'Belichick' guys anymore.

[Pondslider]

It's 3 days into Free Agency. Let's wait until they start playing games or get closer to having their 53 man roster set before we start hammering nails into the Patriots' coffin.

The Patriots have been too quiet so far and the draft is still over a month away. It wouldn't surprise me if they have something up their sleeves. Kraft is not going to just let that team drop that significantly in one year.

[Ed]

dude, as FTY already pointed out, this happens to the Pats EVERY year and it has yet to effect them. And EVERY year, someone comes on here and talks about how much of a beating the Pats have taken and how they're going to be so much worse- like you're doing now- but it NEVER happens.

So, some of us are skeptical with very good reason. History is on our side here.
Exactly. It's not like the Pats were ever considered a really talented team when they were winning superbowls. In fact their talent was always in question, but they were that group of no name guys that would play as a team and find a way, blah blah blah.

I mean Brady used to just be considered a system qb and their star RB was an old Antowain Smith.

[Mr. Pink]

Sure they've lost players...but they haven't signed anyone yet to replace them...

There's still decent players available for them to plug in, just like they did every other year outside of last year when they went all out to bring in guys.

Randy Moss being gone is a certainty, yet. But even if he does leave Brady succeeded with Deion Branch, Reche Caldwell at WR.

Still available at WR - Bryant Johnson, DJ Hackett, Javon Walker, Marty Booker. Any of those 4 guys would do well with Brady throwing them the rock.

You say their secondary is depleted? Who was Asante Samuel when they let Ty Law go? A nobody. A nobody they plugged in and he succeeded in their system.

Cornerbacks still left in FA....Law, Fisher, Brian Kelly. Not too mention the Pats could still make a trade for Asmougha or Trufant if they wanted.
And Sammy Knight is still available at S.

Not too mention they have the 7th overall pick to go after Mike Jenkins, Talib or DRC if they wanted or Kenny Phillips at Safety.

It's WAY too early still to say they have fallen.

[justasportsfan]

ha.


There's a lot of off-season to go yet and there's a chance we could close the gap even further, so I guess we'll have to wait and see :snicker:

:snicker:

[X-Era]

:snicker:

EXACTLY!

I think they have grown TOO confident. They are so convinced they can just plug in whomever... Well, if Moss and Stallworth are gone, you can expect there O too head downward. If their secondary is depleted, you can expect teams to throw on them.

The Bills are about to add an under-the-radar WR who will play very well for us. Evans and Johnson will start to eat the Pats alive this year.

[YardRat]

The Good-Even though the Pats have lost and replaced players in the past with little or no fall-off, I can't remember them losing this many in one off-season.

The Bad-They still have their o-line and d-line, and both rank among the best in the league. We all know football is really won in the trenches.

The Ugly-That cheating bastard Bill Belli**** will most likely still be on the sidelines next year, and as long as he lives and breathes in that nasty-ass homeless Pats hoodie he sports you can never count him out of coming up with a way to win, regardless of whether it's within the rules or not.

[Patrick76777]

And in years past they've lost big name players in the system and what has it done to them? Nothing.

Ty Law gone? No effect.
Lawyer Milloy gone? No effect.
Deion Branch gone? No effect.
Ted Johnson gone? No effect.
Drew Bledose gone? No effect.
Troy Brown playing CB because of injuries and depleted secondary? No effect.

Why is this year going to be any different?

They'll have a tougher time cheating because people are watching closer.

[Ickybaluky]

Apparently the pressure is really getting to Belichick. He is so worried about things, that he spent the second day of FA taking in a John Hopkins lacrosse game (http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/lacrosse/bal-sp.laxnotes02mar02,0,5165063.story).

Personally, I don't see any reason to worry. Granted, losing Moss would be a big blow if it were to happen, but I'm pretty convinced the Pats have a plan. Given how well they have done this decade, I'm willing to let things play out.

If they sign Moss, I think they are in good shape. Samuel is a heck of a player, but they can find another CB. Gay was a pretty good nickel guy, but he is replaceable as well. Wilson was the 7th DB by the end of the season, and they weren't bringing him back. I hope they re-sign Gaffney, who is a nice player. Stallworth they can recover from.

Really, you go into every offseason knowing there is going to be change. The only thing I see being a huge blow would be losing Moss, and that hasn't happened yet. Granted, they lost some good players, but they also have the 7th pick in the draft, 4 first day picks, $22M in cap room and return a great QB and coaching staff.

Things could be a lot worse. I think they'll be fine.

[Patrick76777]

IMO, Moss is such a huge factor in how NE will do next year.
]
Guys like L8Slayer and Op make it seem like the they have won 7 Superbowls in a row. But let's look at it.

2001 - a gritty team that came out of nowhere and won the whole thing as HUGE underdogs.
2002 - Missed playoffs at 9-7
2003 & 2004 - Team added key parts and peaked winning 2 Superbowls
2005 - Finished 10-6 and lost in the Divisional round by 2 TD's to Denver
2006 - Rebounded to finish 12-4 but struggled at times with a nobody at wideout and aging linebackers and blew a huge lead in the AFC Championship game.
2007 - Add Moss and become almost unbeatable. Almost!

Realize that this team hasn't won anything in 3 years!

There's no question that Brady is a great QB, but he's only as good as the talent around him. Adding Randy Moss to the mix changed that offense from being good to being record breaking. A player the caliber of Moss can change a game. Wes Welker is a servicable player, but if the whole defense is geared towards stoping Moss, Welker is going to tear up the middle of a defense.

Plus it's a very old defense that took some big hits.

Again, if they lose Moss, the offense will take a huge hit. If Moss comes back, they'll be NASTY again!

[Ed]

Sounds like Moss wants to re-unite with Culpepper. Not sure why he would want to do that to himself, but it certainly doesn't sound like he has a problem leaving NE, which I'm totally ok with.

[don137]

IMO the key to the success of the Patriots besides Brady is trying to keep the guys in the trenches. The Patriots have done a good job in keeping the DL and OL locked up. Protecting Brady and getting to the QB seems to be a very high priority for them. When Brady has time he will pick apart defenses and create a lead thus putting teams in passing situations thus allowing the DL to attack the QB.
IMO they do not put a lot of stock in DBs or WRs so they let them walk and re-load.

[colin]

the faketriots are gonna add a db with their high pick. prolly the kid from troy state.

[Johnny Bugmenot]

Why is this year going to be any different?
Two words: federal investigation.

[njsue]

Who exactly should we worry about in the Pats secondary at this point?

Gay- Gone
Samuel- Gone
Wilson- likely gone
Colvin- gone

Who exactly should we worry about on their offense?

Moss- likely gone
Stallworth- gone

This team is very depleted IMO. The now have siginificant holes that teams can exploit.

Its about time for a new leader in the AFC East!

Go Bills!

Old man Teddy was asked to come back though :lmao:

[Ickybaluky]

IMO the key to the success of the Patriots besides Brady is trying to keep the guys in the trenches. The Patriots have done a good job in keeping the DL and OL locked up. Protecting Brady and getting to the QB seems to be a very high priority for them. When Brady has time he will pick apart defenses and create a lead thus putting teams in passing situations thus allowing the DL to attack the QB.
IMO they do not put a lot of stock in DBs or WRs so they let them walk and re-load.

I agree. The Pats philosophy has been to let guys go who are further away from the ball, and pay to keep the guys closer to the ball. The pay to keep the QB (Brady), they pay to keep the OL (Light, Koppen, Neal), they pay to keep the front 7 (Seymour, Warren, Vrabel, Thomas) but they have chewed through WR, TE, S, CB and RB. They figure the closer to the ball players are more key to winning, and where the stability is needed.

If you look at their run, that is the reason behind their success.

Of course, it looks like they are making an exception for Moss, who apparently they are going to make one of the highest-paid WR in the game. That is because of his special talent.

I hope they keep Gaffney as well. He is a nice player.

[Ickybaluky]

Again, if they lose Moss, the offense will take a huge hit.


NFL Network's Adam Schefter reports the Patriots are close to re-signing free agent Randy Moss.

LINK (http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/player_main.aspx?sport=NFL&id=1655)

[DynaPaul]

Video Camera Guy - Gone!

End of story.

[X-Era]

LINK (http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/player_main.aspx?sport=NFL&id=1655)

I hope (for you) that they do, but I hope (for us) that they dont.

[yordad]

ha.

honestly, I like the moves so far and we've gotten better, but we're a lot more than two players away from being able to compete with the Pats.

There's a lot of off-season to go yet and there's a chance we could close the gap even further, so I guess we'll have to wait and see :snicker:Two players? How about they lost 6 starters, and we add 5 or more (3 FA, 2+ Draft). Are we close then? That is 11.

Not to mention there starting LBs are a combined 160 years old.

[jamze132]

Huge difference...

Who have they replaced these guys with as of now? NO ONE! They replaced all the guys you mentioned in the past. They also never lost so much in one year.
Well seeing how they have a nice 1st round pick to use, they will replace one of those guys.