New England Patriots Sinking Fast

[DynaPaul]

They've lost Brown and Patten leaving Bradu with only Branch to throw to. They've lost Crennel and Weiss. Phifer is out and Bruschi is unlikely to return. Law is gone. The worst part is that I don't see any new blood coming in. The team concept that Belichick touts is going to win any hearts or boost morale when you lose people that made the plays to win and you **** on your veterans. Folks, any Patriots fan thinking "Three-Peat" this year must be smoking more weed than Cheech and Chong. It'll be amusing to watch their large stable of USENET trolls wallowing in agony next year.

Patriots "Dynasty"* R.I.P.

[Jersey1031]

They've lost Brown and Patten leaving Bradu with only Branch to throw to. They've lost Crennel and Weiss. Phifer is out and Bruschi is unlikely to return. Law is gone. The worst part is that I don't see any new blood coming in. The team concept that Belichick touts is going to win any hearts or boost morale when you lose people that made the plays to win and you **** on your veterans. Folks, any Patriots fan thinking "Three-Peat" this year must be smoking more weed than Cheech and Chong. It'll be amusing to watch their large stable of USENET trolls wallowing in agony next year.

Patriots "Dynasty"* R.I.P.

yea, espn said they would try and sign back brown for less but idk. personally, i think the biggest losses are crennel and weiss

[BillyT92679]

I watched the Live From New York: It's Saturday Night special on NBC a couple of weeks ago... it's like May 1980 for the Pats. Bye bye, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, et. al... this team will be fair to middling next year. I expect a 10-6 record for them.

[mybills]

[generalmills]

I will never say that this pats team is not going to be great... These past 3 years I have time and time again tried and failed to see a fantastic team..but every game they came out a frustrated the heck out of me by pulling games out..The Pats are still the Champs and until I see otherwise I will still fear and respect that team....aslong as they have that master mind at the helm and Brady in the pocket...they are still the team to beat!

[Crisis]

i still think they're the best team in the NFL.

They still have Branch and Givens at WR. They also seem to find gems in the unlikeliest of places at every position. Don't count them out.

[mybills]

They're out! There, I counted for ya!

[The Natrix]

Brown was over the hill as a WR and Patten sucks. Addition by subtraction if you ask me. Branch and Givens are their 1,2, as they were last year. Also, they are the Patriots, so they will find some depth on the cheap.

[Jersey1031]

Brown was over the hill as a WR and Patten sucks. Addition by subtraction if you ask me. Branch and Givens are their 1,2, as they were last year. Also, they are the Patriots, so they will find some depth on the cheap.

plus most guys will sign cheaper for them because they want to play with the world champs...

[Ickybaluky]

A little wishful thinking here. The Pats are just getting younger, which has been a goal of theirs since 2002.

They've lost Brown and Patten leaving Bradu with only Branch to throw to.

They lost Brown, but have a chance to re-sign him. They lost Patten, but he was their 4th WR at the start of the season. Both guys are older.

Of course they still have Deion Branch and David Givens, who are the starting WR on the team. They still have Bethel Johnson, who should see more playing time. All those guys are young. They get Ben Watson, their #1 pick TE, back from injury. They likely will sign another receiver.

They've lost Crennel and Weiss.

This is being totally overstated. The Pats have an excellent coaching staff.

Their new DC is Eric Mangini, who is one of the most highly-thought of young coaches in the NFL. The guy had 3 teams bidding over him before the Pats got him. He has been brought along by Bill Belichick, who I've heard knows a few things about defensive football.

As for offense, Weis is very creative and a solid coach. However, they have a lot of young talent on offense. They have a solid running game with Corey Dillon. Most importantly, they have Tom Brady. I think they will score some points.

Phifer is out and Bruschi is unlikely to return.

They lost Phifer, but he is 38 years old and was their 3rd option at ILB. Bruschi is up in the air, but he could return.

Even in the worst case, Bruschi not returning, they will be strong at LB. They just might play more 4-3. That is possible because they have one of the strongest DL in the NFL.

Law is gone.

I love the guy and wish him well. However, he wasn't on the team last year after their 6th game. They return everyone else in the secondary, and have added a top cover player in Duane Starks. They get Guss Scott, their 3rd-round pick last year, back from injury. They will be stronger in the secondary.

Patriots "Dynasty"* R.I.P.

I don't know if the Pats will win the Super Bowl next year, as there are too many factors (luck, injuries, etc.). However, I do know they will be one of the better teams in the NFL. They still will have a great front office, led by Belichick and Pioli, who have a great record finding players. They still will have a top-notch coaching staff. They will be younger, but probably have more raw talent. They have more cap flexibility than any time since Belichick arrived, which allowed them to trade for Starks and almost allowed them to sign Derrick Mason.

The Pats will be a strong team again next season, I'd bet all the zonebucks I have on that.

[Dicknoze69]

The Pats will be a strong team again next season, I'd bet all the zonebucks I have on that.

I hate to agree with the guy, since he's a Pats fan, but he's absolutely right here (provided Brady doesn't snap his leg in two) :snicker2:

I do think the loss of Weis will hurt the most, as it will make Belichick concentrate more on offense and less on defense. Someone needs to hire Pioli away to really hurt them though.

[Ickybaluky]

I hate to agree with the guy, since he's a Pats fan, but he's absolutely right here (provided Brady doesn't snap his leg in two) :snicker2:

I do think the loss of Weis will hurt the most, as it will make Belichick concentrate more on offense and less on defense. Someone needs to hire Pioli away to really hurt them though.

Losing Pioli would definitely cast doubt, because he has worked so well with Belichick.

Brady is the other key.

I agree with you on those points.

[Dozerdog]

New England isn't going anywhere. They are just quietly reloading

[The Spaz]

Yeah god forbid that the patriots could ever be average or worse.

[lordofgun]

Wishful thinking at best.