You still need top end talent or we'd be seeing every bum perform like a great WR, not calling our WRs bums but we are lacking the talent there.
Dustin Keller is going to have to be the TE and we'll have to go with formations that keep Richardson in the game more. TEs that can block and hurt a team deep are so hard to come by that we'll just have to use what we've got. I agree that the team needs more but getting a star in every spot is not going to happen and it's not what we need to do to win. We need to make sure every guy on the team can play a role and make sure they all do it every game. That's how winners win. So what if the Pats have Taylor now. He is old and there's no reason having him will necessarily make their running game better than last season. Their D is still old as well.
On teams with good systems, every dumb out there DOES perform like a great WR. Look at the Branch/Givens/Troy Brown combo from the Pats a few years ago. Those guys looked like stars but they were really very mediocre. Or look at Housh and Chad Johnson. Those guys were nasty back when the system worked but, last year, the system fell apart and they looked like crap.
if the pats get Peppers they would have 2 3-4 olbs who cant cover fine by me, Peppers in the 3-4 equals no sense at all.
They were mediocre on the Pats as well, they were just good enough to not cost them games in the system, a good system is important but the talent is what take the offense to a new level, Tom Brady a great QB turned into greatest season ever by a QB with better talent.
Brett Ratliff.... that's so funny. Yeah, lets go into the season with Clemens and Ratliff as or only hope. TJ should 45 carries a game.. Geez, I am chicken little and you guys are Madden playing, zit faced little boys that don't know jack shit. Brett Ratliif is the man, that's funny!!!
Well, I will agree with you to a point. I have said all along we don't need to be wasting a dime on a receiver until we have a proven QB to pass to him. I would rather get another RB and run the ball, as you say, 45 times a game. Or get a QB first and then worry about a receiver.
Christ sake man...Matt Cassell played great last yr. Nobody in college would let him on the field. What makes you think Ratliff will stink? Because he was undrafted? Fair enough if you're going by the books. Clemens was a second round pick. 4th after Young, Leinart and Cutler. He has NFL experience and is not terrible at all. Maybe not the greatest but much better than many others in the NFL. As for us not having Trent Dilfer, are you telling me he was an elite QB? Not even in his prime he was elite. He's thrown more picks than TDs, his Career rating is 70, and has fumbled 82 times in 113 starts over his career. U gonna brag about that being a great career? Ratliff or Clemens are decent enough to manage the game with a good running offense and a great defense. I'd like to get Peyton and Moss in the Jets uniform, but that doesn't mean we'll suck without them. Whatever the reason was, Clemens was 3-4 when he started. He had no rushing attack, his OL was nothing less than what Seahawks had this yr and that Defense couldn't stop anyone and he still managed to pull it close to .500 in his second yr. He should have a great running game, Great OL, and a great D. Im sure he can take a step forward after two more yrs of experience and the overall team improvement. His WRs will be nothing less than that of 07. BTW, Trent Dilfer threw 18 ints in his second yr along with 4 TDs in 16 games. Kellen threw 10 ints and 5 tds in his 10 games.
If the Pats are the only games we lose all year, we will be fine as long as we beat them in the playoffs.
if you were a pats fan, you probably would of been one of the guys that got freaked out when drew bledsoe went down and found out tom brady was starting...you also would of been one of the guys that never lived down the shit you said about tom brady before he won the pats a bunch of superbowls, set some records and became a future hall of famer. you obviously don't know jack shit.
Dude - I'm giving you my Darksider pin Every post you make is the doom and gloom of no QB. There IS NO QB out there. Clemens was picked in the 2nd round behind Cutler. So why should we pay for Cutler? Because he has experience playing with Denver? Get serious? Having had a fews years in Schottie's system Clemens CAN START. Why bring in someone who will have to take 4 games to get up to speed on the playbook? Clemens and Ratcliff are ready to go NOW. Wanna grab a late round QB in the draft? Fine. See if we can grab the Rutgers boy. But I would not waste a 1st round pick on ANY of the QBs in this draft, and unless Denver is letting Cutler go for a 2nd rounder it's not even worth discussing. Wanna play Doom and Gloom? Figure out how I, unemployed, can afford a PSL. THAT'S GLOOMY.
1) Yeah, we still have holes but far less than most teams. I'll name every team in the AFC who has bigger holes than us heading into the draft (and still in the middle of free agency): Jaguars, Chiefs, Broncos, Raiders, Texans, Bengals, Browns, Bills, Dolphins, and Possibly the Titans and Ravens. As for the Pats: I still give them the edge over us but I think it's much, much narrower than you do. First of all, we split with them 2 out of the 3 seasons of Mangini's tenure. That's not bad. Jets-Pats games are always close and competitive. We beat them in the most significant game between the two clubs since the 07 playoff game this past season. At the time, it was believed that game was likely for the division title. And we beat them in their building. Secondly, the Pats have plenty of holes, themselves. They have a very mediocre secondary, are in desperate need of a younger LB core (although, they have a young stud in Mayo and another stud in his prime in Thomas), and have a huge hole to fill with the loss of their genius-prodigy Offensie Coordinator. As for Fred Taylor, I think it's a great pick-up but he's very old and has been an aging warrior for years now. As it is, he no longer can handle the carries (and probably lacks the explosive elusiveness) to be a starter and is primed to split the bulk of the carries with another back or two (or three - running back by committee has become the norm in the NFL). But nonetheless, they do have a very solid core of running backs now with Heath Evans, Fred Taylor, Lamont Jordan, and Lawrence Maroney (if he can ever stay healthy). The thing is though, Leon is more dangerous than any of them. He's the only true game-breaker at the position for either team. This, along with the fact that TJ is just as talented, consistent, and durable as any of the backs NE has, means that the Jets still have the advantage at the running back position. Obviously, the huge advantage the Pats have over the Jets is their 1st ballot Hall of Fame quarterback. But of course, he's coming off of a potentially career threatening injury, and it remains to be seen if/when he will regain his old form. Moss, Welker, Gaffney, and Watson are still a dynamite group of receivers. But Moss is quietly getting older and Watson has neer lived up to his pro-bowl potential. Our O-line and their O-line is probably a wash. They are probably better at pass-protection but we get the clear edge in run-blocking. I think our secondary is markedly better than their secondary at this point in time (again, we still have the rest of free-agency and the entire draft to go). Both teams stop the run very well because both teams have 3-4 defenses with dominant nose-tackles and Linebackers built to stop the run. Both LB cores struggle at pass-coverage (this has been a weakness of the Pats for years and it really became a huge weakness of ours last year) but the Jets just picked up one of the better Pass-covering inside LBs in the NFL. To me, if the Jets can get good, quality play at the QB position (obviously a big IF), they'll be right there to challenge the Pats and will be primed to split with them again. (Both teams are clearly better than the Dolphins) Oh, and by the way, Peppers making the effective transition to a 3-4 outside linebacker while still maintaining his dominant, game-changing ability is something I will have to see manifest itself on the field before I get too worried. 2) We were clearly one of the most talented teams in the AFC last year, and IF (again, it's a big one) we get consistent quarterback play from whoever our starter is this year, we will be more talented heading into next year.
The Pats have the 23rd overall in Round 1. 3 - #2's. 2 - #3's. Tom Brady coming back Peppers trade in the works Fred Taylor to rotate in with a motivated Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris and K Faulk Plenty of CAP room to take on Peppers and or Bodden and or Lewis 6 picks in the first 3 rounds Like Vegas predicts for 2009, the Patriots won't be stopped............ The Jets still have no QB or #1 WR, you can sign the entire 1990 NYGiant LB core, including LT, it ain't gonna matter if you don't have a QB or a #1 WR.
I was impressed with what I saw from Brett but how could you say he is the QB? Your basing it on a few preseason games? That's a big leap of faith. While I hope he does become a solid QB theres no proof he will be only signs he deserves a shot.
Well, now that is just about as stupid a comment as ever made here. Every Pat's fan went into a state of panic when Bledsoe went down and was going to be replaced by some 6th round nobody from Michigan.
