Patriots Become USC

[Mule]

Both of the greatest teams in football again get to showcase their greatness against the bottom of the barrel. In information just out, NE's 2008 schedule is the weakest in the NFL with opponents having a .387 winning percentage. Of the 8 teams ranked at the bottom (100-1 to win the SB) the Pats play 7.

It appears the Baron was correct.

[gprsh924]

Yea, but they beat the Chargers twice, the Colts, the Cowboys, the Jaguars, and split the Giants.

It's not like in college where you can get into the National Championship with weak schedule and then get shown up in the game. In the NFL the regular season means zero once the playoffs start and you have to win every game to move on.

Comparing college to pros is apples to oranges.

[Mule]

Home Games
Bills
Broncos
Cardinals
Chiefs
Dolphins
Jets
Rams
Steelers

Road games
Bills
Chargers
Colts
Dolphins
49ers
Jets
Raiders
Seahawks

[Red Baron]

IMO, the NFL's SOS ratings at the beginning of the season are much less telling than the end of season SOS rankings. The Pats division was horrible this season but their out of division schedule was pretty good for the most part.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Sour grapes make a lot of wine (whine) don't they?

[TyFenn]

really???

that's their schedule???


wake me up when the playoffs start...

[Mule]

Sour grapes over what? Pats don't cheat so they loose? New info shows Pats may have cheated on previous SB wins. Who's sour over that , you?

[Porsche-O-Phile]

No, you're obviously sour over something since you seem to post little else other than how much of a Patriots hater you are. Nobody really cares. If you don't like 'em, fine. You don't have to. I'm not bitter about the loss. In fact, I expect the Patriots to react the way they've always done to adversity - to come back stronger, more dangerous and more motivated as a result. I wouldn't want to be squaring off against them in Week #1 next season, that's for damn sure!

I don't think that's a particularly easy schedule, but I don't think it's a particularly hard schedule either. A lot depends on off-season moves.

Bills? They've had difficulty, but are in the process of restructuring. Hardly a "cake walk" team. Not an easy game, but not a hard one.

Broncos? Not a bad team. They've given the Patriots trouble a few times over the last few years, including a humiliating loss a couple of years ago (one of Brady's worst games ever). Could be a tough game for N.E.

Cardinals? On the rise. I expect them to be a playoff contender in the next couple of seasons if they keep going the way they are. Again, not easy but not hard.

Chiefs? Always a middle-of-the-road team, but not a cakewalk. Could give them some difficulty.

Dolphins? Who knows. They're in the same division, so the Patriots HAVE to play them. Could be easy. Or not.

Jets? Good, I'll love watching them pound Mangini's whiner-crew into the turf again. Not not terribly hard, but not a cake walk either.

Rams? Good test of the run defense. Not an easy game for N.E.

Steelers? A VERY good test of the run defense. A difficult game for N.E. They could quite possibly lose this one, even at home.

Road games

Bills - see above.

Chargers - probably their toughest test of the season next year. These guys will have a serious axe to grind after being beaten by N.E. in two straight post-seasons. I'll definitely be going to S.D. to see this one!

Colts - another high-quality team that can beat N.E. By no means easy.

Dolphins - see above

49ers - not a difficult game on paper, but you never know. . .

Jets - good, they get to pound Mangini again.

Raiders - another west-coast team with an axe to grind. Should be fun. I might even venture to the "black hole" in visiting team colors, which takes balls or stupidity (I'm not sure which). How difficult of a game this is ENTIRELY depends on the Raiders' moves in the off-season.

Seahawks - difficult game. They are very solid and very good. Underrated and looking to make their mark.



So the way I see it, assuming N.E. has roughly the same strength they did this season, they have four or five games where the opposition has a very good chance to beat them. Another eight or so games where N.E. should be favored, but the "any given Sunday" factor could always come into play. Only about 3-4 games that are pretty much "locks" I'd think.

[Mule]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

I don't think that's a particularly easy schedule, but I don't think it's a particularly hard schedule either. A lot depends on off-season moves.

You can consider it anything you want. A .387 winning percentage says it all.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

It'll be a .000 winning percentage against the Patriots either way.

[WI wide body]

Originally Posted by Mule

You can consider it anything you want. A .387 winning percentage says it all.

Now let me get this right...a guy who can't get PAST events correct is making comments/predictions???

Mule is so confused that he didn't realize that Bart Starr had won the first two Super Bowls but now he is blurting about the future! Isn't that a tad sententious?

[Mule]

Originally Posted by WI wide body

Now let me get this right...a guy who can't get PAST events correct is making comments/predictions???

Mule is so confused that he didn't realize that Bart Starr had won the first two Super Bowls but now he is blurting about the future! Isn't that a tad sententious?

88 89 Can you tell us which one of those is 89?

[gprsh924]

Last year's winning percentage or preseason rankings really don't mean anything...just ask my Bears about that.

[Mule]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

No, you're obviously sour over something since you seem to post little else other than how much of a Patriots hater you are. Nobody really cares. If you don't like 'em, fine. You don't have to. I'm not bitter about the loss. In fact, I expect the Patriots to react the way they've always done to adversity - to come back stronger, more dangerous and more motivated as a result. I wouldn't want to be squaring off against them in Week #1 next season, that's for damn sure!

I don't think that's a particularly easy schedule, but I don't think it's a particularly hard schedule either. A lot depends on off-season moves.

Bills? They've had difficulty, but are in the process of restructuring. Hardly a "cake walk" team. Not an easy game, but not a hard one.

Broncos? Not a bad team. They've given the Patriots trouble a few times over the last few years, including a humiliating loss a couple of years ago (one of Brady's worst games ever). Could be a tough game for N.E.

Cardinals? On the rise. I expect them to be a playoff contender in the next couple of seasons if they keep going the way they are. Again, not easy but not hard.

Chiefs? Always a middle-of-the-road team, but not a cakewalk. Could give them some difficulty.

Dolphins? Who knows. They're in the same division, so the Patriots HAVE to play them. Could be easy. Or not.

Jets? Good, I'll love watching them pound Mangini's whiner-crew into the turf again. Not not terribly hard, but not a cake walk either.

Rams? Good test of the run defense. Not an easy game for N.E.

Steelers? A VERY good test of the run defense. A difficult game for N.E. They could quite possibly lose this one, even at home.

Road games

Bills - see above.

Chargers - probably their toughest test of the season next year. These guys will have a serious axe to grind after being beaten by N.E. in two straight post-seasons. I'll definitely be going to S.D. to see this one!

Colts - another high-quality team that can beat N.E. By no means easy.

Dolphins - see above

49ers - not a difficult game on paper, but you never know. . .

Jets - good, they get to pound Mangini again.

Raiders - another west-coast team with an axe to grind. Should be fun. I might even venture to the "black hole" in visiting team colors, which takes balls or stupidity (I'm not sure which). How difficult of a game this is ENTIRELY depends on the Raiders' moves in the off-season.

Seahawks - difficult game. They are very solid and very good. Underrated and looking to make their mark.



So the way I see it, assuming N.E. has roughly the same strength they did this season, they have four or five games where the opposition has a very good chance to beat them. Another eight or so games where N.E. should be favored, but the "any given Sunday" factor could always come into play. Only about 3-4 games that are pretty much "locks" I'd think.

Those moronic Vegas odds makers have 7 of the 8 teams at 100-1 to win the super bowl, in the Pats schedule. But what do they know.

[Buckterrier]

I thought the deeper into the post season, the better ones record, the tougher the following years schedule was, for parity's sake.
So I get to go to another Steeler/Patroits game? Hope it has a different outcome than this years.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Originally Posted by Mule

Those moronic Vegas odds makers have 7 of the 8 teams at 100-1 to win the super bowl, in the Pats schedule. But what do they know.

Two weeks ago, they were also giving 1:6 of the Patriots going 19-0 and becoming the "best team in history", so yea - there are a lot of really p!ssed-off bookies in Vegas right about now.

They're not always right.

[on2wheels52]

Are you saying the Pats got the NFL to give them a weak schedule? Some kind of blackmail deal?
Jim

[WI wide body]

Originally Posted by Mule

88 89 Can you tell us which one of those is 89?

Neither one are the 1967 or the 1968 Super Bowls that Bart Starr won when he was chosen MVP of both games.

[89911]

Mule, I thought I was a Patriot hater! Your relentless. But I can relate. Having the whole NFL season this year with nothing but Patriot news can turn anyone bitter. The Media has share the blame, both ways. They loves to build them up. And they loves to tear them down.

[89911]

And that schedule is a cake walk, not matter who came up with it.