How in the heck do you pick against the New England Patriots in the AFC East?
You don't.
The Patriots lost both their coordinators, lost defensive leader Tedy Bruschi and the talk is the team is in decline.
 | |
|
Bill Belichick has to deal with the offseason brain drain that cost him both of his coordinators. (AP) |
Yeah, right.
The Patriots, as long as Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are working for them, will again be right in the thick of things in the AFC East and beyond.
Can the Pats win three consecutive Super Bowls? That's a tough task, but picking against them is not a wise thing to do.
They are clearly the class of their division, with Buffalo and the Jets a step off and Miami way down at the bottom looking up.
It would be a major shocker if the Patriots don't win the division title again.
Word of caution: Don't dare pick against them.
That's one lesson learned the hard way by this writer.
New England Patriots
Significant additions: LB Chad Brown, WR David Terrell, CB Duane Starks, LB Monty Beisel.
Significant subtractions: LB Tedy Bruschi, LB Ted Johnson, offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, WR David Patten, G Joe Andruzzi.
Biggest offseason move: It was two that went against the team. When you lose both coordinators, it's always interesting to see how a team handles it.
Will go to the playoffs if ... Tom Brady stays on the field. This is a good team, but without him they're not.
Won't go to the playoffs if ... Brady goes down. That's the only thing to keep the Pats out of the postseason.
Rookie to watch: Logan Mankins, the team's first-round pick, is expected to start at left guard. He was a tackle in college, so he's making a shift.
| Predicted Order of Finish | ||||||||||
| 1. Patriots | 2004: 14-2 | Rank | ||||||||
 |
|
| ||||||||
| 2. Bills | 2004: 9-7 | Rank | ||||||||
 |
|
| ||||||||
| 3. N.Y. Jets | 2004: 10-6 | Rank | ||||||||
 |
|
| ||||||||
| 4. Dolphins | 2004: 4-12 | Rank | ||||||||
 |
|
| ||||||||
Overview: This team is the favorite again. Even through all the offseason losses, the Patriots still have the best team on paper. Winning three Super Bowls in a row would be truly special, not to mention tough as heck, but until they're knocked off what's to believe they can't do it again?
Buffalo Bills
Significant additions: T Mike Gandy, G Bennie Anderson.
Significant subtractions: DT Pat Williams, T Jonas Jennings, QB Drew Bledsoe, RB Travis Henry.
Biggest offseason move: The decision to go from Bledsoe to second-year player J.P. Losman will be the move that is most dissected this season.
Will go to the playoffs if ... Losman can prove that he is as good as the Bills think he is.
Won't go to the playoffs if ... Losman struggles in his first year as a starter. Even with a good defense, they have to get something out of their quarterback.
Rookie to watch: WR Roscoe Parrish is tiny, but he has big-time speed. Parrish was set to be a big part of the offense until he fractured his wrist a couple of weeks ago. He will be back in a month, so watch out when he returns.
Overview: This is a good Bills team, especially on defense. And we know that Willis McGahee can run the ball. But if Losman struggles, all that will matter little. Losman is athletic and has the arrogance you like from the position, but until we see him do it in the regular season this team is a big question mark.
New York Jets
Significant additions: WR Laveranues Coles, CB Ty Law, TE Doug Jolley, QB Jay Fiedler.
Significant subtractions: DT Jason Ferguson, RB LaMont Jordan, T Kareem McKenzie.
Biggest offseason move: Getting Coles back from the Redskins. Coles is a better player than Santana Moss, the man he is replacing. He and Chad Pennington have a good rapport.
Will go to the playoffs if ... Pennington's shoulder holds up and the secondary plays better.
Won't go to the playoffs if ... Pennington misses any significant amount of time.
Rookie to watch: DT Sione Pouha has already opened a lot of eyes with his play. With Ferguson gone to the Cowboys, Pouha could very well be an opening day starter.
Overview: The entire key to their season will be Pennington's. If his arm lacks zip because of his shoulder surgery, the Jets could be in big trouble. If he's okay, they can push again for a playoff berth.
Miami Dolphins
Significant additions: Coach Nick Saban, QB Gus Frerotte, RB Ricky Williams, T Stockar McDougle, DT Vonnie Holliday, DE Kevin Carter, S Tebucky Jones.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Significant subtractions: CB Patrick Surtain, S Sammy Knight, LB Morlon Greenwood.
Biggest offseason move: Hiring Saban as head coach. Saban is the right guy to turn this thing around. He's a disciplined coach who will get the Dolphins playing hard and tough this year and build a winner.
Will go to the playoffs if ... hell freezes over. This team is a good two years away from competing for the playoffs.
Won't go to the playoffs if ... we're right. And we are. The Dolphins will be lucky to win six games.
Rookie to watch: Running back Ronnie Brown has a chance to be special. Missing all the time in camp hasn't helped. But he'll be the starter soon.
Overview: There simply isn't enough talent on this roster. It's a three-year fix at least. Saban will have the Dolphins competing in games -- no way they won't play hard -- and that could get them four or five victories. Anything more than that would be a miracle coaching job.
| NFL Preview Series | |||
| Aug. 22: AFC East | Sept. 2: Toughest WRs to cover | ||
| Aug. 23: NFC East | Sept. 2: Toughest CBs to beat | ||
| Aug. 24: AFC North | Sept. 4: Toughest QBs to defense | ||
| Aug. 25: NFC North | Sept. 4: Toughest DBs to throw on | ||
| Aug. 26: Hardest to tackle | Sept. 6: Most severe injuries | ||
| Aug. 26: Toughest tacklers | Sept. 7: Off-radar impact players | ||
| Aug. 29: AFC South | Sept. 8: Preseason Awards - Prisco | Judge | ||
| Aug. 30: NFC South | Sept. 8: Opening night | ||
| Aug. 31: AFC West | Sept. 9: Week 1 Peek | ||
| Sept. 1: NFC West | |||
