AFC East Implosion

[Dors156]

Unless it's the Dolphins of course, then its "well we had a great season!".

Funny how that works. Patriots go 18-1 and lose the super bowl and are considered the biggest losers ever yet the dolphins go 11-6 and they all claim to be "so proud of their teamroud:"

Yeah the fact that the Pats couldnt finish the greatest season ever is kind of a dissapointment I mean come on. Werent you dissapointed? We did have a good year. We won the division that was good competition. The fact that we were 1-15 last season and we rebuilt our franchise in one year, yeah i am "so proud of my team...proud"

 

[BigJP]

Unless it's the Dolphins of course, then its "well we had a great season!".

Funny how that works. Patriots go 18-1 and lose the super bowl and are considered the biggest losers ever yet the dolphins go 11-6 and they all claim to be "so proud of their teamroud:"

Difference is we don't walk around here every season crowning ourselves champs before we even play a game. Patsie fans have been doing that since your first title. Not saying you, but alot of them are real ****y and when they didn't come through of course fans were hard on pats fans.

 

[Nublar7]

Unless it's the Dolphins of course, then its "well we had a great season!".

Funny how that works. Patriots go 18-1 and lose the super bowl and are considered the biggest losers ever yet the dolphins go 11-6 and they all claim to be "so proud of their teamroud:"

The difference is the Patriots were picked by many to go to the Super Bowl in 07'. By mid October everyone was saying the Patriots would go 19-0. Remember all those "Path to Perfection" logos on ESPN and NFL Network? So yes, a team that was supposed to win it all(including all their games) to choke in the final game is a disappointment.

The Dolphins were 1-15 in 2007, no one expected them to win more than 5 games this season. They go out, win 11 and claim the AFC East title. That is why we are so proud of them. Sure it isn't a trip to the Super Bowl, but when we were supposed to have double digit losses again, and we exceeded those expectations, it was a good year.

The Patriots had high expectations and didn't meet them. The Dolphins had low expectations and went way above them.

 

[Batroc]

Unless it's the Dolphins of course, then its "well we had a great season!".

Funny how that works. Patriots go 18-1 and lose the super bowl and are considered the biggest losers ever yet the dolphins go 11-6 and they all claim to be "so proud of their teamroud:"

Well, you are on a Dolphins forum. I'm not saying you aren't welcome here, but one would think you'd expect the usual Pro-Fins/ Anti-Pats rhetoric. I mean, if I signed up at PatsFans.Com or one of the Jets boards I'd expect to get hammered daily lol. With that being said, I do think your team will rebound strong if Brady returns...as much as it pains me to say that:unsure:

 

[The Myth]

Caserio can step right in

He's in position to succeed Pioli

By Mike Reiss

Globe Staff / January 15, 2009
Nick Caserio has aced the fill-in act before.


As a freshman quarterback at John Carroll University in the mid-1990s, Caserio entered the season No. 2 on the depth chart, but was soon thrust into the top spot when the senior starter sustained a season-ending injury.
"He never gave up the position, was a starter the rest of the way, and ended up setting a number of passing records for us," recalled Tony DeCarlo, the head coach at the time. "If one thing stood out from that time, it was his tremendous work ethic."
Caserio is now in line for another move from No. 2 to No. 1, and his present employers - the New England Patriots - surely hope it goes as well as it did back at John Carroll.
The 33-year-old Caserio, who has served as the Patriots' director of player personnel since last February, is expected to assume more responsibility in the front office after vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli's departure to Kansas City as general manager.
So, Patriots followers might ask, who is Nick Caserio?
A native of Lyndhurst, Ohio, he joined the Patriots in 2001 as a personnel assistant, bolstered by the recommendation of his former college teammate, Josh McDaniels. His time with the Patriots has zigzagged - he worked as an offensive coaching assistant (2002), then as an area scout (2003), was director of pro personnel (2004-06), then returned to the sideline as wide receivers coach (2007).
Caserio was moved back to the front office last February, perhaps with the thought that if Pioli finally did depart, an in-house replacement would be in place, already learning on the job.
Caserio's thirst for learning football, it turns out, goes back to his high school days at University School, a private school in the suburbs of Cleveland.
"Football is his passion," said Joe Perella, who coached Caserio for eight years, first at University School, then at John Carroll. "He was a kid you had to tell to stop, whether it was in the weight room, on the field, running. He'd just keep going, a total perfectionist.
"He's the hardest-working kid I've ever coached."
That extended to his days at John Carroll, where he beat out McDaniels at quarterback, leading the coaches to move McDaniels to receiver.
"He was someone we had to kick out of the office, that's how committed he was. Nick couldn't watch enough film in preparing himself," DeCarlo said. "It was just unbelievable, and got to the point where the assistant coaches had to go up to him and say, 'Nick, get out of here.' "
Both Perella and DeCarlo recalled that Caserio's film study helped him understand what the opposition was doing, and at quarterback, he'd often switch the play based on what he saw before the snap.
"He was the only kid that I could rely on in a checkoff system; I never had anyone else do that," Perella said. "He's one of sharpest kids I've dealt with."
That type of work ethic, headiness, and passion for football helped Caserio carve out a niche under Bill Belichick. His NFL career progression - flip-flopping between scouting/personnel and coaching - should aid him in his role because part of what made the Belichick/Pioli pairing work so well was that Pioli knew the type of player Belichick sought, and effectively communicated that to scouts.
From having sat in on coaching meetings, Caserio also should have a similar knack for finding the right players for the system.
"I've always been very, very impressed with Nick's ability to adapt, and I think it speaks volumes to his ability to buy into Bill's system and being a team guy and doing whatever it takes to help the team win," said Atlanta Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff, the former director of college scouting for the Patriots.
"Nick has always risen to the occasion when asked to fulfill a task for Coach Belichick. I think it's been invaluable for his development as a budding executive in this league. He's obviously well-rounded on the coaching side and personnel side, and it's very rare to see that."

 

[The Myth]

A work in progress

Departures force Belichick to rebuild staff

By Christopher L. Gasper

Globe Staff / January 16, 2009
The Patriots will be in rebuilding mode this offseason, but it has nothing to do with their 11-5 season.
While there will be player personnel matters for the Patriots to address, coach Bill Belichick must reconstruct a coaching staff that lost three of its 10 assistant coaches (not including coaching assistants or the strength and conditioning staff) from 2008.

Josh McDaniels, who held the titles of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, was introduced as the head coach of the Denver Broncos Monday. Special teams coach Brad Seely left to become assistant head coach/special teams coordinator for the Cleveland Browns under head coach Eric Mangini, a former Patriots assistant. Dom Capers, whose addition last season as special assistant/secondary coach was seen as a coup, also is parting ways.
The staff turnover will be the most since the Patriots' last Super Bowl title season, 2004, after which offensive coordinator Charlie Weis left for Notre Dame, defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel departed to become head coach of the Browns, and assistant offensive line coach/tight ends coach Jeff Davidson followed Crennel to Cleveland.
That talent drain cleared the way for the rise of precocious assistants McDaniels, who ran the offense sans the offensive coordinator title in 2005, and Mangini, who ascended to defensive coordinator. It was evidence that the Patriots' philosophy of building a team and developing talent extended to the coaching staff.
Since becoming coach in 2000, Belichick has usually preferred to look within his staff to find key replacements. With that in mind and vacancies at offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach, special teams coach, and secondary coach, let's look at the members of the coaching staff.
OFFENSE
Bill O'Brien, wide receivers coach - The 39-year-old O'Brien is the most likely internal candidate to take over the offense. His promotion to wide receivers coach in 2008 may have been to groom him to succeed McDaniels. Much like McDaniels in 2005, O'Brien could call the plays without having the title of offensive coordinator. An Andover native and graduate of St. John's Prep, O'Brien joined the Patriots staff in 2007 as a coaching assistant after spending 14 seasons as a college assistant coach at Brown, Georgia Tech, Maryland, and Duke. O'Brien spent two seasons as the offensive coordinator at Duke (2005-06), and held that title with Georgia Tech in 2001 and 2002.
Pete Mangurian, tight ends coach - The 53-year-old Mangurian joined the Patriots in 2005. He has 17 years of experience as an NFL assistant and was the head coach at Cornell from 1998 to 2000. Mangurian has experience as an NFL offensive coordinator, doing it for Dan Reeves in Atlanta in 2003. However, that season Atlanta was 29th in total offense (273.2 yards per game) and 20th in points per game (18.7).
Dante Scarnecchia, assistant head coach/offensive line coach - The 60-year-old Scarnecchia has been a member of the Patriots staff since 1991 and in two stints (also in 1982-88) has spent 25 seasons with the team. Affectionately known as "Scar," he is one of Belichick's most trusted assistants. Under Scarnecchia's tutelage, the Patriots' offensive line paved the way for 2,278 yards rushing, the sixth-highest total in team history.
Ivan Fears, running backs coach - The fearsome Fears is a no-nonsense instructor with a long history in New England. The 54-year-old was the team's receivers coach from 1999 to 2001 before switching to running backs. Fears, an 18-year NFL coaching veteran, also coached receivers for the Patriots in 1991 and 1992 under Dick MacPherson. With injuries at running back that left undrafted rookie BenJarvus Green-Ellis starting three games, Fears was still able to coax a 4.4-yards-per-rush average out of his group in 2008, the team's highest since 1983.

DEFENSE
Dean Pees, defensive coordinator - The avuncular Pees has been the Patriots' defensive coordinator since 2006. Despite a suspect secondary, Pees's unit finished 10th in the NFL in total defense (309 yards per game) and eighth in points per game (19.3). His defenses have finished in the top 10 in both categories in all three of his seasons, and in 2006 the defense set a franchise record by allowing just 14.8 points per game. Still, the defense's failure to stop opponents with the game on the line - the 2006 AFC Championship game loss to the Colts (38-34), the 17-14 Super Bowl XLII loss to the New York Giants, and this season's 34-31 overtime loss to the New York Jets - has brought criticism of the 59-year-old.
Matt Patricia, linebackers coach - Patricia may be the next in the procession of coaching prodigies nurtured by Belichick. The 34-year-old joined the Patriots staff in 2004 as a coaching assistant and has been a quick riser. After one season as assistant offensive line coach, the former Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute offensive lineman became linebackers coach in 2006. This season, when Pees spent two games in the coaches' booth, Patricia was on the sideline relaying the defensive calls. Patricia also received credit from inside linebacker Jerod Mayo, the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year, for spending extra time in the classroom with Mayo.
Pepper Johnson, defensive line coach - The 44-year-old Johnson had a 13-year NFL career as a linebacker, earning two Pro Bowl berths and winning a pair of Super Bowls as a member of the dominant Giants defenses that Belichick coordinated. The excitable Johnson joined Belichick's staff in 2000 as part of the NFL's summer coaching fellowship. In 2001, he was the team's inside linebackers coach. Belichick switched him to defensive line coach in 2004.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The loss of Seely is not insignificant. This season, the Patriots were third in the NFL in kickoff return average (25.2 yards per return), ninth in the league in punt return average (10.3 yards), and 10th in kickoff coverage (22.3 yards), although they allowed two touchdowns on kickoff returns. Only the Buffalo Bills and Chicago Bears had better average starting field position following a kickoff. Also, placekicker Stephen Gostkowski earned his first Pro Bowl berth, leading the league in points (148) and field goals, with a franchise-record 36. Belichick seems to have a suitable replacement lined up in veteran NFL special teams coach Scott O'Brien, who was Belichick's special teams coach in Cleveland and spent the last two seasons in Denver.
COACHING ASSISTANTS Promotions on the staff could clear the way for one of the team's three coaching assistants - Josh Boyer, Brian Flores, or Shane Waldron - to be elevated. Boyer has spent the last three seasons in Foxborough and coached defensive backs at Bryant University in 2004. Flores, a former Boston College linebacker, spent the previous four seasons in the personnel department before becoming a coaching assistant. Waldron was an offensive graduate assistant for three seasons at Notre Dame.

 

[Jetsfan0099]

Well its all but guaranteed that Rex Ryan is going to be the next Head Coach of the NYJ.

 

[Bluedevilsrock4]

New England will be back, whether it be with Cassel or Brady.

They're the obvious favorites. Favre retiring would be a positive for NY... 13 mill off the books and the drama going away. If they can find consistency at QB, they could contend for a Wild Card spot. I like the choice of Rex Ryan for the head coaching spot. Their not as bad off as most of you are making them out to be, and I could easily see them finishing 2nd.

The Bills have been in a rebuilding more for almost 10 seasons... not much to say about them.

 

[Digital]

I believe the AFC East is set to implode leaving Miami a great chance to repeat.

New England
Pioli has left and has been a key front office player in their personnel dept.
Another OC has left for greener pastures.
Brady or Cassel? There could be a controversy here especially if the team gets devided.

New York
Favre. Favre. Favre. Will he stay or retire? Should've stayed retired but now would leave them with no viable QB.
New head coach to replace one who was wrongly fired in my opinion.
Again, if the players get divided on these issues, it could get ugly.

Buffalo
Has been perrineal underachievers for a long time. I don't see Jauron changing that anytime soon.

Too early to tell IMHO. But as long as we're speculating ... :D

Don't look now, but New England is retooling fast. Now they have 2 good options at QB, so the question for them will be can they afford to keep both (I doubt it), and who they pick, and then does he stay healthy. I think they'll stick with Brady, let Cassell leave and take comepensation/trade to get value out of him leaving. Use that to reload. They've been drafting a lot of good young talent, and their oldest vets are almost all replaced by young studs like Mayo, Crabel and Merriwether now, so we can't really call them dinosaurs any more. They have weaknesses along the OL (despite the accolades they still get), and they definitely need a CB, but honestly, they can get both in this draft. They draft fairly early (:D) and have extra picks, so they should be able to get at least the OL help they need because this looks to be a very deep OL class, particularly at T and C. That only leaves them with 1 problem position, CB ... while we have 9 problem positions, lol.

We can't really gague the Jets, because they're getting a new coach and QB for sure. They had talent this year, and if Farve hadn't stunk up the joint (farcical Pro Bowl selection), they'd probably have won the division. If they get a good coach like Rex Ryan, I'd definitely not count them out. Lots of good building blocks on that team. Coach and QB are the very major questions for them though.

Don't underestimate the Bills. They have been stockpiling good young talent for a while now, and as those guys mature this could become a very good team. Trent Edwards will be a good NFL QB. They lack identity and direction at present though, and I'm not sure their coach is getting the most out of his team, so I doubt they win the division, but they have the horses to upset anybody for one game.

Let's be honest, we were incredibly unlucky in 2007 under Cam, losing 6 games by 3 points or less I think. Well, we improved in 2008, but we weren't dominating anyone. It's almost as if we improved by about 7 points a game and won all but 1 close game (first Jets game when Farve actually played well). We set a record for turnover margin that is surely not going to be repeated. Heck, we had almost as many turnovers in the Ravens playoff game as we did half of the season. So, we'll come back down to earth in that department, and we'll need major improvement just to duplicate 11-5 ... and I don't think we'll be able to duplicate that record, even though we'll improve. Our problem positions include G, C, WR, NT, both ILB, SOLB, CB, and S. That's 9 problem positions ... it's just too many holes to plug. I'd love to see us do it, but I just can't see a repeat performance, and if we expect that I think we'll be placing unrealistic expectations on Sparano.

 

[DaBills4life]

It feels weird reading this thread and thinking my Bills have know shot so why even contribute.

But anyways, I think we see a 9-7 division winner next season, and the Bills could get the #1 pick.

 

[steeda]

It feels weird reading this thread and thinking my Bills have know shot so why even contribute.

But anyways, I think we see a 9-7 division winner next season, and the Bills could get the #1 pick.

The only way I could see buffalo getting the #1 pick next year is if Losman is under center for the whole year. He really stunk it up when he had the chance this past season. Of course, even if that does happen, you still gotta beat out Detroit and Oakland. Those franchises are in a lot more disarray than Buffalo is.

 

[phishinphin]

Our problem positions include G, C, WR, NT, both ILB, SOLB, CB, and S. That's 9 problem positions ... it's just too many holes to plug. I'd love to see us do it, but I just can't see a repeat performance, and if we expect that I think we'll be placing unrealistic expectations on Sparano.

I think we are OK at guard, center, corners and safeties. Not great but OK. You have to remember that both our starting guards went down with injuries. That puts added pressure on the center who was only in his second year. Our defensive backfield got much better as the year went on. I think that is why the coach got consideration for a HC job. So that brings our concerns down to 5. I would prioritize them as follows: A true #1 WR, ILB/SOLB and then NT. We have some young guys there. Cam Wake may be an answer to SOLB.

 

[BrandonMeriPAIN]

I think Pioli leaving will have a much bigger impact then McDaniels... Assuming Brady comes back healthy.

 

[HughC]

We all said New England would implode when Weis and Crennel left; when Ty Law left; when McGinest and Vinatieri left; and when Brady went on IR. At this point I'll believe the Patriots are going to implode when I see it.

Jets are in a different situation. If Favre returns they're looking at another late-season letdown, and if he doesn't they have a big question mark at QB - along with some serious salary cap issues.

Bills have multiple holes to fill. It's going to take them more than one year to get it done, and they're in a division with three other teams that all have better front offices.