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Miami Dolphins Players & other division foes of the Patsies you gotta make them pay for their arrogance!!!!
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Jim Donaldson: For Pats, retaining division title near certainty
01:00 AM EDT on Wednesday, July 28, 2004
The question people should be asking about the Patriots on the eve of the opening of training camp is not: "Will they win again?"
Instead, it should be: "How can they lose?"
At least in the AFC East.
Winning a second straight Super Bowl -- and their third in the last four years -- is an extremely difficult task.
The playoffs are, after all, a series of one-and-done, winner-take-all games in which the best team doesn't always win. Injuries are a huge factor, especially at the all-important quarterback position, where Tom Brady has never missed a start since taking over when Drew Bledsoe went down three games into the 2001 season. And, as genius coach -- that is meant respectfully and sincerely; most definitely not sarcastically, in case anyone's wondering -- Bill Belichick likes to point out, every team is different every year. The personnel and the chemistry, which have been so important to the Patriots' success in recent years, are never the same.
That said, it appears -- barring catastrophic injuries -- relatively easy for the Patriots to repeat as division champions.
Perhaps it's because Saratoga opens today for its splendid summer of the best in thoroughbred racing that the term "walkover" comes to mind when thinking of the Pats and their chances in the AFC East this fall.
The term refers to a race in which just one horse is entered, and needs only canter around the track to win the purse.
It's not going to be that simple for the Pats to once again win their division, but there's no question they go into the season as odds-on favorites.
Who's going to beat 'em?
Miami, which just lost free-spirited running back Ricky Williams, who has been the centerpiece of the Dolphins' less-than-dazzling offense? New York, where Herman Edwards is trying to change the personality not only of the Jets' defense, but also his own? The Bills? C'mon, are New England fans really worried about an offense quarterbacked by Drew Bledsoe that ranked 30th last year in points scored and yards gained?
The Patriots, on the other hand, appear to be better than ever.
There's never a worry about New England's defense, and, if Corey Dillon has the right attitude, and a somewhat suspect offensive line is able to jell, the Pats' already-potent offense could be more diverse, unpredictable, explosive and productive than ever.
Meanwhile, in Miami, the season may have just blown up on Dave Wannstedt's Dolphins, who no longer have Williams at running back, and do have either Jay Fiedler or A.J. Feeley at quarterback.
As for the Jets, they will benefit from a healthy Chad Pennington at quarterback. But Curtis Martin is 31 now, Wayne Chrebet had a series of concussions last season, and the defense is undergoing major changes, including a new coordinator in Donnie Henderson. Edwards also says he's going to get tough, which is like Pete Carroll morphing into Bobby Knight.
The Bills have a new head coach, Mike Mularkey, who was offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh, but still have the same old -- make that older -- Bledsoe at QB. How long do you think it'll be before Bills' fans start clamoring for rookie J.P. Losman to replace him?
There are no guarantees that the Patriots can get back to the Super Bowl, much less win it. But they seem to be a lock to once again win the AFC East.
Read the rest at:
http://www.projo.com/patriots/content/projo_20040728_28jdcol.5a73.html
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Jim Donaldson: For Pats, retaining division title near certainty
01:00 AM EDT on Wednesday, July 28, 2004
The question people should be asking about the Patriots on the eve of the opening of training camp is not: "Will they win again?"
Instead, it should be: "How can they lose?"
At least in the AFC East.
Winning a second straight Super Bowl -- and their third in the last four years -- is an extremely difficult task.
The playoffs are, after all, a series of one-and-done, winner-take-all games in which the best team doesn't always win. Injuries are a huge factor, especially at the all-important quarterback position, where Tom Brady has never missed a start since taking over when Drew Bledsoe went down three games into the 2001 season. And, as genius coach -- that is meant respectfully and sincerely; most definitely not sarcastically, in case anyone's wondering -- Bill Belichick likes to point out, every team is different every year. The personnel and the chemistry, which have been so important to the Patriots' success in recent years, are never the same.
That said, it appears -- barring catastrophic injuries -- relatively easy for the Patriots to repeat as division champions.
Perhaps it's because Saratoga opens today for its splendid summer of the best in thoroughbred racing that the term "walkover" comes to mind when thinking of the Pats and their chances in the AFC East this fall.
The term refers to a race in which just one horse is entered, and needs only canter around the track to win the purse.
It's not going to be that simple for the Pats to once again win their division, but there's no question they go into the season as odds-on favorites.
Who's going to beat 'em?
Miami, which just lost free-spirited running back Ricky Williams, who has been the centerpiece of the Dolphins' less-than-dazzling offense? New York, where Herman Edwards is trying to change the personality not only of the Jets' defense, but also his own? The Bills? C'mon, are New England fans really worried about an offense quarterbacked by Drew Bledsoe that ranked 30th last year in points scored and yards gained?
The Patriots, on the other hand, appear to be better than ever.
There's never a worry about New England's defense, and, if Corey Dillon has the right attitude, and a somewhat suspect offensive line is able to jell, the Pats' already-potent offense could be more diverse, unpredictable, explosive and productive than ever.
Meanwhile, in Miami, the season may have just blown up on Dave Wannstedt's Dolphins, who no longer have Williams at running back, and do have either Jay Fiedler or A.J. Feeley at quarterback.
As for the Jets, they will benefit from a healthy Chad Pennington at quarterback. But Curtis Martin is 31 now, Wayne Chrebet had a series of concussions last season, and the defense is undergoing major changes, including a new coordinator in Donnie Henderson. Edwards also says he's going to get tough, which is like Pete Carroll morphing into Bobby Knight.
The Bills have a new head coach, Mike Mularkey, who was offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh, but still have the same old -- make that older -- Bledsoe at QB. How long do you think it'll be before Bills' fans start clamoring for rookie J.P. Losman to replace him?
There are no guarantees that the Patriots can get back to the Super Bowl, much less win it. But they seem to be a lock to once again win the AFC East.
Read the rest at:
http://www.projo.com/patriots/content/projo_20040728_28jdcol.5a73.html
