NE looks unbeatable to me. (1 Viewer)

[JohnnyU]

Great offense, great defense, great QB, great coach, great organization. God I hate the Patriots. Unless the Colts can keep winning and somehow hope NE takes a couple of losses, the Super Bowl goes through Foxboro. I'm sorry to say this, but the Colts won't beat NE in Foxboro this year, and they may not beat them in Indy. Go Pittsburgh !!! I hope NE draws Pittsburgh before Indy does.

What's most impressive about the Patriots to me is their ability to manage the salary cap, and everyone they bring in produces. It just goes to show you that the most important thing for success starts at the top and is a mind set. Whoever goes to NE is a better player after they arrive than they were before. As much as I hate Belichick, you have to be impressed with how he is able to generate an overall attitude that is team first, even from guys who were "me first" before.

As much as I love the Colts for being a great organization, you can't ignore how well the Patriots are managed. If I was an owner of a team I would do everything possible to mimic the Patriots (except cheating). If that means bringing in consultants and other professionals to tell me what I'm doing wrong, then so be it.

 

[fred_1_15301]

I'm sorry to say this, but the Colts won't beat NE in Foxboro this year, and they may not beat them in Indy. Go Pittsburgh !!! I hope NE draws Pittsburgh before Indy does.

As a Steeler fan, I can tell you that if you're relying on Pittsburgh to knock the Pats out of the playoffs, you're in a lot of trouble. The Steelers couldn't beat the Pats when they were the "better" team. They won't be able to beat them this year.

 

[djcolts]

I'm not throwing in the towel on the season. It looked much more bleak for the Colts late in 2006 than it does now.

 

[zamboni]

Good thread. It's tough for us Jets fans to keep looking up at the standings and seeing the Pats with our ex-coach (what a great 10 days it was), but you have to give credit where credit is due. And Cheat-gate is really a non-event in my eyes - these guys are just too damn good.

I never thought we'd see a 16-0 regular season team, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least bit if they do it this yea.

 

[Power Monster]

Shine it up- no one is going to stop them. They even win now that they are not cheating any longer....

 

[Sabertooth]

That's why I am glad to be a Packer's fan. They seem to be modelling their organization after the Patriots. McCarthy and Thompson are both on the same page. Every year they bring in players that can contribute. They aren't there yet, but in 1 or 2 more seasons, they'll be a force to be reckoned with.

 

[Kyzersosik]

Big Pats fan here and 98% of this "can anyone beat NE, can they go 16-0 " etc etc is coming from outside the area. Well maybe 90% because we still have some people in the NE area that don`t remember the 1-15, Victor Kiam, 22000 fans in the seats, seasons. Believe me, from the top down and the real fans want to win homefield advantage, and play any AFC playoff game at home. As much as the team may have a chip on their shoulder, justified or not, it wouldn`t shock me for them to rest starters if they can`t better their playoff situation. Bellichick and Brady along with the leaders on the DEf side of the ball are all very focused on each game week by week. Next is the Browns then Dallas and so on. There`s a "healthy" concern about each game and the Pats are taking nothing for granted. Dallas, Balt, Indy, Pitt, with 3 of those on the road should scare any team. It will be a fun ride with a possibility of a 14-2 team playing on the road during the playoffs! GO PATS GO SOX

 

[TheGreatest]

I think the Patriots are a great team but they have not played a good "team" yet. The best defense they have played is ranked 25th (San Diego). Cincy is the only real offense they have faced as well. They did hold that offense in check for the most part though. But Cincy's OL is banged up and I think that had alot to do with their struggles to be honest.

Granted the season is still young and a few of those teams might rank higher in the future but no way I can even think of a 16-0 season based on who they have played thus far.

They are a great team but lets wait til they actually play a good team before we start thinking about them being unbeatable. With all that said though, I do think they are the team to beat this year. Patriots, Colts, & Cowboys are so far in away better than any of the other teams its ridiculous. Packers are undefeated yes, but their struggles in the running game are going to catch up to them.

 

[KnowledgeReignsSupreme]

Opponents are sporting a combined 4-8 record right now. Impressive that they beat a bunch of 1 win teams.

 

[Ted Lange as your Bartender]

That Pats-Cowboys game in two weeks is going to be a lot of fun.

 

[Buckna]

That Pats-Cowboys game in two weeks is going to be a lot of fun.

This will be the true test coming up. None of the 4 teams the Pats have beaten have won more than 1 game. Their combined win/loss record is 4-12.

 

[mcdons3]

Opponents are sporting a combined 4-8 record right now. Impressive that they beat a bunch of 1 win teams.

Even more impressive that they beat teams that have apparently (judging from your stat above) all had a bye week so far.

 

[pollardsvision]

Opponents are sporting a combined 4-8 record right now. Impressive that they beat a bunch of 1 win teams.

on the flip side, if those same opponents had faced a different team the week they played the patriots, they could all be a combined 8-4. this is the nfl. almost every team can be good at times and good teams struggle some weeks. what makes the patriots so great is that they systematically dismantle everyone they play. they don't appear to struggle. no matter who you're playing, that's rare in the nfl. you just don't continue to cover 2 TD spreads in the nfl, against anybody.of course, they could (and should) lose at some point, but they are clicking right now.by the way, if it wasn't for mangini i would say there's no shot of a 16-0 season. b/c of cameragate, i wouldn't be surprised if belichick would just like to send a message and destroy everybody (including playing all the starters when they're 15-0 playing the giants, if it comes to that)

 

[Keepers]

Opponents are sporting a combined 4-8 record right now. Impressive that they beat a bunch of 1 win teams.

Don't you mean 4-12?Dallas opps are 4-12 also, Indy's are 6-8. No question NE has looked by far the most impressive of thse teams in their wins against teams with losing records. Indy may even be lucky to be 4-0, a healthy Andre Johnson and they could have easily lost against Houston.

 

[H.K.]

Opponents are sporting a combined 4-8 record right now. Impressive that they beat a bunch of 1 win teams.

Don't you mean 4-12?Dallas opps are 4-12 also, Indy's are 6-8. No question NE has looked by far the most impressive of thse teams in their wins against teams with losing records. Indy may even be lucky to be 4-0, a healthy Andre Johnson and they could have easily lost against Houston.

KRS means the teams the Patriots faced are 0-4 against NE and 4-8 against the rest of the league in other games (every team they have beaten is 1-3, so they are really a combined 4-12).

 

[Folded Undercard]

For what its worth listed below are the teams each of the NE opps have played.

Bills - Den, NE, Pitt, NYJ

SD - Chi, NE, GB, KC

Cinn - Bal, Cle, Sea, NE

NYJ - NE, Bal, Mia, Buff

Some good teams in that list.

 

[Iwannabeacowboybaby!]

Let's put it this way...........with all the hype everyone is giving NE, it's giving teams like Indy, Dallas, GB and Pittsburgh the underdog role.

People are talking crazy, undefeated after week 2. That puts all the pressure on NE and it's SB or bust.

I like the position the other teams are in and remember, it's not how you start the season, it's how you finish it. There are months and months of football left.

I have never disliked the Patriots but it's gotten to the point now to where really if you're not a Patriots fan, you are hoping for them to lose. My reasoning isn't even really about the Patriots sadly enough, it's more to show everyone how ridiculous it is to talk undefeated at 2-0.

Yes, they look great so far.

 

[Keepers]

Opponents are sporting a combined 4-8 record right now. Impressive that they beat a bunch of 1 win teams.

Don't you mean 4-12?Dallas opps are 4-12 also, Indy's are 6-8. No question NE has looked by far the most impressive of thse teams in their wins against teams with losing records. Indy may even be lucky to be 4-0, a healthy Andre Johnson and they could have easily lost against Houston.

KRS means the teams the Patriots faced are 0-4 against NE and 4-8 against the rest of the league in other games (every team they have beaten is 1-3, so they are really a combined 4-12).

Ahh okay. Hmm, Dallas's are 4-8 also, Indy's 6-4 with some very close wins. Doesn't change the fact tht NE has looked by far the most dominat team of the undefeated, but even with saying that I don't think they will go undeafted during the year, just is too hard to do so ... Ne player fantasy owners have to hope that Indy keeps winning and that NE needs to fight for home field advantage otherwise they could be screwed in fantasy playoffs.

 

[pollardsvision]

plus, it's getting hard to find truly quality opponents to beat in the nfl.

there are 3 teams that appear head and shoulders above everyone (NE,Indy, Dallas). besides the packers, you could find a reason to say that any other team in the league stinks.

there are 28/32 teams that you could poke all sorts of holes in, so it's hard to find a quality team to beat. really, no one in the nfl has beaten a quality team yet. all the truly good teams are unbeaten.

the only exception might be the arizona cardinals (they beat the seahawks and steelers).

 

[moleculo]

Once the Pats signed Moss, Welker, Stallworth, and AThomas, I've held the opinion that anyone who doesn't pick the Pats to win the SB hasn't been paying attention.

As for the undefeated BS - if there's any coach who can keep the team on course - it's Belichick. If there's any QB who can remain calm enough under the pressure, it's Brady. I think 16-0 is a real possibility.

 

[Bri]

That Pats-Cowboys game in two weeks is going to be a lot of fun.

The Boys are banged up in the secondary. The Giants moved the ball very very well on them. IIRC Newman was out then and their top CB(Henry) is out now. (Which also is probably debatable who is their top CB but...) They also have a S out that is their ST captain as well and Hall returned one this last week.There's little doubt in my mind the Pats will make them work for their points but will Moss have a similar game as Plax did?Brady is completing passes at an all time great clip right now. No one is beating them if they don't bring him back to earth. 79% and up is just ridiculously good.I love watching Ware and the Boys have some real talent at LB and some good DL as well. It could be a great game, but they gotta get that secondary patched up or I'm afraid it won't be. All their offensive firepower will be minimized if the Pats can score easily on that secondary while they've gotta work their tail off just to move the ball on O.

 

[Iwannabeacowboybaby!]

That Pats-Cowboys game in two weeks is going to be a lot of fun.

The Boys are banged up in the secondary. The Giants moved the ball very very well on them. IIRC Newman was out then and their top CB(Henry) is out now. (Which also is probably debatable who is their top CB but...) They also have a S out that is their ST captain as well and Hall returned one this last week.There's little doubt in my mind the Pats will make them work for their points but will Moss have a similar game as Plax did?Brady is completing passes at an all time great clip right now. No one is beating them if they don't bring him back to earth. 79% and up is just ridiculously good.I love watching Ware and the Boys have some real talent at LB and some good DL as well. It could be a great game, but they gotta get that secondary patched up or I'm afraid it won't be. All their offensive firepower will be minimized if the Pats can score easily on that secondary while they've gotta work their tail off just to move the ball on O.

It all depends on if Dallas can get pressure on Brady. He is a man.....if you pressure him he will make mistakes. I saw it last night and I've seen it in the past.If you do not pressure him, knock him down, make him think about getting rocked.......he will pick you apart any which way but lose.For Dallas to win, they will have to sack Brady, batter him and physically beat New England.You will not finesse them and come out on top. The defense is going to have to come to HIT for 4 quarters or they will lose.Dallas WILL NOT score in the 30 plus range vs. NE. They will score if they're playing well around 24 points. So, Dallas needs to figure out how they can hold Brady to 2 Td's, 1 rushing TD and no field goals to beat that team.

 

[Whizzinator]

It's a long road to go 16-0, just too long a road to really 'expect' it from any team.

The Pats have looked terrific; they also have played teams who are struggling to find themselves this year. The Pats themselves are going to evolve, too...Harrison will be back for week 5 and Seymour may be back after week 6. Their schedule still looks pretty rough----at Indy, at Dallas, plus Philly, Pitt, Baltimore in back-to-back-to-back weeks. You just have to think someone will get them on a bad day in there.

I will say that it's the best team, and most dominant team, I've seen since the 1985 Bears though. And while it lacks the 'invincible' aspect that defense had, it's a better balanced team than that group was.

 

[WampusCat43]

Went to the game last night. It was a mauling. The Pats didn't break a sweat, even without Maroney. Bengals never got a sack, and hardly came close. And they get Harrison and Seymour back soon.

 

[Bri]

That Pats-Cowboys game in two weeks is going to be a lot of fun.

The Boys are banged up in the secondary. The Giants moved the ball very very well on them. IIRC Newman was out then and their top CB(Henry) is out now. (Which also is probably debatable who is their top CB but...) They also have a S out that is their ST captain as well and Hall returned one this last week.There's little doubt in my mind the Pats will make them work for their points but will Moss have a similar game as Plax did?Brady is completing passes at an all time great clip right now. No one is beating them if they don't bring him back to earth. 79% and up is just ridiculously good.I love watching Ware and the Boys have some real talent at LB and some good DL as well. It could be a great game, but they gotta get that secondary patched up or I'm afraid it won't be. All their offensive firepower will be minimized if the Pats can score easily on that secondary while they've gotta work their tail off just to move the ball on O.

It all depends on if Dallas can get pressure on Brady. He is a man.....if you pressure him he will make mistakes. I saw it last night and I've seen it in the past.If you do not pressure him, knock him down, make him think about getting rocked.......he will pick you apart any which way but lose.For Dallas to win, they will have to sack Brady, batter him and physically beat New England.

Sure but like the Giants the last year or two(if not more) a poor secondary cancels out any great pass rushing threats you have as they just don't have enough time to get to the QB. I don't disagree here, I just feel like it's a catch-22 situation.

 

[[icon]]

It's a long road to go 16-0, just too long a road to really 'expect' it from any team.The Pats have looked terrific; they also have played teams who are struggling to find themselves this year. The Pats themselves are going to evolve, too...Harrison will be back for week 5 and Seymour may be back after week 6. Their schedule still looks pretty rough----at Indy, at Dallas, plus Philly, Pitt, Baltimore in back-to-back-to-back weeks. You just have to think someone will get them on a bad day in there.I will say that it's the best team, and most dominant team, I've seen since the 1985 Bears though. And while it lacks the 'invincible' aspect that defense had, it's a better balanced team than that group was.

I think someone will catch some breaks and beat them.. but I think they'd win 2 of 3 against every team in the NFL right now. I think last night's game showed that their Defense is legit and could well be the most balanced in the NFL right now. The offense is most definitely the most balanced and the depth at most every position is staggering. Short of an injury to brady and MAYBE Moss.. this team will continue to post 35+ points on every team they face week in week out. If they can hold the Bengals to 13 points, I'm not sure who's going to be able to put 35+ back on them.... will be interesting.

 

[massmarauder]

we still have some people in the NE area that don`t remember the 1-15, Victor Kiam, 22000 fans in the seats, seasons.

Wasn't that 22000 the total for the whole season? Yeah, the teams that the Pats have played haven't been the greatest, but to have an average of 37 ppg for and 12 ppg against is pretty amazing. Add to that a QB with a 79% completion percentage, lots of weapons on offense and defense, and its a powerhouse. I'm not going to say 16-0, but 13-3 or 14-2 is definitely a possibility.

 

[[icon]]

It all depends on if Dallas can get pressure on Brady. He is a man.....if you pressure him he will make mistakes. I saw it last night and I've seen it in the past.If you do not pressure him, knock him down, make him think about getting rocked.......he will pick you apart any which way but lose.For Dallas to win, they will have to sack Brady, batter him and physically beat New England.You will not finesse them and come out on top. The defense is going to have to come to HIT for 4 quarters or they will lose.

Yes, but how can you get to brady? The Patriots lead the NFL in fewest sacks allowed for a reason... they have a VERY good offensive line. Brady also releases the ball very quickly and has a lot of options. The only way to sack brady is to rush a LOT of guys.. and if you do that he will KILL you with quick short passes to the outside... or deep ones to Moss if you give him a second too long. The Cowboys are going to need to stop being penalized so much... THAT is a key to the NE/DAL matchup.. they have over TWICE as many penalty yards as the pats.. if they get a few roughing the passer flags thrown for gangrushing on brady then they might as well just hand NE the game.

 

[H.K.]

Went to the game last night. It was a mauling. The Pats didn't break a sweat, even without Maroney. Bengals never got a sack, and hardly came close. And they get Harrison and Seymour back soon.

Damn good point. The thing about the Pats right now is they look like the games are effortless. F'n scary so far. If they get to 8 or 9 wins without a loss, I can see BB using an unbeaten season as a real motivator.

 

[Iwannabeacowboybaby!]

It all depends on if Dallas can get pressure on Brady. He is a man.....if you pressure him he will make mistakes. I saw it last night and I've seen it in the past.If you do not pressure him, knock him down, make him think about getting rocked.......he will pick you apart any which way but lose.For Dallas to win, they will have to sack Brady, batter him and physically beat New England.You will not finesse them and come out on top. The defense is going to have to come to HIT for 4 quarters or they will lose.

Yes, but how can you get to brady? The Patriots lead the NFL in fewest sacks allowed for a reason... they have a VERY good offensive line. Brady also releases the ball very quickly and has a lot of options. The only way to sack brady is to rush a LOT of guys.. and if you do that he will KILL you with quick short passes to the outside... or deep ones to Moss if you give him a second too long. The Cowboys are going to need to stop being penalized so much... THAT is a key to the NE/DAL matchup.. they have over TWICE as many penalty yards as the pats.. if they get a few roughing the passer flags thrown for gangrushing on brady then they might as well just hand NE the game.

You've got to get to him by physically beating their front offensive lineman with your defensive linemen. That day you have to be better. At times, you have to bring some blitzes that throw him off.Yes, it's very hard to do that and if you can't, then you won't get pressure. You can't just bring the house every play because Moss will kill them.No doubt, Dallas can't get penalized, they'll have to play the best they possibly can and even then they'll have to have the ball bounce their way during the game.I really feel that the key to beating New England is being able to apply pressure on Brady. I thought Cinci was able to apply pressure at times but there biggest problem is they couldn't stop the run, it was a joke. You have to limit them to 3 yards maximum on their runs and put Brady in 2nd and 7 or longer. This is a passing down and then the front 4 of Dallas needs to creature pressure.I'm not here to say they will for sure, watch out NE Brady's going to get slammed. I've just seen great QB look average when they get pressure. As good as Indy was last year when they visited Dallas last year, they were beat because Dallas forced Manning into some tough throws and they hit him often. I don't know if Dallas can do that or not, we shall see.

 

[Whizzinator]

I agree you have to pressure Brady. My guess is that when they play some stronger teams what'll happen is teams will blitz and shade towards Moss and just gamble that Stallworth won't make the play on the deep ball, or that they can contain the quick-hits well enough to eventually get a stop. If you sit back and play coverage they'll either nickel and dime you to death or run you to death as I don't see the dline out there who can really stop them if SD's wasn't able to.

The Pats weakness last year was over the middle, and though they had a bunch of safety/LB injuries which greatly eased the task this is how the Colts beat them. Thomas helps a ton with this as he's a freak speedwise (and that is why he's inside, imo, to plug the one leak on last year's defense) and they are right now much healthier than they were for the Colts game. But I still expect strong passing teams like Dallas and Indy to work the middle of the field and then take their occasional shots deep on the outsides when the Pats cheat in. If you hit a on a couple, you are in the ballgame.

 

[twitch]

I think Asante Samuel is easily the most underappreciated player on this team. The man is without a doubt one of the very best corners in the league, and one of the only corners out there who can contribute to shutting down a true #1 receiver. He's already got 2 picks this year, and was close in last night's game to another. But his ability to stay with the top weapon on the other side really helps make this D go. And that pick he got on Palmer late in the 2nd quarter in the redzone was probably the play of the game. He'll be matched up with guys like Owens and Harrison when they NE plays them. Who are those teams going to put on Moss??

 

[Mr. Yuk]

That's why I am glad to be a Packer's fan. They seem to be modelling their organization after the Patriots. McCarthy and Thompson are both on the same page. Every year they bring in players that can contribute. They aren't there yet, but in 1 or 2 more seasons, they'll be a force to be reckoned with.

So you think Aaron Rodgers is another Tom Brady then? Or will Brett still be playing till he's 40

 

[Despyzer]

I think the Patriots are a great team but they have not played a good "team" yet. The best defense they have played is ranked 25th (San Diego).

I think one reason for that is because each of those defenses had to face the Patriots offense in one quarter of their games.

 

[pats3in4]

I'm sorry to say this, but the Colts won't beat NE in Foxboro this year, and they may not beat them in Indy.

Your jinx isn't working, my friend.

 

[pats3in4]

Went to the game last night. It was a mauling. The Pats didn't break a sweat, even without Maroney. Bengals never got a sack, and hardly came close. And they get Harrison and Seymour back soon.

And I think Colvin didn't play a snap last night.

 

[KnowledgeReignsSupreme]

Some fantastic math in this thread.

 

[Bri]

Went to the game last night. It was a mauling. The Pats didn't break a sweat, even without Maroney. Bengals never got a sack, and hardly came close. And they get Harrison and Seymour back soon.

Damn good point. The thing about the Pats right now is they look like the games are effortless. F'n scary so far. If they get to 8 or 9 wins without a loss, I can see BB using an unbeaten season as a real motivator.

I agree with the previous poster that we might see them sit some stars once the division/AFC are wrapped up. It'll likely matter what the Colts record is at that point too of course but...."the big picture" involves the Supe. We won't be discussing this in 10 weeks because teams never win 16 games but it's fun just the same.

It's interesting as they could join the Fins as the only undefeated team which would feed any coaches ego or we could discuss the "get healthy for the playoffs" angle as well. Very interesting debate.

 

[One]

Cause Brady/Moss is unstoppable.

 

[Bri]

IMO the Colts worry me most on that schedule. Manning was oWned by BB's Ds early on and like precious few, he caught on to BBs tricky defensive sets. I don't much care for all the presnap antics he does, but he's dealing with everything right then and there, pointing out assignments and changing plays. He's probably developped into the prototype QB to handling BBs defense.

Besides all that, he's an excellent QB.

I could watch the Colts Pats play 10 weeks in a row and never be bored. There's alot of fascinating changes made real quickly in the games.

 

[pollardsvision]

belichick and the pats=

anybody else= or or

 

[Gr00vus]

Unless they get more significant long term injuries, you can crown their asses right now. I don't think they'll go 16-0, even the Pats have off games every now and then when you least expect it. But in terms of championship it turns out that was decided in the off season. The one possible road bump would be the Colts, and they'll have to play the game of their lives to win. All things as they are I'd have to give the Pats at least a 60% chance of winning against the Colts. Everybody else is second rate at best (Brady will shred the Dallas D, Packers have a 1 dimensional offense, etc.) More depressing for the other NFL teams/fans, there really isn't any reason this team can't stay together for a couple more years yet. After that they'll be up there with the Steelers, 49ers, Cowboys dynasties - maybe even beyond.

 

[Bri]

I agree you have to pressure Brady. My guess is that when they play some stronger teams what'll happen is teams will blitz and shade towards Moss and just gamble that Stallworth won't make the play on the deep ball, or that they can contain the quick-hits well enough to eventually get a stop. If you sit back and play coverage they'll either nickel and dime you to death or run you to death as I don't see the dline out there who can really stop them if SD's wasn't able to.The Pats weakness last year was over the middle, and though they had a bunch of safety/LB injuries which greatly eased the task this is how the Colts beat them. Thomas helps a ton with this as he's a freak speedwise (and that is why he's inside, imo, to plug the one leak on last year's defense) and they are right now much healthier than they were for the Colts game. But I still expect strong passing teams like Dallas and Indy to work the middle of the field and then take their occasional shots deep on the outsides when the Pats cheat in. If you hit a on a couple, you are in the ballgame.

90 year old Seau was out then. With what 10-11 years worth of tapes to watch I'm pretty sure teams will go away from Rodney and Junior in the middle and/or just not consider that a weakness. Mangini last year had a wonderful coaching duel with BB in one of those Jets games. BB will give the O something but tries to take away their bread N butter. If it means throwing 20 passes to their FB, or having their QB run 40 times then teams should do that. The Pats gave Mangini's O little short screen passes to the RB then took that away, then let Coles operate underneath so as not to get burned and then IIRC the Pats almost left their TE alone.....he just kept taking what was given and the Jets marched right up the field. Pennington didn't force anything and was very smart. On D, like BB does, they showed one Defensive alignment and played another. The Pats/BB are gonna make the opponent think thru his reads, thru his coverages think, think think.... ya gotta make the Pats think too. Most coaches just counter BBs moves and counter and counter they rarely try and make the Pats react. Teams gotta take a page from Mangini on that one, that was some great coaching by him last year.

 

[code]

More depressing for the other NFL teams/fans, there really isn't any reason this team can't stay together for a couple more years yet.

Randy Moss, Assante Samuel, and Eugene Wilson are only signed through 2007...the same is true for Seau and Bruschi, both of which will be 35+ heading into next year...

 

[Gr00vus]

More depressing for the other NFL teams/fans, there really isn't any reason this team can't stay together for a couple more years yet.

Randy Moss, Assante Samuel, and Eugene Wilson are only signed through 2007...the same is true for Seau and Bruschi, both of which will be 35+ heading into next year...

I think it likely Moss gets a new deal done from the Pats. Maybe Samuel, but I think he's a bit overrated - good but overrated. We'll find out what BB thinks of him in the offseason. I appreciate what Bruschi's done there, but he Seau and Wilson at this point are just the kind of guys the Pats seem to have great success at replacing without missing a beat.

 

[Doug B]

The Patriots can probably beat most other NFL teams giving their opponents 5 downs to gain 10 yards, instead of 4.

Even after the Colts dismantled my Saints ... it looks to me like the Pats would have to have 5 turnovers or something for the Colts to even be in a position to beat them. Basically, the Colts A++ game seems to be equivalent to the Pats C game right now.

 

[ChrisHenrysDD]

New England looks really, really, really good right now. The key words? Right now. It's week 4 of THE REGULAR SEASON. Nobody knows whether this is the best ball they can play or not. If it is, another team could certainly hit their stride and knock off the Pats, no question about it. You have to peak at the right time.

Up until the 2nd quarter of the 2005 Steelers v. Colts divisional playoff game, I wouldn't have given the Steelers a chance in HELL to beat Indy, Denver or New England. After that, I knew there was no way they'd lose to Denver or Seattle, they were just clicking. It's going to be extremely hard to keep up this unbelievable level of play for another 15 games.

And last year, I didn't think the Colts D was anywhere near good enough to beat New England. What happened? The defense pulled together for the most important three games of the season and shut everybody down.

I would wait to see what team looks the best in weeks 16 and 17 before we start talking about "unbeatable". It's absurd.

Not trying to take anything away from the Pats, I don't think anybody can beat them RIGHT NOW. Just wait till January before you crown 'em.

 

[Steeler07]

Teams keep covering Moss the same way. You have to jam him at the LOS to try to disrupt their timing, we've already seen short or long cushions don't work.

 

[MDSkinner]

New England looks really, really, really good right now. The key words? Right now. It's week 4 of THE REGULAR SEASON. Nobody knows whether this is the best ball they can play or not. If it is, another team could certainly hit their stride and knock off the Pats, no question about it. You have to peak at the right time. Up until the 2nd quarter of the 2005 Steelers v. Colts divisional playoff game, I wouldn't have given the Steelers a chance in HELL to beat Indy, Denver or New England. After that, I knew there was no way they'd lose to Denver or Seattle, they were just clicking. It's going to be extremely hard to keep up this unbelievable level of play for another 15 games.And last year, I didn't think the Colts D was anywhere near good enough to beat New England. What happened? The defense pulled together for the most important three games of the season and shut everybody down.I would wait to see what team looks the best in weeks 16 and 17 before we start talking about "unbeatable". It's absurd.Not trying to take anything away from the Pats, I don't think anybody can beat them RIGHT NOW. Just wait till January before you crown 'em.

This is a valid point. I would also say the same for the Colts last year heading into the playoffs with their pathetic run defense. Then, come playoff time it just started clicking. Who knows how things will play out, but right now the Pats look like the greatest team ever assembled. 2 months from now, who knows?

 

[jurb26]

Teams keep covering Moss the same way. You have to jam him at the LOS to try to disrupt their timing, we've already seen short or long cushions don't work.

You must not have watched the games. Teams have tried this. Cinci tried it basically all night last night. Actually, it looked rather systematic to be honest. 1st it was O'Neal trying to jam him.... um didn't work. Then it was Joseph... um, not a chance young buck. Then finally Hall... yeah OK rookie. It didn't work. None of them made him break a sweat. He is beating the press better now than he has ever done in his career.Cinci was clearly rolling their coverage to Moss most of the game. They had a guy at the LOS to try and disrupt him plenty of times and had the S playing over top. This was a major reason the backup RB saw rushing lanes the size of a car. That and well, NE just has a good Oline on top of it all. There were only 2 times when I noticed Moss singled up in coverage all game... both were TD catches.