ESPN sets new standard for premature analysis. Talk of undefeated NE

[onlinebeginner]

ya pitt is a really tough game... especially since they will probably be banged up from playing baltimore the previous monday

[Kneel B4 Zod]

[ QUOTE ]
Sun 9/9 at NY Jets W 38-14
Sun 9/16 San Diego W 38-14
Sun 9/23 Buffalo 1:00 pm
Mon 10/1 at Cincinnati 8:30 pm
Sun 10/7 Cleveland 1:00 pm
Sun 10/14 at Dallas 4:15 pm
Sun 10/21 at Miami 1:00 pm
Sun 10/28 Washington 4:15 pm
Sun 11/4 at Indianapolis 4:15 pm
bye
Sun 11/18 at Buffalo 1:00 pm
Sun 11/25 Philadelphia 8:15 pm
Mon 12/3 at Baltimore 8:30 pm
Sun 12/9 Pittsburgh 1:00 pm
Sun 12/16 NY Jets 1:00 pm
Sun 12/23 Miami 1:00 pm
Sat 12/29 at NY Giants 8:15 pm


If they go undefeated then they're the best team of all time imho.

[/ QUOTE ]

away games @ Cinci, Baltimore, Indy, Dallas, and the NYJ
home games vs San Diego and Pittsburgh, plus Philly and Washington

I think 15-1 or maybe 14-2, combined with a SB win, would make this team the best ever.

[DrewDevil]

I'm waiting for Randy Moss to pull a Randy Moss.

[RedSoxFan]

away games @ Cinci, Baltimore, Indy, Dallas, and the NYJ

Any particular reason you included the Jets here? I agreed with most of your analysis but this is f'ed up! I'd bet my pokerstars BR that the Patriots go in to NY and administer a serious beat down.

[Jbrochu]

ESPN is not alone. Half the analysts on the talk shows (radio and TV) in Boston are predicting an undefeated season as well. These are pretty much the same analysts that declared the Yankees dead and gave the Red Sox the division way back in May.

My guess assuming they stay healthy is 14-2.

[chev9]

Some of the teams being mentioned here as problems are hilarious. I don't know what everyone else sees in Baltimore, but I think they suck. Same with Cincy. Philly, Washington, Dallas...whole NFC East division is awful.

They're going 19-0 straight up and against the spread. I'm starting with $10 this week on them and parlaying it until I'll be able to pay for my Super Bowl trip and put $150K in the bank.

[TheNoodleMan]

The 2003 Pats went 14-2. They lost to the 6-10 Bills and the 5-11 Redskins.

The 2004 Pats went 14-2. They lost to the 15-1 Steelers and the 4-12 Dolphins.

Its not just the good teams that they have to worry about. They are very likely to slip up and blow a game to a crappy team along the way.

[Kneel B4 Zod]

[ QUOTE ]
The 2003 Pats went 14-2. They lost to the 6-10 Bills and the 5-11 Redskins.

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yes, but both those games were early in the season, when the team wasn't near 'midseason form'

[ QUOTE ]
The 2004 Pats went 14-2. They lost to the 15-1 Steelers and the 4-12 Dolphins.

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that was an excellent steelers team. and the dolphins were cheating ! [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

I agree in principle that it's not just the good teams you need to worry about. but, I think the Pats are better in this regards than most good teams. In Pro Football Prospectus this year they had a little feature called "Do Trap Games Exist?". a trap game was defined as playing a sub .500 team sandwiched between 2 better than .500 teams. in general, teams played as expected, but Belichiks teams were even better: they were 17-0 in "trap agames". I suspect his obsessive approach to "1 game at a team" has something to do with this.

[Kneel B4 Zod]

[ QUOTE ]

away games @ Cinci, Baltimore, Indy, Dallas, and the NYJ

Any particular reason you included the Jets here? I agreed with most of your analysis but this is f'ed up! I'd bet my pokerstars BR that the Patriots go in to NY and administer a serious beat down.

[/ QUOTE ]

you mean, like the beatdown they gave in New York last year [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] ?

the NYJ made the playoffs last year, and though they aren't a great team, road games against decent divisional opponents are far from gimmes. exhibit A would be NYJ 17, NE 14 last year.

[Triumph36]

KBZ:

c'mon. are you saying that bill belichick is the only coach who takes it one game at a time? the definition of trap game was rather narrow, too.