Matt Cassel or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Slob.

I thought this season was over. I thought it couldn’t be worse than it was going to be. That Tom brady being out for the year meant a Detroit Lions-Esq season of pointlessness.

Matt Cassel looked like complete dogshit in the Pre-Season. There was ample time to deduce this because he started all 4 of the Patriots games (since Tom Brady had a mysterious  and much-hyped leg injury that in retrospect, probably wasn’t anything).

The last day of cuts, I remember the Boston Globe running an article expressing surprise that Cassel wasn’t cut. In Pre-Season, Kevin O’Connell and Matt Guetierrez out-shined him with ease. Cassel just looked lost out there.

So I like most Patriots fans assumed that Cassel was a lost cause. I was hoping the Patriots would sign Daunte Culpepper, hoping Kevin O’Connell would be starting, hoping for anything that could bring the team together.

Now I’m not going to shit myself over how well Cassel played last night and try to pretend that this is a Superbowl caliber team. It isn’t. But, last night the Patriots showed that they are feisty as fuck and finally Matt Cassel found a way to get things done in the Red Zone.

The way that Cassel’s confidence and decision making and really general quality of play overall has grown over the course of this season reminds me of a young Tom Brady who was thrust into a very similar situation.

Last night Cassel really didn’t throw into coverage, he found the open man and he ran the Nw England offense highly effectively. The Patriots were essentially able to march up and down the field on a very good Jets defense for most of the night (after a few early gaffes to start the game).

With that said, obviously there are still gaping holes in his game.

Cassel cannot throw the deep ball to save his life. Every time Moss (or anyone really) runs a deep route, Cassel either overthrows him by 10 yards (which seems impossible considering how fast Gaffney and Moss are) or underthrows him by about 15 yards (which had led to interceptions).

The Red Zone still seemed like a tough spot for Cassel at the beginning of the game last night. It just seems like he sometimes shrinks under the pressure of a Red Zone drive (even if he was running all over the defense for the previous 10 palys).

Regardless of all of that, last night Cassel played the best game he’s ever palyed, he didn’t throw any interceptions, he really only threw abotu 2 passes into bad spots and he showed excellent decision making throughout the game (the way he tucks the ball and runs with it is really a huge added value).

The biggest issues the Patriots had last night were on defense (which seem strikingly similar to the biggest issues they had in 2007).

The Patriots just don’t seem to have a pass rush in them. Adalius Thomas was brought to the team to help with that and him being out for the year certainly hurts. Ty Warren being out wasn’t helpful either. But they clearly are not going to be able to win games with an old linebacking crew or defensive line.

Jerod Mayo may have played his best game last night. I am 100% certain that Gary Guyton played his best game last night (and he looked really good). But the Patriots need to make some additions up front.

I’m also not a fan of the secondary-by-committee they have going on. If any team in the AFC should have brought in Ty Law, it was the Patriots.

But even with these flaws, this is an exciting team.

Maybe part of the excitement is not knowing what you’re going to see from week to week.

Maybe part of it is knowing that your team has fatal flaws and really shouldn’t even be as good as it is.

Of maybe the excitement comes from a sense of euphoria that we really haven’t felt with the Patriots since 2001.

It feels like the Patriots are playing with house money. If they lose, they did the best with what they had. If they win, it’s bonus I wasn’t expecting.

Troy Brown Retires.

Troy Brown announced his retirement today.

He spent his entire career with the Patriots and was a true fan favorite. There was just something about Troy Brown that people loved.

I think a lot of it was that he was an everyman. Or as close to an ‘everyman’ as a professional athlete can be. Troy Brown always seemed to be playing as hard as he could on the field. He was always reliable to come up in big situations.

But he wasn’t built for football.

At 5′ 10″, 190 lbs., Brown was about the same size as any wide receiver on your high school’s varsity team. He wasn’t an imposing guy. He wasn’t a an amazing physical specimen. He was just a guy like any other average guy off the street who worked hard at what he did to improve himself. 

In his line of work, had to work twice as hard his whole life to even get noticed.

Say what you will about Boston sports fans, but I think that we truly identify with guys like that.

The reason why everyone has always loved Troy Brown is the same reason why everyone loves Wes Welker and Dustin Pedroia.

These guys are proof that you can get what what you put in. Something I realized when I was a kid and loved Troy Brown.

Brown was drafted by the Patriots in 1993. He was an 8th round pick from Marshall.

Let me restate that: Brown was selected in a round of the NFL draft that doesn’t exist anymore, from a college that was Division 1AA at the time.

Over the course of his career he caught 557 passes (a Patriots record) for 6,366 yards (2nd in franchise history). He had 31 TDs. He also had some huge catches that lead the Patriots to 3 Superbowls.

But these are far from Hall Of Fame statistics.

Brown never won  MVP. He only made the Pro Bowl once. He wasn’t the best receiver in the NFL ever in his career (the only time he was even close to the top 10 was 2001, his Pro Bowl season).

But #80 should be retired at Gillette Stadium.

When a player unselfishly gives his entire career to an organization, is a leader on the field and in the locker room, is willing to play anywhere the team needs him to play (he spent a lot of time playing Cornerback and working on special teams at the end of his career) and helps take the team to the Superbowl 5 times in his career, how could you not retire his number?

There are some teams that retire too many numbers (Celtics), while others retire too few (Red Sox). I understand the reasoning behind both.

Retiring a  number at a team’s stadium is a great honor for a player, second only to being in the Hall Of Fame. 

But I sort of feel like being retired at the stadium is an honor that should be reserved for guys who gave everything they had to a specific team for their entire career.

Troy Brown isn’t going to Canton.

But how could the Patriots organization ignore a guy with his heart?

If anything, I feel like being retired in your home stadium should be an honor given only to those who wouldn’t be remembered anywhere else.

When Tom Brady retires, he’ll go to Canton. Everyone will know his name in 50 years. He doesn’t need to be remembered in the Patriots Stadium to be remembered in general. Kids who are going to be born in New England in 2015 will grow up hearing stories about Tom Brady and the glory days of the Patriots.

Troy Brown is retired and 50 years from now, only those of us who had the privilige of watching him play will remember everything he did for the Patriots.

How could you not retire #80? 

Some things go deeper than stats.

Thanks for all the memories Troy.

Marx’s Thoughts On The Brady-Less Patriots.

My friend Casey had some interesting thoughts on the horror show that was the Patriots yesterday:

I sat down to eat my breakfast this morning and had to turn off ESPN because I didn’t want to hear anyone else comment on our loss to the Dolphins. I was pissed off because it seems like the rest of the league is sitting around waiting for their turns to take a shot at the Brady-less Pats so they can feel better about the last 8 seasons. I imagine there are plenty of guys like Joey Porter out there, searching for a regular season win to take the sting out of the multiple playoff losses he incurred at the hands of Tom Brady.

After searching through the channels with no luck, I turned my efforts towards the “On Demand” menu only to find that the NFL Network’s “America’s Game” episode for the 89 Forty Niners team was on demand. I watched the program while I ate my scrambled eggs and I was struck by some of the comments made by George Seifert, the head coach who replaced Bill Walsh for the 89 season.

At the end of the program Seifert was discussing his greatest challenges in being their head coach. The thing he struggled with the most was not trying to fill Bill Walsh’s shoes, or to live up to the Superbowl expectations that were put on his team. The hardest challenge for him was facing the long term changes that would happen to his roster. He said that he had always known that at some point he might be responsible for letting go of the great players on that team because undoubtedly many of them would come to the end of their career during his tenure if he kept his job long enough. Indeed he was right because he was there when Montana moved to KC, Ronnie Lott moved to the Jets and Tom Rathman moved to the Raiders.

Seeing these players move to other teams opened my eyes to the privilege that we have this season. If there is any silver lining to be found in Tom Brady’s injury it is that we are getting a glimpse of what the post Brady era might be like. We are seeing the struggles that the vast majority of fans face every time they watch their team play. We are seeing that the grass isn’t greener on the other side of the fence. If we are lucky enough to get Brady back at full strength in the seasons to follow, we should all have a much greater appreciation for his performance. It’s very rare for a player to be as good as he is, or for a team to have as much success as the Pats have had. We should all cherish these next few years while guys like Bruschi, Vrabel, and Faulk are still around because one day they’ll all just be a highlight reel for us.

I think tom Brady is the best athlete to play in Boston during our lifetime, and he more than anyone else will be our Ted Williams when we’re older. Let’s be thankful that this hopefully isn’t the end just yet, and that we’ll get one more go with him before all is said and done.

Go Pats.

Shawne Merriman Out For The Season. Makes The Right Decision. Will Undergo Surgery.

In the “obviously it wasn’t going to work out” department, Shawne Merriman has changed his mind about his torn knee ligaments.

It was previously reported that Merriman would forgo surgery because he felt that it was something he didn’t want to do.

I like to think that he read my extended plea for him to not play and that is why he chose to get the surgery before causing permanant damage to his knee.

This Chargers team looked lost against the Panthers. And that is one team you don’t want to look lost against.

Obviously Tomlinson didn’t have his best game and clearly the Chargers will pick it up as the season progresses.

But you have to wonder how this might change the landscape of the AFC.

The way the Colts looked the other night mixed with the Patriots with Brady and Chargers without Shawne Merriman makes me firmly believe that the Steelers really might be the team to beat in the AFC this season.

In related news, Kobe doesn’t need a pinky.

The Red Sox To Break The Cleveland Indians’ Consecutive Sellout Streak Tonight. Try to Put The Kids To Bed.

See what happens when you remove the Devil from your life and follow the path of rugged-domed-senior-citizens-wearing-Haiwaiin-shirt-glory?

The Tampa Bay Rays have looked a lot like the Tampa Bay DEVIL Rays I know and love from seasons past. They just got swept by the Blue Jays. THE BLUE JAYS! Roy Halladay aside (I would give him the Cy Young over Cliff Lee any day of the week) they are not a very good team.

Tonight I get to attend the record setting attendance game. It will be my first trip to Fenway since John Lester’s no-hitter. My 3rd overall game this season. The first game I went to was the Detroit Tigers’ first win of the season (over John Lester). The Second was the no hitter (Lester). So naturally, tonight’s starter will be none other than John Lester.

That always seems to happen. I see the same starter 4 times in one season (it isn’t like I have season tickets or anything). Two years ago I saw Wakefield 4 out of 5 times.

At least this year it’s Lester.

The Red Sox finally have Beckett back in the rotation, Lowell is healthy, Kevin Youkilis is back, JD Drew and David Aardsma are coming back. It looks like things are coming together (at just the right time).

The Rays have started to sink. The Twins and White Sox are killing themselves (thanks for the help Carlos Quentin!) and even the Angels do not look nearly as good as they did 6 weeks ago.

I was low on the Red Sox in June and July and even early August.

But they have hooked me in.

I feel like if they play the way they have the last few weeks, they have some legs. Maybe they can swing the momentum and parlay it into a Divisional Victory and a serious shot at NOT getting bounced immediately in the Playoffs (as I was so sure they would 6 weeks ago).

And I swear that my new found hope for the Red Sox is in no way related to my acceptance of the Patriots impending doom (all though, if Vince Wilfork popped Brett Favre’s ACL to take those ridiculous Jets fans down a notch, I wouldn’t mind…not that Wilfork would do that or anything…just saying…as much as I hate the Steelers and Chargers and Colts and Cowboys, I would not say ‘that’s what you deserve (homophobic slur here)!!!’ if any of their star players went down with a season ending injury).

Also, Dustin Pedroia needs to go 4-4 tonight. Maybe 5-5 or 6-6. Pick it up Dusty.

 

‘

Tim Rattay? Chris Simms? Yeah. Those Guys Are Going To Lead The Patriots To The Playoffs in Brady’s Absence…

There are already reports that Tim Rattay and Chris Simms are coming to Massachusettes this afternoon to work out for the Patriots.

I don’t like it.

I don’t like it one bit.

Tim Rattay? Really? I forgot that guy even existed.

And Chris Simms? I prefer my quarterbacks have a spleen, thank you.

I might be wrong about Simms. And by wrong I mean to say that perhaps he has been so humiliated by the way he was treated by John Gruden in Tampa Bay that he has something to prove and would like nothing more than to be able to prove it on a team with great wide receivers 4 solid running backs and a defense that has a pass rush this season.

Does anyone remember that movie The Replacementsthat stars Keanu Reeves and Gene Hackman (worst decision of your life Royal)? I honestly don’t see how you could forget it if you have had basic cable for the last 2 years.

Anyway, in the movie, Keanu’s character’s nickname is “Footsteps” because he was apparently so awful in the BCS Bowl game that he went from almost leading his college to a National Championship to never being given a chance by any NFL team and earning the nickname “Footsteps”.

“Footsteps” is a tough nickname to earn. It has a lot of implications. That a quarterback holds the ball too long,s tays in the pocket too long and makes horrific decisions that get him massacred (sounds like Drew Beldsoe!).

But in all seriousness, Chris Simms is probably the only quarterback in the NFL who has truly earned the nickname “Footsteps”.

Simms suffered a ruptured spleen in 2006 in week 3 that put him out for the year. He lost 5 pints of blood. Yes. 5.

But after that John Gruden kind of treated him like he was a wuss for getting the shit kicked out of him. The Bucs started Jeff Garcia. And all though Simms -5 career TD to INT ratio isn’t at all impressive, he was a young up and comer who did have some potential.

Simms has played in a game since the ruptured spleen game in week 3 of 2006.

Bill Belichick worked with the Giants when Phil Simms was their starting quarterback.

If it is experience the Patriots want, Simms isn’t really the most experienced guy. Yes, he’s had more NFL playing time than say Matt Cassel or Kevin O’Connell, but it isn’t as if Simms is an aged veteran who has lead many a team in the past.

I move that if Simms comes to New England, all Patriots fans refer to him only as “Footsteps” during his tenure. If Footsteps comes to the Patriots and has something to prove (which he sure as hell should), who knows. Maybe it will be a great redemption story.

But the guy that I want in a Patriots uniform by week 3?

 

Daunte Culpepper!

MOSS/CULPEPPER 2008!!

That is one presidential ticket that has experience, says what it is thinking and isn’t one heartbeat away from death.

Just imagine this song playing every single time Culpepper throws a bomb to Randy Moss.

Hell Daunte, you can even call Wes Welker “Cris” for all I care.

Just come back!!

WE NEED YOU!

I was a fool to ever leave your side
Me minus you is such a lonely ride
The breakup we had has made me lonesome and sad
I realize I love you
‘Cause I want you bad, hey, hey

I spent the evening with the radio
Regret the moment that I let you go
Our quarrel was such a way of learning so much
I know now that I love you
‘Cause I need your touch, hey, hey

Reunited and it feels so good
Reunited ’cause we understood
There’s one perfect fit
And, sugar, this one is it
We both are so excited
‘Cause we’re reunited, hey, hey

I sat here staring at the same old wall
Came back to life just when I got your call
I wished I could climb right through the telephone line
And give you what you want
So you will still be mine, hey, hey

I can’t go cheating, honey, I can’t play
I found it very hard to stay away
As we reminisce on precious moments like this
I’m glad we’re back together
‘Cause I missed your kiss, hey, hey

Reunited and it feels so good
Reunited ’cause we understood
There’s one perfect fit
And, sugar, this one is it
We both are so excited
‘Cause we’re reunited, hey, hey

Yeah, yeah, yeah
Ba-a-a-by

Lover, lover, this is solid love
And you’re exactly what I’m dreaming of
All through the day
And all through the night

I’ll give you all the love I have
With all my might, hey, hey

Reunited and it feels so good
Reunited ’cause we understood
There’s one perfect fit
And, sugar, this one is it
We both are so excited
‘Cause we’re reunited, hey, hey

Tom Brady Has A Torn ACL. Out For The Season. Bring In Daunte Culpepper. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD BRING IN DAUNTE CULPEPPER!!

Tom Brady is rumored to have a torn ACL. Unless by some miracle it is just a broken leg or something (a broken leg would be a miracle in this case) Tom Brady will miss the entire 2008 season.

The Patriots didn’t look all that promising prior to Brady’s injury and they certainly did not look fantastic afterwards. 

Now I know what it must feel like to have a teenage son or daughter. One disappointment after another. 

At least I have the Celtics…

…Well…

Here is the silver lining:

• If it is a torn ACL, Brady will have a calendar year to recover. This is longer than Carson Palmer had. Palmer is still effective (not today, but in general…)
• The Patriots arrogance is gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone.
• Younger players will NEED to step up and play to the absolute best of their ability in order to even help this team make the playoffs.
• Maybe Matt Cassel will be the next Tom Brady? (doubtful).
• Maybe if Matt Cassel does start and start to suck hard, maybe Kevin O’Connell will be the starter? (doubtful).
• Maybe the Patriots can pull Daunte Culpepper out of retirement. Here is how the meeting would go “Listen Daunte, we know you’re retired, we know you didn’t get a fair shake anywhere. We know you had a serious knee injury in Miami, we know you were on the Raiders and that fuckfest wasn’t your fault (look, we even signed Lamont Jordan!). But you know what Daunte? The best years of your life happened in Minnesota. Who was your favorite target? Was it Cris Carter? No? It was Randy Moss. Hey wait a second…RANDY MOSS IS ON OUR TEAM! Listen Daunte, you want to play in the NFL, you can start in New England, you have a killer offense here a solid defense, you want to prove you can start in the NFL, do it for a team that has EVERYTHING to prove. WE WANT YOU CULPEPPER!!!”

Matt Cassel was a decent game manager today. He wasn’t going to lose the game playing the way he did. But he also wasn’t going to win any games for the team like that. Not against decent opponents anyway.

Maybe Cassel can get better.

Sammy Morris looked great today…

CULPEPPER FOR PATRIOTS QB 2008!

I don’t think Culpepper would lead them to the Superbowl or be good enough to make them even necessarily the AFC East winners…

But Culpepper would definitely make it a fun season to watch (as would Kevin O’Connell).

I have already accepted that my team is fucked for 2008.

Please do not make me sit through 15 games of boring, uninspired, tempo-less offensive drives. 

Please Daunte. Please come to the Patriots.

Kevin O’Connell Should Be The Patriots Back Up Quarterback.

While flipping back and fourth between the DNC and the Patriots @ New York for the preseason closer, a few things became apparent:

1. Matt Cassel kind of sucks.
2. Matt Gutierrez is slightly better than Matt Cassel at this point, but also does not inspire any confidence should Brady go down.
3. Chad Jackson should be a legitimate receiving threat this season.
4. Michelle Obama would be the most attractive First Lady ever. By Far.
5. Kevin O’Connell is who I trust with this team.

The Patriots pre-season play has been slightly less than inspired. Laurence Maroney still looks like he’s running uphill all of the time, the defense looks like ti is weak, the offensive line seems old and unable to stop a pass rush.

I’m sure some of this could be a product of injuries. Some of it could be new players trying to find their ground. Some of it could be a 2007 season hangover.

But the bottom line is, Tom Brady hasn’t taken a snap with this team in any games yet this season.

Far be it from me to try and exaggreate healthy concerns for Brady or make excuses for him, but I think he should be ready for the season opener. The thing is, if he actually is hurt in any serious manner, or if he were to get hurt seriously, this Patriots team would sort of die with Matt Cassel at the helm.

Matt Cassel had the benefit of starting every pre-season game. That means he had the starters around him and the starters of the defenses going against him. And you what he did? Suck. Consistently.

Matt Gutierrez had flashes of being all right. He seems like he could be a backup.

The kind of guy that could lead a great team to a 6-10 record.

Matt Cassel has played like a quarterback that would lead the Patriots to a 2-14 record.

But last night we had the pleasure of seeing the rawness of Kevin O’Connell. And yeah, I understand he was playing against the Giants 3rd string. But guess what? He was playing with the Patriots 3rd string as well.

Kevin O’Connell is a gamer. He just seemed to have that swagger that successful quarterbacks need.

I like that he is mobile, I like his toughness and his passes really did seem to be crisp and on point (except for that timing route where he messed up and threw way behind someone, but that type of thing can happen to any quarterback on occasion).

I honestly do feel like Kevin O’Connell could lead this Patriots team to a 9-7 record should Brady be out for the season if he plays for a whole year the way he did int he 4th quarter last night.

In fact, had the Patriots defense found a way to stop the Giants with about 1:45 left int eh game, there is no doubt in my mind that O’Connell would have led the Patriots to a ridiculous come from behind victory.

Yeah, it was preseason. And he isn’t exactly a polished gem. But I think Bill Belichick would be making a huge mistake if he cut Kevin O’Connell. His raw athleticism and gamer mentality alone should be enough for Belichick to keep him around.

I liked what I saw in O’Connell last night. It made me wish I would have seen him at San Diego State University.

I also like that he is from Knoxville. Superdrag is from Knoxville. And they are decent folks.

O’Connell seems liek the type of player Belichick loves. He’s big, he’s athletic and based on his performance last night, I have no doubt that he would be willing to do anything to lead his team to victory (Including playing Safety or being on special teams).

There needs to be a spot for this guy on the roster.

2008 NFL Preview: AFC East

New York Jets

You know, looking over the offensive side of the 2008 New York Jets, it seems hard to say they will be bad. Maybe they won’t be great, but their offense seems decent.

The Jets spent some money in the off season improving their offensive line. D’Brichashaw Ferguson (on the shortlist fo best name in the NFL) is young and strong. Alan Faneca has quite a reputation. Damien Woody was a quality O-line guy for the Patriots years ago. Nick Mangold is a tough Center. I don’t see any real holes there.

Obviously Brett Favre was a big addition to a team without a leader.

And to be honest, more than not having a quarterback that has been consistent for the last few years, I truly believe one of the Jets main problems is that they have been a team without a leader.

Maybe Curtis Martin was the leader in years past. But one thing always struck me about Chad Pennington: he didn’t seem like leader material.

I have never been in a huddle with Pennington, but I do think that, for one, when a player is injured frequently, it definitely takes some of the leadership luster off of them for the simple fact that they are not in it in the same way with the rest of the guys. But the thing that stands out to me about Pennington, is that he never seemed like a cowboy.

If there is one trait that all great quarterbacks seem to possess, and this is something that is true across all races, ages and athletic abilities, it is that a great quarterback is a great leader and is John Wayne (from his War movies) mixed with John Wayne (from his Western movies). A great quarterback needs a little arrogance. They need to be unafraid and confident in their team. Joe Namath had it. Joe Montana had it.  John Elway had it. Brett Favre has it. Tom Brady has it. Peyton Manning has it. Donovan McNabb had it (when he was younger/before all the injuries).

Chad Pennington? That guy always looked scared to me.

Did John Wayne ever look scared to you?

So Brett Favre is obviously a step up here.

But the thing that MUST carry the Jets are the wide receivers. And to be honest, this is where the holes start to appear.

Jericho Cotchery could be the most underrated wide receiver in the NFL (or in your fantasy league). He’s 6’0″, he’s athletic, he’s young and he has never had a good quarterback throwing to him before, yet has still somehow managed 2,000 yards receiving over the last two seasons. Ignore his bad 8 TDs over the same span. No one was throwing touchdowns in New York. Cotchery should be a great option for the Jets.

Laveranues Coles has had similar output to Cotchery over a longer amount of time. The only concern I have with Coles is that he is a little older (30) and a little undersized (not that this has hurt him in seasons past, but Troy Brown could tell you that when you are an undersized wide-out, the older you get, the harder it becomes to get past the younger defensive backs around you and make up for your lack of stature with your agility and speed. Still, Coles is a good #1 option.

Beyond those two however, the Jets are a little unproven. Who knows, maybe Brad Smith (who is the right size [6'2" 210 lbs] to be a solid wide-out) will blossom this year, but I am not overwhelmed beyond Cotchery and Coles.

Chris Baker and Bubba Franks might provide Favre with the extra targets he’ll need at Tight End.

The biggest issue with the Jets is their running game.

Thomas Jones, Leon Washington, Musa Smith, Jesse Chatman. That sounds like a list of undrafted free agents in your Fantasy League that you are forced to choose between around week 6 when two of your good running backs are hurt. You don’t like the way any of them look, but you need to use one of them.

The plus side for the Jets is the fantastic offensive line. Maybe they will platoon the running backs, use all four of them and figure it out as they go. Or maybe Thomas Jones will develop into a legitimate #1 back. We’ll have to see.

The thing is, if the Jets DID have someone like Steven Jackson or Marshawn Lynch or even Edgerrin James in the backfield, they would look like a legitimate Superbowl threat on offense (on paper).

You’ll notice that I spent a lot of time talking about the Jets offense. That is because I don’t have much to say about the defense. On paper, it doesn’t look like a very formidable squad. Not a lot of ultra recognizable names here. Obviously Vernon Gholston will be exciting (seeing how he turns out, anyway), but I don’t think this Jets defense is going to be better than run-of-the-mill. They might surprise and finish as like the 12th best defense. I expect them to be around 18 or so and as a result they will constantly end up putting pressure on the offense to score (which they should not have as much trouble doing).

A great benefit of being bad last season is a quasi-cakewalk schedule in 2008. They only have about 6 tough match ups. If the Bills come out with a vengeance, the Jets might have some trouble though.

And as much as I want to see Brett Favre embarrassed and have his legacy squandered, as much as I hate the Jets…

My definitive prediction is a 10-6 record for the Jets in 2008.

Buffalo Bills

When I look at the Buffalo Bills offense in 2008, it doesn’t look like they have made many upgrades.

They are still a little shaky beyond Lee Evans at Wide Receiver. I am not floored by Roscoe Parrish or Josh Reed. In retrospect, this is a team that probably would have benefitted from signing SOMEONE else at WR in the off season.

Marshawn Lynch was marvelous last year. He made Willis McGahee look like the most replaceable running back ever.

The offensive line is decent.

The biggest question mark is Quarterback. And that is NOT a place to have your biggest question mark.

In theory, the Bills are in a great situation. After all, JP Losman is only one year removed from 3,000 yards and 19 TDs. Losman was everything you could hope for in 2006. Not great. Not really awe inspiring. A game manager. Maybe with some potential for growth.

Then last year happened.

Injuries forced a younger QB (not that Losman is an old man at 27), Trent Edwards to emerge. And Edwards showed flashes of quality for a younger QB. Or at least, he gave the Bills the same results they got from the more experienced Losman and made them question whether they should switch to Edwards to develop him full time or not.

This is kind of a shitty quandaryfor a few reasons. Yes, there are MORE uninspired starting QB struggles in the NFL (Chicago Bears, anyone?), but by yanking both of these guys around, neither of them gets to show what they can do. I mean, guys need a full season to prove themselves. No one can show how talented they are in 8 games when they constantly fear getting yanked after every INT.

But on the same token, I think Losman AND Edwards both have more upside than a few starting quarterbacks in the league.

Either way, a QB rating around 74.0 isn’t going to cut it as a starter. I hope both of them improve this year.

On defense, the Bills improved their D-line by adding Marcus Stroud from Jacksonville. Stroud and Schobel will be a formidable combination for a lot of offensive lines to block. Kyle Williams and Chris Kelsay are both solid and round out the defensive line.

The Bills also added Kawika Mitchell from the Giants. Mitchell actually had a down season last year and if he can somehow regain his 2006 form (104 tackles) he should be a great addition. Paul Posluszny was having an incredible rookie season through 3 games last year (26 tackles, 17 of them solo)…incredible is an understatement actually, the guy was unreal before getting injured for the season. Posluszny could be a defensive emperor for years to come at linebacker. Angelo Crowell is also a hard worker who rounds out the starting linebackers.

The Bills secondary doesn’t look amazing on paper, but few NFL teams do have a great secondary.

On paper the Bills will be amazing at the pass rush. They are not going to be easy for any offensive line to shut down. The issue is, if the secondary is sub-par, when the Bills blitz, if the offense picks it up, there could be a lot of passing touchdowns thrown against them. I don’t think teams without feature running backs stand much of chance of getting beyond 70 yards on the ground against this front 7.

So the biggest question remains…who is going to lead this team? And will Losman OR Edwards do a good job at QB?

So much on offense could go either way…The Bills could be one of those teams that looks great and wins a game 17-3 one week and then loses a game 14-3 the next. I could easily see that happening.

My definitive prediction is an 8-8 record for the Bills in 2008.

Miami Dolphins

It’s hard to say a lot about the Dolphins.

Last year they were painful to watch. 1-15 painful. Nearly 0-16 painful. Nearly.

That won’t happen this year. Bill Parcells has added Jake Long who will surely fill in a huge hole on the offensive line.

Ronnie Brown is expected to be healthy. As is Ricky Williams (though I never count on him for anything). And Ronnie Brown, just so you remember, is probably one of the top 5 running backs in the NFL. Behind Peterson, Tomlinson, maybe Steven Jackson, maybe Larry Johnson (both have fallen from grace). This is a league without a lot of premier running backs and Ronnie Brown over the course of his short career, has proven that he can run and catch and do a lot without a lot blocking (of course this has also led to some injuries…).

At Wide Receiver, the Dolphins made the very very very smart addition of Ernest Wilford. Wilford is huge (6’4″ 223 lbs.) and young and was very effective in Jacksonville (where they constantly used 4 tall WRs interchangeably) and should easily be Chad Pennington’s favorite target in Miami. Ted Ginn Jr. I just don’t get. he might develop into a Laveranues Coles type receiver (Coles may be the #1 on the Jets, but he is no alpha dog among top NFL receivers. he’ll never be in the T.O., Randy Moss, Chad Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald group). He’s but I always thought that he was overrated in college and over-drafted by the Dolphins. Maybe he’ll be serviceable. Beyond those two is a lot of young and undeveloped targets.

At quarterback the Dolphins have Chad Pennington.

Here’s the thing about Pennington, he just got cut for Brett Favre. After years of playing hard for the Jets, leading them to the playoffs, and generally being a solid game manager and sometimes all right quarterback. This is his chance to have a chip on his shoulder, go out there and lead the Dolphins to a surprisingly successful campaign.

If Pennington is healthy and plays with a chip on his shoulder, who knows. Maybe he’ll throw 20 TDs and 9 INTs for like 3,000 yards and look great again. If he can play gutsy football on a shaky team, I will take back all of the bad things I have said about him.

Realistically, I see no way this team can possibly finish with a winning record. It just isn’t in the cards. They need another solid wide receiver on offense and some improvements to the defensive line and secondary on defense.

But…

They can be a team that upsets a good team on occasion and wins a couple of monumental games for the franchise. This season should be a turning point for them. If they finish 7-9 it will be an amazing rebound after last year. But you get the sense that even finishing 5-11 would be an accomplishment.

On defense I don’t see too much promise. Joey Porter will probably be healthy. Akin Ayodele was a nice addition to the Linebackers as well. But by and large, this Dolphins defense seems young and unproven in some places and experienced yet underwhelming in others.

This is a rebuilding year. 2009 will also probably be a rebuilding year. But I do expect progress each season. I think they will be very competitive again by 2010 (if all goes according to plan).  

The good thing is, when a team hits rock bottom, they get to overhaul and improve from the ground up. Some teams (Detroit Lions) stay decent enough to never get a great draft pick for years but never get good enough to go to the Superbowl. Sorry Dolphins fans, but this is for your own good.

My definitive prediction is a 4-12 record for the Dolphins in 2008.

New England Patriots

You know what really isn’t promising? The way the Patriots have played this preseason.

The most gutsy thing I have seen them do is Matt Gutierrez (3rd string QB) leading them to 2 touchdowns against the Eagles 3rd string defense at the end of the game on Friday night.

And yes, I am a firm believer that preseason means very little when it comes to the actual NFL…but I still think the Patriots need to step up a little bit or they will suffer some rust early in the season (and that will not be good).

The Patriots still have the same starting offensive line that was devoured by the Giants defense in the Superbowl. They added some back ups (added some youth here) but the starting O-line is the same.

At wide-out they lost Donte Stallworth but still have Moss, Welker, Jabar Gaffney and expect the full return (and rebirth) of Chad Jackson (who did look good on Friday). They also have Kelley Washington and Sam Aiken who might catch a pass here and there. That is still a high quality receiving group. Probably one of the best sets in the NFL.

The tight ends are the same (Watson and Thomas).

Something the Patriots have done almost every off season for the last decade or so is add another running back. Usually it is someone who was decent as a backup on another team or a veteran in the twilight of their career. Last season they added Sammy Morris for depth. Unfortunately Morris was injured several games in a missed the rest of the season. This isn’t to say that the Patriots were short-handed at running back (they had Kevin Faulk and Maroney splitting time as well as the occasional Kyle Eckel carry)…the thing is, running backs get hurt. Easily. It happens.

Kevin Faulk is not a workhorse back. He can take a few carries a game and catch passes, but he isn’t a grinding back.

Maroney is a finesse runner. he cuts a lot and when he gets into the open field, he is great, but he also doesn’t exactly bang through guys.

Sammy Morris was great last year because he was powerful and solid in short yardage situations.

Morris is back and the Patriots took it a step further and added Lamont Jordan this season as well. Jordan is a bruiser when he’s healthy. If the Patriots split time between the backs, they should have no problem frustrating defenses and establishing a ground game. If they split time, they will also be able to keep guys fresh and (hopefully) reduce the stress on all of them throughout the regular season so that they are all healthy and energetic for the Playoffs (in a perfect world…in real life, having 3 of them left for the Playoffs would be astounding).

I love the Jordan pick up.

On defense, the Patriots got faster and younger. They added Victor Hobson (who should be great in the mix) and Jerod Mayo and Shawn Crable look like they should be solid additions to the pass rush.

In the secondary the Patriots sort of seemed to embrace that no team has a great secondary, so they added a series of young guys who are capable and hopefully can provide the coverage they were so sorely lacking for a lot of last season. Losing Asante Samuel shouldn’t be a huge issue. Nor should losing Randall Gay. If the pass rush is better, the defensive backs don’t need to be better (it would help, but I think the idea is a great pass rush will offset the loss of having [at best] an average secondary). And as always, I’m inclined to believe that Bill Belichick knows what he’s doing when it comes to coaching a team and developing players.

Still, the preseason does not look promising.

And looking at the schedule, if the rust does carry over, I could easily see a situation where the Patriots are 4-4 through week 9.

I’m going low ball it and assume the worst of this team.

My definitive prediction is an 11-5 record for the Patriots in 2008.

IMPORTANT NEWS ALERT: Kyle Orton wins Starting QB Stint With Chicago Bears!!! Rex Grossman Cries In A Corner! THE WORLD IS SHOCKED YET EMBRACING THE CHANGE.

BREAKING NEWS: Both Kyle Orton AND Rex Grossman SUCK beyond your wildest dreams.

That’s right, I would gladly take Steve Walsh, Jeff George, Scott Mitchell, Steve Bono, Ty Detmer, Scott Zolak and Rich Gannon in their current state over either of them.

I said it.

Rex Grossman is easily the worst quarterback to ever lead a team to a Superbowl.

I say this because, we could debate for days about how good Eli Manning really is. He has been on an off (to say the least) over the last few years.

However, Eli Manning stepped up in the Playoffs and was a good quarterback when it counted. That’s all that really matters. Even if he isn’t actually a great quarterback in general, he was good when it counted.

Rex Grossman? That guy is an embarrassment to the quarterback position.

Kyle Orton? Aside from the fact that he has a fantastic pornstache, he is pretty bad.

The Bears are stupid. Why wouldn’t they just draft a quarterback? If I were a Bears fan, I would gladly take the possible upside of someone completely new to the organization over the downside of two guys who have been dicking around the team for 3 years, neither of which has done anything remotely close to “impressive”.

Shit, if I were the Patriots, say somehow Tom Brady goes down for a few games, I would feel far more confident with Matt Cassell as my starting QB than either of those clowns.

Maybe Kyle Orton will prove me wrong, but if my knowledge of how an NFL season works or my knowledge of how an extensively one-sided team with no offensive weapons works, it seems safe to assume that we will see Orton for 6 or 7 games and then Grossman for 2 or 3 and then Orton some more and then maybe more Grossman.

I love this league.