NFL 2013 Preseason: When it almost counts

[Littlefingers In The Air]

You can join me in being a Bengals fan for the year! We need another one around here.

Bengals fan? Good! I need one to talk shit to when my Browns play them.

[Fez]

It's like the Spurs in the NBA. They look a little shaky in preseason, might be washed up, etc etc and then they go out and dominate. But still, a man can dream. I'd like to keep this false hope for a couple more weeks lol

If it weren't for the fact that the rest of the AFC East is so incredibly weak ( :crying: ), I really feel like the Pats could've been brought down this year. They have about as many offensive weapons as they did in 2006, the year of Reche Caldwell and the Brady QB season rating of "only" 87.9, and Brady is 7 years older and in offense that has had to be completely reworked since none of the other players that made it work are going to be playing this year (well, Gronk eventually will, and will probably end up hurt again at some point; the dude's a brittle beast).

Its true that the defense will probably be above middle-of-the-pack and be flirting with a top-ten unit, but defenses in the NFL don't matter nearly as much as offenses anymore. In fact, special teams are arguably just as important at this point.

All that being said, the Patriots will probably go 11-5 thanks to the AFC East giving them a 6-0 base to start from.

Fuck do I hate that team. :bang:

ETA: to fill in some missing words

[Jace, Extat]

Its why I'll never turn on Rex Ryan, despite being such a blowhard, for instance.

I love that you said this. Rex is an awesome coach with a sometimes grating personality, and that's way better than an awesome coach with no personality (I.E. BB)

Yeah, I agree. I think it's not only "act like you've been there before" but, perhaps more importantly, "act like you'll be there again". I think, at least sometimes, it's a confidence thing.

I was gonna say this earlier, but I feel like it's mostly the defense that's dirty, while the offense is just professional and very good. The two things that contribute to the shitbaggery on defense that I see are Jim Schwartz (defensive minded), and the fact that they suck. I think that the defense (and Jim Schwartz) knows that they're the thing holding the team back, and they're striking out because they're insecure.

I was just kidding. I hope Brady and company fail miserably, also. Kind of like reverse psychology. Maybe, just maybe they will finally suck or at least struggle some.

Sorry, I don't read sarcasm well ;), but here's to the failing of the Patriots. TB was dreamy back in 2004, ( I rooted like hell for the Patriots in 2001) but he's turned into an epic douche.

I feel like I've seen this type of comment on here before. I can't for the life of me remember when...it's bothering me.

? I've said things like that before, is that what you mean?

[Prince of the North]

Eroding skills + increasing injury risk is a wicked combination.

Not to mention the inevitable exodus of talent perennially experienced by playoff/Superbowl teams. That's why we look in awe at those teams with the reputation of always being able to plug those holes left by free-agency like Pittsburgh (although I don't know if it's deserved anymore). Also, it will be interesting to see how Baltimore responds to seemingly losing so much talent this off-season.

[awesome possum]

Am I the only one who hopes Chip Kelly and his precious offense falls so flat that he slinks back to college after a year or two? For some reason I just can't stand 1) overly hyped college coaches - most of which have failed miserably and 2) Chip Kelly. I don't know why, but I just don't like him.

[Maithanet]

Am I the only one who hopes Chip Kelly and his precious offense falls so flat that he slinks back to college after a year or two? For some reason I just can't stand 1) overly hyped college coaches - most of which have failed miserably and 2) Chip Kelly. I don't know why, but I just don't like him.

When Chip Kelly was at Oregon, I wanted to like him, because his Ducks were both entertaining and one of the few legitimate challengers to the SEC. But now that he in Philly I wish him only failure and heartbreak.

[Jaime L]

Is this the year that B&B goes down? I wouldn't count on it, but it's certainly possible.

It's possible. The problem I see is that there's no-one in the AFC East to take their throne. Even if the Patriots slip to 9-10 wins I think that's going to be plenty to stave off the Dolphins and Bills of the world. I guess i'm just repeating Fez here.

The biggest concern I have is that the Patriots may have angered our Lord by not playing Tebow this past week. Have they ever looked so terrible? That was some Pete Carroll Patriots shit right there. Notice the plagues He has visited upon the other sinful houses that have forsaken His (other) son? Butt fumbles and Rahim Moore plays abound. Tread carefully, Bill Belichick, tread carefully.

[Jace, Extat]

Am I the only one who hopes Chip Kelly and his precious offense falls so flat that he slinks back to college after a year or two? For some reason I just can't stand 1) overly hyped college coaches - most of which have failed miserably and 2) Chip Kelly. I don't know why, but I just don't like him.

I'm with you. I don't know much about Mr. Kelly, but I hate hype-machines.

[Fez]

Am I the only one who hopes Chip Kelly and his precious offense falls so flat that he slinks back to college after a year or two? For some reason I just can't stand 1) overly hyped college coaches - most of which have failed miserably and 2) Chip Kelly. I don't know why, but I just don't like him.

Completely disagree. I like when things get shaken up in the NFL, and the referees saying they won't speed up how fast they set the ball is some bullshit. As much as they've embraced technology, the NFL is a shockingly conservative league (not talking politics here; although also yes) and I enjoy institutions as full of themselves as the NFL getting knocked down a peg. Having some new college coach completely show up everyone else fits that bill for me.

Even if he is coaching the Eagles.

[Jabronius Maximus]

If it weren't for the fact that the rest of the AFC East is so incredibly weak ( :crying: ), I really feel like the Pats could've been brought down this year. They have about as many offensive weapons as they did in 2006, the year of Reche Caldwell and the Brady QB season rating of "only" 87.9, and Brady is 7 years older and in offense that has had to be completely reworked since none of the other players that made it work are going to be playing this year (well, Gronk eventually will, and will probably end up hurt again at some point; the dude's a brittle beast).

Well I don't know if the AFC East being weak is the main reason for the dominance. The Packers have owned their (strong) division for a few years now simply because they have the best player in the division (and maybe the league, but that's a different debate - NFL.com has him ranked 6th!?!?!). And the McCarthy-Rodgers duo is a very solid one too. The Pats have that same advantage of the coach-QB duo, and that flat out beats anything else another afc east team can bring to the table. And as long as those two pairs are at the helm, and they have passable defenses, I think the Pats and Packers will continue to own their respective divisions.

[Fez]

Well I don't know if the AFC East being weak is the main reason for the dominance. The Packers have owned their (strong) division for a few years now simply because they have the best player in the division (and maybe the league, but that's a different debate). And the McCarthy-Rodgers duo is a very solid one too. The Pats have that same advantage of the coach-QB duo, and that flat out beats anything else another afc east team can bring to the table. And as long as those two pairs are at the helm, and they have passable defenses, I think the Pats and Packers will continue to own their respective divisions.

Not saying a weak division is the main reason the Pats had excellent records (except 2006, and maybe 2012), the rest of the time they've been a legitimate contender (except 2002 and 2008, where they did miss the playoffs). The Bills haven't really been good the entire time, but the Dolphins had a year or two with the wildcat, and the Jets did make the AFC Championship in 2009 and 2010 (never forget!), so the Patriots have had competition at times; it just so happens that the division usually is terrible*, and this year it will be again.

This does not detract from past accomplishments at all, but I think will be the main thing propping them up this year.

*And its not that the division just looks bad thanks to the Patriots; they usually had bad records against the rest of the league as well.

[Jabronius Maximus]

Fair enough, and I'd say going back to 2007 the division has been what's propping them up in the standings, much like what the Colts were for the last decade or so (and now the Broncos going forward, for god knows how long). But still the divisional success is what puts them in position for a win or go home game, and Brady usually beats the other guy in that situation. Or maybe even that's a myth these days, given their 3-4 playoff record since 2007.

[Ramsay B.]

I'm not a Patriots fan, but you guys are dreaming. No offense gets the ball out of the QB's hand faster than the Pats.

As a Giants fan, all I can say is...ho-hum.

[wolverine]

Completely disagree. I like when things get shaken up in the NFL, and the referees saying they won't speed up how fast they set the ball is some bullshit. As much as they've embraced technology, the NFL is a shockingly conservative league (not talking politics here; although also yes) and I enjoy institutions as full of themselves as the NFL getting knocked down a peg. Having some new college coach completely show up everyone else fits that bill for me.

Even if he is coaching the Eagles.

I agree with this. I don't feel like it is Kelly's fault that his offense has been hyped.

[Kalbear]

Kelly is an awesomely weird coach. The nfl needs more of him, not less.

[Jaime L]

Completely disagree. I like when things get shaken up in the NFL, and the referees saying they won't speed up how fast they set the ball is some bullshit. As much as they've embraced technology, the NFL is a shockingly conservative league (not talking politics here; although also yes) and I enjoy institutions as full of themselves as the NFL getting knocked down a peg. Having some new college coach completely show up everyone else fits that bill for me.

Even if he is coaching the Eagles.

Yeah, this. I mean, I also agree with Maith - because he went to the Eagles I want to see him fail.

But the idea that Kelly represents? That I want to be successful. I find the arrogance of NFL guys to be galling. So many head coaches assume the strategies deployed at the NFL level are the end-all, be-all in football and that anything that looks different is hokey college crap.

Well we started seeing last year among offensive coaches creative (and humble) enough to look to the college level for inspiration and used it to devastate supposedly superior NFL defensive concepts. Still despite that, you got guys like Mike Tomlin calling the read option "the flavor of the month" or "similar to the Wildcat". Did that fucker see what it did to the Packers in the playoffs last year? Does he get that what makes the read option successful is that all it is, as Ben Muth puts it, is: "inside zone with one less guy to block...and inside zone has worked since the 80s"? That's the flavor of the month? Hell, is there any question at this point how he lost to a Tim Tebow led team in the playoffs? He couldn't even stop read-option without the passing component when it counted.

And it doesn't have to be read option, it can be pistol, or spread concepts or hurry up or multi-TE sets. I want the NFL to be a meritocracy of ideas and the best innovators run circles around the arrogant fucks who think they already know everything and don't ever need to evolve. There's a reason Bill Belichick has been so much better than the rest of the NFL for 12 years now and a big part of it is that despite winning 13 games every year he still has the humility to understand that he still needs to innovate, get better and constantly stay one step ahead the competition.

He just shouldn't be such a rarity. And I think 2012 represented the first season where I feel like he no longer is. Kelly's hire along with other developments in the league as the season went on last year make me think 2013 could be among the most fascinating seasons ever from a schematic move/counter-move standpoint.

[Jace, Extat]

(and maybe the league, but that's a different debate - NFL.com has him ranked 6th!?!?!).

The players ranked him 6th. While I'm as wary of that list as anyone can be after seeing Dennis Pitta and Bernard Pollard make it, there is something to be said for the rest of the players sending out those votes.

[trickster]

? I've said things like that before, is that what you mean?

We had a Colts fan we fondly remember. Sivin, I think, is currently serving in the Army. I'm pretty sure Mexal is comparing you to "my young Padwan" Sivin.

ETA I had a déjà vu as well since this pleases us (especially when something bad happened to the Pats ) was his trademark phrase.

[Jace, Extat]

We had a Colts fan we fondly remember. Sivin, I think, is currently serving in the Army. I'm pretty sure Mexal is comparing you to "my young Padwan" Sivin.

ETA I had a déjà vu as well since this pleases us (especially when something bad happened to the Pats ) was his trademark phrase.

Ok, I guess. I was always under the impression that everyone is pleased when the Patriots suffer misfortune.

[trickster]

Ok, I guess. I was always under the impression that everyone is pleased when the Patriots suffer misfortune.

:)

Yes it pleases us.