2270 replies to this topic
Posted 2010-01-07 13:50:31
 Old Man River, on 2010-01-05 21:56:59, said:
qwunk89, on 2010-01-05 21:30:22, said: Old Man River, on 2010-01-04 22:54:26, said: qwunk89, on 2009-12-30 10:20:04, said: go eagles . . and now that the week has started . . COWBOYS SUCK! but i must admit jay ratliff worries me since we lost our center (jamal jackson) to IR last week; key loss for us. NICK COLE AND MAX JEAN-GILLES, MAN UP!!
If the Cowboys suck, then what does that make the Eagles who lost 24 to 0?
Seriously, have you ever seen a wide receiver (Maclin) be so concerned about a closing defender (Hamlin) that he never takes his eyes off the defender? How do you catch a pass when you are too afraid to even look at the ball? How embarrassing.
fair enough . . but we get our shot at revenge this week. we embarrassed you last year in philly, you shut us out this year in dallas . . so next week should be the battle we all exoected. but won with a david akers 47-yard field goal just inside the left upright as the seconds tick off and jerry jones trades roy williams to the mexican drug cartel to dull the pain until he can again trade his first and third round pick for brandon marshall in the spring.
oh yeah, dallas and there ridiculous jumbotron stadium still suck!! football should be played outside!
You forgot to mention that the Cowboys have beaten the Eagles twice this year, first at Philadelphia (outside!) and then inside in Dallas.
Warren Sapp said he saw fear in the Eagles eyes after the first quarter. McNabb was caught looking up at Ratliff and fumbled a snap, Macklin was looking at a non existent defender when he let the ball go right through his hands and then later looking at Hamlin when he never even dared to look at the ball on the long pass. Fraction Jackson caught only 3 passes, one more than he caught when the Cowboys won outside in Philadelphia earlier this year.
Your offensive coordinator said the dropped passes were due to a lack of focus and concentration. They were focused and concentrating, but on the defenders and not on the ball. Sapp was right. They are gutless. Can the Eagles really grow a pair of balls in just 6 days?
gutless . . we'll see. i think the cowboys defined gutless with a 44-6 loss to close out the season last year. i'll give the cowboys credit for their victory, but if mcnabb doesn't over throw a wide open jackson we have a totally different game (or maclin doesn't drop that crossing route pass). i will give the cowboy's o-line props too; they played well.
oh yeah, how many playoff games did the cowboys win in the last decade? how many playoff wins for romo? do you think he can handle this game now that the pressure is really on?
gonna be a good one . . and oh yeah, the cowboys suck! 3 turnovers for romo saturday night . .
Posted 2010-01-07 15:18:21
qwunk89, on 2010-01-07 13:50:31, said: gutless . . we'll see. i think the cowboys defined gutless with a 44-6 loss to close out the season last year. i'll give the cowboys credit for their victory, but if mcnabb doesn't over throw a wide open jackson we have a totally different game (or maclin doesn't drop that crossing route pass). i will give the cowboy's o-line props too; they played well.
oh yeah, how many playoff games did the cowboys win in the last decade? how many playoff wins for romo? do you think he can handle this game now that the pressure is really on?
gonna be a good one . . and oh yeah, the cowboys suck! 3 turnovers for romo saturday night . .
Its funny. The Cowboys and Eagles have played twice this year, the Cowboys have won both and all you can talk about is previous years. I guess when you get embarrassed you talk about previous years.
By the way, if McNabb doesn't overthrow Jackson, the final score is Dallas 24 Eagles 7. If Romo doesn't trip over Free's foot, he hits Austin who was 10 yards in the clear and then the final is Dallas 31 Eagles 7. You get it? It doesn't matter. The game wasn't even close.
Posted 2010-01-09 05:39:16
Who is your favorite team in American Football?
Posted 2010-01-09 11:40:22
All NFL Play off games are on ASN live.
Posted 2010-01-10 12:09:20
Nah nah nah nah, Nah nah nah nah, whoa oh oh, goodbye Eagles.
Posted 2010-01-10 12:41:33
Posted 2010-01-10 14:35:57
Okay here is my prediction for the Super Bowl: San Diego 21 Dallas 17
Posted 2010-01-10 18:19:11
losworld, on 2010-01-10 14:35:57, said: Okay here is my prediction for the Super Bowl: San Diego 21 Dallas 17
I don't think Dallas will get to the SB. They have no field goal kicker and Roy Williams should not be starting and wouldn't for any other team in the NFL. With a field goal kicker and Ogletree at WR instead, along with Romo, Austin, Crayton, Witten, Jones etc., plus their defense, then no team would pose too much of a problem for them. They are one year away from being dominant.
Posted 2010-01-10 19:08:48
Congrats to the Cowboys; beating an excellent team like the Eagles three times in a season is impressive. I think this rivalry is eclipsing the one with the Redskins? Also well done to the Jets.
FWIW, the Truevisions on-line schedule indicates that the Sunday games will be on both ASN and TS4. The Saturday games are replaying on TS4 now (7:00 PM).
Posted 2010-01-11 13:37:33
Thought I'd share with y'all the note that I sent to my Patriots fans email group this morning. It's been a long season for the once great Patriots. .....
I got up at noon today, having gone to bed at about 5 AM, just after the Patriots proved that this year's team did not belong in the playoffs by suffering a thorough beating at the hands of the Ravens. I want to present my summary of this season before I'm influenced by reading the thoughts of others than now have my inbox nearing overflow.
It's time to put this very mediocre season behind us, and look forward with hope to significant changes, beginning very soon with the coaching staff, during the off-season. I'm not going to discuss yesterday's game beyond a few scattered references herein, because I see no value in going over the details of what was, as I said earlier, a thorough beating by a clearly superior team that simply overpowered and outplayed the Patriots.
I do think it's important, however, to take a realistic look at the overall results of the season. Some will point to the Patriots 10-6 record, and say "Hey, they were well above average. There's no significant problem." I beg to differ.
Look at those 10 wins, folks. They beat a total of 3 teams with winning records in those 10 games; and all 3 of them were barely winners, at 9-7. All 3 of those wins came at home. They never beat a winning team on the road. The combined record of the 9 teams they beat (2 wins against the Bills) was 66-78. While the combined record of the teams to which they lost was 60-36. Only 2 of the teams they beat made the playoffs; and one of them just beat them senseless yesterday in the rematch. Their 6 losses included defeats by 4 teams that made the playoffs.
So, what does all that tell you? It tells me that they simply were not a very good team. They beat the "tomato cans" of the NFL, and some of them only by the skin of their teeth; while losing consistently to league's better teams.
Their offense was inconsistent, and very poorly coached. Many people, including some opponents, have pointed out that they were unimaginative, predictable, and lacking in the ability to make effective in-game adjustments throughout the season.
Tom Brady's play was clearly affected by some combination of rust, and concern for his recovering knee. That's not criticism. It's simply an observation of fairly obvious fact. His accuracy was off. His willingness to buy time in the pocket was less. And he all too frequently threw passes in what appeared to be near panic under pressure. Did you notice his inability or unwillingness to run the ball through an obvious open lane for a probable TD in the game yesterday? Both on the sidelines, and in the huddle, there has been little or no sign of the fire that made him a great leader in past seasons. We certainly saw none of it yesterday, as Kevin Faulk had to take the lead in trying to fire up the offense on the sidelines. We can only hope that a full off-season will restore the superb game management skills he had prior to his injury.
The offensive line was rarely able to provide consistent room for the running game against any opponent. Their tactic always seemed to be to simply stand in front of opponents, rather than blow them off the line; which usually resulted in opponents easily shedding blocks, and making the tackle. On passing downs, the over rated Matt Light continued to be good for at least one major whiff per game , exposing Brady to a big hit, as was the case again yesterday.
Lawrence Maroney, while having a few productive games, made several critical fumbles, and failed repeatedly to pick up blitzing LBs. That last fault got him benched for the balance of the game yesterday following such a whiff! And the rest of the RB corps is at the point in their careers where they are too fragile to be depended upon. Although here it is mandatory to once again praise the attitude and ability of Kevin Faulk; who was head and shoulders above everybody but, perhaps, Edelman, in his performance yesterday!
And, of course, we all know that the WR corps was woefully inadequate, with only 2 effective players for most of the season. Edelman did his part, when healthy, but, as a virtual Welker clone, didn't provide the kind of balance needed to be on the field with Welker and Moss.
Defensively, the story wasn't any better. The secondary was confused more often than is acceptable. And the lack of consistent pressure from the front 7, particularly in key moments, has been noted throughout the season. The LBs, with the sole exception of Mayo, had very pedestrian seasons. As for Mayo, while he has great physical skills, and will, IMO, develop into a great ILB, he currently lacks both the ability to read offenses, and the ability to lead, at levels required of the elite players at that position.
In short, there was no element of this year's team that performed at an exceptionally high level, either among the coaches or the players. It was a sad season that I, for one, am glad to see come to a close. I will be anxiously awaiting some near term coaching moves, to precede some much needed changes to the roster from the FA market and the Draft. If I don't see those coaching moves, I'm afraid that I will be entering next season with, at best, a very cautious opinion of our chances for a return to our former position as one of the elite teams in the NFL.
Posted 2010-01-11 19:13:21
patsfangr, on 2010-01-11 13:37:33, said: Thought I'd share with y'all the note that I sent to my Patriots fans email group this morning. It's been a long season for the once great Patriots. .....
I got up at noon today, having gone to bed at about 5 AM, just after the Patriots proved that this year's team did not belong in the playoffs by suffering a thorough beating at the hands of the Ravens. I want to present my summary of this season before I'm influenced by reading the thoughts of others than now have my inbox nearing overflow.
It's time to put this very mediocre season behind us, and look forward with hope to significant changes, beginning very soon with the coaching staff, during the off-season. I'm not going to discuss yesterday's game beyond a few scattered references herein, because I see no value in going over the details of what was, as I said earlier, a thorough beating by a clearly superior team that simply overpowered and outplayed the Patriots.
I do think it's important, however, to take a realistic look at the overall results of the season. Some will point to the Patriots 10-6 record, and say "Hey, they were well above average. There's no significant problem." I beg to differ.
Look at those 10 wins, folks. They beat a total of 3 teams with winning records in those 10 games; and all 3 of them were barely winners, at 9-7. All 3 of those wins came at home. They never beat a winning team on the road. The combined record of the 9 teams they beat (2 wins against the Bills) was 66-78. While the combined record of the teams to which they lost was 60-36. Only 2 of the teams they beat made the playoffs; and one of them just beat them senseless yesterday in the rematch. Their 6 losses included defeats by 4 teams that made the playoffs.
So, what does all that tell you? It tells me that they simply were not a very good team. They beat the "tomato cans" of the NFL, and some of them only by the skin of their teeth; while losing consistently to league's better teams.
Their offense was inconsistent, and very poorly coached. Many people, including some opponents, have pointed out that they were unimaginative, predictable, and lacking in the ability to make effective in-game adjustments throughout the season.
Tom Brady's play was clearly affected by some combination of rust, and concern for his recovering knee. That's not criticism. It's simply an observation of fairly obvious fact. His accuracy was off. His willingness to buy time in the pocket was less. And he all too frequently threw passes in what appeared to be near panic under pressure. Did you notice his inability or unwillingness to run the ball through an obvious open lane for a probable TD in the game yesterday? Both on the sidelines, and in the huddle, there has been little or no sign of the fire that made him a great leader in past seasons. We certainly saw none of it yesterday, as Kevin Faulk had to take the lead in trying to fire up the offense on the sidelines. We can only hope that a full off-season will restore the superb game management skills he had prior to his injury.
The offensive line was rarely able to provide consistent room for the running game against any opponent. Their tactic always seemed to be to simply stand in front of opponents, rather than blow them off the line; which usually resulted in opponents easily shedding blocks, and making the tackle. On passing downs, the over rated Matt Light continued to be good for at least one major whiff per game , exposing Brady to a big hit, as was the case again yesterday.
Lawrence Maroney, while having a few productive games, made several critical fumbles, and failed repeatedly to pick up blitzing LBs. That last fault got him benched for the balance of the game yesterday following such a whiff! And the rest of the RB corps is at the point in their careers where they are too fragile to be depended upon. Although here it is mandatory to once again praise the attitude and ability of Kevin Faulk; who was head and shoulders above everybody but, perhaps, Edelman, in his performance yesterday!
And, of course, we all know that the WR corps was woefully inadequate, with only 2 effective players for most of the season. Edelman did his part, when healthy, but, as a virtual Welker clone, didn't provide the kind of balance needed to be on the field with Welker and Moss.
Defensively, the story wasn't any better. The secondary was confused more often than is acceptable. And the lack of consistent pressure from the front 7, particularly in key moments, has been noted throughout the season. The LBs, with the sole exception of Mayo, had very pedestrian seasons. As for Mayo, while he has great physical skills, and will, IMO, develop into a great ILB, he currently lacks both the ability to read offenses, and the ability to lead, at levels required of the elite players at that position.
In short, there was no element of this year's team that performed at an exceptionally high level, either among the coaches or the players. It was a sad season that I, for one, am glad to see come to a close. I will be anxiously awaiting some near term coaching moves, to precede some much needed changes to the roster from the FA market and the Draft. If I don't see those coaching moves, I'm afraid that I will be entering next season with, at best, a very cautious opinion of our chances for a return to our former position as one of the elite teams in the NFL.
Other than the above, what didn't you like about them? 
Posted 2010-01-11 20:29:26
patsfangr, on 2010-01-11 13:37:33, said: I got up at noon today, having gone to bed at about 5 AM,  You missed the best game of the weekend, Cardinals OT win over the Packers. An instant classic!
Agree the Pats looked unprepared for a playoff game, that Superbowl loss to the Giants continues to haunt the team. The defense appeared unable to stop the run or pass, or both, in just about every game this year. The away record was a definite red flag as was the record given an easy schedule. Finally, the one-dimensional offense made it easy for defenses. They were probably more of a playoff team last year?
Posted 2010-01-13 08:38:36
So, in the Green Bay/Arizona game, what should have been the call? I recorded the game on my PVR and have replayed the last play multiple times.
Potential Penalty #1 - A clear grabbing of Rogers face mask and not letting go until Rogers was on the ground.
Clearly, this was a face mask penalty. The defensive player knocked the ball out of Rogers' hand while reaching for his face mask and he held onto Rogers' face mask until he had Rogers on the ground. The defensive player didn't know he had knocked the ball loose and never made any attempt to recover it. He was too busy locking on to Rogers' face mask and bringing him to the grown for what he thought was a sack. There was nothing inadvertent about this. He could have argued that, maybe, he didn't grab the face mask fully and instead just had his hands in the QB's face (also a penalty).
Potential Penalty #2 - Rogers, knowing the ball was out, tried to kick it and as he was being tackled by the face mask and being pushed backwards. As he as being tackled, the best he could do was brush the ball with his foot which popped it up in the air leading to the game winning interception. On a fumble, the offensive team cannot kick the ball and Rogers clearly was trying to do that and actually did, but not with the force he intended (to kick it out of bounds or to where his team could recover it).
Hence, There should have been two penalities on the play and the interception should not have been allowed to stand. So far, the only comments we have heard from the officials was that the face mask was unintentional which isn't a penalty. If that was unintentional, then every team now has the right to grab a QB's face mask and throw him to the ground without a penalty.
The officials blew that game and ended GB's season due to their incompetence. The least they can do is admit their mistake.
Edited by Old Man River, 2010-01-13 08:39:12.
Posted 2010-01-13 08:46:17
Admit their mistake? But what about face? 
Posted 2010-01-14 08:56:28
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is downplaying a potential face-mask penalty that wasn't called on the decisive play of Sunday's overtime playoff loss at Arizona.
Facing third-and-6 on the first series of overtime, Cardinals cornerback Michael Adams blitzed Rodgers and knocked the ball out. It bounced off Rodgers' foot and into the hands of linebacker Karlos Dansby, who ran for a touchdown to give Arizona a 51-45 victory.
Adams appeared to grab Rodgers' face mask on the play, but officials didn't throw a flag. Rodgers didn't complain Monday, saying he was more concerned about his own mistakes.
The NFL issued an explanation of the rule, noting that "twisting, turning or pulling" the facemask is a 15-yard penalty but the penalty for an "incidental" grab of the face mask was eliminated before the 2008 season.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
Posted 2010-01-14 11:45:04
lomatopo, on 2010-01-14 08:56:28, said: GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is downplaying a potential face-mask penalty that wasn't called on the decisive play of Sunday's overtime playoff loss at Arizona.
Facing third-and-6 on the first series of overtime, Cardinals cornerback Michael Adams blitzed Rodgers and knocked the ball out. It bounced off Rodgers' foot and into the hands of linebacker Karlos Dansby, who ran for a touchdown to give Arizona a 51-45 victory.
Adams appeared to grab Rodgers' face mask on the play, but officials didn't throw a flag. Rodgers didn't complain Monday, saying he was more concerned about his own mistakes.
The NFL issued an explanation of the rule, noting that "twisting, turning or pulling" the facemask is a 15-yard penalty but the penalty for an "incidental" grab of the face mask was eliminated before the 2008 season.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
I had read that. The only problem with the league's explanation is that Adams grabbed onto the face mask and never let go until he had Rogers on the ground. Call it a face mask penalty or call it a penalty for hitting a QB in the face, it doesn't matter. It was a penalty in full view of everyone, but I can only guess all the officials were looking at the fumbled ball and not the rest of the play. Then again, if they were looking at the ball they would have seen Rogers kick at the ball which is also illegal. Maybe they were looking at the cheerleaders.
Posted 2010-01-14 12:04:11
Old Man River, on 2010-01-14 11:45:04, said: lomatopo, on 2010-01-14 08:56:28, said: GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is downplaying a potential face-mask penalty that wasn't called on the decisive play of Sunday's overtime playoff loss at Arizona.
Facing third-and-6 on the first series of overtime, Cardinals cornerback Michael Adams blitzed Rodgers and knocked the ball out. It bounced off Rodgers' foot and into the hands of linebacker Karlos Dansby, who ran for a touchdown to give Arizona a 51-45 victory.
Adams appeared to grab Rodgers' face mask on the play, but officials didn't throw a flag. Rodgers didn't complain Monday, saying he was more concerned about his own mistakes.
The NFL issued an explanation of the rule, noting that "twisting, turning or pulling" the facemask is a 15-yard penalty but the penalty for an "incidental" grab of the face mask was eliminated before the 2008 season.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
I had read that. The only problem with the league's explanation is that Adams grabbed onto the face mask and never let go until he had Rogers on the ground. Call it a face mask penalty or call it a penalty for hitting a QB in the face, it doesn't matter. It was a penalty in full view of everyone, but I can only guess all the officials were looking at the fumbled ball and not the rest of the play. Then again, if they were looking at the ball they would have seen Rogers kick at the ball which is also illegal. Maybe they were looking at the cheerleaders.
I'm sure that most here remember the infamous "tuck rule" call in the "Snow Bowl" game; when an apparent fumble by Tom Brady was over ruled, because he had made a forward motion with the ball, and not subsequently "tucked it" to his body, before it was knocked loose. Well, the fact is that, as Raiders' fans (and others) love to contend, the officials DID make an error on the play. But it wasn't in the "tuck rule" call. The fact is that there should have been a penalty called on Woodson, the Raider who hit him. Woodson's arm hit Brady's helmet BEFORE it came down on his arm, knocking the ball loose. Truly. If you see that play in slo-mo, from the camera angle in front of Brady, the hit to the helmet is clear. But that is rarely mentioned by anyone harking back to that play. The fumble or tuck rule should never have been an issue. It should have been a 15-yard "Roughing the passer" penalty on the Raiders! (A pet peeve of mine since the play occured!)
Posted 2010-01-14 12:34:24
Time to face up, face the truth, face the music...
Posted 2010-01-20 18:19:32
From TMQ: The sun always rises, the sun always sets, and every NFL season an overpaid Cowboys wide receiver whines following a Dallas playoff loss.
Posted 2010-01-20 19:10:17
The season went too quick. Most of us (those of us that don't root for every team in the NFL) will be watching other teams play in the Championship games. It was a great season. The games coming up will be fun to watch.
Posted 2010-01-20 19:58:00
Old Man River, on 2010-01-20 19:10:17, said: The season went too quick. Most of us (those of us that don't root for every team in the NFL) will be watching other teams play in the Championship games. It was a great season. The games coming up will be fun to watch.
I will NOT be watching the Colts-Jets game. I have very strong feelings against both franchises; so the result is of no interest to me.
I will enjoy watching the Saints-Vikings game; and will be rooting for the Saints. But whichever team wins, I will be enthusiastically rooting for that team to win the Super Bowl.
But, when it comes down to it, my priority now is watching the daily news from New England to see what changes they make in their coaching staff. I'm hoping for significant upgrades to the offensie staff, starting with an experienced and successful Offensive Coordinator; as well as the hiring of a similarly experienced and successful Defensive Coordinator.
I want an end to the "Belichick Coaching Academy" that's been going on since the breakup of the "Three Amigos" (Belichick, Weis, and Crennel) after the team's last Super Bowl win in February of 2005. Belichick has been promoting kids with little or no experience in coaching into various positions in the staff, and trying to micro-manage everything on both sides of the ball. While the team hasn't slipped down to challenge for the title of "worst in the league", they have clearly slipped well below the level of deserving to be counted among the "elite" teams of the league.
I want to see my Patriots return to that elite level. I know that Belichick has the ability to coach them back to that level; but he needs to recognize that he can't do it alone, and put more authority into the hands of highly qualified coaches to lead the offense and the defense.
There are also a number of changes required on the roster. A better run-blocking OL; a deeper WR corps; a couple of real play makers on defense; are all critically needed. Along with that, they need find some leaders among the players, having lost the heart of the team with the retirements of Bruschi and Harrison, and the departures of Vrable and Seymour.
So there's a lot of work to be done for my Patriots. That's where most of my attention, and my hopes, will be focused from now on.
Posted 2010-01-20 20:48:43
Loyalty to a struggling friend (or team) is always a beautiful thing, but it's time for my Panthers to give Delhomme the old heave-ho.
Since I've lived most of my life without a home team -- the Panthers are new kids -- I've historically cheered for three of the finalists, and the underdog lover in me wants to cheer for that fourth finalist, so it's all good. There ARE only three Ryans.
Oh, and my Panthers don't want Ron Mexico. Not only is there a bad "cats and dogs" joke waiting to be told, but if we wanted an inaccurate thrower, we'd keep Delhomme. I forgive Vick for the dog thing, even though I love dogs more than I do people. But he's as inaccurate a thrower as I am and he has a lower Wonderlic score. Unforgiveable.
Edited by Calico, 2010-01-20 20:50:48.
Posted 2010-01-20 21:00:49
Do you like the Rams? I've never disliked them.
2007, 3 wins. 2008, 2 wins. 2009, 1 win. If they get 0 wins in 2010, their fans will probably be ready for the work stoppage in 2011.
Posted 2010-01-20 21:09:22
Calico, on 2010-01-20 20:48:43, said: Loyalty to a struggling friend (or team) is always a beautiful thing, but it's time for my Panthers to give Delhomme the old heave-ho.
Since I've lived most of my life without a home team -- the Panthers are new kids -- I've historically cheered for three of the finalists, and the underdog lover in me wants to cheer for that fourth finalist, so it's all good. There ARE only three Ryans.
Oh, and my Panthers don't want Ron Mexico. Not only is there a bad "cats and dogs" joke waiting to be told, but if we wanted an inaccurate thrower, we'd keep Delhomme. I forgive Vick for the dog thing, even though I love dogs more than I do people. But he's as inaccurate a thrower as I am and he has a lower Wonderlic score. Unforgiveable.
I have to agree with you, Calico. Delhomme is not going to lead the Panthers to another Super Bowl. I only saw 3 Panthers' games this year; but that was enough to convince me that he's done. I hope they find a QB for their future during this off-season; whether it's from another team, or from the Draft.
Posted 2010-01-20 21:39:07
patsfangr, on 2010-01-20 19:58:00, said: Old Man River, on 2010-01-20 19:10:17, said: The season went too quick. Most of us (those of us that don't root for every team in the NFL) will be watching other teams play in the Championship games. It was a great season. The games coming up will be fun to watch.
I will NOT be watching the Colts-Jets game. I have very strong feelings against both franchises; so the result is of no interest to me.
I will enjoy watching the Saints-Vikings game; and will be rooting for the Saints. But whichever team wins, I will be enthusiastically rooting for that team to win the Super Bowl.
But, when it comes down to it, my priority now is watching the daily news from New England to see what changes they make in their coaching staff. I'm hoping for significant upgrades to the offensie staff, starting with an experienced and successful Offensive Coordinator; as well as the hiring of a similarly experienced and successful Defensive Coordinator.
I want an end to the "Belichick Coaching Academy" that's been going on since the breakup of the "Three Amigos" (Belichick, Weis, and Crennel) after the team's last Super Bowl win in February of 2005. Belichick has been promoting kids with little or no experience in coaching into various positions in the staff, and trying to micro-manage everything on both sides of the ball. While the team hasn't slipped down to challenge for the title of "worst in the league", they have clearly slipped well below the level of deserving to be counted among the "elite" teams of the league.
I want to see my Patriots return to that elite level. I know that Belichick has the ability to coach them back to that level; but he needs to recognize that he can't do it alone, and put more authority into the hands of highly qualified coaches to lead the offense and the defense.
There are also a number of changes required on the roster. A better run-blocking OL; a deeper WR corps; a couple of real play makers on defense; are all critically needed. Along with that, they need find some leaders among the players, having lost the heart of the team with the retirements of Bruschi and Harrison, and the departures of Vrable and Seymour.
So there's a lot of work to be done for my Patriots. That's where most of my attention, and my hopes, will be focused from now on.
Bellichick is the best coach in the NFL. I think you can rest easy that Bellichick will make sure that next year the Pats will be highly competitive no matter what it takes.
I would like to see the Saints take it all this year. From the AFC I hope it is Indy as I hate to see any relative of Buddy Ryan do well (sorry Q).
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