Ronin

So he has the Pats scoring almost 70 more points than they put up last season and about 50 more than any other team did last season. Not sure I see that happening.

Duke Johnson. We desperately need a viable backup RB and there will be tremendous value to be had at that spot for RB. Him or Tevin Coleman. If for any reason McCoy goes down our offense regresses in a major way right now where we stand. It'll be worse than last season's pathetic rushing game if that happens and it would allow teams to focus on pressuring Cassel, which would not be good. We sorely need that offensive balance this season to make the playoffs, definitely if we're going to win the division and beat the Pats at least once.

LOL

Agree on Watt. Bruce and White had two completely different styles though. Bruce played smaller and faster, like LT, whereas White was larger and played with more power and less speed.

I agree

Watkins, stupid trade. Spiller, ridiculous pick. Mario, good but way over priced. We should have gotten two Marios for that money. I don't see how any grade can possibly be better than a C. We have no idea to what extent he's been allowed to dictate this offseason, this could very well be mostly Rex and Pegula. I'm sure that after last year's idiotic trade Whaley's not making a lot of waves about "how he feels" about certain players. His biggest moves since he's been here in 2010 have been flops. At best. This season's been so different than the previous five years when he was specifically in charge of talent. Why is that? I'm not sure that we know, but it is different and a change, that's obvious. To me it's highly unlikely that Whaley's changed. It's far more likely that the results are because of those around him changing.

Correct, Cassel's here for the year at least. I'm sure that they'd jump at an opportunity to trade their backup if the price is right.

What?! Have you seen the WRs in this year's draft?

I agree, but I will also say that for once I like our odds of beating the Pats. The Pats have this mystique about them that has been formed by their record over the years, but they've had the luxury of being able to compete in the worst division in the league in an ongoing basis for well over a decade. Put them in most other divisions and their average win tally drops by two games per season imo. They're good, but Belichick is overrated and they're only as good as Brady is. Take him out of the game and they're a .500 team at best. He's getting older. Already they're saying that Manning, essentially Brady's equal, is losing zip on his passes at the end of the season, which could not have been more apparent at the end of last season. Brady's time is quickly coming, could be this one in fact. When that happens I will insist that the Pats become no better than an 8-8 to 10-6 team annually if they keep the rest of their talent level where it's been. Huh??? LOL My thought exactly. If EJ starts then we're screwed. Like what kind of progression? How did it manifest itself? In other words, what are you putting up for proof of this "progression?" Did his games improve? Was he more accurate? What? I'm not seeing it, help me out. I would argue, strongly, that anyone that thinks that EJ has improved or progressed in any way also isn't using their noodle, or what's there of it. There's absolutely nothing concrete to base such an argument on. It can only be built on soft arguments and intangibles, and even there who sees that. He's following in the footsteps of Jamarcus Russell and Brandon Weeden.

Yeah, it sure does.

Until further notice I don't see how anyone can suggest that we're better than they are. Can you? I actually think that we can unseat them this season, but we'll have to do it first. We're as good as our coaching and roster will make us. I got a laugh out of that guy talking about Watkins, Woods, Harvin, Clay, etc. Yeah, Woods has averaged less than 650 yards and 4 TDs in two seasons. Watkins, supposedly the beast in the WR draft class couldn't even crack 1,000 yards or 6 TDs much less beat his rookie peers, Harvin, seriously?, this guy defines role-player and has averaged about the same as Woods except not even 4 TDs/season. Clay is good but that hardly makes up for that. We're hopeful that together the sum of the parts add up to more than the sum, but until it happens it's just all talk. Premature too. And if Watkins doesn't improve significantly I'd say that our WRs may not even be average as a group.

Here we go again. Last year was this the same stiff that said we had the best RBs in the league? Can't we just be happy being improved instead of constantly trying to be the best on paper. It's like we've been bereft of talent and sound fundamental football for so long we've developed small member syndrome. The only thing that this past SB winner has that's the best is the QB. Did Seattle have anything "the best" when they won? I don't think that they did. Missing a QB is a huge gap in having the best roster. We're above average at RB, DL, and LB. Besides that we're lucky if we're average. There are lots of reasons to think that we can unseat the Pats this season and make the playoffs, so why are we concerned about meaningless superlatives.

1999's been the strongest season since '93 and this team is very much like that one except slightly better on offense. If Cassel cannot put up at least the season that Flutie did then something's wrong with him and/or the coaching. McCoy is better than the sum total of Linton and Smith. Our WRs are comparable to if not better than those on that team. We have a stronger front-7 and better pass rush, but a weaker secondary. I'll also step out and say that we have better coaching. Much will depend upon the schedule. We only faced two playoff teams outside the division that season, neither was great and we split. We also split with Indy and beat the Fins twice, the two playoff teams in our division. We all know the ill-fated outcome of the playoffs. I think that this team is stronger whether or not the record will reflect that. It may come down to whether or not we can at least split with the Patsies.

What's he supposed to do, stay at home and have everything delivered? I mean we're not talking Jennifer Lawrence here. BTW, was he using a straw too.

I agree. Chemistry is huge along the OL and last season they didn't have a lot of it. They'll enter the season starting with it. Also, it seems that no one wants to admit how overrated our RBs were last season. Jackson was washed up, Spiller was all sizzle and no steak and always has been, everyone whooped up Brown who's backup caliber, and Dixon is a short-yardage specialist. McCoy changes all of that and Jackson and Dixon can fill roles instead of being relied upon to carry the running game. That alone will be huge. Cassel will be able to do that. He may not be top-10, although I wouldn't write that off, but he's also not EJ, Orton, or Fitzpatrick either. I'm not worried about 8-man fronts, that's where the talents of Watkins or Harvin come in quite handy. Short pass big gain. Two plays like that for long gains or TDs and that'll be the end of those 8-man fronts.

We're doing the right things, not just making moves for PR and marketing purposes. That's a departure from business as usual. There is much to be optimistic about for this season until proven otherwise. For the first time in years we have a very good coach. We have a very good D, comparable to our D of the early '90s, one of the best and more versatile RBs in the league, adequate WRs, and at least some legitimate hope at QB with Cassel. In seasons where Cassel has been the starter the entire season he's posted the following numbers: 27/7 21/11 16/16 In that last season his WRs were all beat up and missed good chunks of the season, so discount that season. Chambers was his leading WR that season, which should tell us all we need to know about that year. In fact, 16/16 with that cast is half a miracle. I think that we have an above average QB here, great trade. He'll be fine. I'm more worried about Kouandjio, but he's only a G. We'll be fine.

I fully concur

I haven't seen too many people argue that it's entirely inadequate depending upon your definition, but let's face it, it's hardly a group of WRs that is going to give defensive coordinators fits or anything. There's not one game-breaker in the batch right now. A lot of people talk about Watkins like he is, and maybe he was in college, but he wasn't last season. He barely contributed 2/3 of the time. So until it happens, people have been saying the same thing about Spiller for five seasons and he's out the door now and it doesn't appear as if he's going to be any kind of tremendously sought out free agent. I kinda think that a lot of Bills fans underrate Hogan.

Here's the thing about Sammy, all anyone in Buffalo was talking about last season was similar to what they said about Spiller for years and immediately after they drafted him. All that mattered was getting Watkins the ball and magic would happen with the "ball in his hands." Well, it didn't quite work out that way. He was targeted signficantly more than any other player on this team from a receiving standpoint, and magic hardly happened. He was absurdly inconsistent too. He's good but once again they've hyped him up into a shoes that he almost can't possibly fill. Evans, Benjamin, Matthews, and Landry all had QBs no better than Watkins had but all performed equally or better than Watkins. More fans will catch on this season, but Watkins will be good, not great though. Nevertheless, the picks are gone, he's here, so we'll make the best of it. But that along with the glaring reach for Manuel should haunt Whaley's career. The current decision-making does not smack of Whaley-esque decisions. It's far more sound and reasonable ones that are likely being made by someone else. Having said all of that, we won't know to what extent our WRs are adequate until we get competent QB play. Frankly, a great TE would do more good for the offense in general. I love whoever's mock draft had us taking Clive Walford from The U. I'd take him in round 2 in a heartbeat.

LOL It's funny how none of the big/tall/physical [(Hardy (2), Mike Williams (FA)],or super fast WRs [Goodwin (3), Graham (3), Easley (4), Parrish (2), Avian Black (4)]here have ever done anything. Our sorry FO just talked about how blazing fast they were while lacking the intellectual wherewithal to be able to see that single asseted players like that rarely if ever pan out in the NFL. Even Watkins, for what we gave up that trade was a tragic mistake in hindsight, and while fast, what he lacks in consistency completely negates his speed. We'll see how he improves this season, assuming that he does. Same for Woods, he's not proven himself to be much more than a 3 at this point. This is a very critical season for him in determining his future worth to us or any team.

Until Watkins proves something in the way of consistency we still need a top #1. Hopefully this will be the season, but if not, ... So far Watkins is no better than Spiller, for every good game he puts up he puts up two of 30 yards and nothing to write home about. That's insufficient for a #1.

I'm tellin' ya. I'm glad that this guy that we've wasted so much time and hope on is finally gone. McCoy is everything that Spiller was supposed to be.

I'm sure that the league is trying to figure out how best to cover it up so that the bodies won't ever be found. Last thing that they need is the SB winners tainted, again, and the league made to look like the clown that it is despite whatever outcome may come. Don't expect anything. If something does come up, I'm sure it'll be accompanied by how many other teams were also cheating by allowing their players to eat on the team bus or some ****.

That could very well be, but as they say, "the proof is in the pudding." Rex is a good coach, but he's certainly not without his flaws. As we all know, Brady carries the Pats, not Belicheat. As soon as Brady trends downward or retires, that's when the official changing of the guard in NE occurs. For now I'd say it's a two-team race assuming we don't make any draft blunders or anything else. Whaley's still here, author of that ridiculous Watkins trade and self-proclaimed "mastermind" behind the huge reach to draft Manuel. There's finally a lot to be optimistic about. Cassel, McCoy, decent WRs, hopefully a good TE that will be available in round 2, and no matter what probably a top-10, maybe top-5 D again. I don't know about that, Cassel was probably worth a flyer of a 5th or whatever it was. He's at least posted a couple of really good seasons. The questions on him are why did he not play well in the others. Talent around him worsened, or did opponents just catch on. In NE in 2008 the Pats had an easy schedule that season, it's not like he won 11 games against great team, he didn't. He mostly if not exclusively won them against schleps and failed to make the playoffs for the only time during the Brady era.

The Jets had a fraction of the team we had last season. The only area in which they competed was RBs.