dave mcbride Posted May 17, 2005 Posted May 17, 2005 based on how teams played last year and what's happened since the end of the season, where do the bills stand vis a vis their afc east colleagues? my 2 cents 1. pats - bruschi was a big loss, but picking up starks and chad brown were really interesting moves. I like their first round pick too. tim dwight, if he stays healthy, is about the equal of troy brown. all in all, though, i think they slipped a tiny bit -- weis is great, bruschi is a linchpin, and guys like patten and traylor are solid subs. they're so good and so talented across the board, however, that i still think they're easily the class of the division. plus, guys like wilfork are gonna get better, and they're going to be really tough at the TE position (they get ben watson back). 2. jets - i like coles better than moss, so that's an upgrade. also, if they land law (word is that they're a frontrunner), it'll be a huge upgrade. also, fiedler is a huge upgrade over quincy carter. robinson and vilma will only improve too, and their defense should be better. on the downside, losing mckenzie and becht will hurt their run game, and it looks like donnie abraham might retire. if nugent is as good as advertised, that's worth an extra victory or two. bottom line - i think they've improved, especially if they land law. 3. bills - a couple of big losses filled by less skilled replacements. still, the bills have a very good defense and it is conceivable for PW's replacement to be a credible player. they're deep at DE, pretty thin at LB beyond their starters, and have 5 good secondary guys. so, let's hope tim anderson becomes a good player quickly. if he does, they'll be fine. as for the offense, the fate of the o-line remains a mystery. my one big hope is that jason peters miraculously becomes a player. TE is a mess due to the injuries, but RB and WR are excellent. it's really all up to losman. i know this is stating the obvious, but the fate of the team hinges on him. if he's not a guy who can throw more TDs than INTs and have a 60%-plus completion rate, the bills are going to be in rough shape. if he can do it, though, they should be better than they were last year. 4. miami - obviously, they've improved at a number of spots, and i have no reason to doubt that saban won't be a good coach. then again, i thought wannstedt was pretty solid. surtain is a big loss, however, and i seriously doubt that the guy they drafted from LSU will be able to fill his shoes this year. the qb and line haven't changed much (although the line is a little better), but the skill position guys are good (especially the new RB, who looks like he's going to be terrific). bottom line: better, but a long way to go. they should win 5 or 6, but i doubt more than that. few really bad teams with new coaches do better than this their first year under the new regime: bb - 5-11; fox - 7-9; jimmy johnson - 1-15; dennis green - 6-10. the pattern is pretty well-established. obviously, the afc east is brutal division - 2 perennial playoff teams, 1 close aspirant, and 1 cellar dweller that appears to be improving. predictions this early are foolish in a sense, but i'll try anyway. i don't think the pats will win 14 -- more like 11 or 12. i do see the jets winning 11. i'll give the dolphins 6. the bills are clearly the hardest to predict, and it all comes down to losman. if he's even a slight upgrade over bledsoe, they'll win 10. if not, i see them winning 7 or so.
Mile High Posted May 17, 2005 Posted May 17, 2005 jets pats bills phins If Mc Nally and Wyche can work miracles and get the play of thge oline and JP above average than we move up a spot.
drnykterstein Posted May 17, 2005 Posted May 17, 2005 ok here's mine Bills 12-4 Jets 9-7 Pats 7-9 Felons 5-11 bold? yes, yes it is.
Realist Posted May 17, 2005 Posted May 17, 2005 Patriots - The Pats are still tops in the division, but I also think they will come down a little, where the other teams will have a shot over the last couple of games to overtake them. Bills - This could easily be the Jets here too, as I think both teams are pretty equal. I'm hoping that Losman is the real thing and that puts the Bills ahead and fighting with the Pats. Defense should be about the same as last year, ST appears to be set, so its up to the offense to push us into the next step. Jets - Again, could be in second and like the Bills, I think it depends on Pennington, I've never been overly impressed by him and that injury to his shoulder seems to be nagging. I guess it depends on if he can come back at 100%. 'phins- Not sure how good or bad they are going to be, still a lot of questions that need to be answered on offense and their defense isn't getting any younger. Also throw in a rookie coach and it could be another long year for miami.
Pine Barrens Mafia Posted May 17, 2005 Posted May 17, 2005 PatsJets Bills Fish 338404[/snapback] What he said. 8-8 to 9-7 again for the Bills. Hopefully the half-decade of mediocrity will end up like the Titans did. Remember that? Did they not go 8-8 like 3 years in a row before making their Super Bowl run?
dave mcbride Posted May 17, 2005 Author Posted May 17, 2005 What he said. 8-8 to 9-7 again for the Bills. Hopefully the half-decade of mediocrity will end up like the Titans did. Remember that? Did they not go 8-8 like 3 years in a row before making their Super Bowl run? 338409[/snapback] yeah, that's right, they did. good coach in fisher; good coach in mularkey.
obie_wan Posted May 17, 2005 Posted May 17, 2005 based on how teams played last year and what's happened since the end of the season, where do the bills stand vis a vis their afc east colleagues? my 2 cents 2. jets - i like coles better than moss, so that's an upgrade. also, if they land law (word is that they're a frontrunner), it'll be a huge upgrade. also, fiedler is a huge upgrade over quincy carter. robinson and vilma will only improve too, and their defense should be better. on the downside, losing mckenzie and becht will hurt their run game, and it looks like donnie abraham might retire. if nugent is as good as advertised, that's worth an extra victory or two. bottom line - i think they've improved, especially if they land law. 338389[/snapback] biggest addition in NY is the changing of their OC- Heimerdinger will vastly upgrade the entire offense.
Mark VI Posted May 17, 2005 Posted May 17, 2005 My prediction. The Bills are going to kick some serious ass.
sfladave Posted May 17, 2005 Posted May 17, 2005 If... JP can throw more TDs than interceptions. The OL limits sacks to 40 and under. Willis gets 2000+ total yards. Special teams play 3/4 as well as they did last year. The defense gets the turnovers it got last year...then here is my prediction. 1. NE 11-5 They win the tie-breaker. NE is still king of the hill, hopefully be knock them off in the playoffs. 2. BUF 11-5 Very possible if those ifs I listed above come true. 3. NYJ 10-6 Curtis's age starts to creep up on him and he isn't 100% the whole year. They will struggle on offense. 4. MIA 6-10 Wanny leaving and their new RB should improve them but they are still a ways off.
Bill from NYC Posted May 17, 2005 Posted May 17, 2005 The Bills are impossible to predict. Chances are probably 50/50 that Losman will be good/suck. If he is good, he has a ton to work with. Evans and MaGahee are extremely talented kids who will put up points. If he sucks, it will be on MM to sink with JP or swim with Holcombe. I hope that MM will be wise enough to pull JP if his play costs us a chance to make the playoffs. Hopefully, it will not come to that.
kasper13 Posted May 17, 2005 Posted May 17, 2005 Bills 11-5 Pats 10-6 NYJets 7-9 Fins 3-13 What's it all mean? Nothing. Actually, the chance of Losman either sucking or being good is 100%. 50% each way.
Puhonix Posted May 17, 2005 Posted May 17, 2005 Pats: 11-5 Look good still, but there are a lot of things going on in NE that begs attention. New coaches need to step up, and replacements need to come up big. Bills: 9-7 Hate to say it, but if all the "ifs" do line up then this is a solid team. JP is the big question. I think he'll struggle and that Bledsoe should have been around for another year, but my opinion is jacksh*t to the upper brass on any team. Fins: 6-10 Improvement, but still need a few draft picks in the future to plug some holes and bring us up. QB is the big question, and I feel some stars will be traded off soon to rebuild young. Jets: 4-12 Simply because I hate them. Coles gets hurt in week 1 and misses the whole season. Pennington quits football to be on the next "Bachelor" and Herm converts to Muslim and moves to Jordan.
PromoTheRobot Posted May 17, 2005 Posted May 17, 2005 Funny how next year's predictions look like last year's standings! I think the Bills finish #1...Yeah, you heard me...NUMERO UNO!!! Why? Am I being a total homer? Maybe. But while everyone is making the usual "rookie QB blah blah blah" about Losman, I predict he will light it up! In fact we will see just how good the Bills really are this year, and how much of a boat anchor Drew Bledsoe was to the offense. My Predictions: 1-Bills (On Losmans arm and feet) 2-Patriots (coaching losses and Belichick being OC will hurt them) 3-Dolphins (Saban improves them, but still sub-.500) 4-NY Jets (Herm Edwards...'nuff said) PTR
Like A Mofo Posted May 18, 2005 Posted May 18, 2005 Jets 13-3: I just listen to the "expert" Jets fans here, it was ALL about Paul Hackett and their kicker, well they are both gone, NO more excuses Jets fans! Pats 11-5 Bills 8-8 Dolphins 6-10
Thurman's Helmet Posted May 18, 2005 Posted May 18, 2005 Its quite natural to expect the Pats to decline a bit especially when they're coming off a 17-2 year culminating in a Super Bowl win. My prediction would be 1. Pats - they're the champs until someone dethrones them 2. Jets - Only here because of Losman being untested. Herm Edwards himself will cost them a game or two. 3. Bills - If Losman is the real deal or matures faster than expected then expect them to finish 2nd in the division and compete for a wild card. 4. Phins - Saban is good but it will take a few years for them to rebound.
Pine Barrens Mafia Posted May 18, 2005 Posted May 18, 2005 Jets 13-3: I just listen to the "expert" Jets fans here, it was ALL about Paul Hackett and their kicker, well they are both gone, NO more excuses Jets fans! Pats 11-5 Bills 8-8 Dolphins 6-10 338745[/snapback] If the Jets finish 13-3 I'll eat my hat. CMart is another year older, Pennington still has a questionable arm and Coles is an over-rated WR. Their D is good, but that's about it.
Like A Mofo Posted May 18, 2005 Posted May 18, 2005 Its quite natural to expect the Pats to decline a bit especially when they're coming off a 17-2 year culminating in a Super Bowl win. My prediction would be 1. Pats - they're the champs until someone dethrones them 2. Jets - Only here because of Losman being untested. Herm Edwards himself will cost them a game or two. 3. Bills - If Losman is the real deal or matures faster than expected then expect them to finish 2nd in the division and compete for a wild card. 4. Phins - Saban is good but it will take a few years for them to rebound. 338928[/snapback] My prediction about the Jets was saracastic, but Thurman's assessment is about where I am too.
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