Throwdowns > Closed

JimJ77 Can't make it up said 07/17, 11:07 AM
It appears the lockout is ending soon, so its time to start talking some football.

I'm saying right now, that the Pats will win the AFC this season. My opponents goal is to name a team with a better chance of representing the AFC in the superbowl than the Patriots.

Pretty simple. Name the team in the 1st arg, and we'll debate in the 2nd and 3rd args.

Everyone knows who my team is.

Good Luck.

JimJ77 Can't make it up said 07/17, 09:21 PM
Ok, time to argue.

The Pats are coming off a 14-2 season with a very young roster. The offense was ranked #1 in the NFL in points scored with 32.4 PPG. Pittsburgh was 12th with 23.4 PPG.

The Pats offense will mostly remain intact. And with Brady coming off one of the best seasons for a QB ever, I look for him and the offense to put up a lot of points. The Pats have the better offense.

The Pats defense is a point of contention with many, but lets take a deeper look.

They finished 8th in yards allowed in the NFL for one. They were 25th in points allowed at 19.6 PPG, but only gave up 9.4 PPG after Thanksgiving. I contribute most of this to the defense being very young, and playing better as the season progressed. The defense will continue to get better this season under Bill Belichick.

I think the Steelers are very good, especially on defense, but I feel the Pats are better at two key spots. QB and coach.

Also Brady and the Pats have OWNED Pitt over the last decade. They squashed them in Pitt last season.

Add in the Hines Ward and James Harrison debacles, which will no doubt cause a distraction heading into the season for them, and the Pats are the better choice.

JimJ77 Can't make it up said 07/18, 01:03 PM
I don't believe the lockout will have any affect on the Pats timing. In fact I think its ridiculous to even mention it.

Brady and the receivers have been together for many seasons. They even work out in the offseason together. These guys know each other so well, I cannot imagine they will be hurt by the lockout.

The offensive line is of little concern to me. In the event Light leaves, they drafted a LT in Solder with the 17th pick. Scouts rave about this kid, and I believe with the coaching of Dante Scarnecchia, who is the best O line coach in the business, Solder will be an upgrade over Matt "Turnstyle" Light.

Mankins is a very good player, but the Pats were 6-2 with and without him last season. I'm sure the Pats will bring him back into the fold, but either way, they will be fine at O line.

You mention the Pats past playoff failures. Well, first, they are 1-3 and not 0-4 in their last 4 playoff games.

I expect the losing streak to be broken this season. Brady, Belichick, and the young improving defense are too good to lose another playoff game this season.

I expect the Pats to make a run this season and if they meet up with Pitt, I think we both know who we like