Tom Brady is Back! Are the 2007 Patriots?

The fact that Tom Brady’s leg injury from last year no doubt opened the door for many teams in the AFC to be considered at a competitive balance should be no secret to anyone. Now that Brady is back, he has lost mobility, but that doesn’t mean that this year’s Patriots can’t be very close to explosive as they were in their undefeated regular season from two years past.

Even if the Patriots’ offense isn’t going to be as explosive as it was when it was the most explosive offense in NFL history, well then how bad can the drop off really be? Still one of the top offenses ever? Close to one of the top offenses ever? Or at least one of the top two offenses this season. Either way, those odds are good for the Pats.

Don’t be surprised if the Patriots run away with the AFC East where the Jets are still growing and have no proven quarterback, the Dolphins rely on trickery and near-perfect play from Chad Pennington at quarterback, and Buffalo where, Trent Edwards proved last year that he still has something to well… prove!

CHIPZ SAYZ… MATT CASSEL HAS GONE AWOL!!

CHIPZ SAYZ… MATT CASSEL HAS GONE AWOL! On December 8th, 2008, Patriot’s Quarterback Matt Cassel’s father was found dead in San Bernardino, California. Cassel left the Patriots soon afterwards to return home with family. It is unclear whether or not he will come back to play during this Sunday’s game at Oakland.

The New England Patriots are in a three way tie in the AFC East. This coming Sunday’s game at Oakland will be a decisive game in determining who will take the lead in the AFC East and with a possibility that Matt Cassel will not return by this Sunday’s game will hurt this franchise in any hope of winning the Superbowl or even getting into the playoffs. We must also include key defensive player Tedy Bruschi who is likely to be out for the remainder of the season as a result of a knee injury will hinder the Patriots in being a successful team.

I, CHIPZ, have my own conclusions and conspiracies. Is Coach Belichick hiding something from us? Yes, I understand that Matt Cassel has a duty to go home to be with family and sort out any personal issues, but lets look at the big picture; as a player, when you sign those contacts, you also sign away that luxury. Look at past NFL history. Quarterback Brett Favre’s father died the day of his game and yet he was still on that field even with fans believing he wouldn’t show up. I believe that Matt Cassel simply packed his bags and walked out knowing that he might not return. It explains why Coach Belichick has no definite answer to whether Cassel will be back by this Sunday’s game or not. I personally don’t think we will see Matt Cassel return for the remainder of the 2008 season. Which leaves us with backup quarterback Kevin O’Connell who has only completed three passes during this entire season. However, I do believe that Kevin O’Connell was a great quarterback at San Diego State with a career 7,689 passing yards, 46 touchdowns, and a completion rating of 57.7%. The statistics aren’t up to par as some of his co NFL quarterback draftees, but the San Diego State Aztecs had a horrible offensive line and mediocre wide receivers. A collapsing offensive line isn’t something that is new to quarterback Kevin O’Connell and I will call it now, if he has the chance to start for the Patriots this weekend against the Oakland Raiders, the Patriots will win. Matt Cassel’s stock has just bottomed out!

DeAngelo Hall on the Market after being Waived by Raiders

 

I also feel that New England has been missing Asante Samuel, so I wouldn’t count them out of the picture. The other teams I would put in the mix would be the Carolina Panthers as they would like to become the top D in the NFC south with the Falcons and Buccaneers defenses playing well for the most part.

Finally, I would go with Arizona as a very strong possibility. The Cardinals by now have to know that they are pretty much a lock to win their division, barring an upset this Monday Night at home in the desert by the 49ers. If they wish to matchup better with the true contenders and upstarts of the league then a strong corner like DeAngelo Hall would help them tremendously.

Defense Wins Championships?

By Alex V

Defense Wins Championships or Great Quarterbacking?

One of the longest standing arguments in today’s NFL has been the viewpoint that it takes a strong defense to become a champion. Over the past few years teams like the Baltimore Ravens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Pittsburgh Steelers have been able to remain in at least competitive contention, if not championship contention, due to their outstandingly consistent play on defense. However, in this writer’s eyes, the most important factor in helping a team turn the corner from respectability to prominence has been the position of quarterback.

Over the past ten years alone, almost every Super Bowl champion has been led by a pro-bowl caliber, if not perennial pro-bowl quarterback. In most cases a good defense played a key role in each winner’s success, but on most of those teams, there was strong quarterback play involved as well.

During the 1998 season the Denver Broncos won the title with John Elway, and everyone knows how great he was. In 1999, the St. Louis Rams became league champions behind the light-out play of MVP quarterback Kurt Warner. Everybody will remember the Greatest Show on Turf as one of those teams that had such a great offense, they could overcome sub par-to-average defense to win games. In 2000, the Baltimore Ravens would make a name in history as one of those teams that could overcome average, but not great, offensive play with a tenacious defense that created turnovers and stymied opponents week in and week out with its defense.

Let’s use a paragraph too look a little deeper at those 2000 Ravens. That team’s defense was so good that it held three regular season opponents to seven points, their Super Bowl opponent to seven points (the New York Giants), one regular season opponent to three points, and three post-season opponents to three points (the Wild Card Denver Broncos and the AFC Championship host Oakland Raiders), and four regular season opponents to zero points. How often does a defense that strong come along? Not too often I would say. I gahter that that the 2000 Ravens and the 1985 Bears were two teams in NFL history that literally succeeded almost an entire season based solely on excellent defense.

In 2001, Tom Brady came along and got his first Super Bowl title when he drove his team downfield to kick a game-winning field goal. In 2002, another team with a great defense raised the Lombardi Trophy and this time it was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, Brad Johnson was Tampa’s quarterback that year and in 13 regular season games, finished the season with 22 touchdown passes against six interceptions, a 62.3% completion percentage, and a 92.9 Quarterback rating (the best of his career). The next two years would conclude with Tom Brady’s Patriots coming out on top, where-in 2003 Tom Brady led yet another drive downfield for a game-winning field goal, and in 2004 it was Brady and the Patriots who got the trophy.

In 2005 the surprise Pittsburgh Steelers came out on top. Even though it was the defense that showed up in the Super Bowl and not Ben Roethlisberger, it was Big Ben’s dazzling play in Cincinnati in the Wild Card round (14-19 passing for 74%, 208 yards, and 3 TDs), in Indianapolis in the Divisional Round (14-24 passing, 197 yards, and 2 TDs with one INT), and in Denver in the AFC Championship Game (21-29 passing, 275 yards, 2 passing TDs, and one rushing TD) that got them there. In this case it was strong defense and strong quarterback play that produced a champion.

In 2006 Peyton Manning and the strong play of the Colts’ defense won the title. Finally, last year, even though the Giants had a great pass-rushing defense while leading the league in sacks, nobody would have picked New York to come out on top if it hadn’t been for Eli Manning’s highly unexpected pro-bowl level of play throughout the post-season, including the Super Bowl.

I want everybody to take a long step back when they think that defense wins championships, because in all reality it takes a solid defense coupled by strong quarterback play to win a Super Bowl, with a few exceptions every now and then on both sides of the ball. So remember, a great defense will bring you respectability, but it takes a great quarterback to take a team to prominence!

Super Bowl Winner and Quarterback

1997 John Elway

1996 Brett Favre

1995 Troy Aikman

1994 Steve Young

1993 Troy Aikman

1992 Troy Aikman

1991 Mark Rypien

1990 Jeff Hostetler

1989 Joe Montana

1988 Joe Montana

1987 Doug Williams

1986 Phil Simms

1985 Jim McMahon

1984 Joe Montana

1983 Jim Plunkett

1982 Joe Theismann

1981 Joe Montana

1980 Jim Plunkett

1979 Terry Bradshaw

1978 Terry Bradshaw

1977 Roger Staubach

1976 Ken Stabler

1975 Terry Bradshaw

1974 Terry Bradshaw

1973 Bob Griese

1972 Bob Griese

1971 Roger Staubach

1970 Johnny Unitas

1969 Len Dawson

1968 Joe Namath

1967 Bart Starr

1966 Bart Starr

Mad’Nuff’s Superbowl Picks NFL

Mad Nuff writes:

Well it’s the beginning of the season so who is going to win the Superbowl? TO early to tell?

Not for me. I am going to call it right here and right now before the season even starts, before a single snap is taken. Bold you say. Very; but I called it when the Steelers won in 05 and called it when the Colts won in 06 before a single snap was ever taken.Will I be right? probably, but the statistics are against me. So who am I saying? You really want to know?

Well For the AFC I have the Pittsburgh Steelers after winning the Division and fighting through the toughest schedule in the NFL the Steelers will push out to the super bowl.

For the NFC I have the Dallas Cowboys. Yes the boys, no they are not my boys (I hate them) but I gotta keep it real. After they come in second behind the Eagles in the Division the Cowboys will make the push to the Super Bowl. Which means a repeat of the 1995 match up probably with the Steelers playing the colts in the AFC Championship game again. With the Steelers winning it all. Why? After losing to the Cowboys in the regular season they will win this rematch because in the NFL the losing team always has the upper hand. So there you have it folks. My super bowl picks, so make sure you write them down, note the time, date and lock it up because I called it.

-Madison Mad’Nuff

Mad’Nuff’s Superbowl Picks NFL

Mad Nuff writes:

Well it’s the beginning of the season so who is going to win the Superbowl? TO early to tell?

Not for me. I am going to call it right here and right now before the season even starts, before a single snap is taken. Bold you say. Very; but I called it when the Steelers won in 05 and called it when the Colts won in 06 before a single snap was ever taken.Will I be right? probably, but the statistics are against me. So who am I saying? You really want to know?

Well For the AFC I have the Pittsburgh Steelers after winning the Division and fighting through the toughest schedule in the NFL the Steelers will push out to the super bowl.

For the NFC I have the Dallas Cowboys. Yes the boys, no they are not my boys (I hate them) but I gotta keep it real. After they come in second behind the Eagles in the Division the Cowboys will make the push to the Super Bowl. Which means a repeat of the 1995 match up probably with the Steelers playing the colts in the AFC Championship game again. With the Steelers winning it all. Why? After losing to the Cowboys in the regular season they will win this rematch because in the NFL the losing team always has the upper hand. So there you have it folks. My super bowl picks, so make sure you write them down, note the time, date and lock it up because I called it.

-Madison Mad’Nuff