FishFreak Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Okay, so Brady has a lot of new toys to throw to and the Pats are stacked on paper but ho many TD's will he throw? 25-30? 30-35? 35+? How can this not be a career year for Brady and not win MVP? I just don't see Maroney as a TD machine so Brady should benefit unless the Pats are just blowing everyone out. I'm looking for reasons to downgrade this guy and can't come up with any. I wonder if this is the year he puts up Manning like numbers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronco Billy Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 I think Brady is going to put up MVP type numbers, but it may be for the wrong reasons. The D is getting very old despite the addition of Thomas in FA, and the running game has question marks all over it. Between having to put more points on the board to cover for the D and not having the running game NE is used to, Brady may be slinging the ball all over the place. It may not transfer into additional Ws, though, which may cost him a shot at the MVP. The window in NE is closing in a hurry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hat Trick Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Man i hope so, but only for my FF fortunes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMD Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Brady led the league in passing yardage in 2005 and that was with Dieon Branch and David Givens. There is no reason why this won't be the best year ever for Brady since the Pats finally saw what below average WRs did in the playoffs last year. Dropped passes in the endzone really, really hurt. Whether Brady ends up the #1 passer this year remains to be seen, but this should be the best Brady we will ever see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PantherDave Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 No, my money is on Steve Smith this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caveman_Nick Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 I think Brady is going to put up MVP type numbers, but it may be for the wrong reasons. The D is getting very old despite the addition of Thomas in FA, and the running game has question marks all over it. Between having to put more points on the board to cover for the D and not having the running game NE is used to, Brady may be slinging the ball all over the place. It may not transfer into additional Ws, though, which may cost him a shot at the MVP. The window in NE is closing in a hurry. That's a pretty common misconception RE: the Pats D. The LB corps is the only part od the D you would consider old...and that's where they got Thomas. Seau is 38 Bruschi is 34 Vrabel is 32 Colvin is 30 Thomas is 30 Eric Alexander is 25 That does seem a little old, but it's not that different from the 2004 squad with Ted Johnson and Willie McGinnest in the mix. It seems to be the way Belichick likes his defense. By contrast, the D-Line is pretty young. Seymour is 28 Wilfork is 26 Warren is 26 Green is 28 Marquis Hill would have been in this age range as well And the DBs are young, with Harrison being the sole fossil, and if he can;t keep up he won't play Harrison is 35 Wilson is 27 Samuel is 26 Merriweather is 23 Hobbs is 24 Gay is 25 Sanders is 24 Time will tell if things are as normal with the NEP Defense, but I don't see age being a factor at all. I agree that the running game is a concern, however. Sammy Morris does not inspire confidence. IMO they should resign Dillon to a 1 year deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingfish247 Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Seau is 38Bruschi is 34 Vrabel is 32 Aside from Thomas, these are NE's best LBs. The core if you will. This core group is old. Also the fact that they run a 3-4 does not help as they'll always probably need at least 2 of these guys on the field at any one time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleeping King Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 I doubt he gets to the 4110 he had in 2005 but he is my front runner for MVP. For one he is due. He should have won it in 05. The stat you need to look at to determine Brady's numbers this year is the 2004 season. Brady only had 474 pass attempts but still had 3700-28. This was due to an increase in the running game and the Patriots being absolutely dominant that year. Of the 14 wins that year only 2 were decided by less than 7 points. Dillon had 345-1600-12. Now I am not saying Maroney will get that himself but this offensive line is much better than the 2004 version. 2004- Light-Andruzzi-Koppen-Neal-Gorin Koppen was in his second year. Neal was in his first as a full time starter. 2007- Light-Mankins-Koppen-Neal-Kazcur Mankins is far and away the best lineman on the team and everyone else has more time together. Brady should get 3800-4000 and finally break the 30 td mark. But he wins the MVP based on New England's record. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaterMan Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Seau's the only old one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishFreak Posted August 14, 2007 Author Share Posted August 14, 2007 Brady led the league in passing yardage in 2005 and that was with Dieon Branch and David Givens. There is no reason why this won't be the best year ever for Brady since the Pats finally saw what below average WRs did in the playoffs last year. Dropped passes in the endzone really, really hurt. Whether Brady ends up the #1 passer this year remains to be seen, but this should be the best Brady we will ever see. OK DMD, if everything points to Brady having a career year why are the huddle's projections (and other sites) of him just a little above his career totals? Why not go out on a limb and predict greatness on Manning's level like 4,200 yards passing and 33 TDs? Are you guys holding out and playing it safe? Just curious to know if you do projections on the conservative side or go flat out aggressive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caveman_Nick Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 (edited) Aside from Thomas, these are NE's best LBs. The core if you will. This core group is old. Also the fact that they run a 3-4 does not help as they'll always probably need at least 2 of these guys on the field at any one time. Again, in 2004 Ted Johnson was 32 and Willie McGinnest was 33. A starting corps of Bruschi, Vrabel, Colvin, and Thomas is no older than the 2004 squad was. That is the point I am making. Calling the defense 'aging' isn;t really looking at the history of what the team has done. In 2001-2004 they had Roman Phifer, who was a methuselah at the time. This is how they have approached their LBs for the last 6 years. Edited August 14, 2007 by Caveman_Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egret Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 No, my money is on Steve Smith this year. The year of the WR! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleeping King Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Aside from Thomas, these are NE's best LBs. The core if you will. This core group is old. Also the fact that they run a 3-4 does not help as they'll always probably need at least 2 of these guys on the field at any one time. I love what Seau bring but he is not a top 4 LB on this team. In order Thomas-30 Colvin-30 Vrabel-32 Bruschi-34 Colvin was far and away the best LB on the team last year. He should have made the Pro Bowl. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Swerski Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Aside from Thomas, these are NE's best LBs. The core if you will. This core group is old. Also the fact that they run a 3-4 does not help as they'll always probably need at least 2 of these guys on the field at any one time. +1 That said, they're going to be a tough defense this year. I think that this team will strongly resemble the '03 Pats - very good play-making defense with a pass-oriented offense that lacks an effective running game. It'll be interesting to see how well that offense does with Moss and Stallworth on the sidelines with leg injuries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SheikYerbuti Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 No, my money is on Steve Smith this year. In other completely unbiased opinions, I think Eli Manning will win MVP, Brandon Jacobs will score 25 TD, and Michael Strahan will win the sack title! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleeping King Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Just one more reply towards the age of the LB crew. Belichick has always had and started vet LB's. If he was concerned with the age of this position then explain this. Since he came to the Patriots no LB has been drafted on the first day of the draft. Not just first round but first day. He believes in age at LB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingfish247 Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 I love what Seau bring but he is not a top 4 LB on this team. In order Thomas-30 Colvin-30 Vrabel-32 Bruschi-34 Colvin was far and away the best LB on the team last year. He should have made the Pro Bowl. L I think the fact that Thomas is being listed as NE's best LB without even playing a down for them yet says a lot about the state of NE's LBs corps. While I agree that Thomas is good, he was hardly the only deserving Pro Bowler on Baltimore's D. Making winners and getting guys to overachieve is NE's bread-n-butter so it would not surprise me to see NE still have a formidable D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caveman_Nick Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Just one more reply towards the age of the LB crew. Belichick has always had and started vet LB's. If he was concerned with the age of this position then explain this. Since he came to the Patriots no LB has been drafted on the first day of the draft. Not just first round but first day. He believes in age at LB. While I generally agree, didn't he draft Andy katzenmoyer in the first round in his first year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caveman_Nick Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 I think the fact that Thomas is being listed as NE's best LB without even playing a down for them yet says a lot about the state of NE's LBs corps. While I agree that Thomas is good, he was hardly the only deserving Pro Bowler on Baltimore's D. Making winners and getting guys to overachieve is NE's bread-n-butter so it would not surprise me to see NE still have a formidable D. Nothing like being a probowl player on a top 3 defense to ruin your credibility at TheHuddle... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleeping King Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 While I generally agree, didn't he draft Andy katzenmoyer in the first round in his first year? Katz was drafted in 99 by Pete Carroll. Poor Katz he had a good rookie year before getting hurt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleeping King Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Nothing like being a probowl player on a top 3 defense to ruin your credibility at TheHuddle... Exactly. If the Patriots LB corp looks bad because the best LB on the team was quite possibly the best defensive player for the best defense in the league last year...well then I guess they just suck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishFreak Posted August 14, 2007 Author Share Posted August 14, 2007 I think it's safe to say the NE D is a nice mix of youth, talent and elderly veterans. They should easily be top 3 IMO. I find it interesting to hear how many guys are questioning the Pats running game. That's not exactly a ringing endorsement of Maroney. If this offense becomes pass happy then Brady could really explode. Remember boys this topic is about Tom!. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingfish247 Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Nothing like being a probowl player on a top 3 defense to ruin your credibility at TheHuddle... ? All I'm saying is that that same top 3 defense didn't place enough importance on Thomas to retain him. In other words, we'll be fine without him. It wouldn't be the first time in NFL history where a Pro Bowler goes to another team and never so much as sniffs another All Pro season again. I think Thomas is very good and wouldn't be surprised to see him continue to make Pro Bowls but it's not like the above scenario is outside the realm of any possibility. It has happened before. Thomas hasn't played a down yet for NE and he's their BEST LB? This isn't a knock on Thomas, in fact, it's a compliment. It's a knock on the state of NE's LB corps BEFORE Thomas arrived. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PantherDave Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 In other completely unbiased opinions, I think Eli Manning will win MVP, Brandon Jacobs will score 25 TD, and Michael Strahan will win the sack title! Well, all homerism aside, my fav team actualy has players that will be in contention for the MVP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeR Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 I hate to break up all this defensive talk on the Brady thread but I like Brady a lot this year, not just because of the potential for big numbers (possible but not holding my breath) but because he's the safest QB to put up at least superior #s not named Manning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.