Pats going 16-0 again

[andrew8798]

So after Thursday's win most people at ESPN actually think this can happen. I say no. The 07 team was more talented and it was hard as hell for them to get to 16-0

What say u?

[mizerable]

I'll say yes, due to not wanting it to happen and being less disappointed if it does happen.

[Deleted]

Extremely unlikely. Not impossible by any means, but I have serious doubts about it. All that it takes is one hit on Brady and the Pats go from 16-0 to 10-6 or worse.

[Sam Punk]

No chance. Their division is way more competitive this year.

[OGBoardPoster2005]

Giants, Broncos, and Jets are the best bets to beat them IMO.

[Red Impact]

It's just so hard to be "on" for 16 straight games, because in the NFL the margin of error tends to be really thin. Any team can build up that momentum if they get an inch, even the bad ones. There's a reason only two teams have gone undefeated in history. I have a hard time betting on a team going undefeated an NFL regular season.

[Urethra Franklin]

Can they? Sure. They don't have (on paper) a particularly difficult schedule remaining.

I think the Broncos are tremendously overrated because the level their defence is playing at is unsustainable and won't continue to carry the offence for the rest of the season like it is now.

Will they? Probably not. They're banged up and will probably get even more so before season's ending. Edelman and Amendola are always concussion risks. Gronk plays recklessly. Brady is nearly 40.

That said, Belichick always does an amazing job of plugging guys in because the system is bigger than any one player.

[BRV]

As a Patriots fan who lived through the joy of the 2007 regular season and the heartbreak of Super Bowl XLII, this is a very sensitive subject. I don't look at the 2015 Patriots as going for an undefeated season, I view them as a team looking to win 16 regular season games and three postseason games independently. Plus, the talk of an undefeated season is really rendered moot for any team until they are at least 10-0. The Patriots aren't even midway through their schedule, all of this talk is largely just sports radio discussion or fodder with your nearest barfly.

That being said, just because they came up short in 2007 does not mean they should fear the accomplishment. A lot of people are acting like "going 16-0" and "winning Super Bowl 50" are mutually exclusive. I've long said that I'd rather have seen the '07 team go something like 14-2 and win the Super Bowl as opposed to going 16-0 and losing it, but again, just because one is accomplished does not render the other impossible. Sure, the pressure will be ramped up again, but if the 2015 Patriots are something like 13-0, Bill Belichick shouldn't say "OK guys, there's a lot of pressure now. We're going to buckle at some point, so let's go out there and lose to Tennessee." Also, their two most important figures - Belichick and Tom Brady - have lived through a 16-0 season, so they know what to expect, what to change, and what kind of wisdom to impart on the current roster.

The first and only thing the Patriots should concern themselves with is staying healthy. I don't want to see them risk the health of Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, or Julian Edelman at the expense of a perfect regular season. If they clinch the AFC East and wrap up homefield advantage, I'd rather see them sit those guys as opposed to risking injury in games that are meaningless, even if the undefeated season is still on the table.

Obviously I want to see the Patriots humiliate each team on their schedule, but what I really want to see them do is humiliate the league for what they put the Patriots and their fans through this off-season, and the best way to achieve that is to force punk-ass Roger Goodell to hand Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick, and Tom Brady the Lombardi Trophy at the end of Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara. And whether that's after a 16-0 regular season or a 14-2 regular season, it doesn't matter. All that matters is the trophy, the parade, and the banner.

[Reflecto]

Nov 1, 2015 10:08:41 GMT -5 BRV said:

As a Patriots fan who lived through the joy of the 2007 regular season and the heartbreak of Super Bowl XLII, this is a very sensitive subject. I don't look at the 2015 Patriots as going for an undefeated season, I view them as a team looking to win 16 regular season games and three postseason games independently. Plus, the talk of an undefeated season is really rendered moot for any team until they are at least 10-0. The Patriots aren't even midway through their schedule, all of this talk is largely just sports radio discussion or fodder with your nearest barfly.

That being said, just because they came up short in 2007 does not mean they should fear the accomplishment. A lot of people are acting like "going 16-0" and "winning Super Bowl 50" are mutually exclusive. I've long said that I'd rather have seen the '07 team go something like 14-2 and win the Super Bowl as opposed to going 16-0 and losing it, but again, just because one is accomplished does not render the other impossible. Sure, the pressure will be ramped up again, but if the 2015 Patriots are something like 13-0, Bill Belichick shouldn't say "OK guys, there's a lot of pressure now. We're going to buckle at some point, so let's go out there and lose to Tennessee." Also, their two most important figures - Belichick and Tom Brady - have lived through a 16-0 season, so they know what to expect, what to change, and what kind of wisdom to impart on the current roster.

The first and only thing the Patriots should concern themselves with is staying healthy. I don't want to see them risk the health of Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, or Julian Edelman at the expense of a perfect regular season. If they clinch the AFC East and wrap up homefield advantage, I'd rather see them sit those guys as opposed to risking injury in games that are meaningless, even if the undefeated season is still on the table.

Obviously I want to see the Patriots humiliate each team on their schedule, but what I really want to see them do is humiliate the league for what they put the Patriots and their fans through this off-season, and the best way to achieve that is to force punk-ass Roger Goodell to hand Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick, and Tom Brady the Lombardi Trophy at the end of Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara. And whether that's after a 16-0 regular season or a 14-2 regular season, it doesn't matter. All that matters is the trophy, the parade, and the banner.

This is the real important statement for why it'd be more of a risk to go 16-0:

Could the Patriots do it? Yes- but the pressure wouldn't be the issue to lose randomly just to take it off.

However, given the age of Brady most of all (combined with the other x-factor of New England winters), there's a benefit to the Patriots taking from the Colts' playbook and easing up a little, resting a few starters when the AFC East is clinched, and saving something for the playoffs as well...and THERE, you have the question- if they're 13-0 and the AFC East Title, if not a first round bye, are locked up- do you sit Brady, Gronkowski, and/or Edelman in that game against Tennessee- and could THAT team then proceed to win?

[Deleted]

I think it mostly depends on "Will Brady, Edelman and Gronk all stay healthy for the rest of the season?"

If they do, I don't really see any team beating them.

If they don't, I don't see them going anywhere in the playoffs.

[BRV]

Nov 1, 2015 16:30:07 GMT -5 @mightykretzler said:

I think it mostly depends on "Will Brady, Edelman and Gronk all stay healthy for the rest of the season?"

If they do, I don't really see any team beating them.

If they don't, I don't see them going anywhere in the playoffs.

You could also make that point for every team in the league. There's not one team that could survive losing its starting quarterback and two best offensive weapons.

[Deleted]

Nov 1, 2015 17:00:03 GMT -5 BRV said:

Nov 1, 2015 16:30:07 GMT -5 @mightykretzler said:

I think it mostly depends on "Will Brady, Edelman and Gronk all stay healthy for the rest of the season?"

If they do, I don't really see any team beating them.

If they don't, I don't see them going anywhere in the playoffs.

You could also make that point for every team in the league. There's not one team that could survive losing its starting quarterback and two best offensive weapons.

I never said anything about them all getting hurt. I said "it mostly depends on 'Will Brady, Edelman and Gronk all stay healthy.'" If even one of the three gets hurt, I don't see them doing much. Edelman gets hurt, and defensive backs will have a very good chance of neutralizing Gronkowski while still getting to Brady. Vice-versa for Edelman/Brady if Gronk gets hurt. And if Brady gets hurt, they get a young backup QB trying to lead them into the playoffs.

On the other hand, I don't see anyone beating them if they all remain healthy. Most teams have no idea how to pass rush and try to play coverage against New England, which doesn't work when you have to put so many defensive backs on the WR and TE while giving Brady all day to throw, because he can always target one of the other receivers, who will probably be wide open. If teams can't stop their offense, then they can't really beat them.

[Ishmeal Loves Kaseyhausen]

15-1. Once they have things locked up, they'll take their foot off the throttle to get ready for the playoffs.

[Toilet Paper Roll]

14-2, honestly they were lucky in games against Ravens and Eagles in 07"

[Father Dougal McGuire]

I would not be surprised if they went undefeated in the regular season, but I wouldn't bet on it.