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AFC East breakdown – New England Patriots
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AFC East - New England Patriots – 2007 Record 16-0: 1st place AFC East
This one is easy. Mark it down, the New England Patriots will breeze through the regular season and win the weak AFC East. While there are some new intriguing match up’s on their schedule, i.e., facing Brett Favre and the Jets, the Pats are simply to talented and will easily win the division they have dominated for years.
While attempting to bounce back from their epic defeat to the New York Giants, head coach Bill Belichick will have his team ready to atone for last season and with Tom Brady and Randy Moss there should be no letdown on offense. Don’t expect the record breaking numbers from last year but the Pats will still be one of the most explosive teams in the NFL.
On offense, third-year running back Laurence Maroney holds down the starting job but there are five other backs that will battle for time including Kevin Faulk, Sammy Morris, Heath Evans and free-agent addition LaMont Jordon. Versatility is the key word when describing what the Pats will expect from their backfield this season. Golden Boy, Brady has not seen anytime time in the preseason but honestly it doesn’t matter for a quarterback with his talent. Brady swears he’ll be ready for the opener against Kansas City in New England and if you are in a suicide football pool, take the Pats week one.
The only question on offense is if the Pats can run the ball effectively. At times last year, New England was able to run the ball but in the Super Bowl there was no help for Brady and co. on the ground. However, with Moss, Wes Welker and Jabar Gaffney, the rushing attack should be adequate enough.
Defensively, losing star cornerback Asante Samuel and Randall Gay is a big hit to the secondary. The Pats signed free agents Fernando Bryant, Jason Webster and Lewis Sanders while drafting Terrence Wheatley and Jonathan Wilhite to fill the void. Will it be enough? Probably not but New England is rarely playing from behind so the replacements should be adequate in the regular season but it’s a crapshoot in the playoffs when the competition will be much higher than having to play two games each against a weak AFC East. The Pats did add some youth to an aging back seven by signing linebacker Victor Hobson and drafting Jerod Mayo out of Tennessee. This should provide some versatility with aging players like Rodney Harrison, Tedy Bruschi and Mike Vrabel. The D-line is set with Richard Seymour, Ty Warren and Vince Wilfork.
Prediction: 1st AFC East
Playoffs: As usual the Pats will make noise in the playoffs but I see Indy making it to the Super Bowl for the AFC.
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