2017 Schedule Thread
- Thread starter RedOctober3829
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Before anyone asks, here's the opponents home and away:
Away: Steelers, Bucs, Saints, Raiders, Broncos, Bills, Dolphins, Jets
Home: Texans, Panthers, Falcons, Chargers, Chiefs, Bills, Dolphins, Jets
I'm guessing opening night is Falcons @ Pats.
Away: Steelers, Bucs, Saints, Raiders, Broncos, Bills, Dolphins, Jets
Home: Texans, Panthers, Falcons, Chargers, Chiefs, Bills, Dolphins, Jets
I'm guessing opening night is Falcons @ Pats.
The thinking is that the NFL would rather place the Falcons match up later in the season for ratings, then place it on opening night when they will get the ratings anyways.
Who knows if that is valid.
They get high ratings for the opener no matter who plays. They can save the rematch for a later week and use the draw to pull viewers on a different prime time game. I'd imagine it's KC in the opener - unless like E5 speculates the Texans get Romo. Then we see Atlanta later on a Monday night.
Apparently, the Panthers also complained bitterly to the NFL that they were trying to get beyond their Super Bowl loss and forcing them to play them as the league opener, in Denver, just rubbed their face in it.
Pretty formidable. And yes, we seem to draw at Steelers and at Broncos every year.
I get this, but wouldn't it be better to just get it out of the way and move on?
I'd think so. I feel like playing a top team when they may be more distracted than in, say, week 5 is beneficial for a SB loser. And Carolina had a 10 point halftime lead in that game. That one was theirs for the taking.
NE couild go 16-0 next year if the OFF and butler stay on the field
that said the only thing i have is i feel NE is morage their future for 1 or 2 more shots at a SB
cooks was unhappy not getting the ball enrough in new orl where he was the 1 taget
is gilmore worth 14 mil a year i think u overplayed by 3 mil and made butler unhappy
this is your last year of gronk and D allen at best is a role player
looking back on it u shouild offer bennett 3 y 24 mil offer gilmore 11 mil a year then if he said no went with L Ryan T Newman Trade for Adam thelan Minn WR and brough floyd back brady can make any WR good
that said u are the AFC fav but bewanre of the oakland raiders if they get AP
that said the only thing i have is i feel NE is morage their future for 1 or 2 more shots at a SB
cooks was unhappy not getting the ball enrough in new orl where he was the 1 taget
is gilmore worth 14 mil a year i think u overplayed by 3 mil and made butler unhappy
this is your last year of gronk and D allen at best is a role player
looking back on it u shouild offer bennett 3 y 24 mil offer gilmore 11 mil a year then if he said no went with L Ryan T Newman Trade for Adam thelan Minn WR and brough floyd back brady can make any WR good
that said u are the AFC fav but bewanre of the oakland raiders if they get AP
That's the rub, isn't it? The last two Super Bowl champions had excellent injury luck.
J-man, I always enjoy your contributions, sincerely. That being said, I think these ones go both ways.
I don't know how much we can say they're mortgaging their future until we see all the chips fall. There are still the Butler and JG shoes to drop to see how impactful the draft pick trade for Cooks ends up being. Even beyond that, they've survived their misses in the past because they don't rely on a first round pick to be a solution to a problem or gap, but rather a compliment. There's a handful of time you can say they have drafted for need, but it can be counted on one hand.
Cooks, I can't imagine they made that move without being able to talk to him about what his role would be. Not getting enough targets when your team sucks is different than buying into the culture to win. When your team sucks your goal is to pile up stats. I trust them enough that they feel comfortable he will be okay with it.
I highly doubt this is our last year of Gronk. It could be. But I'm not laying money on it. Allen is indeed a role player and was acquired as such. Be a blocker, catch 35-40 balls and be a viable option if Gronk gets hurt again. Just like Bennett was. They haven't sincerely tried to recreate the Gronk/Hernandez scheme and I don't think they really ever will, or else they'd have made different moves. It was a unique combo and not an easy one to replicate. That being said, they probably will draft the guy from Miami whose name I can't spell and run that back up. I'd rather have Allen at his terms than giving Bennet what he got, but reasonable minds can differ.
I'd also rather overlay a bit for Gilmore than give Ryan what he got. He struggled for at least half his tenure here, including half this season. Gilmore has a higher ceiling and if hey overpaid by a couple million, so be it. They have the cap room and it's not prohibitive to anything else they want to do. They have a better feel on Butler than any of us can speculate on. If they legit haven't talked in a year, that tells me it's more about his agent than Malcolm.
And AP on the Raiders scares us not at all.
That post when you don't realize the context but wanna get internet points regardless.
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On a board where arguments break out over the Oxford comma, you think that nobody notices J-man's typing? We all just missed it?
Dude brings knowledge every thread he hits, and he does it in the most efficient way possible for him.
Read his signature, you fucking donkey.
Someone should feel bad for Arthur Blank and his 2274 bad air stores and his bad dancing? Wonder if he'll ever come down to the field early again?
good pointsJ-man, I always enjoy your contributions, sincerely. That being said, I think these ones go both ways.
I don't know how much we can say they're mortgaging their future until we see all the chips fall. There are still the Butler and JG shoes to drop to see how impactful the draft pick trade for Cooks ends up being. Even beyond that, they've survived their misses in the past because they don't rely on a first round pick to be a solution to a problem or gap, but rather a compliment. There's a handful of time you can say they have drafted for need, but it can be counted on one hand.
Cooks, I can't imagine they made that move without being able to talk to him about what his role would be. Not getting enough targets when your team sucks is different than buying into the culture to win. When your team sucks your goal is to pile up stats. I trust them enough that they feel comfortable he will be okay with it.
I highly doubt this is our last year of Gronk. It could be. But I'm not laying money on it. Allen is indeed a role player and was acquired as such. Be a blocker, catch 35-40 balls and be a viable option if Gronk gets hurt again. Just like Bennett was. They haven't sincerely tried to recreate the Gronk/Hernandez scheme and I don't think they really ever will, or else they'd have made different moves. It was a unique combo and not an easy one to replicate. That being said, they probably will draft the guy from Miami whose name I can't spell and run that back up. I'd rather have Allen at his terms than giving Bennet what he got, but reasonable minds can differ.
I'd also rather overlay a bit for Gilmore than give Ryan what he got. He struggled for at least half his tenure here, including half this season. Gilmore has a higher ceiling and if hey overpaid by a couple million, so be it. They have the cap room and it's not prohibitive to anything else they want to do. They have a better feel on Butler than any of us can speculate on. If they legit haven't talked in a year, that tells me it's more about his agent than Malcolm.
And AP on the Raiders scares us not at all.
idk is Gilmore is a 14 mil a year player and if he gets off to a slow start the Boston media could make it hard on him
but with Bennett u would unguarded on off u are near that anyway
on the sch only 3 hard road games and Denver could just be ave TB can score a lot and the JETS always play u well
At first glance it might look like Gilmore was an overpay, but look at the non division QB's the Patriots face next season: Roethlisberger, Winston, Brees, Carr, Romo (Houston), Newton, Ryan, Smith, Rivers and whomever Denver signs. Add in the possibility of losing Butler and it's clear that the Pats had to have a top level CB to stabilize the pass defense. UFA CB's don't come cheap. Plus, signing Gilmore gave the Pats the leverage to not match a Butler contract and score a first round pick in a draft deep with CB's.
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This is a junk post.
Trading for a 24 year old with two years left on his contract is not mortgaging the future. Also, he was second in targets in NO, not the number one guy.
Gilmore is a better player than Logan Ryan. Maybe a slight overpay, but the Pats still have a massive amount of cap space, better to spend an extra two million and get the better player.
You say that this is Gronk's last year, but suggest signing a 30 year old tight end with an injury history of his own to a three year contract?
Maybe Brady can make any receiver good, but we've also seen that with All Pro receivers he can create a generationally good offense.
junk
ok
Cooks is outstanding player but will he fit in your team first off when adding a L Alexander or a J Hankins type be better
i have no plom with Gilmore but if he gets off to a slow start dolts like feglar and mazz with whine
Gronk is slowing down what makes u guys so good is brady smarts and your 2 te off u are right if gronk plays 16 games but i just see inj after inj slowly piteing up
u guys need hightower back or u will lack a play maker at LB with Only a Old Evils dumevil and MLB zach brown on the market
if Denver was not such a conf rival a M Butler for A Tabilb trade wouild make sence for both teams u get a star num 1 CB that can stut any WR down denver has 25 mil in cap space denver can give bulter basiclly a 5y 65 mil deal starting in 2018 and denver wouild have 2 top 10 CB for the next 6 years
Cooks is the most talented wide receiver the Pats have had since Moss. I'm inclined to think the offense as it stands now with him is closer to being another record-setter than it is to not being the right fit.
j-man, the Pats haven't truly used the "two tight end offense" as their bread and butter since Hernandez was still a free man. They've tried, but whether it be injuries to Gronk or ineffectiveness of the second guy, like Chandler, they've never replicated it and really haven't even had the chance to attempt it full force.
As to Gronk, I don't think he's slowing down at all, he's just not going to get less injury prone as he gets older. He's still a force when he puts the pads on and the addition of Cooks should only make him that much more effective when healthy. Defenses still have no answer for him and with the addition of someone like Allen - who is a great blocker - it should free him up to be off the line more.
Someone like Cooks just plays into what the Pats love to do - keep you guessing. He can go long or play the quick slant. Gronk can stay in to block, run an intermediate route or split the seem and even if you know what he's doing you can't match up with him. Hogan can run the long route or the cross, Mitchell more works the sides and then you have to plan to cover Edelman on the underneath stuff. Cook isn't tall like Moss, but he offers a huge asset there that his speed is just that elite that if he is on a go route, you have to check him with your safeties and you leave the rest in single coverage. Obviously they won't be in that package all the time and everything depends on health, but it's a scary proposition and it's legit probably the best group they've had, 2007 included.
I agree in part with your point about Hightower, I think they need to bring him back, but not from a "playmaker" standpoint, but rather as a stalwart. He's not (and despite his big plays in the two SB wins, never has been) a big splash guy. He's a road grinder that captains the defense and I worry bit about who would take that mantle where he to leave. They need someone to wear the green dot and I'm not seeing someone currently on the team and don't want to leave that to someone that's a new comer. I think they get it done with him, like they did McCourty.
As to Gilmore, if he's that soft that Fleger and Mazz throw him off his game, then yeah, it was a mistake. I assume he was vetted properly and the media blackout in NE tends to help with that stuff. Even if they overpaid a little, I'd rather give him $14M than give Ryan $10M. Gilmore has the ceiling of an elite corner, while Ryan has the scope of a solid #2. Both have had bouts on inconsistency, but I'd spend the money for Gilmore's floor as opposed to Ryan's.
Personally, with regard to Butler, I hope they keep him and work something out long(ish) term. They could have the best secondary in the league, a pretty stout Dline and if they do lose Hightower, those two could go a long way to mitigating it.
I went to the Oakland coliseum 9 months after the Tuck Rule game for a pats game. Don't think I'm ever gonna do that again.
When was the last time a member of the Patriots really had the media get on their case to the extent where it was "a problem"? Terry Glenn?
Part of that is winning, but part of that is by design; specifically, by limiting players' input to the media and funneling messaging to a few folks, the Patriots front office (namely, BB) insulates players from the sort of vicious cycle of Poor Play - Press Comments - Player Responds - Press Responds More Forcefully - Etc... that typically leads to problems. That's one of the key points behind the Patriots strict internal policy regarding what gets said to the press, and who says it.
Even players that have big mouths that show up and disappoint are given a wide berth, like Ocho Cinco. Hell, there was a hot-headed, literal murderer on the team and I don't recall the press getting under his skin.
Part of that is winning, but part of that is by design; specifically, by limiting players' input to the media and funneling messaging to a few folks, the Patriots front office (namely, BB) insulates players from the sort of vicious cycle of Poor Play - Press Comments - Player Responds - Press Responds More Forcefully - Etc... that typically leads to problems. That's one of the key points behind the Patriots strict internal policy regarding what gets said to the press, and who says it.
Even players that have big mouths that show up and disappoint are given a wide berth, like Ocho Cinco. Hell, there was a hot-headed, literal murderer on the team and I don't recall the press getting under his skin.
One might argue that Randy Moss' "consensual horseplay" in the weeks leading up to the Scottish Game was a problem.
The sense we got from the owners meetings was that the NFL is waiting to see if Tony Romo goes to Houston before making a final decision on the Patriots’ opponent for the opening kickoff game on Sept. 7. The Texans would be the likely opponent if Romo is the quarterback, and the Chiefs and Panthers appear to be the leaders if he doesn’t make up his mind before the schedule is released in a couple of weeks.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/patriots/2017/04/01/ben-volin-player-access-restrictions-are-hurting-nfl-that-simple/qCvX1ArHhYWppVPHucQ92L/story.html
http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/patriots/2017/04/01/ben-volin-player-access-restrictions-are-hurting-nfl-that-simple/qCvX1ArHhYWppVPHucQ92L/story.html
With Romo not going to Texans now, and Peter King insisting the league won't make the Falcons play in the opener, have to assume it's the Chiefs for the 1st Thursday game now.
The opening game is going to have a good draw either way, but NE-KC is a pretty weak alternative when ATL is on the schedule.
I'd almost rather have it be a crappy opponent because the game will be a big draw no matter what. Save the teams like Atlanta for the middle of the season.
No, but I would rather it be an opponent who would not be as good as the Falcons, Chiefs, etc. Someone like the Chargers, Jets, or Bills would be great since it would get that team out of the way on Week 1 and you have a better home schedule the rest of the way.
Take it with salt but per a colleague Atlanta's MLS team is targeting NFL Week 1 to debut in the new stadium because they believe the Falcons are playing on the road in the Thursday nighter.
Don't discount the pressure the league feels to get off to a big start after last year's ratings declines.
Don't discount the pressure the league feels to get off to a big start after last year's ratings declines.
Really? I'd much rather play a very difficult team when NE and the fans are whipped up into an absolute frenzy. I understand the game watchability angle but I think I'd prefer ATL now and a potential blowout later vs. JESTS!!!11! than a blowout now plus a less frenzied crowd for ATL later in the year.
I'd be shocked if it was Atlanta. Carolina reportedly was not very happy about having to go to Denver to start the season after losing the SB to them and face fresh wounds. Given that ATL's loss was likely far more devastating, I have trouble thinking they go right back to that particular well. I'd put my money on KC.
247SportsVerified account @247Sports 39m39 minutes ago
2017 NFL Preseason Schedule to be revealed Monday at 4ct on NFL Network.
Mike Reiss already reported that Week 3 for Patriots is at Detroit.
2017 NFL Preseason Schedule to be revealed Monday at 4ct on NFL Network.
Mike Reiss already reported that Week 3 for Patriots is at Detroit.
