A lot of pessimism around this group, both locally and nationally. I am more bullish than others, for a few reasons.
We're starting to see a trend towards offenses getting bigger and moving away from an excess of 3+ WR sets. I think it was Warren Sharp who pointed out that NFL plays run out of 21 personnel (two backs + one TE) were more efficient than any other formation last season. This offense is going to look a whole lot different than recent vintages, but it's not like the offense looked good down the stretch last year. They were terrible.
Put me down for 10-6 and AFC East champs, again. Maybe I'm just being a homer (I'm also a Cam stan), but I don't think betting against Belichick and his coaching staff is a wise thing to do. Not during a season where coaching, preparation, and organization may matter more than ever. They might never get the passing game going, the front seven could get gashed constantly, and we don't know if they'll be able to get a consistent pass rush. If all of that happens, maybe they stumble to a 6-10 record. That is absolutely a realistic possibility.
I just feel that there are legitimate pieces in place for this to be a very good football team. So many of them are unknowns that it's difficult to firmly plant a flag on one side or the other, but I'll bet on talent (Cam, O-line, RB, defense) and coaching (duh) and say that they figure it out somehow.
If they hadn't gotten Cam, then I would be right there with y'all saying they'll miss the playoffs. He's capable of being that good. The man dragged a receiving corps of Ted Ginn, Jerricho Cotchery, and Philly Brown to a 15-1 record and a Super Bowl. Playing with a bunch of nobodies at receiver should come naturally to Cam, because he's been doing it for most of his career.
- Cam could be an overall upgrade from 2019 Brady
- Knock on effects from having Cam as QB will help the running game
- Secondary is still elite
- O-line has potential to be elite
- AFC East is still weak
- They have potential answers on the roster for all of their front seven questions
- Schedule looks tough, but good luck forecasting how any of these NFL teams will look 2+ months from now (needless to say, I don't put a ton of weight on projected strength of schedule beyond the first few weeks; and that's more complicated this year because of the fan situation)
We're starting to see a trend towards offenses getting bigger and moving away from an excess of 3+ WR sets. I think it was Warren Sharp who pointed out that NFL plays run out of 21 personnel (two backs + one TE) were more efficient than any other formation last season. This offense is going to look a whole lot different than recent vintages, but it's not like the offense looked good down the stretch last year. They were terrible.
Put me down for 10-6 and AFC East champs, again. Maybe I'm just being a homer (I'm also a Cam stan), but I don't think betting against Belichick and his coaching staff is a wise thing to do. Not during a season where coaching, preparation, and organization may matter more than ever. They might never get the passing game going, the front seven could get gashed constantly, and we don't know if they'll be able to get a consistent pass rush. If all of that happens, maybe they stumble to a 6-10 record. That is absolutely a realistic possibility.
I just feel that there are legitimate pieces in place for this to be a very good football team. So many of them are unknowns that it's difficult to firmly plant a flag on one side or the other, but I'll bet on talent (Cam, O-line, RB, defense) and coaching (duh) and say that they figure it out somehow.
If they hadn't gotten Cam, then I would be right there with y'all saying they'll miss the playoffs. He's capable of being that good. The man dragged a receiving corps of Ted Ginn, Jerricho Cotchery, and Philly Brown to a 15-1 record and a Super Bowl. Playing with a bunch of nobodies at receiver should come naturally to Cam, because he's been doing it for most of his career.