Yeah, this is the game I am really curious about. It's nice to get a chance to scout two upcoming opponents at the same time, but given how many questions there are about the Bills coming into the year, and that the Pats have to travel there next week. Given our own problems, I think that the Colts OL struggles (if they come up), will signal some real problems for the Pats next week. I am hoping that Luck will try and get rid of the ball quickly rather than rolling out of the pocket or scrambling, just so we can see how successful Brady's likely approach will be. Also curious about Tyrod Taylor, since I have seen very little of him. We know that he is athletic and mobile, but does he have an accurate arm? Pocket presence? Decision making skills and the ability to read a defense at the line of scrimmage?SeoulSoxFan said:I'm most interested in the Colts @ Bills contest:
It's a win-win for Pats either way. Bills win, Colts are already a game behind in the AFC seeding. If Colts win, a divisional rival is already a game behind in the AFC standings.
- Can Bills dominate iffy Colts OL?
- Can Colts DL stop the run?
- Is Tyrod Taylor for real?
- Does Bills secondary have enough depth to limit Colts weapons?
- Will Luck limit his mistakes under pressure?
- Who'll mismanage the clock more, Rex or Pagano?
BigSoxFan said:I would kill for a Jets home loss to Cleveland to start the season.
Too early in the season to worry about Indy. Winning the division is always job one. Mostly I'll be rooting for injuries but would prefer an Indy win.MarcSullivaFan said:For this one week I can root for Rex and Co. I hope to enjoy watching the Bills expose the crap fest that is the Colts' O and D lines.
Bills D line is obviously a concern for next week regardless of what happens here. But I wouldn't read too much in to the Colts being denominated. I'm not sure they have an starting offensive lineman who would start for the Pats at their current position.
j44thor said:Too early in the season to worry about Indy. Winning the division is always job one. Mostly I'll be rooting for injuries but would prefer an Indy win.
Buf is going to be a tough out this season, esp if the same run d shows up next week from ne.
Deathofthebambino said:Folks, beware, be very, very aware of the kicking game in week one. Particularly, these new 33 yard extra points. I expect to see at least a half dozen extra points missed today, and also expect to see about that many attempted two point conversions. I can't believe it hasn't gotten more play, but all pre-season long, guys were missing them left and right. Not just rookies trying to make the team, but veteran kickers who think/thought their jobs were totally secure. It's going to impact multiple games today.
And of course, the Patriots were ahead of the curve. They know they have the best kicker in football, the rules were changing to make it more important than ever to have a great kicker, and they went out and made sure Ghost wasn't going anywhere. Guess that must have been because they had other teams playbooks, or something.
I thought the rule change was weird. Football purists don't like having kickers decide games, and the NFL decides to make changes that make kickers more, not less, important. Though if it leads to more 2-point conversion attempts I would love to see that.Deathofthebambino said:Folks, beware, be very, very aware of the kicking game in week one. Particularly, these new 33 yard extra points. I expect to see at least a half dozen extra points missed today, and also expect to see about that many attempted two point conversions. I can't believe it hasn't gotten more play, but all pre-season long, guys were missing them left and right. Not just rookies trying to make the team, but veteran kickers who think/thought their jobs were totally secure. It's going to impact multiple games today.
And of course, the Patriots were ahead of the curve. They know they have the best kicker in football, the rules were changing to make it more important than ever to have a great kicker, and they went out and made sure Ghost wasn't going anywhere. Guess that must have been because they had other teams playbooks, or something.
singaporesoxfan said:I thought the rule change was weird. Football purists don't like having kickers decide games, and the NFL decides to make changes that make kickers more, not less, important. Though if it leads to more 2-point conversion attempts I would love to see that.
lostjumper said:So with all the talk about the d-line for the bills, this secondary looks severely overmatched so far.
Yeah but it's adding a lot more drama by adding variance to XP conversions, which I find aesthetically unsatisfying. Not a fan of a 21-20 result because one kicker missed an XP and one didn't. Would have preferred the "XP is automatic, no need to kick if you just want one point, but if you want to go for two then you can do so" solution.johnmd20 said:
The XP in previous years was nearly a guarantee. It was the worst, a useless play. Now, it's more of a question. I think the rule change was great, it is going to add a lot more drama.
singaporesoxfan said:Yeah but it's adding a lot more drama by adding variance to XP conversions, which I find aesthetically unsatisfying. Not a fan of a 21-20 result because one kicker missed an XP and one didn't. Would have preferred the "XP is automatic, no need to kick if you just want one point, but if you want to go for two then you can do so" solution.
That said it all depends on the result. If the rule change leads to a lot more aggressiveness with 2-point conversions, which I love, I'll change my mind.
Yeah agreed it makes kickers more importantsingaporesoxfan said:Yeah but it's adding a lot more drama by adding variance to XP conversions, which I find aesthetically unsatisfying. Not a fan of a 21-20 result because one kicker missed an XP and one didn't. Would have preferred the "XP is automatic, no need to kick if you just want one point, but if you want to go for two then you can do so" solution.
That said it all depends on the result. If the rule change leads to a lot more aggressiveness with 2-point conversions, which I love, I'll change my mind.
Morning Woodhead said:These Browns uniforms are awful. Team doesn't appear to be much better.