Re: 2018 NFL PickEm League
 

patriots vs rams SB

rams win 35-31

Also Tom Brady is 52-16 against the NFC and 155-46 against the AFC, almost the exact same percentage. Even against the supposedly weak AFC East, in the last 15 years going into this year the Pats had a win percentage of 788% but still 786% against everyone else. These are long term sample sizes that suggest the competition has nothing to do with it.

Re: 2018 NFL PickEm League
 

This isnt the competition of say the NFC 1990s. Very deep and talented pool of teams from that decade. I think it may be getting there again, but while they were going through their run the only super team that contended with them was Manning's Colts. Steelers I suppose. But the bottom of the barrel was truly bottom of the barrel.

For instance, the 90s Packers contended with Barry Sanders (best RB in the game), the vaunted Bucs defense (Sapp, Brooks and Lynch all Hall of famers), and then Moss Carter and John Randle of the Vikes. The only weak link was Da Bears.

Have there been any long term HOFers from Brady's time with the Patriots in the AFC East. Jason Taylor is all that comes to mind and even that was a borderline selection IMO.

Salary cap changed everything making what the Pats have done even more impressive.

Again, it doesn't matter who the Pats have played; in division, out of division, in conference, out of conference. The winning percentages are all the same.

More than what has been on his own team, but yet again, they've beaten everyone with equal regularity.

That doesn't equate to me, particularly with the division Hall of Fame comparisons, but I can see this is going nowhere anyways.

Well the salary cap is the big thing and that's a main reason why there's so much praise heaped upon the Pat's dynasty. Take the great teams of the 49ers and the Steelers. They didn't have to worry about losing their great players. They had the same teams year after year-much easier to repeat success with the same team, right? The current rules were designed to create parity and prevent what the Pats are doing.

Who are the long term HoFs with the Pats? Brady, Gronk, the kicker?

Re: 2018 NFL PickEm League
 

I'm talking Bills Dolphins Jets HOFers. Probably just Brady, Gronk, Vinateri, Richard Seymour, and Ty Law.

Law and Seymour haven't made it yet. I'd have to look up other teams to know. Off the top of my head Taylor, Revis, Martin. But what's the point when the Pats have been equally successful against the rest of the league?

Re: 2018 NFL PickEm League
 

Because if 3/8ths of your schedule really doesn't give you a fight you basically have to only win 5 or 6 of your other 10. Makes home field that much easier and they are tough to beat at home.

But they win at the same rate out of their division as they do in their division, so what's the difference?

I could only find data done in 2017, but as of then, going all the way back to 2002, the AFC east had the best combined record in all of football. You might say well yea mostly because of the Pats. Sure, but every division has a top team every year. In that division, it just always happens to be the Pats. Those other 3 teams would be much better if they weren't going 1-5 against 1 team every single year.

Re: 2018 NFL PickEm League
 

Depends on what you're trying to measure. Overall winning percentage is a good way to determine whether or not a team is racking up wins off of crappy competition, but that doesn't address a lot of other things. For example, if a division has two 8-8 teams, that division will have the same record as an 0-16 team and a 16-0 team, but being in the former division is a lot more beneficial than being in the latter that year for the purposes of actually winning a division title. So how the wins are distributed matters, too. It can be advantageous to be in a division that is consistently mediocre.

This was done this year and is since the year 2000-





What people forget is that the rest of the AFC East is going 1-5 against the Pats every single year, making them look worse than they actually are. In other divisions, the teams simply take turns being at the top or the bottom. The Pats have remained the one constant.

Re: 2018 NFL PickEm League
 

Whatever. The AFC East has just been a great division since 2000. Ultra competitive and you just never know what team is going to strike big in the playoffs.

Re: 2018 NFL PickEm League
 

I truly believe you can place the Patriots in any other division and they aren't making that many Super Bowls, not because they aren't good but because they wouldn't get as many home playoff games.

Re: 2018 NFL PickEm League
 

https://www.thewrap.com/wp-content/u...TQUoAEny-V.jpg

Tom just casually watching this argument from the sideline.

God bless the what ifs. Maybe they get more? Maybe they don't lose in Denver or Indy? I'll go by what has actually happened.

But you do know. It's the other divisions that have all teams that can't stay consistently good.

Well, it's because of the competition.

Competition for who? New England has the same record in their division as they do against the rest of the league. You're coming up with imaginary scenarios that have no basis to them.

I don't know what you people are doing but anyways


1. Chiefs
2. Saints

I like the totals much more than the sides today, under in the Saints game and over in the Chiefs.

God I hate the Patriots but I couldn't disagree with the weak schedule argument more. If you win your division you automatically plays the other division winners from your conference every year. Almost every division has two perennial mediocre teams. Wasn't too many years ago the AFC south was terrible. Central and West both had their moments. NFC west never seems to have more than one good team. Patriots success is staggering and I can't wait for it to be over.

If they get by the Chiefs, which I doubt, I think they beat the Saints or Rams.

Re: 2018 NFL PickEm League
 

Whatever happens happens. Wish I could see the games today but work tonight (usually don't work Sundays, this is literally the only one). Hope they are close and exciting.

Re: 2018 NFL PickEm League
 

Yeah, I think the KC offense could prove to be too much. Anything can happen in one game (which is one of the reasons I don't ascribe metaphysical significance to playoff games), but I think Reid's probably smart enough to leverage their advantages.

I'm really not at all confident about Saints-Rams, if only because of the injuries. Sometimes those injuries on the line can ripple through an entire team's gameplan in unexpected ways, and as a very general rule the teams that actually win in the playoffs (see the parenthetical above) are just the ones that manage to stay the healthiest.