It’s one thing for someone like me to say Deflategate was all about giving the rest of the league a four-game head start but should players like the Jets WR/Reality TV Star Eric Decker actually be saying that out loud?
So, if Tom Brady has to serve a four-game suspension, is the AFC East “up for grabs?”
The AFC East - like any other division in the NFL - is up for grabs every season…
Channeling my inner Belichick: Every team starts 0-0-0. There’s no mystery here. Build a better roster. Build a roster with depth. Coach better. Play better. Do your job. Win more games than the other teams in the division.
Everything is up for grabs, we’re all day to day and we’re on to Cincinnati.
What you should have said…
“Whether Tom plays 12 or 16, I believe in this Jets team; I think we can win the AFC East.”
Taking another look at Eric Decker’s statement, isn’t he admitting the only chance the Jets, Dolphins or Bills have to win the division is if Brady sits for four games?
If Brady beats the rap, is the AFC East not up for grabs? (Of course it is; see above.) Decker’s confidence certainly seems situational.
Is the key to New England’s success as much psychological as it is physical? Do other teams line up for the National Anthem, look across the field, see Tom Brady and a little pee comes out?
What you really should’ve said…
Nothing.
Can you imagine Danny Amendola commenting on the Jets’ chances to compete for a playoff spot without Ryan Fitzpatrick?
Granting the premise is absurd on so many levels (starting with Ryan Fitzpatrick didn’t lead the Jets to a playoff spot last year), you know that would never, ever happen. Seriously, who the fuck is Eric Decker? Why is he speaking for the Jets? Why is he talking shit about the Patriots?
It’s boring but everyone knows that regardless of the question, the correct answer was “it’s hard to win in the NFL; we all need to play our best to win.” Or some variation on that theme. Keep it in the I. Less is always more.
When you’re competing in a marketplace with margins as narrow as those in the NFL, everything matters.
Thanks for the bulletin board material, jackass.
But seriously, what if the Patriots do start the season 0-4-0?
We are talking about Bill Belichick and those do anything (*cough* cheat *cough*) Patriots, aren’t we?
Yes, mathematically speaking, 0-4-0 is the worst case scenario.
And yes, Bill Belichick-coached teams tend to start slowly; intentionally building to peak pigskin performance in the weeks following Thanksgiving. They started 2-2-0 in their Super Bowl season of 2014.
Consensus amongst the local pigskin pundits and bobbleheads is 3-1-0; a loss on the road in Week 1 to the Cardinals followed by wins in the three home games that follow against the Dolphins, Texans and Bills. Yeah, okay, the defense returns 10 of 11 starters and after three years in the system, Jimmy Garoppolo will be just fine. Arizona is a good team that would be tough to beat even with Brady at QB.
Having said that...
I don’t think Bill Belichick is writing off that opening week game in Arizona. I think he’s been studying the NFC Championship game the Cardinals lost 49-15 against the Panthers. I think Belichick had one of his quality control coaches break down every pass Carson Palmer has thrown over the course of his entire career in the NFL and create mix tapes of interceptions and sacks. I believe starting 1-0-0 has never been more important to Bill Belichick.
Okay, I’m already on record predicting the Patriots will go 19-0-0 in 2016-17 and I’m not really answering the question at hand.
What if New England does start the season 0-4-0?
Are we also assuming that the Bills, Dolphins or Jets has gone 4-0-0 during that same stretch? I suppose so, if we’re dealing with the absolute worst case for the Patriots.
Yeah, let’s face it. That would be tough. 12-4-0 (and those doubting Tom Brady’s ability to win twelve games in a row haven’t been paying close attention to his career) or even 11-5-0 might still win the AFC East but I don’t think it would secure home field for the playoffs and we know how important that is. Eric Decker may have set his sights on winning the AFC East but there’s only one goal in Foxborough and that’s a Super Bowl win.
Is there some part of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady that’s looking forward to this challenge? I’m sure they would say no. That’s just crazy talk. And yet I suspect the dangerously single-minded inner child who rules the subconscious of these ultra-competitive individuals is swinging higher and higher as he prepares to jump off into that deliriously exhilarating, weightless moment that risks their very skin and bones on impact. Brady and Belichick live for those moments.
If Brady has to sit out a month of football, this will become the most important season in the shared careers of Tom Terrific and Bill Belichick. Winning the Super Bowl under these circumstances would be their greatest accomplishment and that’s saying something.
Yes, it will be hard but if it was easy, even the Jets could do it.
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