I thought I'd enjoy what was my final day as a Pats fan with this stellar post.
Quote:
According to Football Outsiders, the New England Patriots are the best team in the NFL.
It gets better: The plays that signified that win (on Monday Night against the Dolphins) had no bearing on their measurements.
“The Patriots get no credit for the blocked field goal, because blocks are rare and scoring on a missed field goal is rarer still. They get no credit for the punt block, because our punt return ratings for the receiving team only judge punt returns. The Dolphins do get penalized for both events, although the penalty for a blocked field goal is no different from the penalty for any other missed field goal.”
Using their metrics, the Patriots have the top offense in the league, but their defense ranks 23. The difference for them has been special teams, where they rank fourth.
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http://blog.masslive.com/patriots/20...ys_that_p.html
The "#1 overall team in the NFL" with the "#1 offense in the NFL" will be VERY lucky if they're able to make the playoffs. And I say that knowing full well....
* That they're 3-1
* That they have road games against the hapless Lions, Browns, and Bills yet to come
* That they haven't lost a regular season home game with Brady at QB since 2006. The freaking week Bernardini was a beaten favorite in the BC Classic - and Moss was in Oakland. Now, one of Bernardini's offspring will run in the BC Juvie.
The Pats are no longer a 12-4 or 11-5 team. They no longer have unquestionably the best offense in the NFL. A veritable juggernaught of an offense with young guys left wide open in space underneath every time you pause a play.
This is an 8-8 football team at the end of this year. And if the defense doesn't improve markedly - a 6-10 team next year.