In my opinion, that division is ruining football and making it a less watchable game.
If you look from a pure numbers standpoint it's astounding.
Since 2001, the Patriots have participated in 52% of Super Bowls. Ridiculous.
Since 2001 the Patriots have won the AFC East 16 out of 18 years. The only OTHER AFC East playoff participants in that time fared as follows:
In 2002, the Jets had 1 victory in the playoffs, and in 2008, Miami lost immediately. That's it.
1993 was the last time an AFC East team OTHER than the Patriots participated in a Superbowl, The Bills who lost to the Cowboys. In 1993 Bill Clinton BECAME President for the next 8 years. Pretty sure BBI didn't even exist.
The last team other than the Patriots to WIN a Super Bowl from the AFC East was in 1973, The Miami Dolphins.
Going back this far, to 1993 and 1973, the Patriots didn't have "IT" yet, but there was already a void.
This is RIDICULOUS. The Patriots have a team building system and it's much better than other NFL teams systems. It's not a team. It's a computer program. It's an algorithm. The Patriots do not scout players. It's probably 1000 or more different player characteristics, criteria, attributes. It's almost cheating. The system spits out a player. If he's not there, the system spits out the next player. These players are puzzle pieces, and they have unique shapes which fit into the New England system, plug them in elsewhere, and the net effect just isn't the same.
I wish somebody would hack the Patriots and figure out what they're doing.
Is my supposition of how they do it completely out of bounds? If you think about it, and look at those numbers, am I really crazy about how they do it?
Rant over.
they lost to the Colts and Steelers.
The AFC East is better top to bottom than the NFC East during the Patriots dynasty.
And did you ever consider it's the Patriots being so good that makes the other AFC East teams records worse, not the other way around.
To support my comment you only need to look at the Patriots record out of division (better than in division) and out of conference (better than in division).
Delete this post.
The Patriots are really, really good, but they are not unbeatable. But so many teams act like they are.
And the NFC East, West, North and South.
they lost to the Colts and Steelers.
The AFC East is better top to bottom than the NFC East during the Patriots dynasty.
And did you ever consider it's the Patriots being so good that makes the other AFC East teams records worse, not the other way around.
To support my comment you only need to look at the Patriots record out of division (better than in division) and out of conference (better than in division).
Delete this post.
Uh no delete, and you are correct about 2009 and 10. Sorry about that. Superbowl participation and playoff participation is really the point which is not diminished by what happened in those 2 years...Patriots had a lull....they tweaked the system and fixed it.
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I think the Pats would be 12-4 against any division.
I think the Pats would be 12-4 against any division.
You think if the Patriots had to play the Steelers and Ravens four times a year, they would still be 12-4 every year? I don't buy that.
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I ran the math a couple years ago and the Jets/Bills/Dolphins were about league average teams when excluding games against the Patriots over a period of like a decade+.
I think the Pats would be 12-4 against any division.
You think if the Patriots had to play the Steelers and Ravens four times a year, they would still be 12-4 every year? I don't buy that.
Pats own the Steelers
The Patriots are really, really good, but they are not unbeatable. But so many teams act like they are.
Been saying this for years. Go play your game against them, and don't pussy foot around.
Be aggressive, take chances.
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In comment 14569951 BrettNYG10 said:
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I ran the math a couple years ago and the Jets/Bills/Dolphins were about league average teams when excluding games against the Patriots over a period of like a decade+.
I think the Pats would be 12-4 against any division.
You think if the Patriots had to play the Steelers and Ravens four times a year, they would still be 12-4 every year? I don't buy that.
Pats own the Steelers
Playing twice a year would be different..........
Quote:
I ran the math a couple years ago and the Jets/Bills/Dolphins were about league average teams when excluding games against the Patriots over a period of like a decade+.
I think the Pats would be 12-4 against any division.
You think if the Patriots had to play the Steelers and Ravens four times a year, they would still be 12-4 every year? I don't buy that.
Absolutely. They're 6-2 against the Steelers the past eight regular season games. 5-2 against the Ravens since 2010, including playoffs.
they lost to the Colts and Steelers.
The AFC East is better top to bottom than the NFC East during the Patriots dynasty.
And did you ever consider it's the Patriots being so good that makes the other AFC East teams records worse, not the other way around.
To support my comment you only need to look at the Patriots record out of division (better than in division) and out of conference (better than in division).
Delete this post.
What are you basing the AFC East being better than the NFC East?
Pats > Giants
Eagles > Jets
Cowboys > Miami
Washington > Buffalo
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In comment 14569951 BrettNYG10 said:
Quote:
I ran the math a couple years ago and the Jets/Bills/Dolphins were about league average teams when excluding games against the Patriots over a period of like a decade+.
I think the Pats would be 12-4 against any division.
You think if the Patriots had to play the Steelers and Ravens four times a year, they would still be 12-4 every year? I don't buy that.
Absolutely. They're 6-2 against the Steelers the past eight regular season games. 5-2 against the Ravens since 2010, including playoffs.
Playing twice a year, IMO, would result in different outcomes.
Minds won't be changed on this subject, but I firmly believe that the Patriots are tremendously assisted by the crappiness of their division. They don't even have to worry about not getting a bye and probably home field every year.
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In comment 14569955 Eric from BBI said:
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In comment 14569951 BrettNYG10 said:
Quote:
I ran the math a couple years ago and the Jets/Bills/Dolphins were about league average teams when excluding games against the Patriots over a period of like a decade+.
I think the Pats would be 12-4 against any division.
You think if the Patriots had to play the Steelers and Ravens four times a year, they would still be 12-4 every year? I don't buy that.
Pats own the Steelers
Playing twice a year would be different..........
Wouldn't be any different than giants vs eagles most recent times.. now would it?
Ravens and Steelers are not the Giants.
He was so vested in the game and crushed when they lost. I chuckled to myself and thought, "doesn't this poor bastard know that no matter what happens in this game, it just does not matter, the Patriots win the division?" I also had an eye on the Redskins Eagles and even though the Redskins had a lead, I just knew it wouldn't last.
Then I watched my Giants get crushed. Then I monitored the score of the Sunday night game, Patriots crushing the Steelers. I am starting to fear that Philadelphia might be the new Patriots and we are the Jets. God help us if this happens.
Jets 2001, 2002,2004,2006,2009,2010...6 wins.
Bills 2017 playoffs...loss.
You missed a bunch.
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I ran the math a couple years ago and the Jets/Bills/Dolphins were about league average teams when excluding games against the Patriots over a period of like a decade+.
I think the Pats would be 12-4 against any division.
You think if the Patriots had to play the Steelers and Ravens four times a year, they would still be 12-4 every year? I don't buy that.
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2009 and 2010 from history. The Jets went to back to back AFC Championship games.
they lost to the Colts and Steelers.
The AFC East is better top to bottom than the NFC East during the Patriots dynasty.
And did you ever consider it's the Patriots being so good that makes the other AFC East teams records worse, not the other way around.
To support my comment you only need to look at the Patriots record out of division (better than in division) and out of conference (better than in division).
Delete this post.
What are you basing the AFC East being better than the NFC East?
Pats > Giants
Eagles > Jets
Cowboys > Miami
Washington > Buffalo
Your language is way too subjective.
Like most teams the Cowboys and Eagles have had ups and downs.
The Cowboys have had just 7 winning seasons since 2001.
The Jets have had 8 winning seasons in that time frame.
the Cowboys have won 2 playoff games in that time, the Jets have won double that many games.
The Dolphins have had 6 winning seasons in that time
The Giants have had 8 winning seasons in that time (2 SB wins)
The Eagles have had 12 winning seasons in that time (1 SB win)
The Patriots have had 18 winning seasons in that time (6 SB's)
The Bills have had just 3 winning seasons in that time
The Redskins have had just 4 winning seasons in that time
so my premise is still a) the Patriots being so consistently dominant CAUSES their division rivals to be worse in the standings every year MORE than the division rivals being bad CAUSES the Patriots to breeze into the post season.
Sagarin used to have division rankings on USA Today, not sure if he still does, but the science behind his rankings squarely refutes any attempt to explain away the Patriots success due to a weak division.
The Jets might be our only hope
But to dismiss the level of success they’ve had because of their division is just short sighted.
For example, the Colts absolutely dominated the AFC South from 2003-2010 and produced exactly 1 world championship winner.
Field Yates did his best "MythBusters" impression when he tweeted out a series of Patriots win-loss records against their division and the NFL's best since 2001.
While the Patriots' 86-24 record against the AFC East is staggering, their winning percentage (134-44, .753) against everyone else is the best in the NFL, while they have 25 more non-division victories than any other team.
New England's record against eventual division winners (24-14) makes them the only team in the NFL with a winning record in this category. Against teams who eventually made the playoffs in a given season, the Patriots (60-33, .645) are the best in the league, with the Steelers at a not-so-close second with a .480 winning percentage.
Their success against teams who finished with a winning record (75-45, .625) is also an NFL-best mark, with the Steelers trailing by a considerable margin at a .440 winning percentage.
It's settled then. The Patriots don't just take care of business against the AFC East, but no team is even close to their level of success against teams outside their division.
Link - ( New Window )
Last year alone, the Patriots lost 5 games to non playoff teams (Detroit, Titans, Steelers, Dolphins and Jaguars).
Want to know who they beat? Chiefs x2, Colts, Texans, Bears, Chargers and Rams.
Patriots are good because they beat good teams. Not because they play in the AFC East.
The biggest advantage the Patriots have with their division is they could get a first round bye with an 11-5 record while teams last year like the Chargers have to play 3 games on the road as a wild card even though they had a better record at 12-4.
They have won 78.5% of their non-AFC East games since 2004, and that includes considerably more game.
What we have here is envy - pure and simple. The Pats are the sports greatest dynasty and people just can't reconcile that. I suggest you table your jealousy and enjoy this Haley's Comet of football...
They have won 78.5% of their non-AFC East games since 2004, and that includes considerably more game.
What we have here is envy - pure and simple. The Pats are the sports greatest dynasty and people just can't reconcile that. I suggest you table your jealousy and enjoy this Haley's Comet of football...
Thank you for this, I thought I remembered reading it.
The Jets might be our only hope
Nice timing on this subject. The Bills have a VERY legit defense and have completely rebuilt their offense-and I mean damn near every player who started last years first game on offense has been replaced! Offense will take time to jell obviously, but looking forward to seeing what they have this weekend and what we can do with that defense.
Unlike the Giants running constantly poorly disguised predictable Cover 0 against Amari Cooper with a brand new secondary.
The AFC East could have looked a lot differently if the 2002 re-alignment didn't take the Colts out of the AFC East. Both conferences re-aligned to 4 divisions and the Colts got moved to the AFC South.
Which leads me to this. If Peyton didn't have the major neck injury, this same conversation likely occurs for the AFC South, assuming Peyton is still playing, because the Colts dominated the AFC South like the Pats have dominated the AFC East.
I also don’t think you can just transpose Pats record vs Balt/Pitt and conclude they’d smoke that division as well. The Pats lose some division games here and there as is even when they’re heavy favorites.
The Pats don’t have a sense of urgency in the division because none of those teams are ever a threat. It’s like the Pats use division games to warm up for tough conference games and late season games because those games mean more in terms of byes/tie breakers and playoff readiness. Usually by week 12-13 the Pats have already locked up the division. They’re rarely in a dogfight to win the division.
NFCE is no comparison over the same time period. Two teams are essentially lock playoff teams out of the NFCE and they’ve had years with 3 playoff teams. The AFCN would be a tough division as well.
The Pats are a dynasty, probably the greatest dynasty in sports. But they’ve had a competitive advantage every year by essentially being able to sleepwalk to a division title every single year.
This year will be no different. Jets, Bills, and Dolphins look to be picking top 10 this year. Miami is the worst team in the league.
The Pats don’t have a sense of urgency in the division because none of those teams are ever a threat. It’s like the Pats use division games to warm up for tough conference games and late season games because those games mean more in terms of byes/tie breakers and playoff readiness. Usually by week 12-13 the Pats have already locked up the division. They’re rarely in a dogfight to win the division.
Yeah, Bill Belichick clearly overlooks the rest of the AFC East. He's not the greatest coach or anything because he doesn't take anyone for granted. Nope. Bunch of bullshit.
Every division is a crap shoot except the AFC East. That's because the Patriots are the greatest dynasty ever.
1. Bill used his defensive genius to build a offensive system to consistently beat NFL defenses. The exception being teams that get get to Brady with their front 4 and those that can run the ball.
2. Ernie Adams. This is Bill's right hand man as there is little known of him which I think is by design. This guy is the one who talks to Bill on his headset during games. Ernie was hired by Ray Perkins and he brought Belichick to the Giants. I really think this guy plays a crucial role.
When comparing AFC East versus NFC East I think the big difference has been the NFC East has been the tougher teams at the line of scrimmage and especially on defense. Sure you had pass happy Miami with Marino, the k-gun with Buffalo but really never the great defenses. For all the Pittsburgh-Baltimore talk, the NFC East historically has been a Very hard-nosed division.
Little Bill is no doubt the greatest of all time imo but how would he have fared if say the coaches in his division were Parcells, Gibbs and Ryan? Or more modern Reid and Coughlin twice a year? Maybe not the automatic first week bye every year. Who has he gone up against? Edwards, Rex, Mangino, all the failed Miami and Buffalo coaches. That coupled with those teams front offices certainly has helped imo?
Basically they are 5-1 to begin the year... just go 5-5 the other 10 games and you're 10-6.... every damn year
Then factor in that they are actually, you know... good... and that 5-5 is more like 6-4 or 7-3 most years and you're at 11-5 or 12-4 with a 1st round bye and/or home-field yearly.
If the teams in the AFC could just split with them, you know, on occasion... and maybe give them a run for the division... ahhh - someday
They have won 78.5% of their non-AFC East games since 2004, and that includes considerably more game.
What we have here is envy - pure and simple. The Pats are the sports greatest dynasty and people just can't reconcile that. I suggest you table your jealousy and enjoy this Haley's Comet of football...
I don't know if we have to enjoy it...