Who'd We Anger In The League Office?

by blacksteel5108 on May 13, 2008 12:15 AM EDT

I know you guys have probably already covered this, but I'm new to the blog and was wondering what you all thought about the difficulty in our schedule vs other teams....

Does it make sense that teams like the Pats and Cowboys have such easy schedules? I mean I understand that the Pats are in a very weak division, which makes up half of their games, but it doesn't seem to make sense that a team that just went 16-0 in the regular season would get the easiest regular season schedule the following season. I've heard people saying crazy stuff like that the league is trying to give them another shot at perfect season, but that doesn't jive....I hope!!!

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Sadly enough

Nobody. The league sets the schedules years in advance; pretty much the schedules are on a cycle (play a different division each year) and there are only 2 games every year that are actually set based on the previous years records.

Welcome to the site, by the way. :)

by Romain El 82 on May 13, 2008 8:32 AM EDT reply actions

yep

The schedules are all based on a playing rotating divisions in each conference. The two other games are basically by a formula in which the first place team in the North (PIT) plays the first place team in the other two divisions in their conference (Pats & Bolts). The schedules aren’t just picked out of a hat or drawn at random, their based on a set formula and have been ever since the divisions were restructured.

Revenge of the Birds

by cgolden on May 13, 2008 9:06 AM EDT up reply actions

Yeah

Believe it or not, the Pats went 16-0 against one of the toughest schedules in the league last year. Their division made things easier, but other than maybe the Packers, they played every good team in the league. Kind of frightening to think what they will do this year with an historically easy schedule. It’s pretty much up to the Chargers, Steelers, or Colts to keep them from going 16-0 again. Of course they could lose to a lesser team like the Bills, Seahawks, or Cardinals, but not if they play as consistently as last year.

by BadMaafala on May 13, 2008 10:21 AM EDT reply actions

AFC East

I’d bet some team in their division sneaks up and steals a game from them this year. I wonder how long a team has gone without losing a divisional game, anyone know?

Revenge of the Birds

by cgolden on May 13, 2008 10:33 AM EDT up reply actions

Ironically enough

The last divisional game the Patriots lost was in week 14 of 2006 to the Miami Dolphins, 21-0. That’s the game where the Dolphins bragged about stealing Brady’s audibles. According to Len Pasquarelli of ESPN:

The incident spawned considerable attention on Tuesday after some Dolphins players suggested to the Palm Beach (Fla.) Post that the team “purchased” tapes of the New England offense that provided audio of quarterback Tom Brady making audible and line-blocking calls.
Those players strongly hinted that the tapes were critical in preparing for the game and provided the Dolphins inside information about New England’s offensive audible system.

One Miami defender said it is common practice to take a TV tape of a game and enhance the volume to try to hear the quarterback’s signals. The so-called “coaching” tapes supplied by the league to teams do not include audio. Television tapes often capture a quarterback’s calls at the line of scrimmage because of the parabolic microphones used on the sideline.

What’s funny is that the league response was “That’s football.” Now I’m not equating this with Belichick’s videotaping in defiance of league rules, but you gotta admit that it is a tad ironic to say the least.

Keep the faith!

by Marima on May 14, 2008 2:40 PM EDT up reply actions

What they'll do with an easy schedule?

They’ll do the same thing they did last year (and the same thing the Colts did in the 2005 season). They’ll breeze through the regular season as we listen to 17 weeks worth of talking heads talking about how great they are and “inevitability.” Then they’ll blow it in the playoffs against a more motivated, less arrogant opponent.

Quite frankly, I don’t really care if the Pats go 16-0 in the regular season. It’s pretty clear they’re a huge favorite to win the division; whether that takes 10 wins or 14 doesn’t make that much of a difference. I really just don’t want to listen to these television assholes drone on about it.

by HinesField on May 13, 2008 11:40 AM EDT up reply actions

I'm with you...

I’m sure I’ll be sick of hearing how good the Pats are too, but the one hidden blessing in all this is that every time someone mentions them, they’re going to bring up the Super Bowl and the questions of whether they can win it all anymore. The last few years have brought about a few significant stains on the Brady/Belichick playoff record, and I approve.

by BadMaafala on May 13, 2008 1:35 PM EDT up reply actions