Only one team from last years NFC playoffs...

Mad Dog

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Will make it to this years playoffs. As a wild card to boot.

Either the reigning NFC champion Falcons or the 2016 NFC West winning Seahawks.

Dallas, NYG, Detroit, Green Bay all out of this years dance.

Makes you realize we don’t really have it that bad. Everything is cyclical other than the Patriots who are vying with Death and Taxes as sure things these days. Making playoffs 5 straight years was awesome. Let’s hope for number 6 but not lose our minds if it doesn’t happen.
 

AROS

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GeekHawk":6qwoh6wg said:
Not our minds. A couple of assistant coaches, though...

Bingo. Well said OP but there needs to be a shakeup in the assistant coaching ranks this offseason.
 

Optimus25

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You just can't help but think there is a certain deal with the devil in Boston somehow.

To get one of the most clever head coaches at a time you scalp the greatest qb in nfl history from the 6th round.

But in my opinion far more important is that during this span of 15 some odd years, you pull off the above exactly when the 3 other teams in your division decide to not secure a franchise qb, and essentially not decide to focus on anything in particular other than mediocrity.

Imagine Brady's pats playing in the NFC West for example, during the height of the Seattle and San Fran defenses of 2013, and with the Cards coming around on both sides of the ball.

IMO there's just an "easiness" to their methods because the division is a lock. It's like playing with house money every single year, and with no stress at all about making the dance you can really have that mile high perspective to keep one step ahead.

The bills literally shoot themselves in the foot every single time they make a run.

The dolphins are an amazing history of failure following the great teams of the 80s.

The jets are the epitome of good enough to get by. You could hardly look at any of their teams during the brady era and ever say in the pre season "that's a super bowl caliber team".

All 3 of these teams remind me of the 2011 seattle seahawks who decide that a change is necessary, so they pull big money to land a pretty decent free agent QB named matt flynn.

Only instead of cutting the loss, they ride him through about 2014, followed by a qb draft project failure or 3, followed by a journeyman band aid that gets them through 2017.....
 

Seymour

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Mad Dog":5epv7174 said:
Will make it to this years playoffs. As a wild card to boot.

Either the reigning NFC champion Falcons or the 2016 NFC West winning Seahawks.

Dallas, NYG, Detroit, Green Bay all out of this years dance.

Makes you realize we don’t really have it that bad. Everything is cyclical other than the Patriots who are vying with Death and Taxes as sure things these days. Making playoffs 5 straight years was awesome. Let’s hope for number 6 but not lose our minds if it doesn’t happen.

I guess maybe if you don't look at our 2018 draft and realize what we sacrificed to get to "where we are".
 

getnasty

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Optimus25":qd0txjpc said:
You just can't help but think there is a certain deal with the devil in Boston somehow.

To get one of the most clever head coaches at a time you scalp the greatest qb in nfl history from the 6th round.

But in my opinion far more important is that during this span of 15 some odd years, you pull off the above exactly when the 3 other teams in your division decide to not secure a franchise qb, and essentially not decide to focus on anything in particular other than mediocrity.

Imagine Brady's pats playing in the NFC West for example, during the height of the Seattle and San Fran defenses of 2013, and with the Cards coming around on both sides of the ball.

IMO there's just an "easiness" to their methods because the division is a lock. It's like playing with house money every single year, and with no stress at all about making the dance you can really have that mile high perspective to keep one step ahead.

The bills literally shoot themselves in the foot every single time they make a run.

The dolphins are an amazing history of failure following the great teams of the 80s.

The jets are the epitome of good enough to get by. You could hardly look at any of their teams during the brady era and ever say in the pre season "that's a super bowl caliber team".

All 3 of these teams remind me of the 2011 seattle seahawks who decide that a change is necessary, so they pull big money to land a pretty decent free agent QB named matt flynn.

Only instead of cutting the loss, they ride him through about 2014, followed by a qb draft project failure or 3, followed by a journeyman band aid that gets them through 2017.....

Not that the NFC West has been great this year but if you put Seattle in the AFC East this year were probably not worrying about getting into the playoffs today.
 

Optimus25

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^
exactly my point. The pats are not only a team with arguably the goat HC and QB, but also they do this during a span of complete and utter mediocrity in their division.

I think the Hawks could have made the playoffs this year by week 14 if we were in the AFC east.
 

OrangeGravy

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Optimus25":3cp6a7kb said:
You just can't help but think there is a certain deal with the devil in Boston somehow.

To get one of the most clever head coaches at a time you scalp the greatest qb in nfl history from the 6th round.

But in my opinion far more important is that during this span of 15 some odd years, you pull off the above exactly when the 3 other teams in your division decide to not secure a franchise qb, and essentially not decide to focus on anything in particular other than mediocrity.

Imagine Brady's pats playing in the NFC West for example, during the height of the Seattle and San Fran defenses of 2013, and with the Cards coming around on both sides of the ball.

IMO there's just an "easiness" to their methods because the division is a lock. It's like playing with house money every single year, and with no stress at all about making the dance you can really have that mile high perspective to keep one step ahead.

The bills literally shoot themselves in the foot every single time they make a run.

The dolphins are an amazing history of failure following the great teams of the 80s.

The jets are the epitome of good enough to get by. You could hardly look at any of their teams during the brady era and ever say in the pre season "that's a super bowl caliber team".

All 3 of these teams remind me of the 2011 seattle seahawks who decide that a change is necessary, so they pull big money to land a pretty decent free agent QB named matt flynn.

Only instead of cutting the loss, they ride him through about 2014, followed by a qb draft project failure or 3, followed by a journeyman band aid that gets them through 2017.....

This has always been my main beef with them. The organization is really good don't get me wrong, but if they're in even an average division over this 17 year span, they're more likely to be Big Ben and the Steelers than what they have been. Division foes are often the toughest to deal with because they know you so well playing twice a year. It's a huge advantage not even be challenged for 6 games every year and start with an auto-bid to the playoffs. Of course the talking head morons will never speak of it. Imagine what the last 5 seasons would look like for the Hawks or anyone with that luxury. You play a 10 game season everyone else 16. You still have to play the games, but barring a comedy of errors the most NE has to worry about in division is losing 1-2 games max. Takes a lot of pressure off of the staff i think also. Deal with the Devil indeed. I've never seen a run that long of ineptitude from a division.
 

NINEster

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Optimus25":2esj3woq said:
You just can't help but think there is a certain deal with the devil in Boston somehow.

To get one of the most clever head coaches at a time you scalp the greatest qb in nfl history from the 6th round.

But in my opinion far more important is that during this span of 15 some odd years, you pull off the above exactly when the 3 other teams in your division decide to not secure a franchise qb, and essentially not decide to focus on anything in particular other than mediocrity.

Imagine Brady's pats playing in the NFC West for example, during the height of the Seattle and San Fran defenses of 2013, and with the Cards coming around on both sides of the ball.

IMO there's just an "easiness" to their methods because the division is a lock. It's like playing with house money every single year, and with no stress at all about making the dance you can really have that mile high perspective to keep one step ahead.

The bills literally shoot themselves in the foot every single time they make a run.

The dolphins are an amazing history of failure following the great teams of the 80s.

The jets are the epitome of good enough to get by. You could hardly look at any of their teams during the brady era and ever say in the pre season "that's a super bowl caliber team".

All 3 of these teams remind me of the 2011 seattle seahawks who decide that a change is necessary, so they pull big money to land a pretty decent free agent QB named matt flynn.

Only instead of cutting the loss, they ride him through about 2014, followed by a qb draft project failure or 3, followed by a journeyman band aid that gets them through 2017.....

The Jets from 2009-2010 were of that caliber. For two years they went farther than the Patriots in the postseason. The Patriots lost at home to the Ravens in 2009, and the Jets came in and beat them the next year after suffering a bad blowout a month prior.

But overall, whatever moments happen in that division to allow for someone else a shot (Brady going down for the season in 2008), it doesn't last very long.

And yes, Brady got a nice taste of a tough division in 2012 when all of the NFC West beat him except for the Rams.

The dynasty will end sooner than later. KC beating them at home to start the season I think is the beginning of the end.

28-3 comeback was probably the symbolic end of the team.
 
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