Mike Dussault

2011 felt like we got it by the skin of our teeth. And there was little question the Ravens defense was better than the Patriots. Losing Andre Carter, their best defensive player to that point, devastated the defense. And losing Gronk against the Ravens crippled the offense for the Giants Super Bowl rematch. That team limped to the finish line and just couldn’t close it out.

2014 was surprisingly ugly. Never would I have thought that team would get themselves into TWO 14-point holes. They pulled it out with some trickeration and smart deception. I was really impressed with how well Flacco played until the final interception. Still, I had little doubt the Patriots were probably the better team on both sides of the ball this time around. They also avoided a catastrophic injury.

Nah I don’t really buy it. The schedule seems like a logistical nightmare all by itself. Thinking that the NFL was then trying to add in the chance to screw the Patriots wherever possible doesn’t seem plausible even for them. And really I think having two of their three divisional road games at the very end of the schedule is actually an advantage instead of having them earlier in the season when they might be more likely to have a hiccup. There aren’t many secrets about the Colts/Broncos either, we’ve played them pretty much every year so a short week or allowing them an extra couple days to prepare for us isn’t too much of issue.

He’s not coming back. Sorry.

Ty Law is my choice for obvious reasons given the current makeup of the defense and what they probably need most. Don’t even think about choosing Revis over him.

Hard not to miss Wilfork as well, just the perfect piece up front. I always have a soft spot for Vrabel too, but I think generally an OLB isn’t really a big need.

The only answer is 2007. The shift from what the offense was in 2006 to that was just unreal. Yeah, it’s been a great offense for a while now, and the fast pace, no huddle is fun and Gronk is a dominant man-child that is a joy to watch, but nothing can replace Tom Brady suddenly unleashing a deep aerial assault to Randy Moss and the uncoverable Wes Welker. 2007 was just a thrilling offensive ride. Such a shame is sputtered at the end like it did.