Top 5 Team that had the best off-season (per clayton)

[CW McGraw]

I think the tendency for a lot of people is to look at great teams like the Pats and say that they must draft well. That's not necessarily the case. A lot of the Pats key contributors in the dynasty years were either holdovers from the Parcells years or veterans from other teams. How the Pats rose to the top is really a reflection of how the NFL has changed since the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Whereas the Steelers, Niners, and to a lesser extent the Cowboys drafted most of their studs, the Pats have relied on the effective mixing of the draft and free agency. For every Vince Wilfork or Matt Light that were groomed in house, the Pats had a Rodney Harrison or Corey Dillon. Even today, the cornerstones of that team, Randy Moss and Wes Welker, were both acquired through trades. Bill Belichick has never been a draft genius. He's not an idiot, but compared to Bill Walsh, Chuck Noll/The Rooneys, and Jiimmy Johnson, he's just not that great. He's always made his mark by taking guys that most people thought were washed up and getting great results out of them.

[BatsareBugs]

Quote: Originally Posted by patriotsk1d

What hahhahahaha. Vince wilfork requires 2 or 3 guys to block him and stops the run incredibly well. Casey hapton is nothing comared to wilfork

Mr. Hapton isn't, but Casey Hampton is.

Don't let blind homerism get in the way of facts.

[hatisback]

Quote: Originally Posted by CW McGraw

Don't know if I agree with the Pats at #1. While I'll give Clayton credit for acknowledging the importance of resigning one's own key players, he's giving them far too much credit for the draft. The Pats simply aren't great at drafting. They get good players and they'll get their share of busts just like everybody else. While the Pats draft picks may very well work out, it's not unlikely that many will fail. In particular, the Patriots are just awful at drafting DBs. http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com...he_draft_.html Basically, in the past seven drafts, the Pats have spent 13 picks on DBs. Only Brandon Meriweather has done anything of note and even then, he's still fairly average as far as first round picks go. The Pats have simply failed to add much proven talent. The Dolphins added two Pro Bowl caliber players and the Jets have added numerous players with track records of success.

Wow, an analyst giving the Patriots too much credit? Happens every season. I swear if the Patriots cut everybody on there roster and signed scrubs, they would still be the team to beat.

[CreatineKasey]

Quote: Originally Posted by Rag3vsW0rld

Mr. Hapton isn't, but Casey Hampton is. Don't let blind homerism get in the way of facts.

Guess he doesn't get to see teams try to run inside on Pittsburgh. It's pretty funny.

Good list, though. I'm really interested in what Seattle and Detroit do in particular. They had some very bad seasons and look to be candidates for "dark horses" this season.. it happens every year.

[Palo20]

I disagree with the Pats having the best offseason. I also think they're drafting has been average the past few years: some solid players, no real starts. I like the 2010 draft, but I think it could have been even better. We'll see.

As far as nose tackles, I feel like it went from the most underrated position in football to one of the most overrated. Clearly it's an important position in the 3-4 D, but you can't watch a game any more without the announcers gushing about Team "X's" nose tackle and how important he is. Also, every year there are tons of articles on the "unsung heroes" at nose tackles and they make a lot of guys sound like once in a lifetime talents.

Anyway, I've seen Wilfork, Hampton, Rogers, Jenkins, Gregg, Ngata (even though he plays DE in the base set), and Jamal Williams listed or discussed as the best Nose Tackles in the league. They all do their job pretty well.

As far as Hampton vs. Wilfork, I wouldn't say one is clearly better than the other. I'm sure if Wilfork was in Pittsburgh, their Run D would not suffer.

I love what the Lions did in both free agency and the draft.

[Palo20]

Quote: Originally Posted by hatisback

Wow, an analyst giving the Patriots too much credit? Happens every season. I swear if the Patriots cut everybody on there roster and signed scrubs, they would still be the team to beat.

Used to be the other way around: they dominated every year, but none of the analysts picked them. Oh well.