Pats No. 1 in power rankings

No surprise. IMHO the Patriots of 2008 will be better than the Patriots of 2007 - they are younger, deeper, and faster.

And the schedule is easier.

I don't expect them to be 16-0, and actually really hope they won't be. But I think they will be even better in each individual game.

i dont know pats secondary looks a bit weaker. otherwise i agree i feel that some good pickups were made in the offseason so far, and hopefully bellichek will develope terrel wheatly and fernando bryant into good cornerbacks..after the 2008 season i was a litle surprised to still see hobbs as i thought his play was mediocre

Fine by me, anytime we are rated no.1 in anything it has to be good!

I think the Colts are very overrated here. They were limping by the end of last season and they are still not completely healthy, and wont be for most of the season. Plus with everything that has happened with Marvin Harrison who knows if he will be the same player. He is starting to age.

From your lips to God's ears, Three!

I agree. I think it's funny a lot of the haters and jealous fans are using the loss of Samuel (it is a loss) as some kind of slam dunk reasoning as to why the Pats won't be as good.

If the team stays healthy, for the most part, all year, they will make another run somewhat easily, since the division is theirs before the season starts.

It's not even out of the realm of possibility that they make another run towards an undefeated season, not that it matters in the big picture.

The defense is far deeper, especially the LB and overall DB slots, than it has been since 2003 and 2004, if not more so. Also, you'd have to think Seymour isn't all that happy with his injury riddled start to his season and will have a HUGE year.

Adalius, Moss, Welker and Sammy Morris all have 1 year under their belts, and hopefully David Thomas is healthy this year.

i hate it when they're the favorites. Nowadays, being the juggernaut is not a benefit. I hope they get off to a 3-3 start and people write them off. Then we can expect some January greatness

Homeland Defense returns! FTW

Pete... It's not just Samuels... It's Wilson who is a top safety and Gay who is a decent corner... Plus the linebackers are older than dirt... Without the secondary and the aged linebackers... The 3-4 defense they like to play wont be nearly as effective... But then again they do have among the weakest schedules....

Earth to Corey, Wilson is a top safety, do you mean on his college team? He regressed every season he played, Randall Gay was mediocre at best. They have added depth & the draft brings several potential replacements. Mayo could be a beast & several media types have projected him to be ROTY. What team were you watching last year?

Corey, Eugene Wilson isn't a top safety. He was a top benchwarmer. By the second half of the season he barely saw the field. Gay is a decent corner, but remember, he was the nickel last year. Richardson, Wheatley, or Wilhite should be more than adequate replacements for him. And the "older than dirt" linebackers were "older than dirt" last year too, yet the defense was ranked, what, 3rd in the league? They add Mayo, Crable, and Hobson to the mix, as well as a year under the belts of Adalius and Woods in this system. The biggest loss is Colvin, but you could only count on him for about half a season anyway. I doubt there will be a significant downgrade at the linebacker position. If Mayo can be our Patrick Willis or David Harris, it could even be a better unit.

But, no, I don't think the team will be as good as last year's. In other words, I think they'll lose more than one game. My hope is that it's not during the postseason.

I think that they wil actually be a better team but that their opponents will adjust to their style a little better. I expect that they see a lot more pressure defenses and teams will really try to emulate what the Giants did to their OL. Granted, not every team has a DL like NYG but hey'll try to come up with ways to bring more pressure.

Corey...

The loss of WIlson and Gay?? Wilson got bumped early by Sanders and then Merriweather took over in sub-packages. So how can you say he is a top safety when by mid-season he never saw the field except on special teams. He provided some depth I suppose but Merriweather looks like he is getting a handle on the defense and will be better the Geno anyway. Yes Gay was decent and we lost some depth but these new corners will be able to fill the shoes. Samuel hurts but remember we used to start Hank Poteat when injuries struck and were still able to win.
The "old linebackers" comment I do not even want to get into, but I will. Thomas will be moved outside and Mayo and Tedy will be man the middle spots with Vrabel playing LOLB. That is a pretty good edge rush I think. Junior will be back to sub in and out with Tedy and Mayo as well. Keeping everybody fresh.

Either way the secondary might not be as good right off the bat but will be better in a few years than it was with Samuel. The front seven is instantly better with a healthy Seymour and the addition of Mayo. Plus we still have an offense who might not put up the same numbers but will be as every bit effective with Moss Welker and Morris getting another year under the belt.
The Pats have the best team in the league!

The JETS will win the division, the Bills will take second spot and the PATs will fall to 7 and 9. The SOX will fail just like your Celtics. All failures. Boston is the armpit of the Northeast.