Brandon Beane is still not taking the New England Patriots lightly despite the players that they have lost this offseason.
During a conference call on Thursday, the Buffalo Bills GM said that the Pats were still the team to beat in the AFC East division.
“The team to beat in the East is the Patriots,” said Beane, per ESPN. “And until somebody beats them, they are the team to beat. And as long as Bill Belichick’s there, you’re talking about probably the greatest head coach of all time that was paired with the greatest quarterback of all time. So until we beat them, we’ve done nothing, and we’ve got our work cut out for us.
“New England is still going to be very good,” Beane added. “You look at what Bill Belichick did in 2008; they got robbed of a playoff. They were 11-5 with Matt Cassel at the helm. So I think it’s funny and comical that people are writing them off and labeling — whether it’s us or another team — as the team to beat in the East.”
The Patriots have won the division for the last 11 straight seasons, while the Bills have finished third or worse in eight of those seasons. But this offseason saw New England lose several of their mainstays, most notably franchise icon Tom Brady, but also players like kicker Stephen Gostkowski, safety Duron Harmon, and linebacker Kyle Van Noy.
Though Buffalo got stronger with the acquisition of star receiver Stefon Diggs, New England is still indeed favored to win the division, giving Beane all the more reason not to underestimate them.
