NE has a joke of the schedule. Only bad omen is that I think I read that each of the past 5 years the team with the easiest schedule didn't make the playoffs. I'd be shocked if they didn't though.
Yes, I think that based on last year's results, there are quite a few easy games on the Patriots schedule. Of course sometimes the bad teams from the year before step up and become pretty good like San Francisco did last year.
Have to agree on the Patriots schedule. While you never know, on the surface it looks ridiculously easy. On the hand, Giants look to have a brutal one - of course being a fan I may be biased.