Footballblogging: Streakwatch
Forgot to say this morning that, now that the Steelers have lost to the Pats, I’m rooting for New England to go undefeated through the Super Bowl, unless the Steelers have a chance to beat them in the playoffs. And provided the Patriots actually try to go undefeated – no pulling healthy starters after clinching home field etc.
Idiot sports radio personalities – and I apologize for the redundancy – constantly ring variations on The Patriots realize that the real prize isn’t going undefeated, it’s winning the Super Bowl. Nonsense. Somebody wins the Super Bowl every year. The NFL has had 41 of the things and they don’t look like they’re going to stop staging them any time soon. There are plenty of Super Bowl champions. There’s only one post-merger, undefeated champion. Why pass up a chance to make history?
What I suspect and hope is that the Patriot organization thinks the same way. The core members – Kraft; Belichick; Brady; Vrabel et al – have already won a bunch of Super Bowls. They haven’t matched the most annoying achievement in modern NFL history. (In fact, by going 19-0 they’d exceed it.) Don Shula ran his mouth worse than Steeler safety Anthony Smith – you have to figure a vindictive bastard like Belichick will want to rub his nose in it.
Someone pointed out to me the huge risk: If the Patriots go 16-0 and don’t win the championship, people will consider it a great flop. Pundits will second-guess the decision to go for the streak instead of “doing the sensible thing” (like kicking on fourth down?) and resting key players for the playoffs.
I think they’ll like that part best. Get the adrenaline flowing. Introduce some risk into the equation. If the Pats go 14-2 or 15-1 and lose to a 13-3 or 14-2 Colts team in the playoffs, or get beaten in the Super Bowl by Dallas or Green Bay, well, they had a good year but lost. If they go 16-0 and one of those same things happen, observers will paint it as one of the monumental collapses in sports. Tell me these guys aren’t up for that. Tell me these guys don’t need that.
So I have faith that New England won’t pull weenie moves down the stretch like the Colts did a couple times. Unlike the Colts before last year, the Pats don’t have anything else to prove anyway. And if they do bag the last game or two, I hope they get run out in their first playoff game. Spanked like babies. Who dares wins, dudes.
Comment by bob mcmanus —
December 10, 2007 @ 9:53 pm
Dallas Maverick fan here. And yes, many more NBA teams have won rings than have won 67 games. But I am not sure the intensity of the season and the fear of collapse didn’t wear the team (and coach) down and make them nervous and fragile. I am also afraid the post-season collapse(s) has done permanent damage.
So maybe NE should let one go. No, the 67 wins and the MVP don’t measure up to a ring. No one respects the Mavsor what they did last year. No one thinks Dirk deserves the MVP.
And I am old enough to remember the Vikings & the Cowboys that beat them.
Comment by bob mcmanus —
December 10, 2007 @ 9:59 pm
On the the other hand, this Dallas native thinks the Pats oughter go for the undefeated season, cause they ain’t winning the Superbowl anyway.
Comment by Platypus —
December 10, 2007 @ 10:09 pm
Yeah, I’m getting really tired of those Dolphins weenies too. Those storied Dolphins did not face a team that finished better than 8-6, which is barely a winning season. The Pats have already played – and beaten – Dallas, Indianapolis, and Pittsburgh. All of those teams are likely to finish *well* above .500, and the Pats will face even stiffer competition in the playoffs. All this in the supposed Age of Parity, when teams that do well are hobbled by low draft picks and salary caps. Before they even play the Giants, the Pats will have done more than the ‘72 Dolphins did. Take your champagne, Shula, and shove it.
Comment by Jim Henley —
December 10, 2007 @ 10:12 pm
Yeah, I remember Pittsburgh kicking those Dallas teams’ asses in the Super Bowls. Good times.
The Mavs are the NBA equivalent of the pre-XLI Colts I think. They did and do still need at least one championship more than anything to validate the franchise. You can excuse the Colts for bagging the late games on that account, even though it may have backfired at least one season, because until they won at least one championship, they were always going to get criticized.
I think the Pats are in a very different psychic and historical position than the Mavs and Colts. They have less to fear from “collapsing” if that should happen.
Comment by Nicholas Beaudrot —
December 10, 2007 @ 11:26 pm
Thank you. There’s a real enemy-of-my-enemy aspect to this … I’m tired of the ‘72 Dolphins champagne-popping every year.
Also, the Pats have not sewn up homefield throughout yet … if they win next week they will have. So they have only two games where they can pull the starters.
Comment by foolishmortal —
December 11, 2007 @ 12:52 am
It would be rather poetic if the Pats finished 16-0 and the Dolphins finished winless.
Comment by Doc Nebula —
December 11, 2007 @ 6:29 am
This fine, cogent entry, and all of these keen, incisive comments, completely ignore the most pressing factor in this entire discussion — the New England Patriots are evil, and MUST BE DESTROYED.
We need an America Nukes The Insidious Patriots (ANTI-PATRIOT) Act in the worst way. Only a groundswell movement of decent, faithful, hardworking, Belichek-fearing citizenry putting enormous pressure on a lazy, corrupt, and apathetic legislature can possibly halt the horror that is the New England Patriots before it is too late.
How can you look into the sneering face of Tom Brady and not see EVIL, pure and simple? We must sharpen stakes, invade the nest, and blow up their overthrusters once and for all!
Otherwise, the terrorists really will win… forever.
Plus, I’m sure Randy Moss is torturing Ellen Barkin somewhere in the bowels of Gillette Stadium right this very moment.
Comment by bdr —
December 11, 2007 @ 9:07 am
I’m desperately hoping New England beats the Jets 91-0 this Sunday, and then get REALLY inspired when all the idiot sports radio personalities condemn the Patriots for poor sportsmanship.
I mean, it’s not like there’s are any irony that many of the people who hate the Patriots and love themselves some American empire.
Comment by Bill —
December 11, 2007 @ 9:41 am
Nicholas:
I’m as big a fan of the New York Jets as anyone, but realistically, the Pats can rest their starters for the next two weeks and still have a lock on being 15-0.
Comment by the talking dog —
December 11, 2007 @ 10:18 am
Actually, the Jets and Dolphins are probably the two most dangerous games of the year for N.E. (Jets especially, as the Dolphins will soon be leaving the sport to play hockey).
If ever there was an opportunity for a major let-down, it’s against a way below .500 team whose ass you’ve already kicked… a team whose whole season can be made by beating you by one point. Not that the Pats won’t win… but then, stranger things have happened.
Comment by mds —
December 11, 2007 @ 10:43 am
You’re right, that is a plus.
(As a Patriots fan, I was a bit perplexed as to why, save for Brady, the entire Pats offense was composed of people named “John.” Now I know.)
Comment by John Emerson —
December 11, 2007 @ 11:40 am
Unfortunately, Moss is unlikely to get the 29 or 30 touchdowns he’d need to keep the Rice whiners from talking about an asterisk. Maybe next year.
Comment by Walt —
December 11, 2007 @ 11:48 am
Jerry Rice _is_ all that is good and wholesome and true about America. Randy Moss is Richard Nixon in wide-receiver form.
Comment by the talking dog —
December 11, 2007 @ 12:03 pm
Whatever happened to “just win baby”? This country has truly lost its manliness. No wonder we will all soon be speaking Arabic, bowing to Mecca five times a day and eating falafels.
Comment by joe —
December 11, 2007 @ 12:32 pm
I remember when Dungy sat Manning for a game at the end of the year.
He came out rusty in the playoffs and the Colts lost.
Comment by Jim Henley —
December 11, 2007 @ 1:16 pm
joe: Yep.
Comment by John Emerson —
December 11, 2007 @ 9:50 pm
When Moss made that one handed catch against Indianapolis this year, even Dungy had to smile. Wow.
Walt is a Republican triple agent and should be stoned.
Comment by Glaivester —
December 11, 2007 @ 10:39 pm
I lost interest iiin this post as soon as it became obvious hat it was not about fans (for me, preferably female fans) running naked through the football field.
Comment by mds —
December 11, 2007 @ 11:39 pm
It’s not too late to lead by example, Glaivester. If you promise to carry high a banner with “www.highclearing.com 3:16″ on it, I’ll even Tivo it.