The New England Patriots - Good for the NFL all around

The Patriots have always been my favorite team. They're the closest team geographically, and it helps that they won Super Bowl 36 (which was around the time I was shopping for a team to back). That was the season where Patriots QB Drew Bledsoe was sidelined with an injury and second-string QB Tom Brady took over duties as the Patriots' general, and won his first of three (possibly four) Super Bowls.

The two teams I was between were the Patriots and the Packers. It stems back to Super Bowl 31 where everyone said the Patriots would win, and I said Packers would. Packers did. But in light of their recent success (i.e. SB36), Pats won, and Packers became my backup team. Ya gotta have another team to root for if god forbid your team falls to the wayside.

The only way you wouldn't know anything about the Patriots success this season was if you lived under a rock, AND, if that rock had wi-fi coverage, you haven't been watching my material. First team to go 16-0 in the sixteen week schedule. Most touchdowns by a QB in a regular season. Most TD receptions by a receiver in a regular season. Most touchdowns. Most points. Etc. They've kicked ass, taken names, and are now the most hated team in the NFL.

But, why hate them? They have their shit together. A QB who throws. Receivers who catch. A line that protects. A defense that won't let up (Unless you throw short passes, they don't seem to like those). They're setting a new benchmark for excellence, and rather than cursing the Patriots for it, they should be encouraging their own teams to step up and meet the challenge.

Teams need to improve their defense a little more. It used to be that Brady could just throw toss after toss to Randy Moss for the score. But about 10 or 11 weeks into the season, everybody figured out "Hey, why don't we cover Randy Moss more?" That worked for about one drive before Brady just started throwing to everyone else like Wes Welker and Dante Stallworth, and now Randy Moss is a great decoy. Teams HAVE to cover him because he can generally beat single coverage if you aren't on the ball. I can't really recommend anything beyond "try harder".

Which leaves the offense. QBs have to get better, their lines need to protect better, and their receivers have to get more open. Sure, it's easy for me to dish out that kind of advice, especially since with football games you have the benefit of being able to see around you more open, but that's why they're the ones playing football and I'm not. Teams have gone back to throwing short passes for two yards that might run for another four, and it's a good tactic all around.

If the Patriots win the Super Bowl, not only will it cement the Patriots Dynasty, but it will also win them the label of "End Boss Of The NFL".

Teams have three options.

1. Improve their players.
2. Wait for the draft.
3. Wait five years.

Look at it this way. You want your team to beat the New England Patriots. You don't want the Patriots to lose. You want your team to win. There's a difference. A team loses when they self destruct and collapse under their own incompetence, and the other team stands back and lets the pieces fall where they may (see: Pats vs Ravens). A team wins when they rise to a challenge and excel. You know?

I want to say there's some kind of divine intervention at work in the New England region, what with the Patriots perfect season and the Red Sox winning their second World Series in recent years, but it looks like the Celtics are starting to fall back to Earth, and the Bruins are about average.

Honestly, I wish the Super Bowl had been Patriots at Packers. The awesomeness of the Patriots coupled with the history of Brett Favre? I honestly would not have cared who won, it would be epic either way.

FYI, Tecmo Super Bowl 2007 is repeatedly calling the Super Bowl in New England's favor over New York. You may laugh at this, but it also called the Packers/Giants game. Repeatedly.

So did Eddie Murphy.



DISREGARD THAT I SUCK COCKS