New England Patriots: Your Thoughts

[DaFace]

In watching the game tonight, I had a sudden, somewhat disturbing realization that deep down inside, I am rooting for the Patriots. Does it piss me off that they've been dominant the entire 21st century? Definitely. In general, would I like to see them decline into the NFL's basement for a while? Of course. But this year, I can't help but root for them a bit. I just can't help thinking that this may be the most complete team I've ever witnessed (keep in mind - I'm only 25), and it's just fun to watch them play. Plus, I'd like people to stop talking about the '72 Dolphins sometime soon.

So, how do you feel about it? Would you like to see the Patriots run the table, or would you rather see them lose every chance they get?

(For the purposes of this question, assume that all games being played by the Patriots have no bearing on the Chiefs' playoff implications whatsoever.)

[Phobia]

I'd like to see them win out just to shut up the 72 Dolphins and then lose every game for the rest of the decade.

[kstater]

I'd rather them win out and the Chiefs beat them in the playoffs. But since I have a better shot at seeing a pig fly, I'd rather them lose soon. If you think the hype is bad now, wait until week 16 o 17.

[Chiefs Pantalones]

They're going undefeated.

One thing I realized today was that Brady is a better QB than Manning. Brady can make things happen even with crap WRs, Manning cannot. Manning needs the supporting cast to make him better, Brady makes his supporting cast better.

[Hammock Parties]

I'd like to see them go 16-0 and lose to the 7-9 Chiefs in the AFC Championship.

[chief52]

In watching the game tonight, I had a sudden, somewhat disturbing realization that deep down inside, I am rooting for the Patriots. Does it piss me off that they've been dominant the entire 21st century? Definitely. In general, would I like to see them decline into the NFL's basement for a while? Of course. But this year, I can't help but root for them a bit. I just can't help thinking that this may be the most complete team I've ever witnessed (keep in mind - I'm only 25), and it's just fun to watch them play. Plus, I'd like people to stop talking about the '72 Dolphins sometime soon.

So, how do you feel about it? Would you like to see the Patriots run the table, or would you rather see them lose every chance they get?

(For the purposes of this question, assume that all games being played by the Patriots have no bearing on the Chiefs' playoff implications whatsoever.)

I think I am "rooting" for them in a way as well. What the hell...if they can do it, more power to 'em. I am also getting a little tired of the '72 Dolphins champagne routine.

[Smed1065]

I have mixed feelings.

I am tired of the domination of the Patriots but also think it would be kewl to keep the corks in the champagne with Miami maybe going 0-16 in the same year.

Ironic?

[the Talking Can]

Brady is my favorite non-Chief player.

I think their dominance is great, they deserve it.

[jjjayb]

NOt a patriots fan, but I'm routing for them to go 16-0 just to shut up those jackoffs from Miami. I am so sick of seeing those assclowns every year.

[JBucc]

I find the 72 phins very annoying. Go 19-0 and shut them up forever. Thing is though the Pats might get BETTER next year. They're going to have a top 5 draft pick to do something with, and FA's seem to be willing to play there for less.

Oh, and their starting O-line which has been near perfect? All but 1 are under 30.

[OnTheWarpath15]

I'm rooting for the perfect season.

I know a lot of people are annoyed by the hype they get, but it's all deserved, IMO.

They are the model for how an organization should be run from top to bottom.

They've always done more with less, IMO. This year, they have the most talented team, and it shows.

I could only wish the Chiefs organization was run anywhere near as good as the Pats are run.

[bobbything]

Since I have no inherent dislike for the Patriots, and since I really enjoy watching good football and good coaching, I'll pull for them to run the table. They're a fun team to watch.

It helps their chances that they're in the worst division in football.

[OnTheWarpath15]

It helps their chances that they're in the worst division in football.

Not as bad as the NFC or AFC West, IMO.

Hell, BUFFALO would be leading the AFC West right now.

[DaFace]

Either a mod's messing around, or the server's software doesn't know how to count. Probably the latter.

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/7223/voteht6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[RJ]

They are a great team, obviously, but they make for boring football. I just turned off tonight's game, it is far from entertaining. Not their fault, but I don't have to like it.

[Spott]

I'd rather see them go undefeated and see the phins go 0-16 just to rub it in Don Shula's face.

[Demonpenz]

i love when they blow teams out in the parady days of the nfl

[Dylan]

This is an great article. Belichick makes such great decisions.

(NEWSWEEK MAGAZINE)

A Judgment on Belichick

Mark Starr
November 06, 2007

Most of the post-game chatter surrounding the Pats' victory over the Colts had to do with epic themes, like good vs. evil, the Patriots vs. history and where handshakes fit in the great scheme of etiquette. There was naturally some controversy too, most of it raised by the winning side. The Pats wanted to know if the Colts had artificially boosted the sound to jam up their signals (the irony being that the Pats had to resort to easy-to-steal hand signals from the bench). And Pats fans wanted to know if the refs had it in for New England (with four pass interference calls--two defensive pass interference, one offensive pass interference and one non-call, all of them dubious, according to CBS analyst Phil Simms). Lost in all this was some really interesting fodder for my obsession with Belichickean analysis. Last Sunday provided a superb vantage point from which to consider Belichick's personnel decisions.


Adalius Thomas: When the Pats signed Thomas, the Ravens Pro Bowl linebacker and one of the two most coveted free agents on defense, less than a month after the Colts one the Super Bowl, it was widely viewed as an expensive response to the Pats' narrow loss to Indy in the AFC Championship. In that game, the Colts made the Patriots linebacking corps look as old as it is. The Indy rushing attack punished New England, with 125 yards on 28 carries, and tight end Dallas Clark ran wild across the middle, totaling 137 yards in receptions. Here was a typical analysis of the Thomas acquisition, this from Jeffri Chadiha on ESPN.com.


Whenever you play the 3-4 defense and you have several linebackers who can remember the Reagan administration, you are bound to have problems…. With Thomas in place, there is simply less chance of that happening.

So what happens on Sunday? Belichick plays a 4-2-5, with a safety Rodney Harrison lining up as a linebacker to neutralize Clark. And what about Thomas, the most expensive free agent in team history? Thomas isn't "in place". In fact, he is hardly ever on the field--only a few defensive series and even then at defensive end, just giving guys a breather. Is there any other coach who would have the steely nerve to devise a scheme for the biggest game of the season that planted their new star's butt on the bench? Incidentally Clark caught two passes for 15 yards.


Adam Vinatieri: New England fans have grown accustomed to seeing its Super Bowl stars--Ty Law, Willie McGinest, David Givens--leave for offers elsewhere that the Pats won't match. But no departure was more wrenching for the fans than that of Vinatieri, the greatest clutch kicker in NFL history whose heroics include perhaps the most dramatic kick in league history ("The Snow Bowl") and two Super-Bowl winners in the final seconds, after the 2005 season. Wworst of all, he then went out and signed with the Colts. Belichick had nothing but praise for Vinatieri as he exited. But there was a feeling in the Pats' personnel operation that Vinatieri's range had slipped, removing the long field goal as an option. Vinatieri's last 50-plus blast had come in 2002 and they teme tried very few (he was 0 for 4 the next three seasons); contrast that with other top kickers in 2005 for whom the long field goal is a weapon, like Neil Rackers, 6 for 7 from 50-plus, Jay Feely 3 for 5, Rian Lindell 3 for 3, Jeff Wilkins 4 for 5. But of even more concern was Vinatieri's short kickoffs, which were continually giving the opposition excellent position. That was decidely in evidence in Sunday's game. Each kicker, Vinatieri for the Colts and Pats second-year man Stephen Gostkowski kicked off five times. The Patriots' average starting position was the 30, the Colts' the 19. Everybody in the NFL will tell you that is a very significant difference.


Deion Branch: Belichick's decision not to pay Branch, their top receiver and a Super Bowl MVP, like a number one receiver, was undoubtedly costly last year. The Pats traded Branch and then had to pretend Reche Caldwell was a legitimate go-to guy--he can't even suit up with the Redskins this season--and Caldwell rewarded their faith by dropping two critical balls against Indy that likely cost them the AFC Championship. Branch has been solid with Seattle before being sidelined by an injury this season, but hardly spectacular. With the Seahawks, he has averaged four catches a game for 14.2 yards per catch and one TD every four games. Good numbers, but hardly numbers for a number one receiver. But number one--draft pick that is--is what Belichick pried from Seattle for Branch, himself a former second-rounder. That turned out to be the 28th pick in the 2007 draft, which the Pats then traded to San Francisco for the 49ers first-round pick this year. While the Pats were winning Sunday, the 49ers stumbled in Atlanta and are off to a wretched 2-6 start. So the Pats appear odds-on to wind up with at least a top ten pick for Branch. That would position them position to draft a top cornerback if they decide they can't afford to keep Assante Samuel. Or maybe they will be drafting high enough so that Belichick will finally find a linebacker with the skills and smarts to play in his complicated system. The last time New England picked in the top 10, they came away with All-Pro defensive lineman Richard Seymour. And, oh yes, as the Indy game attested, Belichick has managed to find a slightly better replacement for Branch in Randy Moss.

[KCFalcon59]

I am rooting for them to go undefeated. They just win. They dare you to try and stop them. I wish the Chiefs had half the balls they do.

[Bugeater]

I'm kind of torn, I hate to see one team be that much better than everyone else and it's making for an anticlimatic season. But...

It WOULD shut up the '72 Dolphins...

We're not going anywhere this season anyway...

At least it's not a division rival or a team I truly hate like Dallas doing it...

...so I won't be too disappointed if it happens.

[tk13]

It's interesting to watch. I do think it's kinda disappointing that the rest of the league has become so watered down that they don't really seem to have any competition. I think the rest of the NFL falling backwards helped as much as them getting better. The Steelers aren't it, the Colts are too beat up now. You probably aren't gonna have that great Cowboys/Niners or Giants/Niners, Celtics/Pistons, Bulls/Knicks, Yankees/Red Sox type epic battle in the playoffs that these great teams usually do. I think it's made it kinda anticlimatic, college football has been much more exciting because of it.

They play in a division with two really bad teams, including one that might go 0-16. Pretty much the entire conference took a step backward from the previous year... Chargers, Ravens, Chiefs, Broncos, Jets, Bengals... all playoff caliber teams last year that took huge (HUGE) steps backward, Tennessee is debatable, their QB probably isn't playing quite as well. The only teams that didn't fall backward are the Jags and Steelers, which makes them playoff favorites even though they were mediocre teams last season. I think the stars pretty much aligned for them perfectly to do this. Still gotta go do it though, and they deserve credit if they do. People will probably say they're definitively better than teams like the 85 Bears or 89 Niners though, and I think that's debatable.

[morphius]

In watching the game tonight, I had a sudden, somewhat disturbing realization that deep down inside, I am rooting for the Patriots. Does it piss me off that they've been dominant the entire 21st century? Definitely. In general, would I like to see them decline into the NFL's basement for a while? Of course. But this year, I can't help but root for them a bit. I just can't help thinking that this may be the most complete team I've ever witnessed (keep in mind - I'm only 25), and it's just fun to watch them play. Plus, I'd like people to stop talking about the '72 Dolphins sometime soon.

So, how do you feel about it? Would you like to see the Patriots run the table, or would you rather see them lose every chance they get?

(For the purposes of this question, assume that all games being played by the Patriots have no bearing on the Chiefs' playoff implications whatsoever.)

Brady doesn't annoy me anywhere near as much as Manning, plus the Colts keep beating us. I have become used to the Pats being dominant, so it really doesn't bother me anymore. So, yeah, I sort of do root for them a bit, and they are fun to watch.

[percysnow]

it is just unreal watching Brady to Moss. . and welker is a stud to. .

[supercoupe91]

I'm sick of Mercury Morris' "Don't call me when your in my town, call me when your on my block".

2007 New England would beat 72 Miami by 40 pts.

[barry_smilez20]

brady is a man and a half

[Dylan]

Brady is the best QB in the NFL and elevates the team to the top. There can’t really be much debate there. ... lol

Patriots have the best offense & defense & solid special teams overall. The deepest roster in the NFL and best coaching staff. Tough for the NFL to beat against this team

This is the only team I know of in the NFL that can line up and beat the other teams with their lines alone. lol

Who's their competition? We can cross out the Indy and Pittsburgh. Pittburgh lost to the Jets today. Green Bay?

OMG Matt Light's head looked huge on TV...

31 teams should just work on rebuilding

[Bill S Preston]

The Patriots can go to hell. **** them.

[barry_smilez20]

i think the patriots could go undefeated in the NBA

[Buehler445]

Brady is the best QB in the NFL and elevates the team to the top. There can’t really be much debate there. ... lol

Patriots have the best offense & defense & solid special teams overall. The deepest roster in the NFL and best coaching staff. Tough for the NFL to beat against this team

This is the only team I know of in the NFL that can line up and beat the other teams with their lines alone. lol

Who's their competition? We can cross out the Indy and Pittsburgh. Pittburgh lost to the Jets today. Green Bay?

OMG Matt Light's head looked huge on TV...

31 teams should just work on rebuilding

Pittsburgh lost to the Jets???? Holy shit.

[chiefsfan1963]

The Pat's are finest franchise in the NFL! Run by an awesome GM and Front Office and an owner that does what it takes to win SB's.

The Pats had pretty much guaranteed that they would represent the AFC in the upcoming SB with their off-season moves.

The Pats were the laughing stock of the NFL since the beginning of their existence until new ownership and later new management took them over.

Chiefs can take this page from their history and duplicate what they have today.

I'm looking forward to it while we fans celebrate 38 years since we last reached the SB!

[chiefsfan1963]

I can only see Chiefs duplicating what Pats have accomplished by the following:

At the minimum Firing the whole coaching staff, the whole Front office.
and

and a 100% guarantee if the Lamar Family sell the franchise to an owner like Kraft!

[cdcox]

I hated that stinking Dolphins team (too close to the Christmas day debacle). I want the Pats to win every stinking game. Also out of spite to Carl.

[barry_smilez20]

I hated that stinking Dolphins team (too close to the Christmas day debacle). I want the Pats to win every stinking game. Also out of spite to Carl.

i want don shula heart attack

[Megbert]

Don't the Pats know you can win games 10-7 who needs all those unnecessary pts?

Maybe Herm should tell Belichik this?

Dammit this ain't no arena league but the Pats are scoring like it is.

[Rain Man]

I agree with cdcox. I don't care either way about the Patriots, but I want them to win out (other than losing to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game) just to de-smugify the '72 Dolphins.

[barry_smilez20]

if the patriots go undefeated there should be a asterisk in the record book because every one knows 56-10 thats not real football

[Skip Towne]

Mercury Morris was on Headline News today. He was cocky and he said the Pats had to navigate their Titanic through 10 more icebergs to equal what they did.

[Megbert]

Mercury Morris was on Headline News today. He was cocky and he said the Pats had to navigate their Titanic through 10 more icebergs to equal what they did.
I heard him the other day on phx sports radio saying something about

"if the Patriots go 16-0 he'll be there in his tux to marry his bride" some crazy assed shit like that.

[Megbert]

Any word on the Pats redoing/updating "The Superbowl Shuffle"?

[dj56dt58]

Mercury Morris was on Headline News today. He was cocky and he said the Pats had to navigate their Titanic through 10 more icebergs to equal what they did.
The Pats will eat the 10 icebergs and shit them out in Mercurys mouth

[Buehler445]

As far as the question at hand. I'm rooting against Pats with a passion. I really can't stand the cockmonster Bellicheck. I also am very disimpressed with how dirty their team is. They are always hitting late and being generally dirty.

That being said, consider the following:
I don't hate Tom Brady.
I am jealous of their success.
I hate hearing about the '72 Phins every year.
I hate that Randy Moss is now "miraculously successful" since he decided to pull his head out of his ass.
I like Troy Brown.
It is interesting to see them get the most out of what comes to them.

I am mature enough to recognize that he built a hell of a good team. They have earned everything they have. No bullshit. But that doesn't mean I have to like it.

[Mecca]

I'd like to see it, just to see a piece of history like that. Plus it doesn't hurt that the Pats do everything the way it should be done....they go for the jugular they step on teams.

[cdcox]

I never remember seeing a team close to this dominant.

[Mecca]

I never remember seeing a team close to this dominant.

I think the jealousy of them is so funny, wishing injuries on them for doing what they are suppose to do.

[tk13]

I also would say I don't understand the 72 Dolphins hatred. I'm just indifferent about that... if the Pats do this we'll hear about them every year until somebody else is perfect.

[StcChief]

run the table and win it all. Shut the freakin' 72 Dolphins up.

[barry_smilez20]

I also would say I don't understand the 72 Dolphins hatred. I'm just indifferent about that... if the Pats do this we'll hear about them every year until somebody else is perfect.
yea but don shula is an old bastard

[Amnorix]

Running the table sounds good.

:D

[tk13]

yea but don shula is an old bastard
Yeah and Belichick is the queen of nice.

[Mecca]

I also would say I don't understand the 72 Dolphins hatred. I'm just indifferent about that... if the Pats do this we'll hear about them every year until somebody else is perfect.

How about because their players are now coming out of the woodwork acting like they are offended a team might go undefeated? They are acting like someone took a shit in their food bowl...

They are acting like douchebags plain and simple.

[Eleazar]

I also would say I don't understand the 72 Dolphins hatred. I'm just indifferent about that... if the Pats do this we'll hear about them every year until somebody else is perfect.

Chiefsplanet mostly hates everyone good who doesn't play for us.

Reference Manning, Brady, etc etc.

[Rain Man]

Any word on the Pats redoing/updating "The Superbowl Shuffle"?

I think they planned to, but they aren't allowed to have video cameras any more.

[Mecca]

Chiefsplanet mostly hates everyone good who doesn't play for us.

Reference Manning, Brady, etc etc.

I agree with that, but that is America in general. When you are the underdog everyone likes you, when you are the best everyone hates you.

[Rain Man]

I never remember seeing a team close to this dominant.

I was just saying the same thing to my wife earlier this evening. They're in a completely different league right now. They've had 2 games so far where they've won by less than 20.

1 Sep 09 NE 38 @ NYJ 14

2 Sep 16 SD 14 @ NE 38

3 Sep 23 BUF 7 @ NE 38

4 Oct 01 NE 34 @ CIN 13

5 Oct 07 CLE 17 @ NE 34

6 Oct 14 NE 48 @ DAL 27

7 Oct 21 NE 49 @ MIA 28

8 Oct 28 WAS 7 @ NE 52

9 Nov 04 NE 24 @ IND 20

10 Bye

11 Nov 18 NE 56 @ BUF 10

[stlchiefs]

The Pats are a great team and I have nothing against them, but I do dislike the media hype they receive.

I'd like to see them lose at least 1 game to quiet the frenzy and allow me to listen to something less than 45 minutes of Brady slurping from ESPN every hour. I mean the guy dates super models, does he really need 50-60 year old men swinging from his nuts too?

[tk13]

I honestly don't think it's that different. The 72 Dolphins are doing what the Patriots are doing every week. They're going out there and saying "if you want to be better than us, come get it."

Yet when the Pats do it, "that's just pro football"... but those old Dolphins act that way, they're being jerkoffs. Yeah right.

[StcChief]

72 Dolphins Different game at a different time.

Pats are dominating team period. This years SB
Pats and who? GB/Dallas? a joke buy half time.