Posted on 12/29/2007 8:45:22 PM PST by Reaganesque
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - With one mighty heave, Tom Brady and Randy Moss took care of the record books. Now it's down to business for the unbeaten New England Patriots: stamping themselves as the greatest team in NFL history.
The Patriots completed a perfect if somewhat joyless journey through the regular season Saturday night, finishing with a remarkable 16-0 record following a thrilling 38-35 comeback victory over the New York Giants.
New England became the first NFL team since the 1972 Dolphins to win every game on the schedule, and that one was only 14-0. This victory required a comeback from a 12-point deficit engineered by the brilliant Brady, and smashed the Patriots' league mark for consecutive victories.
Validation of their inexorable march through the season can only come by adding a Super Bowl championship, their fourth of the decade. Do that and there'll be no challenge to their spot at the top.
My only knock against the Pats... actually Belichick. It wouldn't kill the guy to crack a smile once in a while. Then again, after 3 Super Bowls and an undefeated regular season, I shouldn't complain.
Are you familiar with the salary cap?
What makes the Patriots' season (and three Super Bowls) especially impressive is that it has all been done in the salary cap era.
How does taping opponents signals which can otherwise be seen by the naked eye or taped from the press box help a team during a game?
In the first place, the cheating Patriots could not get audio by taping from the press box. Their scumbag henchman recorded defensive coordinators on the sidelines, both with video and audio. See, e.g., http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=sando_mike&id=3017542
Secondly, the NFL has this explicit, bright line rule against video and audio taping for a reason: because it would give a team an unfair advantage. Your scumbag team had the advantage of being in the other team's defensive huddle for several years.
The Patriots "won" each of their three super bowls by three points each, I believe. These "wins" are so tainted as to undermine the integrity of the entire league.
Lots to gain from those illegal films— otherwise they wouldn’t have risked filming.
Lots? Do you have any idea whatsoever what the issue was? How does that compare to say, an assistant coach changing teams without getting a lobotomy? Do you have any idea how simple it is to encode signals, or to change the code?
Once it is known the signal code was cracked (which cracking is an absolutely legal enterprise), the information become useless unless the other teams are simply stupid. It's not like the signals are hard-wired into expensive circuitry. There are dozens of ways to change them in just minutes.
He does regularly. He even shows joy and enthusiasm at winning close games. He doesn't much during press conferences.
“Once it was known...”
And no telling how many years it had been going on.
No way around it, definitely an asterisk team.
Well, your comment was about ongoing benefit - which apparently you are abandoning in favor of another tack. Now your argument is condemnation because you don't know?
You've never heard him on WEEI's "The Big Show" the Monday (or Tuesday) after a game? If not, you should check it out---Belichick is downright engaging, and he yucks it up with Ordway, Sheppard, Smerlas, and DiOssie regularly.
Not abandoning, just adding to.
Dear lep, we just view the team differently. Simple as that. And I’m sure there are many others who still see the asterisk alongside the Pats “glory.”
Just ask Barry Bonds.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.