Patriots Make History With 16-0 Season

AP ^ | 12/29/07 | BARRY WILNER

[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.

[flynmudd]

Keep telling yourself that. I’m not knocking the fact that they won 16 games, I would have preferred that it didn’t require an “*” next to it. It sullies the record and the team in my book. Kinda like steroids and baseball players.

[Beckwith]

See #60 whiner!

[Canedawg]

“The Pats broke ALL the records “

No one really cares about Belicheat other than the Cheatriot fans. Get over that.

[Beckwith]

See #60 crybaby!

[Canedawg]

This team will never be held in the same light as the Boys, Niners, or the Steelers for that matter. At least those teams didn’t win by cheating or get immense help from the officials. This team and every Belicheat team has an * next to it.

[flynmudd]

I’m not whining. I never whine. Liberals whine. Conservatives don’t. Good luck during the playoffs.

[chessplayer]

“They want to be 19-0. If they do it they will go down as the greatest team in NFL history.”

The Dolphins went undefeated also. So why are`nt they the greatest team in NFL history? The Pats have the best talent money can buy, much like the Yankees under Steinbrenner. But does that make them the greatest TEAM in NFL history? I think not. I would give that honor to the 1967 Green Bay Packers. They were an aging, banged up team that year, and a lot of their players were`nt the best in the league. They still managed to win the NFL championship against the more (overall) talented Cowboys, and went on to bury the Raiders in Superbowl II.

[CalvaryJohn]

Would you like some CHEESE with your WHINE???

[theDentist]

Riiiiight. And when the game ends, the refs climb aboard waiting black helicopters and are whisked away to meet with representatives of the Elders of Zion, where payment in cash, gemstones, and stocks are given them.

[chessplayer]

I`ll take the cheese, but I don`t whine.

[flynmudd]

I find that constant bragging is just as bad as whinning. They both make my ears bleed.

[big'ol_freeper]

The Dolphins went 17-0, the Patriots, if they win out will be 19-0. The Dolphins schedule was weak. Their opponents had a .369 winning percentage, while the Patriots opponents winning percentage approaches .500. The Patriots played and defeated six teams that will be in the playoffs this season. The Dolphins did not play any of the teams out of the top ten records in the league that season.

Also the abundance of records they set, one of which was the largest point differential (difference between points scored and points given up) in league history.

Of course one of the great things about sports is all claims are arguable.

I'm a Packer fan...glad you included the '67 team in your post!!




U.S. Army Retired

[chessplayer]

“Of course one of the great things about sports is all claims are arguable.”

Very true! :)

[evad]

To me the bottom line is the Pats never "stop" playing football.

None of this "oh we've got a 3 pt lead with a half to go"...better go into the prevent offense and the permit defense to preserve the lead.

Of course, the fact that they are an extremely talented and well coached team helps too.

[A.A. Cunningham]

How much less could they care.

[catfish1957]

I am the same way with Bellechick, If it wasn’t for him, I might like the Pats. Got to admit that Brady is one cool customer though.

[devere]

“cheating had nothing to do with it”???

So you say, Belicheat fan.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Post #75 LOLOLOLOL

[BigJohn44]

It's similar to the hatred and anger many people have towards President Bush because despite all the criticism and hatred directed towards him over Iraq, he never shriveled up in the fetal position and gave up. Instead, he simply changed tactics (as Belichick was forced to change tactics) and ended up scoring an unexpected victory over there.

Sam, Lad, I think we're on the same page re: President Bush. Let's not demean our president by comparing him to a piece of human garbage like Belichick.

I think you've got to just admit to yourself that the Patriots cheated. It is an unassailable fact. Once you do that, you can articulate your goofy theories about how the fraud did not make a difference and that the Pats would actually be worse if we let them keep cheating.

Once again, to summarize your position Sam: The Pats would be worse if we let them cheat.

[SamAdams76]

What we have to realize here is that those who detest Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots got a real kick in the stomach when the Pats reeled off a 16-0 record after they were told to "stop cheating." Instead of falling apart at the seams, the Pats actually got better and more dominating. SO I totally understand the sheer hatred and venom that is now coming from those who had their hopes set on the Patriots crumbling this year.

I'm not a hater myself but I do understand why others who do hate get so emotional when the object of their hate ends up succeeding beyond their wildest imagination. It is similar to the emotion that a schoolyard bully feels when the kids he used to pick on and dominate in the schoolyard grow up to be affluent and successful while the bully ends up having to wash their cars and clean their houses.

Another factor is that for some reason, many here tie the New England Patriots football club to the liberalism of New England. For some reason, they see the success on the field of the New England Patriots to be some sort of "victory" for hated area liberals like Ted Kennedy and John Kerry. Furthermore, they seem to think that if the New England Patriots get defeated on the field, that this will somehow translate into a defeat for liberalism in New England.

This is a false premise. In fact, these liberal politicians really don't follow the game of football and have no stake in who wins or doesn't win on the football field. Furthermore, the vast majority of the individual members of the New England Patriots football club actually hail from other parts of the country and have no roots in New England at all and couldn't vote for Kennedy or Kerry if they wanted to. When the season is over, these players will immediately hop on planes and scatter all around the country.

So it is a laughable notion that the success of the New England Patriots somehow translates into a "victory" for liberalism. I'm not really sure why people would even want to make such a connection.

Getting back to the whole "cheating" thing, it appears that as soon as the Patriots were forced to stop cheating, or spying, or whatever you want to call it, they immediately improved as a team. Like I said, this is a real kick in the stomach to those who are consumed with hatred for the football team (for whatever reason) and this is why they are now lashing out in anger in these forums.

I have lived long enough to know that hate and envy are self-destructive emotions. I have found true happiness since I purged hate and envy from my system and I hope that those in these forums who are so consumed with hate can cleanse their bodies of this very destructive emotion and find some happiness in their lives.