In the years between 2001 and 2004 the Patriots were racked with obstacle after obstacle.
Riddled with injuries the Patriots some how managed to adjust and overcome all
adversity and walk away with 3 Super Bowl victories in 3 appearances. They never won
handedly, they never won pretty, eeking out just enough to put another W in the column.

In that same time period, the Indianapolis Colts were an offensive juggernaut, racking up
points. The defense, though not top notch, was often overlooked as Peyton Manning and
such high-profile receivers as Harrison and Wayne controlled the game with ease.
Despite their dominance, and a career season in 2004, the Colts were not overcome the
speed bump known as the Patriots. Even in 2006 when the Colts finally earned their
Super Bowl title, the AFC championship against the Patriots was a close battle to the end
(We are not going to discuss "the call" that changed the outcome of the game).

Fast Forward to 2007 and the roles have been reversed.

The Patriots are the hot team. Brady and the Patriots offense, fueled by controversy and
spite, have dominated the league with a legitimate shot at going 16-0 and are a Super
Bowl favorite.

The Colts, in contrast have been riddled with injuries. One of Manning's favorite targets
has been taken away for most of the season. The defense has been all but wiped out. The
list of injuries is alarmingly long, and a lot of these names are huge. Harrison, Freeney,
Sanders, Morris, O'Neil, McFarland, Worsely and the list goes on and on.

While many teams would crumble and fall with far less injuries especially with key
players. Manning and coach Tony Dungy have managed to adjust and find ways to win,
in a very Patriots-esque manner. The wins have not been pretty, struggling against teams
they normally would roll right over, but they are still wins. At a time when they were
most vulernable in week 9, they played a great game against the Patriots (albeit with
again some help from the zebras) and held their own. They may have lost the game but
you have to think that keeping the game close was a small moral victory for them.

On a personal level, I have always equated Manning and Dungy with Satan. Manning
looks like a chicken on the field with his constant-audible offense not to mention not
being able to go 10 minutes without seeing him on TV 24-7. Dungy never got the job
done in Tampa with great talent, and was not getting it done with an all-star team in Indy.

2007 has put them both in a new light. Peyton still looks spasmodic on the field, but
somehow, him and Dungy are defying all logic and getting the job done despite
nightmarish obstacles. They have found new weapons, more of them and honestly present
more of  a threat to stopping the Patriots than ever before.

If anyone, especially Patriots fans are overlooking the Colts and think they have no
chance in the post season you need to seriously take another look at the Colts and think
again. As a Patriots fan myself, I can only hope that the Patriots are not falling into the
trap and believing their own hype. If they are then it will be the gravest mistake in
Patriots history,

Steelers are a non-issue. Defensive Back Anthony Smith went and ran his mouth and guaranteed a victory on Sunday for the Steelers, and while generally that kind of talk is a bad thing against the Patriots, this time he might be right.

While Pats fans are united in the prayers for 19-0 (after all 16-0 means nothing) the players are a different story. In the big picture, in a season where Brady and Moss are likely to break records, the season means little if the big game at the end of the year is a bust, or worse yet, that they do not make it.

It is for that reason that the Steelers have a legitimate shot on Sunday. Looking at the big picture, Sundays game means almost nothing. The Patriots already have the division locked up. They need 2 wins in the next 4 weeks to lock home field for the playoffs and with games against the Jets, which will have far more meaning for the Pats players, and the 0-12 Dolphins (in the cold of Gilette) another divisional game with more meaning, the Steelers game this Sunday would be a good game to take a break. Why get into a tough smashmouth game of football and risk injury for the post season.

Pride is a tough thing to put aside, but the Patriots have not been playing full out football for the last 2 weeks against the Eagles and the Ravens. Moss was back to running half routes and the play generally looked sloppy. The division was already locked up prior to the Eagles game thanks to the Bills loss earlier that day. So you saw a Patriots team playing at 80% almost lose twice. As much as I wish the Patriots would go full out every game, let’s face it. Bellichick is a big picture coach, Brady is a big picture QB and the whole team is playing big picture ball.

Don’t get me wrong, I would love to Patriots to come out there and put up 60 points on the board but it isn’t going to happen until the Jets game. If the Patriots can come out to an early 2 score lead then they win. That would take Parker out of the game and Big Ben is no match for the Patriots secondary. Big Ben likes to loft the ball, he does not exactly have a “laser rocket arm” and he can be defended/picked easily. He’s tough to tackle so putting pressure is not very fruitful. So contain him (at the same time contain the run) and take away his options and you win that battle and the Pats win. I honestly think the Steelers defense is a bit over rated. If you look at strength of schedule, the Steelers D has had a fairly easy schedule, part of the reason they have been a success. And let’s not forget that all 3 of the Steelers losses are away games. Not a great team on the road.

If the game comes down to a smashmouth brawl, then the Patriots lay back and play like they have the last 2 weeks (conservatively) and the Steelers stop another Patriots win streak. Hopefully it will be a good game to watch.

In the wake of Monday night’s football game between the Ravens and Patriots there has been a lot of talk about the Officials in the game handing the game to the Patriots. Whenever a high emotion game is close you hear the conspiracy theorists come out spewing their “facts”, trying to prove that the NFL is as fixed as the WWE. While it would be hard to argue that not a single NFL official is on the take after all, we have seen this happen with Basketball and Baseball, it is equally unlikely that the whole officiating staff of the NFL is crooked.

So with all the complaints about the officiating during the Pats-Ravens game, I have yet to hear a convincing argument that any of the calls were really all that bad. First things first, let’s look at the 2007. The Ravens are the 4th most penalized team so far this year. Arizona leads with 108/875, then Green Bay – 95/852, Cleveland - 95/716 with the Ravens following close behind with 92/698. New England by comparison is 62/562. So the Ravens draw a lot of penalties, no arguing that. They incurred 13 in that game, which is high for them in a single game, but not out of question given the intensity and emotion of that game.

Looking at the penalties:
1. Rolle gets called for a facemask. No subjectivity there. Good Call.
2. Next play, 12 men on field. New England was in a no huddle, caught them with 12, count them up. No argument, Good Call.
3. Next play, Suggs, offsides. You can always argue offsides/false start. Looking at the play a few times, I could not find any movement on the Pats line. If they had the network would have been all over it. Good Call.
4. Sypniewski – False Start. This ends up being a partial drive killer. It was on a first down though so you are 1-15. He moved, no question though. Good Call.
5. Martin - Unnecessary Roughness. Another call that is more subjective, however it seemed warranted. That drive led to a Ravens TD so it ends up having zero effect. Good Call.
6. Ivy – Defensive Holding. Of all the penalty calls I think this is the most questionable. I am not an official but it seems consistant with how it has been called all year. This keeps the drive alive. Patriots still get 3 if the call never gets made.
7. McAlister – Pass Interference. I think this one was clear, Moss should have had it. Good call.
8. Wilcox – False Start. He moved. It was 3 and 9 on that play making it 3 and 14. Legit penalty that likely has no effect on the game. Good Call.
9. Rolle – Illegal Contact. Judgement call. I agree with the call but it is a moot point, Brady ran for the 1st down regardless so has no effect on outcome.
10. Winborne – Pass Interference. Winborne was wrapped around Watson that play, the right arm hooked around the waist. No question That is Pass Interference, without it Watson catches that ball for a TD. Good Call.
11. Scott – Unsportsmanlike Conduct. Good Call.
12. Scott – Unsportsmanlike Conduct. The subsequent pentalty for throwing the flag. Good Call.
13. Reed – Offsides. In some sort of statement, he walked across the line. Good Call.

There are 2 things not covered that Ravens fans and Pats Haters alike will argue. The Time Out that was called when the Patriots got stuffed on 4 and 1. Now, there is zero question that the Defensive coordinator called for a time out well before the start of the play. So the question is that can the defensive coordinator call a timeout. According to the rules no. However the official that granted the time out had no idea who was calling for the time out as he was focused on the players were set.

I know Ravens fans will not like this, but while the time out should not have been granted, nor should Rex Ryan have asked for it. As a Defensive Coordinator in week 13 of the 2007 season he should know better. He’s got a pipeline to the coach, so no excuse. That was poor judgment on BOTH sides. So no conspiracy there.

The other arguable call is the Gaffney touchdown. Did he have control or not. From the viewpoint of an official in another sport: The official was in the right place, looking where he should have been with an excellent view of the catch. Unfortunately his view of the ball was obscured by Gaffney. As an official you just can not predict exactly how a play will go down and there is no way to get into 100% the correct position. He has no other official to get help from, he’s got the best angle available and he has to make the call. Given those conditions and his set of eyes, I think 99.9% of anyone makes the same call. There was nothing he did wrong and from his vantage point it was the correct call. The play was even reviewed and upheld.

If it were me looking at the replay, assuming that I have the same angles and quality we have at home… I overturn the call. That being said, I am not sure that it changes anything. An incomplete pass would just mean 2nd and goal from the 4 assuming that the Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty on Scott does not happen. 3 more attempts for the Patriots and more often than not it is going to result in a TD. Add to that the Patriots burning some more time off the clock. Gotskowski was kicking with the wind and he can boot the ball so I would not expect a huge runback. So the Ravens get the ball with only 20-25 seconds, possibly less and the Hail Mary to the 2 never happens.

So now, I ask the question. What are you complaining about?

One questionable penalty that isn’t even blatantly bad? An arguable TD reception that probably gets made in the next play or two? A time out that the Ravens Defensive Coordinator should have known better than to call in the first place? The Ravens played a great game, but they let emotion get the better of them and they paid the price. Don’t blame the officials for the Ravens’ own undoing.

So please, someone educate me.

Sick of the Patriots?

I’m not, in fact I am just loving every second of it and so should you. The 2007 Patriots are the greatest NFL team ever assembled. Their #1 rated Offense is going to shatter a lot of NFL records. Tom Brady is #1 for total yards, #1 in TDs, #1 in completion percentage and #1 in yards/attempt and has only thrown 4 picks.  He has the #1 QB rating at 134. No one else is close. Randy Moss is #1 in total receiving yards and #1 in TDs

The Defense is not all that shabby either at #3. Vrabel leads the league in defense with 9.5 sacks and 5 forced fumbles. The defense would be a lot more impressive if the offense was not so dominant. Keep in mind that a lot of points that the Patriots have given up have come late in the game after many of the starters have been pulled. Belichick has been known to keep a few hidden rabbits in that magic hoodie of his, you can bet that a very understated defense (still at #3) is one of them

So this is where people start coming up with every excuse in the book as to WHY the patriots are so dominating this year, and why they really are not all that great

Spygate: Spygate was a non-issue that was blown into a media tsunami. The Patriots violated a rule (intentionally), one that offers no competitive advantage, one that whistle-blower Mangini himself had been guilty of just last year. Commissioner Goodell even stated that the violation offered no competitive advantage, the confiscated media did not offer one either and Goodell had no reason to call into question the validity of any of the past Patriot wins, including the 3 Superbowl wins in 2001, 2003 and 2004. Yet the media felt the need to crucify Belichick and the Patriots anyway. A bigger story should have been Soundgate, Audiogate or whatever you want to call it during week 9, Indy vs Pats. If anyone still has a doubt about Indy piping in crowd noise, please watch every Indy home game this season up to week 9… and then watch the Indy-Chiefs game from week 11. Sorry, they have been doing it for years and THAT offers an immediate competitive advantage

Soft Schedule: Early on it looked as if the Patriots would indeed have an easy schedule. The AFC East is a weak division, even with Buffalo gaining some steam mid way through the season. Still, the Patriots have faced some tough match-ups. During the season. The Colts @ Indianapolis, The Cowboys @ Dallas, and the Steelers @ NE to name a few. In fact, if the status Quo is maintained, then the Patriots will have faced 10 teams with .500 records or better with 5 of those teams with winning records. The Cowboys… ready for this: 10 teams with .500 or better, 5 with winning records. Indy, even though in arguably the toughest division will face 9 teams with .500 with 5 of those teams with a winning record. Can anyone say schedule parity. Jacksonville has the toughest schedule, playing 7 teams with a winning record. No wonder why they are not 9-1 right now. Green bay has the softest schedule of all the league leaders. Only 7 games agains .500 teams and only 3 games against winning records. Favre is a fan favorite inside of Green Bay and out. The Packers are not the same caliber as the Cowboys… however Favre offers 2 things right now, experience and heart that won’t show up in any schedule. Soft schedule or not, the Packers are a legit playoff contender.

Indy’s Injured: Who cares and what does that have to do with the Patriots. Throughout the 2006 season the Patriots had severl key players go down with injuries. No one whined back then about it especially the Patriots. You never heard Brady ever complain about injured players or not having receivers to throw to.Part of the game. Another part of the game is team depth, Indy has none, Steelers have little, Patriots have a lot. You want to tell me that Dungy is all that and a bag of chips with popcorn on the side? He was handed a prow bowl caliber team. My autistic 5 year old son could have won a Superbowl with that team

Patriots are not a complete team, they don’t have a run game: No kidding. The Patriots had an effective run game early in the season, then it got injured and the Patriots adjusted. Maroney is back but Maroney is only a GOOD running back, not a GREAT one. The Maroney/Morris pairing had some chemistry to it, and losing Morris was a definite hit on the running game. Faulk managed to step up and is anyone else keeping a watch on Eckel? Give him 2 more years and he will be one of those clutch backs that always manages to convert on 3rd down. He is the next Jerome Bettis. You heard it here first. So the Pats are working with a patched up run game, but they really do not need it. If you are a defensive coordinator and you are trying to develop a game plan, let me clue you in. The Pats are going to pass, and pass a lot. And there is not much you can do to stop it. You want to talk “team”, a team is one that covers for it’s weak areas and fills in gaps when necessary. Faulk, Evans and Eckel have all managed to offer a competitive ground option. They may not be turning heads but they are getting the job done.  The Pats have the most complete and deep team in the league, on both sides of the ball.

They’re Running up the Score, No Class: Every week each team tries to win by scoring as many points as possible, and stop the opposing team from scoring. Period. Patriots tickets, if you can by them are about $125 each… I am not shelling out that kind of money to watch a team score a few points and then go play tiddlywinks while the practice squad goes out there. I was at the Patriots-Dolphins game in 2002 when the Patriots came back from a 17 point deficit in the 4th quarter to tie the game, and then win it in OT. Glad neither team stopped playing that game, especially the Patriots. The Patriots blew the lead in the AFC championship in the 4th quarter in 2006 (with the admitted help of the referees). It should have never come down to that call though. The Patriots, tired and battered stopped playing and the results, well we all know the results. In the Week 11 game against Buffalo, Late in the 4th, buffalo threw in the towel and the Patriots punted. They laid up that game. They could have easily scored another touchdown or more even with the backups in. Who punts on the 30-something yard line? That is 4th down territory, it was short yardage and you could try for 3 if you had to. Nice try, but the Pats play, and play to win until the opposing team cries uncle. No more 2006s.

I do not begrudge the media and fans resorting to name calling and some wholesome good old-fashioned defamation. It’s part of what being a fan of the game is about. Often, the teams that I have hated most over the years are the teams that were the best and ultimately the ones I respect the most. I hated seeing Elway stick it to the Patriots year after year. I used to cringe at the mention of Favre and Greenbay, Aikman and Dallas not to mention the Greatest show on Turf. Looking back those were all fantasic teams. It’s time for New England and I am going to bask in the enjoyment all I can as this moment is truly a remarkable one and one that will remain in the record books for decades to come. One day the Patriots will fall from the brightness of the spotlight and it will be time for the moment to belong to some other team and some other fan. I hope that when that time comes, that you enjoy it as much as I am.

Happy Thanksgiving. - I will be enjoying mine with my wife, our 4 kids, my parents and 2 sisters along with my close cousin, his wife and his 2 boys. My cousin will be the chef, which is appropriate since he is actually... a chef. In fact the former Executive Chef for the New England Patriots and Gilette Stadium.

As a fan of the Patriots, it can be fun to get yourself caught up in the hype of a big game. I enjoy arguing until hoarse in the throat and red, white and blue in the face defending the team. More so, I am glad that there are fans out there willing to point out with the utmost certainty that my opinions and views are completely wrong. Thank you so much, the past week as been fun. 

The Colts have a great team. There is no doubt about that, and it starts with their Organization, on down through the Head Coach and the rest of the coaching staff and ends with the players. There is so much talent on the team from the top down. They have been a dominant team for over half a decade and in any other time would have the term dynasty hung over their front door. They were rewarded last year with a well-deserved Super Bowl victory. 

However you can not have your David without your Goliath. And in the NFL that means the New England Patriots. Over that same time span, the Patriots have been feeding off the talent and skill of the Indianapolis Colts and no rational person should think for a second that the Patriots would be as great as they are if they did not have a team they NEEDED to be great against. The two teams have evolved into the top tier of the NFL and that is something that you can not dispute.

What I find most disappointing is the attack on character that has gone on the last few weeks. I do not think there is a team in the NFL that embodies class and sportsmanship better than EITHER team. You can talk about handshakes all you want. The reality is that both teams play with 125% of their hearts, and when you put yourself out on the field like that, it is impossible to not feel the disappointment and frustration in losing. Over their recent rivalry, both teams have handled themselves with the utmost professionalism, about as much as you could possibly find when the game is played at such a level.

This year, for the Colts and the Patriots alike, the road to the Super Bowl will be through each other, most likely in the AFC Championship. True sportsman would have it no other way. In order to be the best, you have to play against the best. For the Patriots and Colts, there is no other competition.

I look forward to that game and all the hype and conversation surrounding it.  

I thought you might need something to refresh you after such a tough loss last night:

Based on the recent Patriots vs Colts game, Indianapolis unfurled their new uniforms:

What Class really is.

The game between the Patriots and the Colts is being billed as on of Good v.s Evil. It is the evil hooded Darth Vader (Bill Belichick) against the good Luke Skywalker (Tony Dungy). The frenzy surrounding this game is greater than any I have ever seen including the Superbowls. Fans have polarized into two factions, Pats fans, and everyone else.

But is Belichick really evil? Is he really the classless cheater that the media and anti-pats fans alike make him out to be?

Since Spygate, with all that has been written and said about Belichick in the media he has said nothing. He has not defended himself, he has not tried to explain or rationalize his actions nor has he tried to pass the buck or point out other indiscretions he may be aware of by other coaches. Instead, he has continued to do exactly as he has over the last 6 ½ years.  Every day he goes to work and does everything he can to try and make his team better. Even when opposing coaches (Dungy included) make inaccurate and slanderous statements every time a microphone is placed in their direction and the subject comes up, Belichick says nothing in return.

THAT is what class is.

Sure, it’s hard to like Bill Belichick if you are not from New England or you are not a Patriots fans. He is short with the media, never gives a good soundbite. He dresses in the hoodie that Pat’s fans have come to love and the rest of the nation has come to loathe. He just is not likeable on many different levels, however that has nothing at all to do with class. Belichick was convicted in the media of Spygate long before the NFL even finished their investigation, sounds like a classy thing for the media to do. Even when the fine was handed down the NFL never stated that Belichick had been guilty of anything more than violating a league policy. Not once did Goodell ever state anything to the effect that Belichick had cheated.  Apparently, in this country we are innocent until the media says otherwise.

You can say what you want about the Patriots and Belichick, because they are just going to continue what they do best… win football games. And you can argue that they run up the score, but the untold side of that argument is they ran a score on a defense that had talked trash all week long. And you can criticize for the quiet mocking of Terrel Owens by eating popcorn in their locker room after a game, as long as you don’t mention that TO should have just kept his mouth shut all along. The truth is you will not hear the Patriots trash talk other teams, players and coaches, it just is not tolerated in Foxboro. And whenever incidents emerge it is always omitted that the Patriots have never instigated any such conduct. Their actions speak volumes on their own.

THAT is what class is.

So the upcoming battle of Good vs. Evil is really the good (The Patriots and Bill Belichick) and the Evil (the sports media). I like the Patriots chances against the Colts on Sunday, it should be a good game to watch. Sadly, I do not think that they fair so will against the media.