Face it, folks, Belichick plans to lay waste to the NFL. Commissioner Roger Goodell took away a first-rounder, so the Patriots will take away your first born. Belichick has assembled perhaps the most dominating team in NFL history, and he's intent on destroying all opponents in his path.When I read that in John Clayton's article on ESPN, two things happened. First I chuckled at the 'first born' reference. Second, I caught myself nodding at the very concept. The Patriots are good. Really good. In fact, this may be the most dominant team in any sport that I've seen in the last 15 years.
Let me repeat that.
The New England Patriots are the best team I've ever seen. Period.This past weekend witnessed the best regular season match-up the NFL has to offer between the undefeated Patriots and the similarly undefeated defending champion Colts, complete with all the hype that the media could offer: Brady vs. Manning; Dungy vs. Belichick; Good vs. Evil; Cheaters vs. "Cheaters". After a 24-20 win in Indy, talk of "the perfect season" only grew louder for New England as they essentially locked up home field advantage for the playoffs. Did the game carry as much significance as last year's AFC Championship game? Of course not. But in many ways, this could be one of the most important chapters in what has become the best rivalry in sports.
How so? Some observations from the game:
1. Winning a close one - When it comes to evaluating a team based on wins and losses, I've always subscribed to the theory put forth by ESPN's John Hollinger :
Coaches are fond of saying that good teams win the close games, but they actually have it backward -- lucky teams win the close games; good teams win the blowouts. Lopsided victories are a far better barometer of quality.
This does not mean that a team winning a close game only won because they got lucky. Good teams are the ones that put themselves in the best position to win, but in a close game, the outcome usually hinges on the mere bounce of a ball one way or another. Such is not the case in a blowout because a blowout leaves no doubt. Prior to the Colts game, this is all the Patriots were doing (in fact, the average score of their previous 8 games was an astounding 41-16 margin). That's better than a three touchdown advantage! From destroying bottom-feeders like the Dolphins and Jets, to negating the high-octane the offenses of Cincinnati and San Diego, to dispatching contenders like Washington and (*gulp*) Dallas, the Patriots were running roughshod over the league.
Then came the close win over the Colts this past weekend. The offense looked out of sync. They were on the road. The officiating was shady (I'll get to this in a minute). The offensive line looked confused the entire first half, a ten yard sack killed their opening drive, and an incredibly (lucky) athletic pick of a Brady pass in the fourth could have sealed the game.
Yet in spite of all this, the Patriots still came out on top. The defense gave up some big plays but held tight in the red zone, effectively shut down Dallas Clark, and held the Colts to 20 points. Meanwhile, for all their first-half misfires, the offensive line adjusted to the pass rush, receivers stopped dropping passes, and New England scored on three of their last four drives to pull out the victory. So while I continue to marvel at how this team demolishes opponents, a close win over the second best team in the league on the road is just as impressive.
2. The Patriots have now shifted momentum back in their favor... for now - In the first six meetings between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, the Patriots won all six. Since then, the Colts had won three in a row, including a 27-20 regular season win followed by the "Comeback" in the AFC Championship game. The seemingly invincible roadblock to Peyton Manning's championship had finally been conquered, and people began to wonder if the era of the Patriots was quietly coming to an end.
Now the ball is back in New England's court. After flailing in their previous three meetings, the Patriots took the best shot an undefeated champ had to offer and came out on top. It's the type of game that New England was notorious for winning in the past, back when they were the defending champs sitting quietly on the sideline as everyone gasped at the flashy Colts sprinting out of the regular season gate. Back then, there was an attitude, a desire to shove it in the faces of everyone who forgot that they were the baddest team around. They lost that edge in the last two years, but it seems as though they've taken it back.
3. Dear Lord, it's Randy Moss! - Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, was wrong about Randy Moss prior to this season. It's easy to forget that Randy was one of the most feared and talented players the league had to offer from the moment he got drafted. A declining Daunte Culpepper and a two year sentence in football hell can do that. To think that all it took was a 4th round pick to acquire him (and the best QB ever to tame him) is sick. Since then, we've heard teammates praise him, coaches exalt him, and watched Randy himself dazzle us play after play. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go throw up while thinking of the Eagles signing Kevin Curtis in the off season.
4. The hidden genius of Belichick - One of the biggest controversies not involving the words "spy" and "gate" this year has been the apparent outcry over New England seemingly running up the score in games that were well in hand. I have three giant problems with this. First, no self-respecting fan should ever bitch about a someone running up the score against their team. Any and all criticism should be directed against their own pathetic team for being unable to stop the bleeding (anyone who listens to WIP in Philly knows this to be true). This is why you didn't hear opposing coaches so much as frown in post-game press conferences after getting their asses kicked by New England, because they knew their team had a lot to work on. Second, we're not talking about some pop-warner, highschool or college squad that is clearly outclassed. These aren't children, and no one is going to give Ryan Boschetti a shoulder to cry on. These are professional athletes, and well paid ones at that. Third, and probably most important, this is a capped sports league, meaning that every team is on a financially level playing field. Unlike baseball (no cap), basketball (luxury tax) or hockey (small market teams), football has a hard cap that prevents big markets from hoarding all the premier players in the league. If a team can put together as superior a roster as the Patriots have assembled while playing by the same rules as everyone else, then they have the right to play as hard as they want.
Considering how much better the Patriots have been compared to their opponents, it's almost a miracle that Belichick can keep them motivated each and every week. What's more amazing is how much sense it makes for this team to play all 60 minutes, even when the opponent seems to be over. Just look at their playoff exit from last season. The Patriots had the game against the Colts in the bag and let it slip away in the second half. The coaching staff was clearly sending a message to all their players this season that such a disaster would not be tolerated again. And in case you missed it, the Patriots needed all 60 minutes to beat the Colts in a close one this weekend. Coincidence? Hardly. Chalk it up to good coaching.
5. Converting the crucial third down - Speaking of last year, the defining moment for the Patriots in that game was a dropped pass by Reche Caldwell on third-and-short that would have gotten the first down and ran the clock to seal the Colts fate. Up by 4 in the fourth quarter and needing to convert a third-and-short to end the game, Brady completed a perfect pass to newly-acquired slot man Wes Welker to end the game this weekend.
6. Most obvious home-field advantage ever - I can't even begin to quantify how bad the officiating was in this game, so thank God that Bill Simmons did it for me. Aside from the fact that an angry Bill Simmons rant is among the most entertaining pieces of writing you can find, I also love reading them for the multitude of times he reminds me of moments that happened during the game. As I'm going to let his article do most of the talking for me, what I will say is this. On the first drive of the game, Manning completed an 11-yard pass to Aaron Moorehead on the sideline. I say on the sideline and not near the sideline because Moorehead was out of bounds. The ruling on the field was a catch, even though not one, but TWO officials were no more than ten feet away, staring directly at Moorehead's foot planted out of bounds as he made the grab. New England challenged the ruling on the field and the call was reversed, but I remember turning to Phil at the time and sarcastically saying that I hoped this wasn't an omen for how the rest of the game would be officiated. Turns out it was. Not since Dwayne Wade in the 2006 NBA Finals have I seen an entire team of officials give such an obvious advantage to the home team on almost every single call (and no-call) of the game. For the rest of my life, I will swear that someone in the league worked to give the advantage to the Colts, and no one will ever convince me otherwise.
7. Even the Colts are scared of this team - Aside from the return of the glorious Peyton Manning patented "dear in headlights" face, the most telling moment for me came at the end of the first half. A Tom Brady pass intended for Stallworth was intercepted at the Colts 2 yard line. Down by 1 with a 1:55 left on the clock, three timeouts, and with the Patriots receiving the kickoff in the second half, the Colts ran behind Addai twice, called timeout, then threw a short pass to Moorehead to get out of dangerous territory and move up to the 17 yard line. Suddenly I'm watching as the Colts let the clock wind down, throw another short pass to Wayne and finally use their second time out to stop the clock at 0:28.
So you're at home, the crowd is already out of the game at this point, you're down by one and giving the ball at the half, and you're settling for short passes with no intention of putting together some sort of FG drive? I understand that some people would say 'hey, you're deep in your zone, move the ball and just play it safe before the half', but then why bother using any of your timeouts in the first place. You have two minutes and three timeouts, the quintessential 2-minute drive! It was clear to me that the Colts were indecisive in what they wanted to do, and eventually decided to just go in at the half behind. There was no urgency in their actions, no attitude. Somehow, the football Gods decided to smile on their cowardice, allowing a short pass to Addai to spring for a miracle go-ahead 73 yard TD, but in that span of 90 seconds you could see that all 31 teams are scared of the Patriots, Peyton Manning included. Which brings me to my final observation.
8. The endless discussion coming to an end? - I wrote here back in July about the Tom Brady/Peyton Manning debate, going so far as to compare Manning to the perennial cute girl getting named prom queen for being everyone's crush since 3rd grade, even with a more deserving candidate (Brady) waiting in the wings. The argument always seems to come down to whether you were a stats guy or a winning/intangibles guy, with both sides copping out and agreeing "well, until Brady gets the kind of weapons that Manning has, we'll never know which one is better".
Now we know. Brady is on pace to demolish Manning's single season TD record, single season passer-rating, and put up kind of numbers we've never seen. As a team, the Patriots are on pace to obliterate the record for points scored by a team in a single season. The question, in my mind, is now finally answered: with the likes of Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Donte Stallworth, Brady is showing that with comparable weapons on offense, Manning and his statistical accomplishments pale when compared to his own. In a game where he could finally say he had the kind of weapons that Manning got to enjoy his entire career, Brady came out victorious.
Not only that, but he snatched back the crown that so many journalists had tried to place on Mannings head after last season; the crown of clutch. But in this game, we saw once again what we had seen for the majority of both QBs careers: Brady leading his team down the field in the 4th quarter when his team needed him most, and Manning shrinking in the same situation. You could see it in his face as he sat on the sidelines after a three-and-out, watching Brady convert a crucial third down play to run out the clock and seal both teams fate: Manning knows the same thing I do.
Brady is the best football player on the planet, maybe one of the best ever, and barring catastrophe in the post-season, the argument of who is better isn't an argument anymore.
Then came the close win over the Colts this past weekend. The offense looked out of sync. They were on the road. The officiating was shady (I'll get to this in a minute). The offensive line looked confused the entire first half, a ten yard sack killed their opening drive, and an incredibly (lucky) athletic pick of a Brady pass in the fourth could have sealed the game.
Yet in spite of all this, the Patriots still came out on top. The defense gave up some big plays but held tight in the red zone, effectively shut down Dallas Clark, and held the Colts to 20 points. Meanwhile, for all their first-half misfires, the offensive line adjusted to the pass rush, receivers stopped dropping passes, and New England scored on three of their last four drives to pull out the victory. So while I continue to marvel at how this team demolishes opponents, a close win over the second best team in the league on the road is just as impressive.2. The Patriots have now shifted momentum back in their favor... for now - In the first six meetings between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, the Patriots won all six. Since then, the Colts had won three in a row, including a 27-20 regular season win followed by the "Comeback" in the AFC Championship game. The seemingly invincible roadblock to Peyton Manning's championship had finally been conquered, and people began to wonder if the era of the Patriots was quietly coming to an end.
Now the ball is back in New England's court. After flailing in their previous three meetings, the Patriots took the best shot an undefeated champ had to offer and came out on top. It's the type of game that New England was notorious for winning in the past, back when they were the defending champs sitting quietly on the sideline as everyone gasped at the flashy Colts sprinting out of the regular season gate. Back then, there was an attitude, a desire to shove it in the faces of everyone who forgot that they were the baddest team around. They lost that edge in the last two years, but it seems as though they've taken it back.
3. Dear Lord, it's Randy Moss! - Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, was wrong about Randy Moss prior to this season. It's easy to forget that Randy was one of the most feared and talented players the league had to offer from the moment he got drafted. A declining Daunte Culpepper and a two year sentence in football hell can do that. To think that all it took was a 4th round pick to acquire him (and the best QB ever to tame him) is sick. Since then, we've heard teammates praise him, coaches exalt him, and watched Randy himself dazzle us play after play. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go throw up while thinking of the Eagles signing Kevin Curtis in the off season.4. The hidden genius of Belichick - One of the biggest controversies not involving the words "spy" and "gate" this year has been the apparent outcry over New England seemingly running up the score in games that were well in hand. I have three giant problems with this. First, no self-respecting fan should ever bitch about a someone running up the score against their team. Any and all criticism should be directed against their own pathetic team for being unable to stop the bleeding (anyone who listens to WIP in Philly knows this to be true). This is why you didn't hear opposing coaches so much as frown in post-game press conferences after getting their asses kicked by New England, because they knew their team had a lot to work on. Second, we're not talking about some pop-warner, highschool or college squad that is clearly outclassed. These aren't children, and no one is going to give Ryan Boschetti a shoulder to cry on. These are professional athletes, and well paid ones at that. Third, and probably most important, this is a capped sports league, meaning that every team is on a financially level playing field. Unlike baseball (no cap), basketball (luxury tax) or hockey (small market teams), football has a hard cap that prevents big markets from hoarding all the premier players in the league. If a team can put together as superior a roster as the Patriots have assembled while playing by the same rules as everyone else, then they have the right to play as hard as they want.
Considering how much better the Patriots have been compared to their opponents, it's almost a miracle that Belichick can keep them motivated each and every week. What's more amazing is how much sense it makes for this team to play all 60 minutes, even when the opponent seems to be over. Just look at their playoff exit from last season. The Patriots had the game against the Colts in the bag and let it slip away in the second half. The coaching staff was clearly sending a message to all their players this season that such a disaster would not be tolerated again. And in case you missed it, the Patriots needed all 60 minutes to beat the Colts in a close one this weekend. Coincidence? Hardly. Chalk it up to good coaching.
5. Converting the crucial third down - Speaking of last year, the defining moment for the Patriots in that game was a dropped pass by Reche Caldwell on third-and-short that would have gotten the first down and ran the clock to seal the Colts fate. Up by 4 in the fourth quarter and needing to convert a third-and-short to end the game, Brady completed a perfect pass to newly-acquired slot man Wes Welker to end the game this weekend.
6. Most obvious home-field advantage ever - I can't even begin to quantify how bad the officiating was in this game, so thank God that Bill Simmons did it for me. Aside from the fact that an angry Bill Simmons rant is among the most entertaining pieces of writing you can find, I also love reading them for the multitude of times he reminds me of moments that happened during the game. As I'm going to let his article do most of the talking for me, what I will say is this. On the first drive of the game, Manning completed an 11-yard pass to Aaron Moorehead on the sideline. I say on the sideline and not near the sideline because Moorehead was out of bounds. The ruling on the field was a catch, even though not one, but TWO officials were no more than ten feet away, staring directly at Moorehead's foot planted out of bounds as he made the grab. New England challenged the ruling on the field and the call was reversed, but I remember turning to Phil at the time and sarcastically saying that I hoped this wasn't an omen for how the rest of the game would be officiated. Turns out it was. Not since Dwayne Wade in the 2006 NBA Finals have I seen an entire team of officials give such an obvious advantage to the home team on almost every single call (and no-call) of the game. For the rest of my life, I will swear that someone in the league worked to give the advantage to the Colts, and no one will ever convince me otherwise.7. Even the Colts are scared of this team - Aside from the return of the glorious Peyton Manning patented "dear in headlights" face, the most telling moment for me came at the end of the first half. A Tom Brady pass intended for Stallworth was intercepted at the Colts 2 yard line. Down by 1 with a 1:55 left on the clock, three timeouts, and with the Patriots receiving the kickoff in the second half, the Colts ran behind Addai twice, called timeout, then threw a short pass to Moorehead to get out of dangerous territory and move up to the 17 yard line. Suddenly I'm watching as the Colts let the clock wind down, throw another short pass to Wayne and finally use their second time out to stop the clock at 0:28.
So you're at home, the crowd is already out of the game at this point, you're down by one and giving the ball at the half, and you're settling for short passes with no intention of putting together some sort of FG drive? I understand that some people would say 'hey, you're deep in your zone, move the ball and just play it safe before the half', but then why bother using any of your timeouts in the first place. You have two minutes and three timeouts, the quintessential 2-minute drive! It was clear to me that the Colts were indecisive in what they wanted to do, and eventually decided to just go in at the half behind. There was no urgency in their actions, no attitude. Somehow, the football Gods decided to smile on their cowardice, allowing a short pass to Addai to spring for a miracle go-ahead 73 yard TD, but in that span of 90 seconds you could see that all 31 teams are scared of the Patriots, Peyton Manning included. Which brings me to my final observation.
8. The endless discussion coming to an end? - I wrote here back in July about the Tom Brady/Peyton Manning debate, going so far as to compare Manning to the perennial cute girl getting named prom queen for being everyone's crush since 3rd grade, even with a more deserving candidate (Brady) waiting in the wings. The argument always seems to come down to whether you were a stats guy or a winning/intangibles guy, with both sides copping out and agreeing "well, until Brady gets the kind of weapons that Manning has, we'll never know which one is better".
Now we know. Brady is on pace to demolish Manning's single season TD record, single season passer-rating, and put up kind of numbers we've never seen. As a team, the Patriots are on pace to obliterate the record for points scored by a team in a single season. The question, in my mind, is now finally answered: with the likes of Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Donte Stallworth, Brady is showing that with comparable weapons on offense, Manning and his statistical accomplishments pale when compared to his own. In a game where he could finally say he had the kind of weapons that Manning got to enjoy his entire career, Brady came out victorious.
Not only that, but he snatched back the crown that so many journalists had tried to place on Mannings head after last season; the crown of clutch. But in this game, we saw once again what we had seen for the majority of both QBs careers: Brady leading his team down the field in the 4th quarter when his team needed him most, and Manning shrinking in the same situation. You could see it in his face as he sat on the sidelines after a three-and-out, watching Brady convert a crucial third down play to run out the clock and seal both teams fate: Manning knows the same thing I do.Brady is the best football player on the planet, maybe one of the best ever, and barring catastrophe in the post-season, the argument of who is better isn't an argument anymore.
