What is up with the Patriots?

[rthomas]

um kicking a field goal on 4th down would be running up the score -- 3 guaranteed points.

by going for it on 4th down, you're giving the other team yet another chance to stop you. Most 4th down conversions fail.

edit: and whats wrong with trying to break records? these guys want to go down as the very best ever -- they've accomplished everything else, why not?

Mr. Brady, Not unbiased are you?

[tombrady]

Mr. Brady, Not unbiased are you?

of course not. but my point stands.

[snowdenscold]

So I haven't played a sport professionally, but I played baseball, football and soccer in high school (my graduating class was only 49, so pretty much you had to play if you could walk)...and then played on a ton of IM teams here at Duke. As someone who loves playing sports...there is NOTHING more annoying than when you are playing a team better than you, and they start rubbing it in your face. Doing freaking behind the back passes when they are smoking you in basketball. Continually pushing the ball on soccer when they are up 6-0. Doing a hard slide into second when they are up by 8 runs in baseball, etc, etc. It's about sportsmanship.

I'm also the nicest guy when I play sports...but I can remember one team killing us in IM basketball, and when a guy drove the lane for the 5th time in a row up by about 30 points, I fouled him as hard as I possibly could. I should have been tossed from the game, but even the ref was like, "Dude had it coming."

I don't advocate someone taking a cheap shot at Brady, but when you are rubbing in your opponent's face, sometimes bad things happen, and it is so easy to avoid.

Also, BSimmons needs to start calling out his team for this. If it were anyone else, he would be all over them.

I understand where you're coming from - and if you're playing high school or college IM, it is inappropriate. However, like blubear said, these people are all professionals who actually get paid to do this.

I feel really bad for the losing team in the circumstances you describe - even in varsity college sports I feel bad for teams getting crushed - but just not for the pros who get millions of dollars to play. Their job is to bring a competitive game onto the field.

And, btw, I'm a Redskins fan.

[jacone21]

After watching NFL defensive players celebrate every play, and taunt, and flex, and pose, and dance, and act like complete jackasses... I take a lot of pleasure in watching them get their butts handed to them by the Patriots. Bringing up sportsmanship at this point is hypocritical. Dance to that, beeeyotches!

[greybeard]

I think that the B man is just trying to prove that he can win without, um, cheating. Yeap. Really impressed the hell out of me, he did. Doesn't change one freakin thing. The man cheated to get an edge for late in the season. Probably has done it in years past.

Cheater, Cheater, Cheater. He can get his team to win by 100. To me, he is and forever will be a cheat. "No, no, you can't take that away from him."

P.S. He's also an idiot!

[bluebear]

I think that the B man is just trying to prove that he can win without, um, cheating. Yeap. Really impressed the hell out of me, he did. Doesn't change one freakin thing. The man cheated to get an edge for late in the season. Probably has done it in years past.

Cheater, Cheater, Cheater. He can get his team to win by 100. To me, he is and forever will be a cheat. "No, no, you can't take that away from him."

P.S. He's also an idiot!

Oh please..no doubt he deserved to be punished but this is beyond dramatic..please give me your evidence on how BB specifically gained any edge in any of his past wins..anything you offer is baseless speculation.

[feldspar]

Bill has ridden the surprising resurgence of the Boston sports scene to prominence, but the worm is definitely turning. He's been writing the same insipid columns for the past decade, with his played out faux machismo and pop culture jokes. Hell, he's even made Vegas and poker boring.

But I'm actually fine with the Pats running up the score. And not because I think it's morally justified as retribution for all the finger pointing. I like it because it gives me exciting high scoring games and gives us hope that Belichick will put the starters in for 3 quarters against the Giants if a 16-0 season is on the line.

I am fairly ambivalent to the Pats and all Boston area sports teams (I am less a fan of their fans), but I like seeing history in the making.

Oh, breen. Just admit it. You don't mind it because you own Brady in your fantasy football league.

[billybreen]

Oh, breen. Just admit it. You don't mind it because you own Brady in your fantasy football league.

Unfortunately, I'm not even in a fantasy league. It's a sad story. Last year I was in a league with a group of Microsoft employees, but they decided to keep it within the company this year.

I guess it's not that sad.

[billybreen]

Oh please..no doubt he deserved to be punished but this is beyond dramatic..please give me your evidence on how BB specifically gained any edge in any of his past wins..anything you offer is baseless speculation.

Don't engage him. Otherwise we'll have to deal with pages of posts about how we shouldn't be surprised at BB's bad behavior since anyone associated with a morally bankrupt sport such as football is a fundamentally flawed human being.

[feldspar]

Unfortunately, I'm not even in a fantasy league. It's a sad story. Last year I was in a league with a group of Microsoft employees, but they decided to keep it within the company this year.

I guess it's not that sad.

Next time you better PM me. I've got a couple leagues I could have used a quality manager in.

[YmoBeThere]

(I am less a fan of their fans)

Hmmm, I have met a few of their fans that were ummm, acceptable...

[billybreen]

Hmmm, I have met a few of their fans that were ummm, acceptable...

Oh sure, I like most of the fans I know personally.

[JasonEvans]

I think that the B man is just trying to prove that he can win without, um, cheating. Yeap. Really impressed the hell out of me, he did. Doesn't change one freakin thing. The man cheated to get an edge for late in the season. Probably has done it in years past.

Cheater, Cheater, Cheater. He can get his team to win by 100. To me, he is and forever will be a cheat. "No, no, you can't take that away from him."

P.S. He's also an idiot!

I think you can make your points while not being mean-spirited, GB. Please try to keep it under control.

-Jason

[Exiled_Devil]

As a casual fan of the NFL, I see no problem with this. I don't see how people are saying that the Patriots are desecrating the game or insulting their opponents. They are playing all out for the whole game. I would expect that from a professional sports team. I tend to agree with the comments echoed here - defenses should just stop them if they think it is wrong.

I think there is validity to BB pushing it on everyone because of the talk about tainted Superbowls. He is showing people what his offense can do if it is unrestrained. It's kind of fun. I also see the whole "cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater" as silly. First of all, the videotaping seems to me like very aggressive scouting. It's just what happens when technology meets the game. Secondly, I find it hard to believe that this wasn't SOP for all the teams in the league.

So, my position is go for it. It makes for good football and good television.

[gvtucker]

We're talking professional sports here. I'm in Tom Jackson's camp. You don't like it, you find a way to stop them.

[murpho]

It makes betting on the Pats very easy with no need to worry about them letting off the gas and letting the huge underdog cover. This week I believe they are giving 4 to the Colts.

[JasonEvans]

It makes betting on the Pats very easy with no need to worry about them letting off the gas and letting the huge underdog cover. This week I believe they are giving 4 to the Colts.

This is likely the last time you will see the Pats as less than a 2 TD favorite this season and the only time you will see the Colts as an underdog (until they likely face again in the Super Bowl... I mean in the AFC Championship).

--Jason "what is the over/under? If it is less than 55, I'm betting the over" Evans

[billybreen]

This is likely the last time you will see the Pats as less than a 2 TD favorite this season and the only time you will see the Colts as an underdog (until they likely face again in the Super Bowl... I mean in the AFC Championship).

If the Pats win by less than 14, I will be shocked. Especially since the Colts have a banged up Marvin Harrison.

[hurleyfor3]

This is likely the last time you will see the Pats as less than a 2 TD favorite this season and the only time you will see the Colts as an underdog (until they likely face again in the Super Bowl... I mean in the AFC Championship).

--Jason "what is the over/under? If it is less than 55, I'm betting the over" Evans

I want the Pats to keep blowing people out just to see what the lines are gonna be like. I think the St. Louis Rams in the Kurt Warner era were -22 once; the biggest line I recall the 49ers ever getting to was -19. They can't make the line big enough against the Pats. You want 25 points? 30? You sure?

The NE/Indy line right now looks like Pats -5½ and 56½.

[Mal]

My guess is the over/under will end up at 60 or more, as fans have seen the Patriots put up 40+ multiple times already and think of the Colts as a team that plays in a lot of shootouts, too (although that's no longer really true). I'd take the under - Indy will attempt to keep Brady off the field by slowing the game down, and has the ability to actually do so, at least more than the Jets, Dolphins and Redskins could. The Patriots haven't played a defense in the top half of the league yet, either (they've barely played defenses in the top 3/4), and somehow the Colts unit has turned into one of the top 5 or 10 in the league. Also, New England showed no ability to stop Manning and Co. last time around, although they've upgraded defensively and Harrison's knicked up. But Addai and Keith and the Colts O-line have a decent chance of pounding it and eating some clock. So I don't see Brady getting enough possessions or time to throw another 5 TD passes.

That said, without Marvin, I don't think the Colts can find the end zone enough to keep up. I'll go 31-23, New England. If Sanders can make a few plays, or Freeney can get in Brady's face, and the Colts offense can keep Moss and Brady off the field, there's a chance Moss starts getting petulant and tries to do too much or Brady presses and makes a few mistakes. That's the only way Indy can win, I think. I can't remember a reigning Super Bowl champion, improved from the championship season, playing at home, who will be incredibly fired up and feeling disrespected all week, that needed as many things to break their way to have a chance at winning a game. That's how good the Patriots are right now. I guess this game does have a slight Duke/UConn '99 feel to it - the Colts have been plugging away against pretty good teams, N.E. hasn't been close to tested yet - so anything's possible, but I don't see the upset happening.

To the original topic, I don't think it's impossible to hold two contradictory ideas in my head on this: I don't feel any pity for professional defenses getting shown up, and I think Belicheck looks petty and sophomoric. Whatever point they're trying to make, it's made by the time they're up 35-0 in the 3rd quarter. The starting offense is not learning how to "compete for a full 60 minutes" or perform under pressure in crunch time against a defeated defense in a 45-point blowout. All they're doing is risking injury.