Body Language.
Add it to the list of asinine reasons the media has come up with over the past six seasons, as to why the Patriots are not the dominant force in the NFL. It seems like every week CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and the Associated Press hold a conference to determine the best way to slight our team. You can tell that after all these years of having those comments shoved down their throats, they're running out of material. So as the 2-1 Patriots headed into Cincinnati last Sunday, Tom Brady's Body Language was the lame reason why the New England Patriots Dynasty was about to crumble beyond repair.
I'm not going to lie to you and say that I expected a win last week. However, my doubts were due to the fact that the Bengals are a top-class team, the Patriots had an injury depleted secondary, and Tom Brady had yet to establish a real chemistry with his new receiving corps. Had this game been played in Week 14, instead of Week 4, I would never have questioned the team's chances. But my uncertainty certainly had nothing to do with Tom Brady's posture.
And even though my brain was telling me it was simply too early for this recently assembled team to be cohesive enough to overcome the Bengals, my heart still held on to one fact: When the world counts the Patriots out, they prove the world wrong.
Every time.
Ever since Drew Bledsoe went down in 2001 and Tom Brady took his place, the Patriots have always managed to win the games that everyone said they couldn't. And every time that a loss has made people question their chances, they've bounced back with a dominating win.
2001 - Starting 0-2, the Patriots ended the regular season on a six game winning streak. They then defeated Oakland, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis to win the Super Bowl, all games they had "no chance" to win.
2002 - After a 3-4 start, the Pats won 5 of 6. When a late season stumble, put the season in jeopardy, they pulled out a must-win victory in overtime against Miami. A tiebreaker kept them out of the playoffs.
2003 - After suffering a 31-0 shut-out on opening day, and a 2-2 start, New England didn't lose the rest of the season on their way to a second title.
2004 - A 6-0 start was tainted by a horrible loss in Pittsburgh in which Ty Law suffered a season ending injury and was replaced by Troy Brown. They won eleven of the next twelve on their way to a third Super Bowl, including a dominating victory in Pittsburgh in the AFC Championship game.
2005 - After suffering their largest string of injuries ever, the 4-4 Patriots won 6 of 8 to finish 10-6, with one of those games being a throw-away loss the last week. Making the playoffs at all was an amazing accomplishment. Defeating a 12-4 Jaguars team in the wild card round, before finally succumbing to the Broncos, is a further testament to this team's heart.
2006 - After a defeat against the Broncos where the Patriots offense was nowhere to be found, the 2-1 Patriots went into Paul Brown stadium and racked up 424 yards on their way to a 38-13 drubbing of the Bengals.
What did I tell you? Every time.
Predictions:
NFC NORTH:
1. Bears
2. Vikings
3. Lions
4. Packers
NFC SOUTH:
1. Falcons
2. Panthers
3. Saints
4. Buccaneers
NFC EAST:
1. Eagles
2. Cowboys
3. Redskins
4. Giants
NFC WEST:
1. Rams
2. Seahawks
3. 49ers
4. Cardinals
NFC SEEDING:
1. Bears
2. Falcons
3. Eagles
4. Rams
5. Panthers
6. Seahawks
AFC NORTH:
1. Bengals
2. Ravens
3. Steelers
4. Browns
AFC SOUTH:
1. Colts
2. Jaguars
3. Texans
4. Titans
AFC EAST:
1. Patriots
2. Jets
3. Bills
4. Dolphins
AFC WEST:
1. Broncos
2. Chargers
3. Chiefs
4. Raiders
AFC SEEDING:
1. Colts
2. Patriots
3. Broncos
4. Bengals
5. Chargers
6. Ravens
NFC PLAYOFFS:
Wildcard Round:
Eagles over Seahawks, Panthers over Rams
Divisional Round:
Bears over Panthers, Eagles over Falcons
NFC Championship:
Bears over Eagles
AFC PLAYOFFS:
Wildcard Round:
Broncos over Ravens, Bengals over Chargers
Divisional Round:
Bengals over Colts, Patriots over Broncos (Another "No Chance" Victory)
AFC Championship
Patriots over Bengals
SUPERBOWL XLI:
Patriots over Bears
