You Are Viewing...

New England Patriots - "Lucky"

"Lucky" E-mail
Written by DeROK   
Monday, 03 December 2007
The Patriots survive their biggest scare of the season on Monday Night.

New England Patriots 

NFL Quarterly Report 

"Good luck is a lazy man's estimate of a worker's success." - Anonymous

On Monday Night, the New England Patriots channeled the ghost of their former underdog selves, and rolled out of Baltimore with their undefeated streak intact. Up until that game, the 2007 NFL season has consisted of the Patriots running up scores at a record-breaking pace, with only the Colts and Eagles able to keep things close. This year has been a far cry from Brady's early days where the team would pull out victory after victory by the most dramatic of means.

"The Tuck Rule", "The Intentional Safety" - say those words to any Patriots fan and immediately a flood of memories comes rushing back. They remind us of games where everything seemed lost, but by the most bizarre set of circumstances, the Patriots managed to sneak out a win. Whether it be forcing Olindo Mare into two missed field goals in Miami, stuffing the Colts four times on 1st and Goal on the 1 yard line in Indianapolis, or Troy Brown tearing an interception out of Marlon McCree's hands last season in San Diego, the Patriots have an uncanny knack for ending games in ways which leave their fans' jaws gaping wide open.

After the gamed had ended Monday Night, the Ravens began chirping about how the referees had a hidden agenda to keep New England's undefeated streak intact. Let's forget for a moment that the games vs. the Colts and Eagles were only close because of horrendous officiating against the Patriots, which pretty much renders that theory void, and assess their claims. Where was the bad call?  The Ravens were the team that called the timeout on the first stuffed 4th and 1. Matt Light clearly had a false start on the second 4th and 1 attempt. If the Patriots had managed to pick up a 1st down on either of those plays and the officials had not blown the whistle, the Ravens would have been livid. You can't have it both ways. On a later 4th down play, Benjamin Watson was unquestionably mugged in the end zone and a penalty was justly enforced. In fact, the only botched call of the game's final minutes was that offensive pass interference was not called against Baltimore on the final hail Mary play. I hardly see the grounds for a conspiracy.

As the dust settled on Tuesday morning, the general consensus around the league was that Baltimore had simply lost all semblance of composure and was making excuses. However, that didn't stop everyone from spouting on about how "lucky" the Patriots were. I'll admit that those thoughts crossed my mind as well, as certainly nothing the Patriots did caused the Ravens' offensive coordinator to call a timeout at the most inopportune time imaginable. However, looking back at the past seven years, it's clear that the New England Patriots have survived more close calls than any other team in the league. In fact, it's not even close. At some point you have to step back and consider that the Patriots' overwhelming amount of "I can't believe what I just saw!" moments doesn't boil down to mere luck. At some point it becomes clear that the Patriots win those types of games because they're able to do something there opponents are not. They keep their composure. They make the extra play. They simply refuse to quit and believe they are going to somehow come up with the victory no matter what it takes. That's why they win games, not because Tom Brady hangs a rabbit's foot in his locker. Yes, some may say it's better to be lucky than good...

But it looks to me like the Patriots have simply decided to be both.


Predictions:

NFC NORTH:

1. Packers

2. Vikings

3. Lions

4. Bears

The Packers are undeniably on top of the division, but the surging Vikings may very well overtake the floundering Lions for second place and a playoff spot.

 

NFC SOUTH:

1. Buccaneers

2. Saints

3. Panthers

4. Falcons

It's the Buccaneers' division and none of the other three are worth mentioning.

NFC EAST:

1. Cowboys

2. Giants

3. Eagles

4. Redskins

The Cowboys have clinched and the Giants are a near-lock for the playoffs.

NFC WEST:

1. Seahawks

2. Cardinals

3. Rams

4. 49ers

The Seahawks nearly have things wrapped up, and the Cardinals just may be the favorite to wrap up the final wildcard spot.

NFC SEEDING:

1. Cowboys

2. Packers

3. Buccaneers

4. Seahawks

5. Giants

6. Cardinals

 

AFC NORTH:

1. Steelers

2. Browns

3. Bengals

4. Ravens

Pittsburgh is close to wrapping things up, and the scrappy Browns are in line for a wild card spot.

 

AFC SOUTH:

1. Colts

2. Jaguars

3. Titans

4. Texans

The Jaguars and Colts are near-locks for the post-season. The Titans will have to give Cleveland a run for their money if they want that sixth seed.

 

AFC EAST:

1. Patriots

2. Bills

3. Jets

4. Dolphins

Could we see 16-0 and 0-16 out of the same division?  I actually like the Dolphins' chances of going out as un-defeaters than the Patriots' of going undefeated. Meanwhile the Bills are a dark horse for the wild card, and the Jets remain completely irrelevant.

 

AFC WEST:

1. Chargers

2. Broncos

3. Raiders

4. Chiefs

Horrible division. The Chargers will make the playoffs by default.

 

AFC SEEDING:

1. Patriots

2. Colts

3. Steelers

4. Chargers

5. Jaguars

6. Browns

 

NFC PLAYOFFS:

Wildcard Round:

Giants over Seahawks, Buccaneers over Cardinals

Divisional Round:

Cowboys over Giants, Packers over Buccaneers

NFC Championship:

Cowboys over Packers - there's just no denying who the better team is.

 

AFC PLAYOFFS:

Wildcard Round:

Steelers over Browns, Jaguars over Chargers

Divisional Round:

Patriots over Jaguars, Colts over Steelers

AFC Championship:

Patriots over Colts

 

SUPERBOWL XLII:

Patriots over Cowboys

Could you imagine a bigger Super Bowl?  18-0 vs. 17-1, where the only loss between the two teams was when they played each other?  This would certainly be the Super Bowl of Super Bowls!


 
< Prev   Next >

New England Patriots 2007 Archive

The New England Patriots lose Super Bowl XLII.
A game away from perfection, it's time to look back on the Patriots' 7-year journey.
After finishing a perfect 16-0, the Patriots look towards the ultimate prize.
The Patriots survive their biggest scare of the season on Monday Night.
At the season's mid-point, the Patriots are on pace for a record-shattering year.
Everyone is jumping on the Patriots' bandwagon, and it's making me sick.
The annual Week 2 NFL Update.
A response to the Bill Belichick video camera scandal.
Tom Brady and his new weapons seek to build a dynasty of their own.

New England Patriots Bunker Archives

Title dreams are shattered when an ACL is torn.
The Patriots make a run at perfection and almost get there.
Against all odds, the Patriots rally, but eventually fall to the Colts.
A slew of injuries crushes the Patriots hopes for a third-straight title.
The Dynasty is born as the Patriots claim a third title in four years.
The Patriots win 15 straight games en-route to their 2nd Super Bowl.
The Patriots attempt to defend their first Super Bowl title.

NFL Teams

My favorite team, the three-time Super Bowl Champions.
This expansion team found success early and continues to win.
These lovable losers aren't content with losing any longer.
This often overlooked team packs a ferocious bite.
A franchise as pathetic as the city they hail from.
A team that's historically lacked luck, but always has lots of heart.

DeROK's Top Picks

My favorite team, the three-time Super Bowl Champions.
You'll never view your spleen the same way again...
A collection of SNES Games available for download.
A collection of NES games available for download.
Featuring the Top 40 videos.

Random Video Games

Byte journeys through several classics games.
Mega Man's original adventure gets all mixed up.
It's challenging 2-D platforming at it's best.
Classic Mega Man action in a flash game.
Mario's world has evolved into an all-new adventure.

Random DeROK.Net Videos

Viva La Vida at the Music Awards.
Don't mess with this chick!
A hilarious public service announement from the Fonz.
Jets fans: Behold, your hero!
This is classics 80's television.

Copyright © 2009 www.DeROK.Net - All Rights Reserved. Trademarks used herein are property of their respective owners.


Bloguin

DeROK.Net