I am not worried if the Pats go 15-1 or 14-2 as long as the Giants somehow get that much needed win in the final week. I don’t think our team is good enough for us as fans to be choosy about how they get any win. I am far more worried about the Dallas game in two weeks however. That one means more than the Pats game that I am expecting to lose at this point.
Jim
Personally, I’d rather see Archie torn over which son to root for, as Manning the Younger and his team get revenge on Manning the Elder and his team for the previous loss.
I saw it happen. Not last season, but the season before that, when the Colts lost, fairly late in the season. Griese et al were on HBO’s Inside the NFL—just another reason to hate that show, I suppose.
From the Snopes article
It sounds like three neighbors who have a little fun. I’ll give them that, especially since they don’t seem very concerned about another team going undefeated.
That’s interesting. The way I had always heard it was that the 72 Dolphins sent a case of champagne to whichever team beat the last remaining undefeated team. The Snopes article sadly does not touch on that.
WRT to the Patriots being a “dirty” team, I think people see what that want to see, and remember what they want to remember. Patriots fans (myself included) look at that Wilfork hit and see something maybe questionable, maybe not. Fans of other teams, understandably jealous of the Pats recent success and the overload of media attention they get, see deliberate malice. Everyone’s mileage will vary.
I think if you catalogued all the Unpsortsmanlike Conduct penalties and fines in the NFL, the Patriots would come in near the bottom. But that’s probably my bias showing 
That’s the thing - I honestly want to like the Pats. I respect a lot of what Belichick does as a coach. He has the most extreme game planning of any coach - that is, the degree to which he’s willing to adjust his game plan to counter opponent’s strengths. He’s very aggressive, which more NFL head coaches should be, but they’re afraid of criticism and play too conservatively. He instills a humble, team over all else attitude. The players off the field are, at least as far as I know, classy and don’t get into trouble.
I really do want to like and respect them, no BS.
But it’s fairly clear they cheat. Now, you’re right, the lack of evidence can’t be necesarily construed either way, but practically how am I, as an individual football fan, supposed to know exactly what the Pats do? I can follow investigations, rumors, what other teams say - and I do, and that’s how I know about the camera, suspect the microphones and the coach’s radio jamming. But if the NFL is going to cover up the results of their investigation, which they have plenty of motivation for, especially if it’s really bad, then I can’t know for sure.
But based on what we do know about what lengths the Patriots are willing to go to to win, and that other NFL teams are saying these things, I don’t find it at all implausible to conclude that they’re cheating in this manner.
And the on the field cheap shotting is stuff I can see with my own eyes. That is absolutely, unambiguously unacceptable.
If you notice, when he begins to fall, his elbow is directed more towards the ground. About halfway through his fall, he raises up his elbow a few more degrees, so it contacts perfectly with the knee. You could have changed the color of any of those uniforms and I would have seen it the same way.
I really thought we’d be decent when the season started. Our D looked really good, and I thought the offense might hold us in enough games to finally let me win my yearly Denver vs. 49 record for a 5th of The Glenlivet. It’s been 6 years of paying out on that bet and I really dislike losing it.
I should have known once people started talking them up that there would be a problem…
The Cardinals were off this week. Still, San Francisco and St. Louis lost, so the NFC West will be between the Cards and the Sea Hags.
The Cardinals will make their first playoff appearance since 1998 when they win this division.
I wonder if there’s ever been a division as weak as the NFC west is. As a niner fan with NFL Sunday Ticket, I sometimes find it hard to even watch a game from that division.
I was scared of St. Louis this week, SenorBeef. The Rams finally had both Bulger and Steven Jackson back, were playing at home, and are certainly desperate for a victory by now. Couple that with unusually high expectations for the Browns in a very winnable game, and you have got all the makings of a letdown game. Fortunately, they pulled through. DirecTV is not an option for me, so I was following an online gamecast. I was yelling at my computer screen when I saw the Rams driving for the tying score, only to see a 4th and short stop. By the Browns defense! That is awesome.
This season is getting very exciting.
MNF had two booth guests, Favre’s wife and Vince Vaughn, tonight. That’s never gonna stop being annoying, even though they seem to be focusing on the games a little more this year rather than interrupting the play-by-play with inane questions.
Favre’s TD pass in OT was pretty cool. The game never would have gotten that far if not for Denver’s fumble on the GB two. That was rough.
Good for Favre, though. After a season in which the media themselves had all but officially announced his retirement, he ignores them and comes back to a 6-1 start. I know this’ll just feed the collective man-crush all broadcasters seem to have on the guy, but I applaud him anyway.
I used to mildly pull for the Pats because Brady is a Michigan guy, but they are grating on me a bit this year. Plus, I think I have my own man-crush on Peyton Manning, so…Go Colts!
Oh, and SenorBeef, it’s Derek Anderson. Just a heads-up. Gotta give DA proper love.