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Fourth and Long: In Pursuit of Patriot Perfection

2007 October 24
by Jen DiGiacomo

Back in 2007 and 2008, I wrote a weekly online pro football column dubbed “Fourth and Long” for the late Football for Breakfast website. One hopes the gentle reader will enjoy this blast from 10/24/07…

Baseball, with its storied history, has many austere records. The triple crown. The perfect game. The immaculate inning.

But football has the perfect season.

The holy grail of the NFL, achieved only once in the 87-year history of professional football.

Think about that. Once.

Sure the Akron Pros went 8-0-3 in 1920, the Canton Bulldogs 10-0-2 in 1922 and 11-0-1 in 1923, and the Green Bay Packers 12-0-1 in 1929. But they all had those unsightly ties, blemishes that forever marred their shot at sports immortality.

The Chicago Bears came close twice, finishing the regular season undefeated and untied in both 1934 and 1942. But they suffered heartbreaking losses in the NFL Championship both years.

In the end, only one team has achieved perfection.

The 1972 Miami Dolphins. 17-0.

Of course the regular season was only 14 games back then. But the Dolphins pulled it off even after losing starting QB Bob Griese to a broken ankle in week 5.

So this year the New England Patriots seem intent to match and, if possible, surpass this immortal record by going 19-0.

A little premature to talk about that in week 7, right?

Probably. But there is a growing feeling that the Patriots are something special. That we are witnessing history in the making. The Patriots have a different swagger than any other undefeated team I’ve ever seen. It’s almost as if nothing short of an undefeated season, nothing short of being declared the greatest team in NFL history will be enough for Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots this year.

Why?

Well, to start, the loss to the Colts in the AFC Championship game last season was widely hailed as the end of the Patriots’ domination over the Colts and the AFC as a whole. The Patriots had already lost two straight to the Colts. And in this epic rematch, the Pats were up 18. And lost.

The Colts went on to win the Super Bowl and suddenly, the Patriots were no longer the team to beat. No longer the golden boys of the NFL. Suddenly Tony Dungy was the coach everyone talked about, not Bill Belichick.

So the Patriots cast their net during free agency and caught a whole new set of receivers in Wes Welker, Donte Stallworth and Randy Moss.

Randy Moss. The talented malcontent who, after being accused of taking plays off, famously proclaimed, “I play when I want to play.” Belichick made a deal with the devil and upgraded his offense.

Then as the 2007 season kicked off, the Patriots got caught illegally and brazenly taping the Jets defensive signals providing enough ammunition to the media, other NFL teams and non-Patriot fans across the country to question the legitmacy of Bill Belichick’s legacy and the Patriots’ three world championships.

Maybe, people whispered, Belichick isn’t a genius after all. Maybe, just maybe, he cheated his way to those three Super Bowl victories.

This spoken and unspoken questioning of Belichick’s genius, of the accomplishments of the New England Patriots and the indictment of the Patriot way, supplied Belichick with the ammunition he needed to keep his team focused for an entire season.

The 2007 Patriots are on a mission to prove that taping defensive signals had nothing to do with their stellar success over the past six seasons. That’s why being the best team in 2007 is not enough. That is why they are so focused every single game. Belichick seems to want to show everyone that this is the best team in NFL history, that when they go 19-0, NO ONE will be able to dispute their success.

You can’t argue Belichick’s legacy if he runs the table this year. Four Super Bowl championships in seven years. Perfect season. Greatest team ever. That’s how he will ensure his spot in history.

But if the last few weeks are any indication, even that is not enough. The Patriots with Tom Brady at the helm are on pace to become the greatest offense in NFL history. An average winning margin of almost 23 points, the closest game being a 17-point win over the Browns. A winning margin that allowed Belichick to serve a heaping helping of humble pie to his team.

The message was loud and clear. Winning by 17 is not good enough.

Against the Cowboys, the Patriots scored a touchdown with only 19 seconds left, while leading 42-28. Against the Dolphins — the winless Dolphins, Brady ran a hurry-up offense at the end of the half and faked a spike so they could go up 42-7 at the halftime. By the end of the day, Tom Brady had thrown six touchdown passes. Six.

Look at where Brady is after seven games. 27 touchdowns. He’s on pace to throw 61 for the year. His passer rating is 137.9, set to blow away Peyton Manning’s 121.1 rating from 2004. We’re talking Ruthian numbers here.

It’s as if by eclipsing the achievements of Peyton Manning, Tony Dungy and the Colts, by shattering Peyton Manning’s single season touchdown record, Brady, Belichick and the Patriots will show that the Colts of 2006 were an anomaly. By diminishing the Colts’ offense, by eliminating their greatness from daily conversations, Belichick will solidify the Patriots’ claim to being the greatest team and the greatest dynasty of all-time.

Make no mistake about it.

Their goal is not to win the AFC East. Or a first-round bye. Or merely a Super Bowl victory. Their goal is to be the greatest team in NFL history.

And through seven weeks, they seem to be doing just that.

‘Larry King’ Ramblings

You gotta love the drama of the NFL because the margin between winning and losing is so unbelievably narrow.

Gutsy Kurt Warner is a surprise starter against the Redskins, playing with torn ligaments in his non-throwing arm. And if the Cardinals don’t miss that extra point or the 55-yard field goal at the end of the game, they might have added another chapter to his legend.

What an unbelievable game in Houston. The Texans scored 29 points in the fourth quarter with backup quarterback Sage Rosenfels to take the lead with 57 seconds left. The Titans responded behind their backup quarterback Kerry Collins and marched down the field where kicker Rob Bironas nailed his NFL-record eighth field goal of the game for the win. This from a guy who kicked for the Arena Football League’s minor league Charleston Swamp Foxes in 2003, the Carolina Cobras in 2004 and the New York Dragons in 2005.

Did you see those two fumble returns by the Vikings? The first one was called back but involved 311-pound Kevin Williams picking up a Tony Romo fumble and running, or more accurately rumbling, 84 yards to the endzone. I thought the poor guy was going to drop dead of a heart attack right there on the field. The second one did count, Ben Leber picked up a Patrick Crayton fumble, lateraled it to Cedric Griffin who proceeded to fumble the ball, then picked up his own fumble and ran it in for a touchdown. Not to be outdone, the Cowboys blocked a Vikings’ field goal and returned it 70 yards for a touchdown of their own.

Is this the end of the McNabb era in Philadelphia? The offense really needs to score some points on a consistent basis. Outside of the Lions game, this offense has been anemic. When is Philly going to give McNabb some receivers?

Speaking of the Lions, they already have more wins that last year, sporting a 4-2 record. More importantly, they are on pace to get those ten wins that Kitna was ridiculed for predicting.

The Steelers attempted a 65-yard field goal at the end of the first half against the Broncos. 65-yards! Who do they think they have as a kicker, Ola Kimrin?

Great fourth-quarter touchdown run for Reggie Bush. After all the criticism he has received for not being a workhorse back (he never was and never will be), he bulled his way through three Falcons’ defenders to score the go-ahead touchdown. Then, he scored the ensuing two-point conversion. Go Reggie!

I really like Jason Whitlock, columnist for the Kansas City Star. But during training camp, he ripped Priest Holmes for his comeback attempt, claiming it was all a ploy. Well, Priest Holmes completed his improbable comeback and played for the Chiefs this Sunday, picking up a crucial first down in the fourth quarter. I think Jason might just owe Priest an apology.

‘Heidi’ Chronicles

I really hate being so critical of NBC’s Football Night in America week after week, but the show now inhabits the prime slot for NFL highlights on Sunday evenings and has been a huge disappointment for me. And after watching HBO’s Inside the NFL, it is clear that Bob Costas is still a terrific football host, just not when he appears on the NBC telecast.

Perhaps the problem is too much corporate interference from NBC for it feels like the show has been put together based on corporate agendas and focus groups, instead of as a singular vision.

Inside the NFL proves Costas can be a top-notch host and deftly share the spotlight with Chris Collinsworth, a great analyst and commentator in his own right. But instead of pairing the two of them with one or two other compelling football personalities, NBC has gone for quantity over quality by throwing in Keith Olbermann, Jerome Bettis, Tiki Barber and Peter King.

If NBC wants to fix Football Night in America, the solution is fairly simple. Dump Olbermann whose snarkiness doesn’t work as well as it did back in his ESPN days. Dump Tiki who is so demonstrably smug especially when someone disagrees with him. I like the Bus, but he simply doesn’t add enough. Bring in a former coach like Bill Cowher or Mike Ditka who would have been the perfect complement to this team.

Am I the only one getting tired of player intros that include ‘THE’ before their college name? ‘THE Ohio State.’ ‘THE LSU.’ ‘THE Florida State.’ I understand ‘THE U.’ That’s based on Miami’s logo and their penchance for arrogance. But ‘THE Ohio State’? ‘THE LSU’? I just don’t get it.

No Sunday night game this week as the NFL gives up the primetime slot to accomodate game four of the World Series. And don’t forget the Giants-Dolphins in London at 1pm.

Playoffs?!? Don’t Talk About Playoffs?!?

With apologies to Jim Mora, it’s never too early to talk playoffs…

AFC Playoff Seeds
1) Indianapolis Colts (6-0):
The Colts dominated a very good Jaguars team.
2) New England Patriots (7-0): This team may be one for the ages.
3) Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2): Even after losing to the Broncos, the Steelers are still the third best team in the AFC.
4) Kansas City Chiefs (4-3): Nice win against the Raiders. The Chiefs never seem to play well, but they’ve won four of their last five games. Which, as Herm Edwards would say, is why you play the game.
5) Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2): Tough loss to Colts. Jacksonville has to be hoping Garrard gets healthy in a hurry.
6) Tennessee Titans (4-2): Miraculous victory over the Texans.

NFC Playoff Seeds
1) Dallas Cowboys (6-1):
Not a pretty win against the Vikings, but a nice one after the Patriots debacle.
2) Green Bay Packers (5-1): Bye week. And the best news is the Packers get Koren Robinson back.
3) Carolina Panthers (4-2): Luck seems to be changing for the Panthers even during bye week. Bucs lose, allowing the Panthers to slip into first place in the NFC South.
4) Seattle Seahawks (4-3): A win over the Rams counts just as much as a win over any other team in the league.
5) New York Giants (5-2): Five straight. Now off to London to face the winless Dolphins.
6) Washington Redskins (4-2): After two losses that should have been wins, the Redskins win a game they should have lost.

‘John Madden’ Wayback Machine

This past weekend, football lost a great player, a talented broadcaster and a beloved figure when former Green Bay Packer Max McGee died at age 75 after a tragic fall from his roof while cleaning the gutters.

Max McGee was a colorful character from the heyday of the Green Bay Packers, perhaps best known for the end of his career when he pulled in several circus touchdown catches in Super Bowl I after a night of heavy drinking. Before the game, McGee told starter Boyd Dowler, “I hope you don’t get hurt. I’m not in very good shape.” Dowler would separate his shoulder on the second drive, forcing McGee into action. McGee, however, had left his helmet in the locker room since he had barely played all year managing only four catches on the season. Grabbing the nearest helmet at hand. McGee would go on to catch seven passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns, helping the Packers crush the AFL champion Kansas City Chiefs 35-10.

But for Packer fans, McGee is perhaps better known for his tweaking of legendary coach Vince Lombardi. At the start of training camp in 1961, Lombardi decided it was time to take the team back to basics. Holding up a football, Lombardi proclaimed, “Gentleman, this is a football.” To which McGee retorted, “Uh, Coach, could you slow down a little. You’re going too fast for us.” Even Lombardi chuckled at that one.

Battle for Brian Brohm (or Darren McFadden or Whoever the #1 Pick Will Be)

Having completed seven weeks of the season, the four worst teams in the NFL have neatly fallen into place.

#1 – St. Louis Rams (0-7): Even the return of Marc Bulger doesn’t help. Looks like Linehan has lost this team.
#2 – Miami Dolphins (0-7): It’s really not fair to play the Patriots when you’re 0-6. And it doesn’t get much better when you play a home game in London against the Giants.
#3 – Atlanta Falcons (1-6): Another close game, another loss.
#4 – New York Jets (1-6): Is that it for Chad Pennington?

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