Patriots 2008

First of all, I realize this sounds ridiculous. Coming off the greatest season ever (18 straight wins) with a huge upset in the Superbowl, the Patriots could taste the victory but fell short. Its considered one of the biggest disappointments in sports history. I was reading some statistics in an article about how the super-bowl runner up hasn't made it back to the Superbowl for a long time, but its not ever year that the runner up suffered its only loss all season during the Superbowl. In fact its never happened before.

It hasn't been long since the Patriots last title, and a good portion of the team are NFL veterans who have never won a Super Bowl title. The odds of a team going undefeated in the NFL (undefeated teams to number of teams in NFL times years since NFL was founded) is 1 : 2,816 (the one team only had a 14 game season, 16 including post season). The odds of going 18-1, and THEN next season going 19-0 you can't even put in numbers.

New England Patriots 2008 Regular Season Schedule

Kansas City Chiefs - 51
@ New York Jets - 67
Miami Dolphins - 17
@ San Francisco 49ers - 42
@ San Diego Chargers - 80
Denver Broncos - 69
St. Louis Rams - 46
@ Indianapolis Colts - 92
Buffalo Bills - 61
New York Jets - 67
@ Miami Dolphins - 17
Pittsburgh Steelers - 81
@ Seattle Seahawks - 74
@ Oakland Raiders - 41
Arizona Cardinals - 39
@ Buffalo Bills - 61

I added next to each team how I would rate them from 0 - 100, 0 being the worst 100 the best. Anything over a score of 80 may be a close game. Colts, Steelers, Chargers. Only game out of those 3 I see the Patriots possibly losing is vs the Colts in Indy (5th year in a row playing Indy IN Indy? Come on NFL). Their opponents aren't that great which gives them an advantage, but there are 2 back to back weeks where they have consecutive games on the West Coast (I put them in red). Do you fly home for 5 days then fly back out? Or do you stay there? Its always been a tough debate, and now the patriots have to face it twice. If any team can pull off the win during those games though, its the Patriots. Past 2 seasons they are 15-1 on the road during regular season.

Regular season they will go 15-1 or 16-0, I'm leaning towards the unlike back to back 16-0 seasons. Post season is a different story

Post Season Predictions

AFC East - Patriots (bye) - 1
AFC South - Colts (bye) - 2
AFC West - Chargers - 3
AFC North - Steelers - 4

AFC North - Ravens (wildcard) - 5
AFC South - Jaguars (wildcard) - 6

Round 1:
Chargers vs Jaguars - Jaguars win
Steelers vs Ravens - Steelers win

Round 2: (AFC Semi-Championship)
Patriots vs Jaguars - Patriots win
Colts vs Steelers - Colts win

Round 3: (AFC Championship)
Patriots vs Colts - Patriots win

Round 4: (SUPERBOWL)
Patriots

vs

THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS!

Patriots win.

I think by "Its considered one of the biggest disappointments in sports history." you mean The greatest and most glorious upset of all time.
I had hoped that after such an unmatched failure the Patriots would fade into mediocrity, but I see there are still sour grapes out there.

vs the Saints? They don't drug test at your job, do they?

Crazy or brilliant? I guess we'll find out but I am going to side with the former.

-Mark

robbiex0r said:

I think by "Its considered one of the biggest disappointments in sports history." you mean The greatest and most glorious upset of all time.
I had hoped that after such an unmatched failure the Patriots would fade into mediocrity, but I see there are still sour grapes out there.
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u77/KLOdom/PATSSUCK.jpg

http://i38.tinypic.com/2mqq5o3.jpg

http://i37.tinypic.com/1zlaz2w.jpg

http://i33.tinypic.com/51hdj.jpg

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Hehe. Wasn't really a fair game. After the whole "spy gate" incident the NFL was all over the Patriots ass. Every game after week 1 they were closely watched and monitored by the NFL. If you followed the patriots all season long you would start to see as the season went on the calls were getting heavily in the favor of the Patriots opponents. And dispite of that they went 18-0. Then during the Superbowl, worst called game I've ever seen.

The greatest "missed call" of all times, when Eli through that bomb down field to set up their final touchdown. Adalius Thomas was about to rip Eli's head off, except for the linemen grabbing the back of his jersey pulling him away from Eli for nearly 5 seconds RIGHT IN FRONT OF A REF. No call. :/

Everyone around here knew going into it that we wouldn't win. You just had that feeling. NFL didn't want a "questionable" team becoming the first ever 19-0 team, thus the greatest team in NFL history.

If you disagree on any games that they might lose other than the Colts, feel free to bet a cigar.

I think they will have a really good season this year (13-3 or 14-2) but they wont go undefeated. Their schedule is relatively easy when you look at it tho.

Greatest season ever? IF they would have won the SB, then I'd agree with you.

Cory said:

If you followed the patriots all season long you would start to see as the season went on the calls were getting heavily in the favor of the Patriots opponents.

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Oh really !??! Wanna ask the Ravens about that?



Seth

tomthirtysix said:

vs the Saints? They don't drug test at your job, do they?

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Hmmm, who is your NFC team then Mr. Tom? ( I smell a wager )


Seth

MartyMcFly said:

I think they will have a really good season this year (13-3 or 14-2) but they wont go undefeated. Their schedule is relatively easy when you look at it tho.

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I don't realistically see them losing any game other than the Colts in Indy, yet they are 15-1 on the orad over past 2 years, that 1 loss being in Indy 2 years ago.

There always are those close games that you would expect the better team to win, but for some reason they didn't perform so well, or the other team was just clicking on all cylinders.

Cory said:

Everyone around here knew going into it that we wouldn't win. You just had that feeling. NFL didn't want a "questionable" team becoming the first ever 19-0 team, thus the greatest team in NFL history.

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That's a ridiculous statement.

Patriots 19-0?

Don't see it!

To many variables, Brady goes down in week one with a broken ankle, broken finger throwing hand, or whatever....then what.

Besides you only get one chance at a perfect season in your career if you're lucky...that was last year.

Patriots 13-3 bow out in the second round.

crluap said:

Patriots 19-0?

Don't see it!

To many variables, Brady goes down in week one with a broken ankle, broken finger throwing hand, or whatever....then what.

Besides you only get one chance at a perfect season in your career if you're lucky...that was last year.

Patriots 13-3 bow out in the second round.

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And what happens when Gisele goes back to Leonardo (her true BFF)? You only get one chance at a piece of ass like that if you're lucky.

Brady goes into deep depression. Patriots go 8 and 8. Or 6 and 10. I can't decide.

tsmckenney said:

Cory said:

Everyone around here knew going into it that we wouldn't win. You just had that feeling. NFL didn't want a "questionable" team becoming the first ever 19-0 team, thus the greatest team in NFL history.

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That's a ridiculous statement.

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Not really, how you figure? Its the same with steroids in baseball. No one wanted Barry Bonds to become the greatest home run hitter of all time, correct? MLB has no control over that, whats the umpire going to lie and say that it didn't go over? Might give him some bad strike calls which they did at times (and trust me I don't like Bonds), but other than that they have no control.

In the NFL and NBA where calls are made by referees, there's always been league involvement over the outcome of games. NBA makes millions of dollars PROFIT for every post season game. TENS of millions in PROFIT during a finals game. If a teams up 2-0 or 3-0, they have ref favor the losing team to extend the series, thus giving them millions.

Since the NFL doesn't have nearly as many games as the NBA, the NFL fixes it in a different way. They just make sure one team doesn't dominate the league. If you seriously think that all these old corporate figure heads are angels, and care more about the "integrity" of the game over making MILLIONS, then your hopeless. Maybe of your team was ever on top you would understand.

crluap said:

Patriots 19-0?

Don't see it!

To many variables, Brady goes down in week one with a broken ankle, broken finger throwing hand, or whatever....then what.

Besides you only get one chance at a perfect season in your career if you're lucky...that was last year.

Patriots 13-3 bow out in the second round.

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Patriots are by far best team in the NFL. I don't see them not going to the Superbowl. They had a taste of it last year. They know they can go all the way undefeated. They learned from their mistakes and are more determined than ever to come back with a title.

If you were on the Patriots, your team went 18-0, and you LOSE in the Superbowl what would you do? "Boo hoo, we lost, I hate football. I'm never going to try again". or would you say, "So damn close, will be different next time around guaranteed."

Now atleast the Patriots know a few things.

1. They can go 19-0.
2. The NFL wont be giving them any help.
3. They aren't invincible.

Thus knowing this, they are a stronger and better team.

Get over it.

Nobody "stole" your championship. Nobody beat the Pats but the Giants. Making plays at the end of the game when it mattered most is what won the Super Bowl.

If there were "league involvement" over the outcome of games it would have been exposed years ago and the FTC and other federal agencies would be all over it.

Get over yourself and your team. They had a good season but came up one game short. Deal with it and move on.

And "my team" has been on top since your team last won a championship, so don't give me any of that crap...

Cory said:

tsmckenney said:

Cory said:

Everyone around here knew going into it that we wouldn't win. You just had that feeling. NFL didn't want a "questionable" team becoming the first ever 19-0 team, thus the greatest team in NFL history.

Click to expand...

That's a ridiculous statement.

Click to expand...

Not really, how you figure? Its the same with steroids in baseball. No one wanted Barry Bonds to become the greatest home run hitter of all time, correct? MLB has no control over that, whats the umpire going to lie and say that it didn't go over? Might give him some bad strike calls which they did at times (and trust me I don't like Bonds), but other than that they have no control.

In the NFL and NBA where calls are made by referees, there's always been league involvement over the outcome of games. NBA makes millions of dollars PROFIT for every post season game. TENS of millions in PROFIT during a finals game. If a teams up 2-0 or 3-0, they have ref favor the losing team to extend the series, thus giving them millions.

Since the NFL doesn't have nearly as many games as the NBA, the NFL fixes it in a different way. They just make sure one team doesn't dominate the league. If you seriously think that all these old corporate figure heads are angels, and care more about the "integrity" of the game over making MILLIONS, then your hopeless. Maybe of your team was ever on top you would understand.

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My team (per being born and partially raised in Milwaukee) is the Packers. They have won Super Bowls. They have been on top. I have been on top as well. Thousands of times. Nowadays though, I prefer my wife on top. She's very, very good on top.

Complaining about referee calls is something you should save for the ESPN boards. Maybe they have a forum for kids.

LMAO @ Mick.

WGAF about the Patriots. Last time I checked, whining about referees or how the NFL doesn't like you, has never won championships.

This is a cigar board, give this talk a rest until the season is mid-way through, then we'll see how your team is doing.

tsmckenney said:

Complaining about referee calls is something you should save for the ESPN boards. Maybe they have a forum for kids.

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Doggin the Kids team and now his age. What's next his school?

I am willing to bet a box of cigars that the Pat's do not go undefeated (19-0). PM for details. I can do this as many times as there are takers.

Fish

In the nature of good spirited betting,
I am willing to bet Opus, 3-1, that the Pat's don't even go 16-0 through the regular season. Put your one Opus against my three. All day long.


As a Packers fan, I know what it's like to be on top.... and win a deserved Superbowl.

As my boss just said, "I'd rather lose the first game of the season, than the last."