Bella*chick

For some reason, this thread got to me last night....about last year's team. I thought about how close we were and what might have been for the 2007 team. And it bothered me a lot more than usual. I think it's because the 2004 DVD is such a great comfort thing for me and I feel cheated that I don't have it for last year, since last year was so intense and meant so much.

I thought I was over it but I'm pretty sure I never will be. Sucks.

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Lifer

Which 2007 team, the first half team, or the fading second half team. I dont think there is any way the team that finished last year beats the 2004 team.

Lifer

Exactly! That was good, solid Ravens team and the Patriots made them look like nothing. They did the same thing to a very good Jets team in New York.
The 2003 team never really blew out anybody except for that beautiful 31-0 revenge game on Buffalo. The 2004 team also went into Arrowhead and made easy work of a good Chiefs team on MNF.

For me, it was comes back to the playoffs that year. Only an all-time great team dominates the 2004 Colts and the 2004 Steelers like that.

BSR

I don't buy the 2004 team being a more complete team then the 2007. That 2004 team didn't have the staunchest of defenses either. You are also underestimating the 2007 defense last year as well. Did you know that they only surrendered 12 more total points the entire year then the top defense that year (274 vs 262)? Did you realize that they went 9 consecutive quarters in the playoffs without surrendering a TD? Compare the two defenses, player for player, and there isn't much of a difference. Some players have gotten older and slower (Bruschi and Vrable) but others actually improved (Wilfork, Warren and Samuel). Lets not forget how special that 2007 team was just because of the SB loss. I think the fact that they were so good makes it so hard for me to get over that loss.

Rob0729

The Pats offense helped last year's defense. It is easy to defend a team that has become one dimensional and forced to pass down the field a lot when the offense has gotten your team a 3-4 TD lead in the first half. They were not nearly as good as the 2004 defense. The red zone defense was suspect last year too like this year. The defense didn't have to win any games last year either.

I am not taking away anything from the 2007 team, but the 2004 team lost only one more game than the 2007 team. Brady doesn't make two stupid passes in Miami and Dillon plays the Steelers' game and that team might have gone 19-0. So let's not take anything away from them either. And they didn't have nearly the offense the 2007 team had to work with. They had to win with both sides of the ball. They were the more complete team no matter what stats suggest.

Deus Irae

On the other hand, by playing with such leads, the defense was often put into a situation of just killing clock. Yes it brought pressure on occasion, but it also sat back a lot.

The real difference between the two teams is that the 2004 defense couldn't have stopped the 2007 offense, but the 2007 defense could have slowed down/stopped the 2004 offense. Taking both teams playing their best, I'd expect the 2007 team to win.

Now, having said this, I would also note that one of the other significant changes could have a huge impact on the game, and that is the ability to be physical with the receivers all the way down the field.

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Rob0729

Why couldn't the 2004 defense stop the 2007 offense? The Giants did. The Ravens did for the most part. The 2004 Pats defense stopped the Colts on four shots at the endzone at home and then held them to 3 points in the playoffs (they averaged 32.6 PPG that year).

Defense wins championships as we saw last year. I personally would take the 2004 or 2003 team over the 2007 team for that reason if I was going to pick one for one game to win a Super Bowl. Although people love to blame the offense for the Super Bowl loss last year, if the defense did it job on any one of three plays on the final drive and the Pats win the Super Bowl. I will always go with the team with the better defense when things are pretty close.

Sivy

Any part of that team that wasnt in the one that played in the superbowl. For the most part they blew people away, and in the second half of the season, they even won some close ones, much like the 04 patriots. That fluke of a game and the end of the season doesnt count (atleast not in this post)

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Lifer

I dont buy your logic. It wasnt just the Giants in the SB. The Chargers werent exactly blown away by the Patriots offense in the AFCC Game. The Ravens, the Eagles, the Patriots offense was slowed down quite a bit in the second half of the season. If those teams could do it, Belichick, Crennel, Mangini and a younger Patriot defense of 2004 could have done it too.
They held an offense comparable to the 2007 Patriots, the 2004 Colts, to 3 POINTS. WITHOUT SEYMOUR!
Its not what you do in September and October, its what happens as you get into December, January, and February.

look, 2007 was an historic year and i give last years team credit. But to say they were better than the 2004 team doesnt make sense to me as the 2004 was at its best when it counted, the mark of a Champion.

Lets not forget intangibles, the 2004 always played above itself, and when it mattered most, when the most people were watching. Compare the 2004 playoffs to the 2007 playoffs. Its not close.

Deus Irae

Are you claiming that the 2007 team played its best in the Super Bowl?

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"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."
- Marcus Aurelius