solman

Think Michael Jordan in the NBA.

If the Patriots finish the season like they started they will be the proud owners of the following stats:

19-0
16-0 (regular season)
+25.5 average margin of victory
+171 net yards per game (patriots yards - opponents yards)

CHFF compiled a list of the greatest teams in the history of the game (from a book they like), and none of those teams exceeded the following:

17-0 (1972 Dolphins)
14-0 (1972 Dolphins)
+19.8 (1962 Packers)
+124.3 (1979 Steelers)

New England is on pace to utterly demolish the standards of dominance set by these juggernauts of old.

If the Patriots can finish the job, nobody is even going to debate which team is best (except that old fellow who keeps on getting laughed at when he insists that Bill Russell was better than MJ).

When ESPN 50 asks "who's #1?" it will be all Patriots all the time.

What really boggles the mind is that the Patriot's competitors played in an era of much greater disparity than the present day (yes that remains true despite what is happening this season). The 1979 Steelers in particular could never have existed if there were modern free agency and a salary cap. The first three Superbowl victories would have led to the departure of numerous key contributors. What the Patriots are doing should be flat out impossible.

Bo0MeR

didn't you hear? They already are

solman

No Superbowl, no greatest ever.

We can lose several games during the regular season. We can lose to Indy and Pittsburgh and Miami in embarrassing fashion. We'll still have SOME claim on greatest ever.

But if we don't win the Superbowl, none of it counts. Any records we set will always be in the context of the Superbowl that we didn't win.