dakevdude

A little change from that "16-0 or Another superbowl win" thread. LOL

If the Patriots are in that 15-0 position going into the last game of the regular season...

I myself am torn about the decision...

Truck

both...play half the game, get a 21 pt lead, then rest the second half...
We have a bye the first week of the playoffs, so the 2 weeks rest we'll get is plenty. No reason to make it 3 weeks rest

Pat the Pats Fan

Start everyone, keep them in game shape.....

Look at the Rockies.....

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A sarcastic Bill Belichick on Tom Brady's finger injury, "It's not life threatening."

zadnor

I know the goal is to win the Super Bowl but the chance to go undefeated is, I think, too great an opportunity to pass on. Play 'em.

Pats_AZ

I would think first that BB wouldn't keep his starters out for fear that they get soft. Also if we get a bye and we don't play our starters the lsat game, that would be 3 weeks till they play full speed....i would think that would be a bad idea.

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"Ain't no fun when the rabbit got the gun."

chris_in_sunnyvale

A chance at an undefeated season should be treated as a challenge worth taking on. These players are ultra-competitive and if they are 15-0 heading into that Giants game, they'll be chomping at the bit for a chance at history. One can make a logical argument of not risking injury and resting players, but there will always be a nagging thought on the players' minds about why the coaching staff didn't take a shot at history. Then the media will make it a huge story the two weeks leading up to the divisional round, with stories of how BB was "scared" to face the pressure of attempting 19-0. The players will have two weeks to stew over the decision and that's not a distraction they need when prepping for a team like Pittsburgh, San Diego or Tennessee. Plus, the team has been going full-bore all season. Suddenly putting on the brakes would be an ending to the regular season completely out of character on how the team has played so far, one other thing the players shouldn't be stewing over for two weeks.

Regards,
Chris

TruthSeeker

The decision has already been made. Or perhaps you haven't noticed that the Patriots keep their starters on the field longer than they (sometimes) need to...

AndyJohnson

I dont understand these threads. They imply that there is a tradeoff between having players play all the games and success in the playoffs.
I do not believe there is.

I think that if we have clinched HFA with 4 games left, we play our players for those 4 games. (I would agree we should be more apt during that time to remove them when we are ahead by a lot). I am certain that a team that continues to play through the season is more prepared for the playoffs whether or not they have injuries. If you sit players to avoid injuries, you lose your edge. Players play. I would rather have my players on the field at 90% because they are banged up than have them at 100% but inactive for 2,3,4 weeks.
we will have a bye in 'week 18'. I do not want our players sitting out from week 16 to 'week 19' because they will be less effective than if they played and were banged up a bit, and the entire team will be more effective with those guys having played and stayed sharp, even if some of them are not on the field because they sustained injuries in the last game or 2.

JoeSixPat

As one of the local sports writers mentioned, do you think Belichick, a veritable NFL historian who took such glee in calling for the first drop kick since 1941 (actually filling in reporters on the historic aspect of Flutie's kick) is going to pass up a chance for NFL immortality?

Even if he were you don't think the players would beg for a chance?

We'd be 15-0 ... there's no chance we don't have the bye and a week to rest the next week.

You might be torn but no one in the Patriots organization would be.

They play to win.

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ChoWZa

They have to get to 15-0 first. Not to be a kill-joy. One step at a time