Lloyd_Christmas

I think this thread is dumb, but I'll try to play Devil's advocate anyway just for fun:

Other teams (who have no playoff hopes) are treating their game vs the Pats as "Their Superbowl", thinking that if they end our undefeated season bid, they will have acheived something worth bragging about... something to hang their hat on in an otherwise fruitless season.

We have seen a number of teams play above their heads... with a passion and determination that we are finding hard to match week in and week out (indeed, any team would).

That being said, would those same teams view their game vs the Pats any differently if we were 11-1 and not 12-0? or would they still see us as the #1 team and the concensus choice to win the SB and still treat it like "Their Suberbowl"?

While some of the intensity might be gone, I still think teams would bring their A game in order to play the part of the spoiler. Yeah, we are cellar dwellars, but we beat the Patriots!

In any case, you play each game to win it and in no case is losing a game a 'good thing'. The closest you can come to arguing that is if losing a game will help you avoid a playoff matchup vs a team that you have consistently had trouble with. Even then, 'losing is good' is a hard sell.

__________________
A Truly Vindictive Fanboy-type Poster

"My name is William Stephen Belichick, Coach of the New England Patriots, Three Time Super Bowl Champion, Defensive Guru, Pride of Karlovac, The Greatest Coach in the History of the NFL Since Vince Lombardi. Target of the spygate lynching, Defender of our Dynasty's legacy. And I will have my vengeance, in this game and the rest."

PowerAlley.com

Tom Brady once said: "You cant lose 2 games until you lose 1 first"

Every great team has so "stinkers". At least the last 2 were stinkers and they won!

__________________
Mike

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

Lighting the sky all over the US!

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

bradmahn

So media attention will sway the course of this season? Just as it did in '03?

The Patriots play two of the three worst teams in the NFL in the next four weeks, there should be plenty of time for them to rest up in the fourth quarter against patsies like the Jets and Dolphins. The Steelers game does not matter in this discussion, and the Giants, as has been mentioned, will have very little to play for in week sixteen. That leaves playoff teams that will be playing all out anyway. I don't see where being 16-0 + would be a terrible thing, especially when your main crux of an argument comes because "they're tired." They will have a bye and play two horrible teams in the next three weeks. Rest will not be an issue.

__________________
I don't like Dungy and that's because he [was] the head coach of the Colts. Period. End of question. The degree to which I like a player or coach is predicated solely on the color of the laundry they wear on Sunday. When fans admit this and stop bashing players and coaches for any other reason, the world of sports will be infinitely improved.

Grizzafted

In 2004, when the New England Patriots were 13-2 and had already locked up the #2 seed and a first round bye, they came out against the San Francisco 49ers and Brady played 3 quarters. The Patriots are going to play the season out, you don't want guys rusty.

__________________
bring 'em on...

Charlotte Pats Fan

There exhausted from playing 3 Primetime Night Games in a row.

Losing is never a good thing. I don't want to lose to the Steelers, Jets' or Fins. Giants , I dont care but if the Pats are 15-0 there is no way on earth they lose that game.

chunga

This is different. The motivation is off the charts for opposing teams now. Philly was what, 23 point underdog, biggest in the NFL. Baltimore was a 20 point underdog at home. Biggest in the NFL. The non-stop talk about are the Patriots the greatest team in the history of the NFL. All the opposing team has to do is say, are we man enough to beat the best team in history of the league? Look at the play of the two no name quarterbacks over the last couple of weeks. I don't want Jacksonville coming in here with the motivation of being the biggest underdog in the history of the playoffs. This stuff does matter. The last two weeks have proven it.

ClevTrev

Ok, I'll come back to the original premise in the thread, it is naive and ridiculous to think that the team is experiencing pressure and is, therefore, tired due to the attention about having a perfect season. This is wrong on so many levels, that it's hard for me to take this premise seriously, but here goes:

1. Purposely losing a game would not give the team any rest. You must field a full squad for offense, defense, and special teams to play a game. Who are you going to rest that will make that much of a difference?
2. At this time, the team is trying to secure home field advantage for the playoffs. Despite what some think, this is not yet guaranteed; yet, it is one of the most important objectives for success in the playoffs. Purposely losing a game directly conflicts with the home field advantage objective.
3. Is any team so arrogant that it can simply "pick a game to lose" out of its schedule and have the confidence that it can win all other games? You've got to be kidding me! No one thought the Eagles or Ravens games would be that close. What happens if you purposely lose one game and then lose the next and home field advantage as well?
4. Can you imagine the media response should there be a scintilla of evidence that the Pats purposely lost a game to "freshen up" for the playoffs? Spygate would pale in contrast to this news, and you'd have a guaranteed visit and response from Mr. Goodell.
5. And lastly, can you imagine BB planning a game to lose? Let's get real. This thread may be thought provoking, but it's so far out of the realm of reality, that at first, I kept hoping to find the sarcasm behind it.

In terms of the team's lack of energy, it's understandable due to the brutal schedule they've played and that every opponent from now to game 16 will treat this as their most important game of the season. This is why it's draining on the Patriots. It has nothing to do with being undefeated and thinking about perfection. It has everything to do with navigating through an NFL season with more challenges than the '72 Dolphins could ever have imagined and overcome.

__________________

mcbee

Patriots aren't exhausted, YOU ARE. You are not the Patriots.

Playing night games is a bear because it upsets the sleep cycle.

For this reason they're having a light Wednesday practice.

Deliberately losing games or "taking it easy" is pure folly. Losing is a HABIT. Winning is a HABIT.

Once they 'turn it off', how do you 'turn it back on'?

Plus why would you want to give Pittsburgh the psychological advantage of winning in Foxborough? They win this one and they'll be super confident of the playoffs....

You are tired, you are psychologicall weak and weary, but that's you not the team. It's a sign of narcicissism to think that how you feel affects the team or that the team feels the same way you do. Very childish. "Media Scrutiny"? That affects YOU, not the team. They're indifferent.

bradmahn

Every team will be a huge underdog regardless of what the Patriots do. They've squeaked out wins against the 5-7 Eagles and 4-8 Ravens, and Vegas still has the line at double digits against the 9-3 Steelers. If a team chooses to do so, the line will be motivation throughout the rest of the season.

I'm sorry, man, but your argument is ludicrous and completely irrelevant.

__________________
I don't like Dungy and that's because he [was] the head coach of the Colts. Period. End of question. The degree to which I like a player or coach is predicated solely on the color of the laundry they wear on Sunday. When fans admit this and stop bashing players and coaches for any other reason, the world of sports will be infinitely improved.

chunga

Not saying purposely lose, obviously. Saying that a loss this week would not be a bad thing.