This one is a difficult one for me. I would love to see it, but I think we're all a little spoiled in thinking that that's the kind of thing that just happens because we have tons of talent on paper. So many things have to happen for something like that to be possible. For one, remember all the close games that we were able to pull out, particularly the Baltimore game where that T.O. was called after Brady was stuffed on the fourth-down play. That T.O. doesn't get called, the Pats lose that game. So many things went right that year for NE besides the dedication and coaching. A little luck has a lot to do with it. Besides, like BradyFTW stated, it is such a grind on the fans and the players. Remember in 2007 when that's all anyone could talk about whenever you turned on the TV. I was on pins and needles every damn week. By the end of the season, I felt drained. My roommates gave me grief about it every single week because they were all rooting for NE to fail. That's just one part of it.
The other part is I simply can't take another 16-0 season that doesn't end in a championship. I literally stayed away from the sports world for 8 months following the *bleep* game. My heart was broken. I was devastated. I hated the whole Giants team. I hated the NE offensive line. I hated Asante Samuel. I hated Rodney Harrison. I hate Vince Wilfork. I hated Merriweather. I hated sports. I can't go through that again. I really can't.
Lastly, I don't know if the defense is up to the task. I know that defense wasn't great, but there was a lot of veteran leadership to keep the focus on the goal. Though we still have veteran leadership, one could argue that our two biggest leaders, Vrabel and Harrison, being gone leaves two HUGE holes to fill. Also, we really don't know what we'll be getting from Bodden and Springs just yet. The AFC East is improved this year as well. I say let's make it to week 10 with an unblemished record and maybe then we can start to wonder. If we make it to week 13 or 14 with unscathed, then I think we can really start to think the Pats could do 16-0 again. Let's just hope that they don't run into the Giants again if that's the case.
So, like many have said, I'll settle for one game at a time. If it happens, then GREAT. If not and we win another SB, then GREAT. I'd love to see it if it were guaranteed that the Pats would cap it off in the SB. But since it's obviously something that cannot be guaranteed, I'd rather suffer a defeat or two on the way to winning the SB.
