The Board's View on 19-0?

ivanvamp said:

I want the Patriots to think this way ("We're on to Buffalo"), but it's perfectly ok for fans to look ahead.

As for 19-0, I want it. I want the whole enchilada. I want an undefeated season, for real. I want another Lombardi. I want Goodell to have to hand the MVP trophy to Tom Brady, who barely acknowledges his existence. I want the ultimate FU tour this year, one that is capped by a Super Bowl victory. I want this to be considered the greatest team of all time, not only because of a perfect season, but because it will be back-to-back Super Bowl championships.

If the question is, would I rather go 18-1 and win the title, or 18-1 and have that one loss be in the Super Bowl, well, duh, obviously I'd rather go 18-1, losing a regular season game and winning the Super Bowl. But I'd rather be undefeated going into the playoffs, because I want this team to achieve immortality.

Though I must say, just being back-to-back champs is pretty rarified air.

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aluminum seats said:

I thought about putting in a hedging option here—“yeah, it’d be nice, but…” and decided against it. Thought a gun-to-your-head-what’s-your-choice would make things clearer.

Reason I ask, I’m always genuinely surprised at how many seem to really not care about going undefeated—that is, 19-0, not 16-0 and lose in the playoffs. Undefeated all the way.

To me, there’s one reason not to want it—because the pursuit of it makes the Super Bowl harder. If they’re 14-1 going into the last game and have the #1 seed wrapped up, they rest guys. If they’re 15-0, Gronkowski plays, everybody plays. For pressure reasons I guess too, but I think the Pats are made of pretty tough stuff. But as Troy Brown’s remarks suggest, it can get to you.

But the fact is, if you have the black & white choice and choose “no” then you want the Pats to lose at some point, right? So…which game are you rooting against them? Understand I’m not being antagonistic; I’m just curious what the mindset is.

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PatsBoy12 said:

Tommy's fifth ring is history enough for me.

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aluminum seats said:

So do you want the Pats to lose in the regular season? If so, which game? Or only when the #1 seed is secure? That could again be not until the end of the season, possibly against Miami.

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PatsFanSince74 said:

I think I was pretty clear about that (quote from my post below):
I didn't "want" them to lose but, at the same time, I felt that a loss in either of the final two games would have taken the pressure off. As I also said, I'm not trying to convince anyone else to agree with me.

"Speaking just personally, I felt at the time that the pressure was just too great. I can't deny that I was pulling for them to beat Miami (remember all the hoopla over whether the Dolphins would stop the Pats from achieving what only their Franchise had achieved?) and the Giants. But, I had a feeling in my gut that a loss would be a relief. Particularly, in retrospect, in the case of the Giants. While a loss would have been a huge letdown...at the time... Belichick doesn't lose to a team twice in a season."

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aluminum seats said:

I get that you're not trying to convince anyone to agree with you, I just don't really understand what the point is--not being combative, I really just don't get it.

You're saying you don't want them to lose but that a loss would be helpful. I feel like that sums up what a lot of people are saying, but it seems like there's a fear to bring that to its logical conclusion. If you feel like the pressure of going undefeated is "toxic" than you do want them to lose (you put "want" in quotes, not sure what that changes). But it's like nobody wants to say that. So it's, yeah, trying to go undefeated is toxic, don't want that to be happening again, but I don't want the Pats to lose...

If I didn't care about 19-0, I would want the Pats to lose, probably to the Eagles. There. But I think you have to bring things to their logical endpoint.

Overall, the 1/3 or so who just don't care about 19-0, in the end, just baffles me. "It doesn't matter." Newsflash, none of this matters! How do Super Bowls matter? Plenty of smart, well-adjusted, good, happy people don't care about sports at all. This is just something we enjoy.

I'm a Patriots fan because I grew up in Massachusetts. I'm a fan of all the Boston teams, but the Pats particularly because I love football, and we had great tickets at the old stadium when I was a kid. It's in my blood--live and breathe this stuff. When the Patriots win--particularly when they win Super Bowls--my whole outlook on life is better. I'm on top of the world. I'm sure most here feel the same. Why? Because "we" (I) have won, succeeded.

So 19-0 is that times whatever. Hell, some team wins the Super Bowl every year. They have to. No team has ever gone 19-0. So yeah, I'm rooting for it. How can you not?

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A Defiant Goose said:

Imagine if we went 15-1 and then won the SB. Then when people say 18-1 we could have something to cheer for! lol

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50-yard-line said:

And I'll take a 1-point win in OT.

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Observer said:

Not at all. Only one team has gone 16-0.

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aluminum seats said:

I get that you're not trying to convince anyone to agree with you, I just don't really understand what the point is--not being combative, I really just don't get it.

You're saying you don't want them to lose but that a loss would be helpful. I feel like that sums up what a lot of people are saying, but it seems like there's a fear to bring that to its logical conclusion. If you feel like the pressure of going undefeated is "toxic" than you do want them to lose (you put "want" in quotes, not sure what that changes). But it's like nobody wants to say that. So it's, yeah, trying to go undefeated is toxic, don't want that to be happening again, but I don't want the Pats to lose...

If I didn't care about 19-0, I would want the Pats to lose, probably to the Eagles. There. But I think you have to bring things to their logical endpoint.

Overall, the 1/3 or so who just don't care about 19-0, in the end, just baffles me. "It doesn't matter." Newsflash, none of this matters! How do Super Bowls matter? Plenty of smart, well-adjusted, good, happy people don't care about sports at all. This is just something we enjoy.

I'm a Patriots fan because I grew up in Massachusetts. I'm a fan of all the Boston teams, but the Pats particularly because I love football, and we had great tickets at the old stadium when I was a kid. It's in my blood--live and breathe this stuff. When the Patriots win--particularly when they win Super Bowls--my whole outlook on life is better. I'm on top of the world. I'm sure most here feel the same. Why? Because "we" (I) have won, succeeded.

So 19-0 is that times whatever. Hell, some team wins the Super Bowl every year. They have to. No team has ever gone 19-0. So yeah, I'm rooting for it. How can you not?

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tombonneau said:

Is this even possible?

So opposing teams wins toss and throws throws an interception, Logan Ryan picks it off in end zone, runs out, circles back into end zone and is tackled for safety. Pats down 20-22. Doesn't that end the game? I thought maybe Pats could get ball back and with with FG 23-22 but I think pick run would could as their first possession?

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PatsFanSince74 said:

I really can't be any more clear. And, it's just as clear that we disagree. Not sure what the point is in continuing the conversation, but here goes:

The Eagles game was not part of my discussion because the Pats had not yet clinched Home Field when they played the Eagles. When they played the Eagles, the Colts were still in legitimate competition for Home Field. They were having a hell of a Regular Season.

As I said, I "wanted" the Pats to win the last two games (after they clinched Home Field on December 16), but had a gut feeling that the pressure of going undefeated was eventually going to become a problem and would have been relieved if they had lost one of them, given the goal of winning the SB.

My gut was that there was a high probability that they were not going to be able to go 19--0. That's just what I felt; I can't explain it. For what it's worth, that's how it turned out. No one was more bummed than I when it happened. Believe me, the last thing on my mind when Burress pulled in Eli's pass was, "There! I was right!" No. I was crushed and took a long time to get over it.

As I said many times above, I'm not trying to make any one else agree with me or think that way. The upshot is that I wasn't pulling for them to "lose," but would have been OK with it for reasons stated at length in this and other posts.

That's my perspective. I can't state it any more clearly. If you think that makes me less loyal of a Pats fan, that's too bad but there's nothing I can do about that, since I know how loyal I am.

I don't have a gut vibe yet about this season. This is a different team with a different history. I won't know how I feel about 19--0 in 2015/16 for another month or so. Right now, I don't care. There's too much football to be played.

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aluminum seats said:

I was referring to the Eagles game this year. Beyond that, I genuinely don't understand your point.

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tombonneau said:

Is this even possible?

So opposing teams wins toss and throws throws an interception, Logan Ryan picks it off in end zone, runs out, circles back into end zone and is tackled for safety. Pats down 20-22. Doesn't that end the game? I thought maybe Pats could get ball back and with with FG 23-22 but I think pick run would could as their first possession?

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PatsFanSince74 said:

I think we should just agree to disagree.

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