Don Banks: Could another run at perfection loom?

[pats1]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/don_banks/02/04/look.ahead/1.html

2008 SCHEDULE
The Patriots are definitely going to get their frequent flyer miles in next season. They've got the NFC West for their interconference opponents, and the AFC West for their four-game intraconference slate, and when you add it all up, it means New England will have four cross-country trips in 2008: at Oakland, San Diego, Seattle and San Francisco. And that doesn't even include the Patriots' toughest game of all, at Indianapolis, where they'll get a look at the Colts' new Lucas Oil Stadium.

On the plus side, New England's home schedule is cushy soft. Based on 2007 records, the Patriots will play just one home game next season against a winning team: Pittsburgh. All told, New England has just four games against teams that made the playoffs this season, one of the league's lowest amounts. Dare we say it? Could another run at perfection loom?

 

[BelichickFan]

Oh God, make it stop. I've had enough "perfection" for a while.

 

[Satchboogie3]

I hope so. This loss hurts SOOO bad. The only way to make it feel better would be to correct the mistake: 19-0. Of course I'd be more than happy with a championship next season, 19-0 would be monumental.

 

[BelichickFan]

I hope so. This loss hurts SOOO bad. The only way to make it feel better would be to correct the mistake: 19-0. Of course I'd be more than happy with a championship next season, 19-0 would be monumental.

We just had our chance. All we can hope for now is to win the next game. We're back tied with everyone else - for real this time

 

[Bella*chick]

I think I've had enough of this perfection stuff.

In fact, thinking of doing this season all over again makes me want to stick a fork in my eye at the moment. I'm sorry, but it wasn't fun towards the end. Winning just provided relief not euphoria. It wasn't like the other SB runs. But I think the Spygate garbage had a lot to do with it, too.

 

[blackglass3]

I think 19-0 and the constant barrage of media was part of the problem. It's February 4th and he is already starting with this crap again? Ugh.

On the other hand...SF and Oakland are jokes. SD is a tough game, and Seattle is a hard place to play (the team is kind of sucky, though). But if they win those...hmmm. It's not like they HAVEN'T gone 18-0 before...maybe.

 

[Truck]

I hope so. This loss hurts SOOO bad. The only way to make it feel better would be to correct the mistake: 19-0. Of course I'd be more than happy with a championship next season, 19-0 would be monumental.

true. but imagine going into the playoffs 16-0 again. The pressure the players feel would be alot worse than this year. I'd rather settle for 14-2 + playoffs. If you lose it doesn't feel as bad. If you win, it feels just as good.

 

[ATippett56]

Please stop!

It's like rubbing salt in the wounds!

 

[Satchboogie3]

I'd go through this season all over again in a heart beat. It was a magical season, but the clock struck 12 just a minute too soon. When it comes down to it, if we are fortunate and good enough to go 16-0 again, we should. There is no reason to throw away a game just because you are afraid of the pressure. You play to win the game.

I think the key is that they now have the experience of dealing with an 18-0 season, and they have experience with their explosive offense. I'm hoping if we are in a situation to go into the playoffs 16-0 again, the experience will make the difference.

 

[pwes]

God no. It hurt too bad I could not take another loss like this. I pray that they lose one of their first 5 games just to make sure this crap does not start up again.

 

[#12]

I just wanna win a superbowl next year! that would erase my pain...

 

[blackglass3]

true. but imagine going into the playoffs 16-0 again. The pressure the players feel would be alot worse than this year. I'd rather settle for 14-2 + playoffs. If you lose it doesn't feel as bad. If you win, it feels just as good.

I think the opposite...they could actually be looser at 16-0 than this year. In 2 minutes they went from the gates of heaven to the mouth of hell. And they will have lived to tell the tale...might as well try to get back to the gates.

 

[Satchboogie3]

I just don't get why you would want to lose a game too feel better? The reason we feel bad is because we were soo close to history. Does that mean we would have rather had a 12-4 season and lost the Superbowl? Of course not. We had an amazing season that ended horribly. Thats better than a great season ending horribly. Losing a SB is the same, whether your 18-0 or 13-6. Sure one hurts more, but wasn't the ride fun?

 

[JoePats]

I think I've had enough of this perfection stuff.

In fact, thinking of doing this season all over again makes me want to stick a fork in my eye at the moment. I'm sorry, but it wasn't fun towards the end. Winning just provided relief not euphoria. It wasn't like the other SB runs. But I think the Spygate garbage had a lot to do with it, too.

I hate to say it, and it sounds terrible, but I got more enjoyment on divisional weekend specifically from the Colts losing than I did from the Pats winning.

 

[Res5Cue]

Lets just hope we dont have a post SB loss letdown season like the last, Chicago, Seattle, Philadelphia, Carolina, Oakland, St. Louis, N.Y. Giants, Tennessee, Atlanta, Green Bay, and then it was us, New England. It took us 5 years to get back in the show. I'm not thinking perfection, I just want to be relevent.

 

[Satchboogie3]

I think I've had enough of this perfection stuff.

In fact, thinking of doing this season all over again makes me want to stick a fork in my eye at the moment. I'm sorry, but it wasn't fun towards the end. Winning just provided relief not euphoria. It wasn't like the other SB runs. But I think the Spygate garbage had a lot to do with it, too.

I think this is faulty logic and just wrong. All my friends and I felt BOTH relief AND Euphoria after each game and especially as we got closer to the SB. The reason you feel relief is because we realized that this was a special team that had a chance to make history. I don't know about you, but the last 2 months (minus yesterday) was incredibly Euphoric for me. Watching this team get to 18-0, break tons of records, Brady to Moss, it was amazing. I wouldn't trade that for 12-4 plain season just so I could feel better. There is a reason why we feel bad, its because we had a GREAT season that just didn't end right.

 

[Bella*chick]

I think this is faulty logic and just wrong. All my friends and I felt BOTH relief AND Euphoria after each game and especially as we got closer to the SB. The reason you feel relief is because we realized that this was a special team that had a chance to make history. I don't know about you, but the last 2 months (minus yesterday) was incredibly Euphoric for me. Watching this team get to 18-0, break tons of records, Brady to Moss, it was amazing. I wouldn't trade that for 12-4 plain season just so I could feel better. There is a reason why we feel bad, its because we had a GREAT season that just didn't end right.

I know, Satch, but it's early. Talk to me in September, I'll probably feel differently. But right now reading your signature line hurts. Because I have watched that exact moment at least a 200 times on my TIVO. And today I deleted the game because I will never watch it again.

 

[Truck]

I hope not. I was one of the people saying it was stupid to wish this team to lose. But now, honestly, I think this team would've been better off had they lost to the Giants in week 17. Their wouldn't have been any overconfidence,a nd the pressure of the world would've been off their shoulders.

I mean, its great had they gone 19-0; but I think we would've had a better chance to beat them if we didn't have the same situation the 2001 rams had (in none of our previous superbowls, did the team take anything for granted). Whereas this time, they started talking about what 19-0 would be during the week (similar to how 2001 Warner started looking past that superbowl and onto his legacy...and look how that turned out...he's now just a blip in time).

 

[RIVA Pats Fan]

Here's hoping they start slow and then stat peaking on the way through the playoffs next season.

Enough of this other stuff. It's absolutely draining.

 

[Seymour93]

Lets just hope we dont have a post SB loss letdown season like the last, Chicago, Seattle, Philadelphia, Carolina, Oakland, St. Louis, N.Y. Giants, Tennessee, Atlanta, Green Bay, and then it was us, New England. It took us 5 years to get back in the show. I'm not thinking perfection, I just want to be relevent.

This team is SOOO much more experienced and more talented than those you've listed. There's less than a 5% chance, IMO, that one of the Bills, Jets, and Dolphins will overtake us and claim the division.