RoughingThePasser, that last clip you posted was by far the most badass YouTube highlight package ever. That team brings a tear to my eye every time…70-1 preseason odds baby! Don’t ever forget it. Just wish they’d make that thing about 30 minutes longer…perhaps set to Orion followed by something a tad heavier like South of Heaven
It was so predictable. When 55 hit the road everyone in Boston was talking about a huge leadership void (which of course was absurd). I downplayed the hype and was accused of being a moron.
You may not think his opinion matters at this point, but what if Starks had returned from his injury (nightmare I know...actually if Willie felt that way, I guarantee you a lot of other guys did too...even if it WAS an injury issue no way Starks could've returned given the "trash" perception). But what if 'ol man Willie decides to make some comments about a guy who's still here?...don't think it can't happen. Then he becomes Joey Porter.
MoLewisRocks made a nice point about “contentment†that hasn’t really been played up as much as it maybe should.
Exactly one year ago, I emailed PFW my top-10 concerns for the ’05 season…
#1 was “complacency†(#2 was injuries). The PFW crew read the email on the radio show (including Morry) and LAUGHED at the notion that the Pats could ever be complacent.
Perillo said he’d worry if it were any other team but not the Pats. This year the players and coaches are confirming that they lost some of what made them champions…their attention to detail…their motivation/edge. It’s not that you don’t want to win, but when you’ve been winning so consistently and busting your butt, you start wondering what corners you can cut. Complacency is a disease that affects everyone: players and coaches…you don’t notice it because the onset comes very slowly and it’s never obvious.
It’s a big reason why the Niners couldn’t 3-peat…Bill Walsh and the players have said as much. The Steelers and Cowboys had a chance to 3-peat with arguably the best teams they’d ever fielded…interview those players today and ask them if complacency wasn’t a seriously underrated factor in their demise…though with Pitt, injuries were huge too.
Moral: guess what: they’re human after all.
Good news: the leadership on the team is excellent. We’ve already heard from Sey this week…does he sound satisfied?...truth is great teams rebound after getting slapped in the face…look down through football lore and there are tons of examples…it’s why I’m so confident in the team mindset this season. They’re pissed and want revenge. We may all be focused on contracts and he/said she/said, but all they care about are three things:
In that order.