Running up the score doesn't exist in the NFL, but feeling sorry for yourself most certainly does
Here's my take on this whole business with the Patriots. Yes, they are trying to kill everyone this season. They are trying to blow everyone out. Why is that a bad thing? When you are up 38-0 and you are throwing, it's a bit odd, seeing as how most teams sit on the ball, but it's the way the coach wants to do it. He's risking Tom Brady getting hurt every snap out there. There's risk involved.
We know Belichick would love to stick it to the league or anyone who doubts him. Fine. But he's also creating an air of invincibility, the anti-Marvin Lewis Syndrome you might call it. He's trying to beat teams before they hit the field. Since when is that a bad thing? All the great teams had that quality. They had some teams beaten before the first snap occured. That's about all that is left for this Patriots dynasty: having a team that gets mentioned among the all-time greats, if not the best ever.
I still don't see the problem here. Look, the Colts have beaten the Patriots three straight times, twice at Foxboro. Why do you think the Patriots traded for Randy Moss? To outjump the Colts' shrimpy DBs. Why did they sign Adalius Thomas? To cover Dallas Clark and stuff Joseph Addai. Really. Wes Welker is the ultimate zone buster, too, along with Ben Watson when he's healthy. Belichick realized he can't beat the Colts unless he can outgun them. And the coach is creating a blitzkreig mentality with his offense -- making them believe it is a better unit than Indianapolis' offense.
Tell me what's wrong with that. The Patriots barely threw deep Sunday, once that I can remember. They basically nickel-and-dimed 'em up and down the field. The one deep ball was to Randy Moss in the fourth quarter. But what were the Commanders doing to stop it? Little. Their linebackers played horribly yesterday, and the DBs were not much better.
Randall Godfrey needs to clam up and play better defense. Didn't Joe Gibbs run up the score in Super Bowl XXII? Didn't Bill Walsh run it up two years later in XXIV? Even Bill Parcells rang up 39 points with an offensively limited team in Super Bowl XXI. The "proud" coaches he mentioned are all guilty of having really good football teams that scored a boatload of points. I loved Belichick's response. Look, I am no apologist for the guy. And he clearly has few friends in the biz. But he's not going to tell his guys to let up with the next-best team in the NFL up next on the docket. No freaking way.
Look, Godfrey, you got housed by a far better team. Pride enters into the equation only when you're talking about your own lack of it following the loss. The Skins are pretty good. The Patriots are exceptional. There's no running it up in professional sports. The Commanders were demoralized, plain and simple, and they should have worked harder to get the ball back. Stop whining and get used to it.
Tags:Adalius Thomas Bill Belichick Bill Parcells Bill Walsh Joe Gibbs New England Patriots Randall Godfrey Randy Moss Tom Brady Washington Commanders Wes Welker
Posted by Eric Edholm on October 29, 2007 1:02 PM
