Piling On

I am writing this about an hour before the Bengals-Patriots kickoff.  Last Monday night the Patriots were shellacked by the Kansas City Chiefs who, just moments ago, lost to the San Francisco 49ers.

For those of us who have cheered for the Patriots and enjoyed their successes, the game last week was the anomaly of anomalies.  The home town team could not stop anyone or move the ball anywhere. Tom Brady, one of the best quarterbacks ever to play, looked less than pedestrian. He threw one interception that was just horrible and another that was returned for a touchdown.  What made this stinker of a performance more pungent was that  it was such an aberration.

Since 2001 the Patriots have been just great. Only twice since then has the team NOT made the playoffs. They have gone to 5 superbowls, winning three.  In addition, they have gone to at least two other championship games.  This means they have been the best team three times, the second best team twice, and one of the top four teams two other times.

So, it was shake your head stuff to listen and read the media pounding the Patriots took and are taking.

• Belichick is a stiff.
• Brady is over the hill.
• The team has no talent: 
• Nobody can catch the ball
• Nobody can tackle
• There is no running back worth a damn
• Revis is overrated.  

Today we hear that Brady is so upset that he wants out of Boston to finish his career.

One columnist during the week wrote that the Patriots have not had a meaningful win in January since 2005.   That is an interesting statement since the Patriots went to two super bowl games since 2005; two other championship games; and the only year they did not make the playoffs was when Brady was injured in the first game of the season. (And that year the team was eliminated on the last game of the season).

I think the Patriots will win tonight against the currently undefeated Bengals. (A) I don't think the Bengals are so extra (B) the Patriots are not as bad as they played last week and (C) the Pats will want, I assume, to shut a few people up.

Even if they get shellacked tonight like they did last week, this week's piling on by the pundits has shown little class. Everyone feels crummy when they get their ass kicked.  Last week, the Patriots got their ass kicked.

However, the team has been regularly successful since W was in his first year in the White House. Go ask Jacksonville, Detroit, Cleveland, Jet, Bengal, Houston, Oakland, Redskin, Viking, Buffalo, Atlanta, Carolina, and/or Miami fans if they think the Patriots have had any meaningful wins in January since 2005.  Those teams have a parade when they finish above 500.

The press has been immature this past week.  The Boston folks are just spoiled so when the team loses it is time to announce that the apocalypse is on the horizon.   Last January in the championship game,  the Patriots lost to the Broncos in Denver in a game during which Peyton Manning played like the Almighty.  I think the final score differential was eight points.

We will see what takes place in an hour. But even if it is another pummeling, the critics might be wise to check out a mirror and ask themselves if they themselves have ever had a streak of successes like the Patriots have had.