OPEN LETTER to all NFL Patriot Opponents

Open Letter to every NFL team that the Patriots are beating like redheaded stepchildren:

if you don't like being beaten like you are ugly redheaded stepchildern, here is a word of advise. Instead of spending your time sniveling that the Pats shouldn't be such bullies why not act like men and stop them from doing so. Quit your whining and play football. If you don't like being a team of boys playing a team of superstars, than do something about it. Fight back. Play Football. Grow a pair.

There is no mercy rule in the NFL. A 15 run mercy rule is for girls JV softball. If you suck so much that you are losing by 50 points you are the one with the problem. No one ever said anything when the Pats were the laughing stock of the NFL for years and every Joe, Ken and Dan kicked their ass. Take your beating like a man.

After this weekend (34- 21 Pats) they are going to run the table. You heard it here first.

OK, I;m faced, time to go to bed. g'night.

NICE. Said like a true fan. Go Seahawks. (did I say that out loud)

paulthenurse - keep your post in mind when opponents start taking cheap shots at Brady and Moss.

It's not about being a bully, it's about keeping your starters in and running up the score at the end of the game, just because you're arrogant and Belli-gerent-chek. I can't wait till, one of these days, it's 87-3 in the 4th quarter (Jets, maybe?) and Bellicheck still has all of his starters in the game trying to break the 100 point mark, and BAM, his precious Brady gets his goddamned back broken.

I mean, of course they're free to keep their starters in however long they want. But some day it's gonna bite 'em in the ass for being point-greedy. I didn't whine a bit when the skins got pounded, I actually congratulated the pats on being the best team I think I've ever seen, and predicted that they'll go 16-0 and win the Stupor Bowl. But you pats fans will be singing a different tune to your boy Bellichek when his hubris gets his one of his key starters hurt for no reason other than further embarrassing the other team. Do you disagree?

I agree. It's the offense's JOB to score points. Every. Time. They. Get. The. Ball. How are you going to tell a team to do their jobs but only on certain days and times? If you don't try as hard as you can in this kind of physically demanding sport, you're likely to get hurt. I've got three knee surgeries to prove it.

I heard a bunch of whiners on the radio and stuff about this. These guys are pros. They get paid to do this. I would rather send a message that when it's time to play (work), you give it 100% the entire time. That's a better lesson for young people to learn instead of 'fair play' or whatever lame expressions people were throwing out.

It's hard enough to make it to the NFL, let alone stand out. A win is a win, a loss is a loss. It doesn't matter if you won in OT by one point or lost by 50.

I do look forward to this weekend, should be a real exciting game.

I also propose that, when Boston gets the Series and the Bowl in one year, they should have to pay a special tax to the other fans. It's only fair.

It's a calculated risk that Belichick is taking. Fact is, that locker room is the most single-minded that I have ever seen in professional sports. Throat on the neck. Take no prisoners. Shock and awe. No mercy. Whatever cliche you want to use, every single player and coach on that team is on the exact same page, and that is to simply annihilate everything in their path, to prove, once and for all, that they are one of the greatest teams of all time.

It does strike me as kinda funny that after Moss was traded, the Patriots kinda became the "Raiders East," at least with how Oakland USED to be run when they were a decent team.

Incidentally, the rumor that Gregg Easterbrook mentioned during chat the other day... all of those materials that the NFL collected from the Pats and quickly destroyed? Rumor is that those included a LOT of information about how OTHER teams cheat. Makes sense - Belichick would absolutely have as much counterespinage information as he could gather. So, next time someone wants to talk about a "conspiracy" - it strikes me as much more likely that the League destroyed all of that stuff so quickly (and quietly) so that nothing would leak about ALL the franchises, not just to protect one.

Evan! said:

I also propose that, when Boston gets the Series and the Bowl in one year, they should have to pay a special tax to the other fans. It's only fair.

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I suppose you want to make this retro-active to 2004 dont you?

I'm of the opinion you can keep blowing them out until Q4 then should back off if it's like the Redskins game. Cheap shots could come and saves the horses legs.

Personally I think Billy boy was doing this to prep for this weekends game against Indy "in case" it's a shootout on both fronts.

Unlike College, where margin of victory is a contributing factor (or at least it used to) in being ranked, these are professional athletes.

Blowouts happen in the NFL, they always have and they always will. Anytime that ANY team runs up the score it pisses me off.

For being a coaching genius, playing starters in the 4th quarter of a blowout sure was a stupid move on Belichik's part.

Leaving your star QB (who's on pace for a record breaking season) in the game in the 4th quarter for no purpose other than what amount to stat padding is just stupid. Continue to run up the score and you're just going to piss off the defense. Do that and you're just asking for a cheap shot that could easily end his season and/or career.

Leaving your star WR's in the game to catch the stat padding throws in the 4th quarter of a game that's already over is just stupid. What damage does a 15 yard PF penalty cause when you're already down by 35 points? None other than to possibly tear Randy Moss' knee to shreds.

It sounds to me that some Pats fans are becoming as arrogant (and ignorant) as Belichick has become.

What goes around comes around in the NFL. It always does. It may not be this season, but eventually Belichick and the Pats will get 'paid back' if they continue to play this way.

I'm not a fan of either the Colts or the Pats, but I hope that the Colts kick the crap out of the Pats now - if for no reason than to knock Belichik (the cheater) down a couple of notches.

That's a nice, rational argument.

When your goal is to detroy every single opponent in front of you, to shock and awe the rest of the league, rationality is secondary.

Would I rather Brady get taken out early in these games? Sure - but I understand why Belichick is leaving him in there.

Listen to the comments coming out of opposing coaches - Gibbs saying very passively "I have no problems with what the Patriots did" - they're scared of them. They're getting into their opponent's heads. Every time someone like Easterbrook does something like call him "Bill Beelzebub," they're just feeding off of that.

the_bird said:

That's a nice, rational argument.

When your goal is to detroy every single opponent in front of you, to shock and awe the rest of the league, rationality is secondary.

Would I rather Brady get taken out early in these games? Sure - but I understand why Belichick is leaving him in there.

Listen to the comments coming out of opposing coaches - Gibbs saying very passively "I have no problems with what the Patriots did" - they're scared of them. They're getting into their opponent's heads. Every time someone like Easterbrook does something like call him "Bill Beelzebub," they're just feeding off of that.

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You'd just better hope that his "calculated risk" of trying to scare opponents by running up the score when you've already sewn it up, doesn't come crashing down. As much as rationality takes a backseat, you've still got to be at least somewhat rational when it comes to endangering your starters for stat padding and "putting fear into the rest of the league".

Joe Gibbs is always passive in his press interviews, so take his passiveness with a grain of salt, btw. You can bet your ass that, as soon as he was out of the room, his demeanor was less like a wounded puppy and more like Al Swearingen. Belichek's supposed plan to strike fear into his future opponents by running up the score on obviously inferior teams might work, but it's also got a good chance of failing spectacularly...especially as the season gets closer to the playoffs and they play teams that have nothing to lose. They're gonna want to teach them a lesson when Brady starts the 4th quarter.

I hate to say it, but I don't know how calculated this risk is.

In all honesty, I can see both sides to this argument. That being said, I respected the Patriots more when they didn't play like this.


Bird, you taking any bets on this game? I figure I've got nothing to lose.



EDIT: Was Easterbrook really in the chat, or just mentioned in the chat?

It was an Easterbrook chat - I only saw the first question, 'cause it was on Insider by the time I looked.

As to the being respected - I think they have just so ingrained that who "We're being disrespected" thing, that they really don't give a flying f*ck what anyone thinks anymore.

I know I still owe you beer, BTW...

the_bird said:

Listen to the comments coming out of opposing coaches - Gibbs saying very passively "I have no problems with what the Patriots did" - they're scared of them. They're getting into their opponent's heads. Every time someone like Easterbrook does something like call him "Bill Beelzebub," they're just feeding off of that.

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Of course they say that - they're professionals. They're trained to deal with the media. Do you think that's what Joe Gibbs really thinks about that game? I don't.

What's said to the media is completely different than what's said in locker rooms. Gibbs is 'afraid' of the Patriots just like he's 'afraid' to be critical of officiating in a game - because it would result in a fine, and it's unprofessional to call out fellow coach in public.

It's also unprofessional to run up the score - 31 out of 32 NFL coaches seem to realize that and respect it.

I have no problems with it. If they defense can't stop them, then more power to them. I do take issue with the Pats going 16-0. They go to have a tough go at it against Indy this weekend and they do play the Steelers in December. Also, they play the Dolphins again who seem to have their number for some reason.

adx said:

I have no problems with it. If they defense can't stop them, then more power to them. I do take issue with the Pats going 16-0. They go to have a tough go at it against Indy this weekend and they do play the Steelers in December. Also, they play the Dolphins again who seem to have their number for some reason.

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The Fins - not so much this year!

I don't know if the Pats win this weekend; I think they will, but it won't shock me if they don't, Indy's a damn good team. If they DO win, though, they're going 16-0; Pitt's tough, but they aren't in NE's (or Indy's) class. If there was ever a "trap game" week for the Pats, it was last week. They're way too focused to let a lesser team shock them.

Belichick is a genius and Brady is mind-blowing. Now that Moss is in the mix, its going to be an impressive run. I route for the Giants but I love Brady/Belichick. I also love Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan so maybe I just favor dominance. As for running up the score on opponents, I don't see the problem. If the defense can't stop them, why should they stop themselves? It shows these other teams that they're not the best and they need to change things. Maybe I'm too merciless but I enjoy watching them win by 3 or 30. I'd prefer to see them play a close game, but I'll still enjoy them slaughtering teams. If you don't wanna be embarrassed, then do something about it. Its the NFL, not Pop Warner...

Margin of victory matters in the NFL. At least, it could matter:
http://www.nfl.com/standings/tiebreakingprocedures

TO BREAK A TIE WITHIN A DIVISION

If, at the end of the regular season, two or more clubs in the same division finish with identical won-lost-tied percentages, the following steps will be taken until a champion is determined.

Two Clubs

1. Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied percentage in games between the clubs).

2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the division.

3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games.

4. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.

5. Strength of victory.

6. Strength of schedule.

7. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.

8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.

9. Best net points in common games.

10. Best net points in all games.

11. Best net touchdowns in all games.

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Likely to matter? No...but do you want to be the coach who missed the playoffs because your 2nd-team QB took a knee at the 2-yard line with 0:30 left?

Ask yourself this: if losing NFL teams are so humiliated by a blowout, why don't they just pull their teams off the field. Silly, right? But we want the leading team to do essentially the same thing.

Professional teams are paid to win, offense is paid to score points. I have no problem with the players going out and pounding away on the defense - it's what they're paid to do. So from the player perspective they aren't doing anything wrong.

I think it's highly questionable for a coach to keep his starters in that long however. What happens to the Pats if Brady or Moss or Welker or [insert player name here] (or worse yet, change 'or' to 'and') gets knocked out in the fourth quarter of some blowout?

On a personal note I hope they keep doing what they're doing because I FINALLY get to see the Pats live (first time ever!) in Buffalo in November! I want to see that offense tear the Bills apart and watch the defense pound them into the ground.

Yeah, I'm sure that's why Belichek's running up the score. In case he ends up with a division tie.

bradsul said:

I think it's highly questionable for a coach to keep his starters in that long however. What happens to the Pats if Brady or Moss or Welker or [insert player name here] (or worse yet, change 'or' to 'and') gets knocked out in the fourth quarter of some blowout?

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I agree with that reasoning. Good point...

bradsul said:

On a personal note I hope they keep doing what they're doing because I FINALLY get to see the Pats live (first time ever!) in Buffalo in November! I want to see that offense tear the Bills apart and watch the defense pound them into the ground.

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Yeah, on a similar note, I'm excited to watch Sultan Ibragimov get in the ring against a ten-year-old girl.

I can think of nothing less exciting than watching the Pats play vastly inferior teams.

Evan! said:

Yeah, on a similar note, I'm excited to watch Sultan Ibragimov get in the ring against a ten-year-old girl.

I can think of nothing less exciting than watching the Pats play vastly inferior teams.

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Because I also hate Buffalo.

Evan! said:

Yeah, I'm sure that's why Belichek's running up the score. In case he ends up with a division tie.

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Wasn't speaking to Belichick specifically. As others have stated, he's a fool for risking his starters as much as he is. But general complaints about teams "running up the score" ignore the fact that the league rewards the behavior, at least in an indirect (but potentially very meaningful) way. If the league (and thus its member teams) were truly concerned about this, the #7 tiebreaker would be something like "highest percentage of snaps taken by 2nd-string QB", or maybe "most 4th-quarter 2-yd fullback dives". Or a vote among opposing coaches.

The whole issue is one of those trumped-up "disrespect" themes that -- somehow, no matter how contrived -- can be used to motivate NFL players.

this may have already been said but I would like to see the 11-man blitz when the Pats are up 38-0 in the 4th quarter. Maybe squashing Brady into dust would sway The Hoodie to call of the dogs every once in a while.

See, it doesn't matter. They ain't getting past Matt Light, et al.

Can't wait for the sack fest brady suffers through when he comes to play the giants. We are gonna mess him up.

ohiobrewtus said:

It sounds to me that some Pats fans are becoming as arrogant (and ignorant) as Belichick has become.

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If that was directed at me, kiss my arse. If it wasn't, forget what I just said.

Yeah, cause there has NEVER been a 32 point comeback to take the win right?
How about 1993 Houston Oilers vs Buffalo. Buffalo, came back 32 points to take the win. THATS WHY YOU DONT LET OFF IN A GAME!!!

They are paid to play football, and to win. Not to win by just a little, but by however much they can.
Thats life, deal with it.

My team is the Vikings, I dont cry when they get beat. (too much)