The Patriots' Decision to Go for it on 4th Down in the 3rd Quarter (1 Viewer)

[stbugs]

Yes, that sounds just fine.I declare Jay Fiedler to be the best QB of all time. That makes just as much sense as letting non-champions into the conversation for best team ever.

You are being extremely hypocritical. I read the Eli vs Merriman/Rivers thread and you mentioned that the Giants can't be considered ahead of the game in the trade just because of a championship.Now you are saying a team that went 18-0, which by the way not one other team in NFL history has done, can't be considered one of the best ever because they didn't win the championship.You can't have it both ways, either the championship is that important or it isn't. IMHO, I think it is silly to say that they can't be considered one of the best ever since other than the 72 Dolphins, no one else has ever had a better record. It is so funny that people don't want to call the Pats one of the best ever because of a last minute 3 point loss, when every other team that is considered one of the best did something that the Pats didn't do, i.e. lose a game in the regular season. I am not saying they are the best because at the end of the season they weren't playing as well as they were earlier, but if Eli gets sacked or Tyree doesn't make a circus catch, the Pats are 19-0. It is hard to throw a team under the bus after 19 games because of one fantastic play.ETA: I thought not going for the FG was pretty bad, same as when I thought Pittsburgh going for two from the 12 or 13 yard line was dumb as well. 4th and 13 is much harder to get IMHO than a 48 yard FG in perfect conditions and there is no guarantee you aren't going for a shorter FG even if you make it.

 

[Jimmy James]

You are being extremely hypocritical. I read the Eli vs Merriman/Rivers thread and you mentioned that the Giants can't be considered ahead of the game in the trade just because of a championship.

That's not what I said at all. In fact, a large part of the premise of my argument in that thread comes because Big Ben was on the board at that pick and Big Ben already has a Super Bowl win. I even point out that if you discount Big Ben for some reason and lock it into a Rivers versus Manning decision, I have to agree that Manning is ahead now because he has one (but that it goes away immediately if/when Rivers gets a ring of his own).

Now you are saying a team that went 18-0, which by the way not one other team in NFL history has done, can't be considered one of the best ever because they didn't win the championship.

Nope, that's not what I said, either. I said clearly that they can't be the best. You can throw them in with the 1991 Redskins, the 1972 Dolphins, and the 1985 Bears (along with whatever other championship winner you want to add) if you must. They're never going to win that argument because they fail the first criteria for best team ever, though.

You can't have it both ways, either the championship is that important or it isn't. IMHO, I think it is silly to say that they can't be considered one of the best ever since other than the 72 Dolphins, no one else has ever had a better record. It is so funny that people don't want to call the Pats one of the best ever because of a last minute 3 point loss, when every other team that is considered one of the best did something that the Pats didn't do, i.e. lose a game in the regular season.

What's more important? In my world and in the world of the NFL, it's the playoffs. The only thing that keeps the regular season from being a complete joke is that only 12 of the 32 make the playoffs. I think it's quite clear where I put the championship in terms of importance. It's less important to a player's career than a team's standing, but it's darn important in both conversations.

I am not saying they are the best because at the end of the season they weren't playing as well as they were earlier, but if Eli gets sacked or Tyree doesn't make a circus catch, the Pats are 19-0. It is hard to throw a team under the bus after 19 games because of one fantastic play.

If you want to make the one play argument, remember that the Patriots are a handful of plays away from a much more ordinary regular season record. If the other team scored an additional TD in every close regular season game, the Pats would have been looking at 12-4 instead of 16-0 (Giants, Eagles, Ravens, Colts). If you're going to accept the fortune that got the Patriots as far as the Super Bowl with that undefeated streak, you have to accept the bad fortune that left them as Super Bowl losers at the end of the game.