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| Authored by Andrew Perna - 29th December, 2007 - 11:53 pm
 A last-minute scheduling agreement allowed millions of football fans around the globe to witness NFL history on Saturday night, and I sure hope you were watching.
In a generation of so-called ?parity?, the New England Patriots registered the league?s first-ever 16-0 record against the New York Giants, becoming just the second team since the 1972 Miami Dolphins to finish the regular season undefeated. Not only did the Patriots make history as a team, but Tom Brady and Randy Moss now own a pair of single-season offensive records as well.
Tom Brady vaulted past Peyton Manning to take sole possession of the single-season mark for touchdown passes. Brady, who was 32-for-42 with 356 yards and two scores, finished the regular season with 50 touchdown passes.
Randy Moss, who caught six passes for 100 yards and two scores, surpassed Jerry Rice for the single-season receiving touchdown mark. What was even more amazing was the play in which both Brady and Moss took sole possessions of their respective records. After a wide-open Moss dropped a fifty-yard pass from Brady which would have likely ended in a trip to the end zone, it seemed as though the Pats might be forced to punt as they faced a long third down.
Instead of going elsewhere, Brady dialed Randy?s number once again; this time the result was much different the second time around. Brady hooked up with Moss on a 65-yard touchdown pass, giving New England the lead and both Brady and Moss a page in the record books.
Through the first forty minutes of the game the Giants seemed to be taking lessons from the Eagles and Ravens, who gave the Patriots two late-season scares in the last five weeks; however, just as they did against Philadelphia and Baltimore, New England owned the fourth quarter.
The Patriots scored twenty-two unanswered points, beginning midway through the third, to take a 38-28 lead and put the finishing touches on what was the most perfect season professional sports has seen in quite some time.
Eli Manning did an admirable job of leading the Giants on a scoring drive in the final minutes, but the outcome of the game had already been decided. Oddly enough Manning, who had been the scapegoat in New York during the second half of the season, played extremely well against New England?s swarming defense.
Manning went 22-for-32 with 251 yards, four touchdowns and one interception on Saturday night, doing his best to keep history from taking place at Giants Stadium.
The obvious question raised by the Patriots? victory is ? Are they the best football team to ever play the game?
Undefeated season or not, New England?s main goal is always to win a Super Bowl. A 16-0 record is nice, but a loss in the divisional round, AFC championship game or the Super Bowl would put a damper the size of Boston on their undefeated season.
What?s even more amazing about their historic season are the hurdles New England had to overcome just to put themselves in position to finish the regular season without a loss.
After starting the season with a victory over the New York Jets, suspicion was aroused by Eric Mangini that Bill Belichick and the Patriots were winning games in an unscrupulous manner.
The mark of a great coach, and I?m not talking about a cutoff sweatshirt, was evident the next week when the Pats hosted the San Diego Chargers. Belichick?s players rallied to his defense and haven?t let up yet.
Personally, I?ve held resentment towards the Patriots ever since they defeated my Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX. Ever since New England dashed Philadelphia?s championship hopes I?ve held a tremendous amount of resentment towards Brady, Belichick and the rest of the Pats.
All season long I pulled for New England?s opponents, hoping at some point they?d falter and slip on the road to history. Heading into their Week Seventeen battle against the Giants, I even committed a Philadelphia sin and rooted for Manning and New York.
I was as excited as a life-long Giants? fan when New York took a twelve-point lead in the third quarter, but watching Brady and company calmly chip away their deficit left me awestruck. It took sixteen games, but the mystique of the Patriots finally penetrated my resentful psyche.
I don?t care who your favorite NFL team is, you need to do yourself a favor by sitting back and admiring what took place on Saturday night.
Doing so will allow you to tell your grandchildren that you saw Tom Brady and Randy Moss lead the Patriots to football?s first-ever 16-0 season.
That?s something that isn?t likely to happen for at least another thirty-five years.
That is, unless Brady and company match history once again before their window of opportunity closes.
Are the Patriots the best team in NFL history? Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com |
