ash chaulk
International Captain
only takes a couple of key injuries to make a team crumble
What about the QB, is TB the best QB ever ? It it enough to settle that debate or we are still on the Montana/Elway Wagon.Pats this season...best team since Bears 85?????
Pats this season...best team since Bears 85?????
Disagree with both statements. Are the Pats the best team since free agency was introduced? Absolutely. But best team ever? No, IMO. The league today is a parity-driven league. Teams are not as deep and talented as they used to be before free agency came into play. It is very impressive that the Pats were able to build a dynasty in this era. However, their dynasty is below those of the '60's Packers, '70's Steelers, '80's Niners, and the '90's Cowboys. Even if you were to compare a SINGLE season team, then I would rate the '85 Bears, the '72 Dolphins, the '92 Cowboys, and the '94 Niners as better teams.What about the QB, is TB the best QB ever ? It it enough to settle that debate or we are still on the Montana/Elway Wagon.
Oh he is way better than Bradshaw, way better. There simply is no comparison. Yes Bradshaw won 4 Superbowls, but his team was built of 9 Hall of famers that included two WRs. Bradshaw was more mobile, athletic and had a stronger arm than Brady but Brady is smarter, better clutch performer, more accurate and overall a better leader than TB.As far as Brady, I love the guy and he's a no-brainer Hall of Famer. But again, based on the fact that he's dominating in a parity-driven league, I would rate him below Montana, Staubach, and Bradshaw for starters. I would put him ahead of Marino though, because he won Superbowls whereas Marino didn't.
Thre is no way you can categorically say that this Pats teams ISN'T better than any of those teams you have mentioned. We can only really comment on how dominant they are over the league they play in. There is no doubt that this Pats team over the first half of the 2007 have been about as dominant as any team ever has been. And yes, in a league where parity is a fundamental, that makes it all the more impressive.Disagree with both statements. Are the Pats the best team since free agency was introduced? Absolutely. But best team ever? No, IMO. The league today is a parity-driven league. Teams are not as deep and talented as they used to be before free agency came into play. It is very impressive that the Pats were able to build a dynasty in this era. However, their dynasty is below those of the '60's Packers, '70's Steelers, '80's Niners, and the '90's Cowboys. Even if you were to compare a SINGLE season team, then I would rate the '85 Bears, the '72 Dolphins, the '92 Cowboys, and the '94 Niners as better teams.
As far as Brady, I love the guy and he's a no-brainer Hall of Famer. But again, based on the fact that he's dominating in a parity-driven league, I would rate him below Montana, Staubach, and Bradshaw for starters. I would put him ahead of Marino though, because he won Superbowls whereas Marino didn't.
Yeah, Brady is way way over Bradshaw.Oh he is way better than Bradshaw, way better. There simply is no comparison. Yes Bradshaw won 4 Superbowls, but his team was built of 9 Hall of famers that included two WRs. Bradshaw was more mobile, athletic and had a stronger arm than Brady but Brady is smarter, better clutch performer, more accurate and overall a better leader than TB.
I have not watched Staubach and Marino enough to say anything about them, although I would not hold Marino's Zero SB rings against him. Montana is tough one, I have watched a lot of his films and I really have no way of figuring out who is better.
You're right, there is no way I can say this Pats team isn't better than the ones I mentioned. There is no definitive way to compare teams of different years of course. I'm basing my opinion on the overall quality of the league. The '92 and '93 Cowboys teams for example, had to compete in a league where there were still powerhouses like the Niners around. The Cowboys were so deep in their roster that Larry Allen, now considered by most to be the best offensive lineman ever, was playing in the practice squad! The good teams had an abundance of riches. Therefore, to dominate a season in those years was a bigger feat IMO. Like I said, I greatly admire the way the Pats have been able to build a dynasty in the post free-agency period. Many claimed that dynasties would die when free agency was introduced. However, as impressive as they've been, I can't rate them above the teams I mentioned simply because of the parity of the league. Just look at their schedule so far this year. It can be argued that they've only beaten one good/elite team (Cowboys) this year. It's not their fault that the teams they've played haven't been good, in fact more credit to them for demolishing them. But their opponents' record and quality is one factor that must be considered when deciding if they're the greatest team. By the way, I do agree with you that they would go undefeated if they get past the Colts next week.Thre is no way you can categorically say that this Pats teams ISN'T better than any of those teams you have mentioned. We can only really comment on how dominant they are over the league they play in. There is no doubt that this Pats team over the first half of the 2007 have been about as dominant as any team ever has been. And yes, in a league where parity is a fundamental, that makes it all the more impressive.
I would be saying that this Pats team is more dominant than Cowboys of 92, and Niners 94 (I would say the Niners of 89 were better than them anyway), the one team really I can think of that rivals these Pats are the Bears of 85.
Re: Dolphins 72...have a look at the schedule they had to play, kinda takes the gloss off that unbeaten season.
I know every year there is talk of unbeaten teams, and every year even the best lose at least one game, but these Pats genuinely look to me to be a team that can go unbeaten...the game ina few weeks time with the Colts is going to be a humdingger, but I think the Pats will win, and then who can beat them?
I was just about to post that! It's the greatest, most improbable ending I've ever seen. Amazing!Not NFL, but the most amazing play ever?
http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband...=2564308&n8pe6c=2&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos1
The only remaining hurdle between an undefeated season is next week's game against the Colts. If they win, I don't think they'll lose again and will become the first team ever to go 16-0.52-7. Wow !! How can one say anything about this not among the greatest ? Reskins are supposed to be one of the better defensive teams in the league and pats drop 52 points on them. It was total demolition. Last 8 games :-
38-14, 38-14, 38-7, 34-13, 34-17, 48-27, 49-28 and 52-8. Wow !!!
Not so soon Dear, Please Dont forget December 9th matchup. I am looking forward to it.The only remaining hurdle between an undefeated season is next week's game against the Colts. If they win, I don't think they'll lose again and will become the first team ever to go 16-0.
Oh I'm not saying that there is no chance that someone can defeat the Pats. For starters, I think there is a very good chance that the Colts will beat them on Sunday. In fact, my prediction is that the Colts will win (and I'm sure this will come back to embarrass me). However, if they do get past the Colts, then I think it's unlikely they will be defeated by someone else. The way I look at it, no other team should be able to beat them, so if they lose, it will be a fluke IMHO.Not so soon Dear, Please Dont forget December 9th matchup. I am looking forward to it.
Let's not forget that in 2004 Pats were much hotter and were on 21-0 run (including playoffs and 18-0 (regular season) before they met a rookie named Roethlisberger and result was 34-20 in our favor.
Not saying that we will win but just that we think we will have our chances and with little luck we can win. Agreed this year is bit different, the game is in Foxboro and Steelers are not that consistent.
Not fun although mainly due to the muddy and slippery condition, not ideal for football. The passing game was completely ineffective. I didn't watch whole lot of it as Steelers-Bengals game was going on, but Crowd and atmosphere looked great.What did you guys think about the Wembeley game?
Not a good advertisement for how exciting a NFL game can be. I hope the English audience realizes that generally the games are faster and higher scoring. The field wasn't NFL standards and that greatly took away the passing game. The crowd/atmosphere was great. I laughed out loud when the streaker hit the field (they didn't show him, but mostly showed the crowd who were cheering loudly for him).What did you guys think about the Wembeley game?