Race for Second: The Premature End of the NFL Season pt.1

The 2007-08 NFL Season is over. There's no point in playing the games or even showing up. The mediocre scrum that most teams mire in with the exception of a few superior and inferior teams will have no impact on the playoffs or the rest of the season. Sure, each fanbase has hope, it's human nature. The only problem is the NFL Season is all an exercise in futility, the New England Patriots, undeservedly, are head, shoulders and waist above every other team.

We have hope though. Peyton has foiled the Pats the last few seasons. OK, that's all we have. If Peyton isn't Peyton, there's no stopping the Pats. It's shocking how good the Patriots really are. Sure you can look on paper and see all the shiny names and see the head coach and think to yourself, "yea, they're great." But it goes beyond that. The roster isn't a superstar roster a'la the Yankess. Yes, there are numerous stars, but while the Yanks try to put out a fire by throwing money at it, the Patriots shrewdly identify the players that fit their system to a T. Versatile and smart players who can take advantage of even the slightest mistakes. Case in point, Adalius Thomas and his stunning interception of Phillip Rivers against the Chargers last week. Thomas is the personification of what a New England Patriot is: he can do EVERYTHING on the field and has no problem taking on a supporting role. The Pats also get Wes Welker which is essentially the 2001 version of Troy Brown.

Tons of articles have been mentioned regarding the superiority of the Patriots' front office and on-field product. But what bugs me is the fact that Randy Moss doesn't fit into any of this. Moss is about as anti-Patriot as an NFL player can be, a one trick pony who doesn't give two shits about his team or tailoring his game to augment others. But so far this season, Moss emerges as a demi-God, an uncoverable beast who is on the sideline conversing with his fellow recievers and opening up holes for the rest of the team. I even saw him downfield block on numerous plays. What the fucking fuck is this? How can Moss go from what he was in Oakland to what he is now? He singlehandedly turned this team from Super Bowl Challenger to one of the greatest and most dominant teams in NFL history.



Fuck Moss. Fuck Brady. Fuck Belichick. They've taken the fun out of football. What can you possibly say to put them down? What are their weaknesses? Belichick steals wives. OMG! Moss only can outrun everyone in the NFL. Great bombs all year long. Brady is the best QB in the league and bangs supermodels and impregnates actresses. The Patriots were dangerous before, now they're unstoppable.

I'm having trouble writing this. There are only so many superlatives to describe the Patriots without having to turn to a Thesaurus in order to create verbage. The thing that upsets me the most about the Patriots' Perfect Storm is that it renders the rest of the NFL season moot. There isn't a team out there that can beat the Patriots. The Colts and Cowboys are the only other elite teams in the NFL (Steelers are N.O.T.) and both of those defenses would be shredded. Lets face it, Tom Brady was the best NFL QB all along, and I'm a huge Peyton fan. While we were all crowing, "see how many Super Bowls Manning would win if he had a defense," we should have been saying, "let's see how good Brady is with recievers." When Troy Brown and Deion Branch are your best recievers for your career, you should have numbers like John Kitna for your career. Now Brady is completing a ridiculous 79.5% of his passes and the Pats' offense makes defenses look like they're running at half speed.

Moss' 51 yard TD against the Jets in Week 1 was the first glimpse of this. 3 Jet defenders running haphazardly behind a seemingly jogging Moss. Just unfair. What can we, as non-Pats NFL fans, do? How will we survive hearing Boston fans revelling in yet another championship? Is there even an outside chance that the Pats lose? As much as I love talking and writing about football, I just cannot form a cohesive thought to save my life because when something is as evidently superior to everything else, what can you say? And as my illustrious friend Bruce O'Grady says, "desparation is a stinky cologne."