With only three games left, the New England Patriots are knocking on the door to football immortality.  The ’72 Dolphin’s champagne has been relegated to the ice bucket this season while the Pats blistered through their schedule.  The only bumps in an otherwise smooth road have been a nail biter against Indy and hiccups against the Ravens and Iggles. Now only the Jets, Dolphins, and Giants stand in their way to a perfect regular season. Out of that trifecta of losers, only the Jets have a legitimate shot of knocking them off, only because it’s a division rivalry game and Mangini hates Belichick. Big Blue and Miami won’t have anything for the Patriots. 

But America, and certainly the Philly area seems dead set against seeing the Pats pull this thing off.  I don’t get it.  True, Belichick is arrogant and unlikable. I have to admit, I can’t stand him either.  I want to rip that stupid winter headband off his head and deliver it to a chick carving it up at Camel Back Mountain where it belongs. But other than Belichick the team is all hard working, team first players that are great at their position.  If you’re a sports fan, I don’t know how you can’t enjoy watching these guys at work.  Tom Brady throws a great ball that’s spot on almost every time.  Watch how much time he has.  The guys working the trenches of the offensive line give him enough time to pick through his mental rolodex of booty-call girls before he throws the ball.  It’s amazing how much protection he gets.  The defense and special teams are nothing but flawless too. In a league that features a sea of parity, it’s a welcomed change to watch a team that executes as perfectly as the Patriots.

Some haters claim to be fairness fans and knock the Patriots because of the SpyGate scandal at the beginning of the year.  But this wasn’t anything that other NFL teams weren’t already doing.  And since being “caught” they’ve been blowing out their competition as if to prove they gained no significant advantage because of it. Some say that running up the score is classless.  There’s something to be said for toning it down in youth leagues, but this is professional sports.  If you don’t want to get routed then stop them from scoring. If the player’s feelings are hurt, they can dry their tears in the hundred dollar bills they throw around in strip clubs every night. 

You can’t even accuse the Patriots of being an evil empire ala the NY Yankees that simply buy themselves championships.  Up until this year, the Patriots drank the same Kool-Aid as the Eagles by building through the draft, avoiding long term contracts, and spending selectively in the free agent market.  Only this year have they splurged on high profile free agents.  But even then it was done within the confines of a salary cap unlike the laissez faire world the Yankees live in.   

I’m sick of the ’72 Dolphins and their corny champagne toast. Take away that ’72 team and some teams in the Marino era, and the fish would be more competitive in the SEC.  That franchise and the fans in Miami don’t deserve the honor of having the only undefeated team in NFL history.  Watching this Patriots team is like witnessing the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls when they won 72 games enroute to their fourth championship. You’re watching history unfold before your eyes, embrace it.