pretenders?

This is a sports blog entry.

Last night, in "dramatic" fashion, the New England Patriots became the first team in the history of the NFL to win 19 straight games. They defeated yet another awesome team in the Miami Dolphins, 27-10.

Who are we kidding? The Dolphins are a hapless team, led by a QBBC who be lucky to make the CFL. Their backfield was decimated when Ricky Williams shockingly retired 2 months ago.

In fact if we look into the last 19 games by the New England Pretenders, you have to wonder whether or not the NFL schedule maker has an allegience with the works for the Patriots. From the time of September 11, this team has been set up to win. I'm not taking away the fact that Brady is a great QB, or that their defense is stellar. But let's delve into this so-called record.

Game 1: Pats 38, Titans 30. Okay, I'll give them this one. Titans were headed for a 12-4 season and this was a great game to watch. Ty Law had a great game, clinching it at the end with the interception.

Game 2: Pats 17, Giants 6. Wow.. what a test. Pats D came through again in this game, intercepting Collins 4 times. Giants finished 4-12 last year.

Game 3: Pats 19, Dolphins 13. A pretty close game, I give this one to the defense again, who came up with big plays to stop Ricky Williams from amounting to anything. Dolphins finished 10-6.

Game 4: Patriots 9, Browns 3. Golly, another huge test for the Pats. Browns finished 5-11.

Game 5: Pats 30, Broncos 26. This was the second test out of 5 games for the Pats and they came through, on MNF no less. This game was all Brady.. an impressive win against a playoff-bound team. Broncos finished 10-6.

Game 6: Pats 12, Cowboys 0. Third test of the year. Defense intercepted Quincy Carter 3 times.. 'Boys finished 10-6.

Game 7: Pats 23, Texans 20. This was a pathetic showing for the Pats, who eked it out in OT against a very, very bad team. Houston finished 5-11.

Game 8: Pats 38, Colts 34. These games are where champions are made. Brady came up huge in this one. Defense isn't rarely much of a factor when you're facing Peyton Manning. Colts finished 12-4.

Game 9: Pats 12, Dolphins 0. Another big game for the defense. To be completely honest, I don't know how the Dolphins came so close to making the playoffs. Jay Fiedler is awful and so was Ricky last season. No wonder he retired. Dolphins 10-6.

Game 10: Pats 27, Jags 13. Easy game. Jags 5-11.

Game 11: Pats 21, Jets 16. Another easy game. Jets 6-10.

Game 12: Pats 31, Bills 10. *Yawn*. Bills 6-10.

Game 13: Pats 17, Titans 14. Naturally you can't fix the schedule of the playoffs. Pats beat the Titans in this one, Brady defeating the MVP Steve McNair.

Game 14: Pats 24, Colts 14. Another huge game for Brady, defending the other MVP Peyton Manning.

Game 15: Pats 32, Panthers 29. Anyone watching the superbowl last year knew that the Panthers had no chance, but the analysts made it out to be a great battle. These two teams match up well because they have great defenses and QBs with a minimalistic approach to the sport. So what happens is when they play eachother, both QBs have to step up to show the other one up.

Delhomme received a lot of credit during Panthers' playoff run, similar to the way Brady did earlier on in his career when he simply didn't deserve any. Whether or not Delhomme will one day turn out as good as Brady remains to be seen. The Panthers are 1-3 this season.

Game 16: Pats 27, Colts 24. A new season, a new schedule. Brady was huge in this game and it actually changed my mind about him. He definitely deserves some credit. I still hate the fact that he is a "do just enough" QB. It probably explains the teams' overall success though, because he is always well-rested. Pats are 4-1 this year. 12-4 last year.

Game 17: Pats 23, Cards 12. Eh. Cards were 4-12 last year, and 1-4 this year. It's hard to fathom why the defending champs are being scheduled to play teams like this.

Game 18: Pats 31, Bills 17. Once again, the schedule makers defy all logic and give us another stinker. Bills were 6-10 last year and 0-4 this year.

Game 19: Pats 24, Dolphins 10. As I mentioned before you can't blame the schedule because it was made before Ricky retired.


The Patriots have gone 19-0 in the past 19 games. The first 12 games they won against teams with a combined record of 95-97. The Pats finished 9-7 the previous year, a winning pct of 0.562. Their schedule was against teams that were 0.515 (2002). Close. Then followed that up with 3 excellent playoff games against Titans, Colts, Panthers.

The next 4 games though, have been disappointing. Yes, they played the Colts first, but the next 2 games made very little sense. Why are the defending champions playing the Arizona Cardinals, a team that has a 5-16 record in their last 21 games? If they're going to play a team in the NFC West, why the Cards and not the Seahawks or Rams?

19 games is impressive but I cannot sit here and tell you that the Pats deserve this kind of credit. Why have the defending champs, a team that finished 14-2 last season, playing teams at a combined record of 32-32?

Next game will be good though, Seattle against the Patriots, a prelude to what's to come at the next Superbowl.