Dynasty Over??? I Think Not ESPN!

So I recently read an article on ESPN's website,http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/columns/story?columnist=bryant_howard&id=4728559, and I was disappointed with all I heard. Has the championship window of opportunity passed for the New England Patriots? I find this extremely hard to believe!

Shouldn't we know by now that a team featuring Tom Brady and Bill Belichick will always have a chance at championship glory?? The nation is in a state of amnesia due to a few minor flops in a season in which the Patriots are still contenders. The defense is struggling, but the offense is very good, granted not as good as it was during the 18-1 season, but no offense will ever be that good, sorry Saints fans'. So if the Patriots make the playoffs, which they will, am I to believe that no one is worrying about them winning it all?? The Saints and Dolphins beat the Pats 2x in a row, this is true, but is it also forgotten that New England was a yard short of beating the undefeated Colts? That yard is looking huge right about now, but it was in fact only a yard...The Patriots make that and we aren't questioning this dynasty anymore are we?

I'm sorry but I don't believe this dynasty is ending or will end anytime soon. Receivers, Defensive players and Coordinators may change, but the Patriots should never be counted out.



Photo Courtesy of Sports Illustrated

What if David Tyree Wasn't Helped by Divine Intervention?! HAH!

Ok so this is probably the most biased topic I have spoken about so far, but regardless its interesting to ponder. Snapshot time, the New England Patriots are squaring off against the New York Giants in the Superbowl. New England is 18-0 and having the greatest season ever put together by a team in sports history, New York on the other hand surprised everyone by even making it to the Superbowl. It was David vs Goliath, except this Goliath was on steroids! The Patriots looked unbeatable in every sense and seemed like the team of destiny, but not everything works out the way we want it to. David Tyree, an unknown reciever normally caught fighting for playing time, made quite possibly the greatest catch in superbowl history. It started with a great escape from the blitz by Eli Manning, then the flustered quarterback threw a high pass that Tyree reached for and pulled against his helmet, holding on to for dear life as he hit the ground. This extended the final scoring drive for the Giants when it seemed like the game was going to be all over and shattered all the New England confidence. The Giants went on to win 17-14 in one of the greatest upsets ever.

Now what if Tyree drops this pass? It was 3rd down and woul have brought up an extremely difficult 4th and 5 for the Giants to try to convert. Also the momentum was all on the Patriots side so another stop would have been highly likely. The 14-10 win would have made the Patriots 19-0, the greatest season in sports history would have been completed. No debates about the greatest team in team sports history should even taken place after this win. The total domination in a league chock-full of great talent at the time made the Patriots season look that much more unbelievable. Now though, with this one defeat, the one time they did not bring it all to the table, they go down as just another team. Not winning a championship ruined an otherwise extraordinary season and its very disappointing. Though it did make some 3rd world countries quite happy, with all the 19-0 t-shirts being sent to them. We'll always rememeber the greatest team ever to not win a title.

Picture Courtesy of Newsday