Patriots' Pursuit of Perfection

Shouldn’t the Patriots chase for history be seen by all? I can understand if the Patriots were 14-1 or 13-2 this game would mean nothing but the Pats are chasing history. All football fans should be allowed to see it even if they do not have the NFL Network.

Pats fans who are not in the Greater Boston area and who do not have the DirectTV package will not be able to watch the Pats break numerous NFL records. Fans around the league, who want to see the Patriots fail, will not be able to.

The NFL is doing more harm than good for themselves. What they could do this week is make a network deal with CBS or Fox to broadcast the game so that more than just a select few can see the game. As much as fans outside New England abhor the Patriots, the league should love the Patriots. Not only could the Pats break records on the field, they have broken television ratings records:

• The Monday Night Game against the Baltimore Ravens drew in 1.6 million more viewers than the previous high Monday Night Game – Cowboys/Giants October, 2006. The game surpassed “Law and Order: Criminal Intent” (4), “Monk” (7), Disney’s “Hannah Montana” (10) and Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants (9) as well as becoming the highest viewed television program for 2007 – topping Disney’s High School Musical 2.

• CBS encountered a spike in ratings because of the Patriots - 30.3 million viewers who tuned in to see the highly touted Patriots-Steelers game on December 9.

• Before the Patriots-Steelers game, the Pats-Colts game recorded a 22.5 rating and the Patriots-Cowboys record a rating of 18.

Football fans want to see the Patriots. This is tough for a Boston fan to say, but the Pats are the Yankees of the NFL. The Yankees run the show in baseball the Patriots run the show in football. Face it football fans, the league would be in total turmoil if not for the Pats. The NFL needs the Patriots more than the Patriots need the NFL.

Only Jack Nicholson’s character from A Few Good Men can put the 2007 football season into context: “[Belichick’s] existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves [the NFL]...You don't want the truth. Because deep down, in places you don't talk about at parties, you want him on that wall. You need him on that wall.”

Without the Patriots there has not been much to talk about. The Colts have struggled since losing Marvin Harrison and Dwight Freeney. Do you really believe the Cowboys are a story this year? Tony Romo threw five interceptions against the Bills in a game earlier this year. The other Manning, Eli Manning, and the Giants struggled against the Bills last week. The Vikings have come alive as of late but in the junior league (NFC). Can they really match up against teams like the Patriots, Colts or Steelers? I don’t think so. I will give you Adrian Peterson but that is all he is a sure fire to win offensive Rookie of the Year. There is nothing left to talk about if the Pats were not chasing history.

To all those conspiracy theorists out there: maybe Bill Belichick purposely defied NFL rules to give commentators and fans something to talk about. Just trying to stir up those conspiracy theorists out there. (Oh by the way, Belichick was the Umbrella Man on the Grassy Knoll, November 22, 1963.)