The defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots are one of the most improved teams in football on paper this offseason, and that has led to some extremely premature chatter about them going undefeated. Not surprisingly, none of the players in the locker room want to hear it.
Earlier this month, it was an annoyed Julian Edelman who said talk of the Patriots going 19-0 in 2017 is “stupid.” Count Pro Bowl safety Devin McCourty among those who agree with the star wide receiver.
“I don’t think there’s a lot of things I agree with Jules on, but this is one of them,” McCourty told Christopher Price BostonSportsJournal.com on Saturday. “That’s ridiculous. It’s never been done. To come into a season and talk about that is ridiculous.
“Now, the focus for us is just on being ready to go every week. Just try and compete and win every week. 19-0? That’s ridiculous.”
Bill Belichick won’t even allow his players to think or speak about winning the division or making the playoffs, let alone have visions of a perfect season. Having won two Super Bowls in the past three years and five in the last 15, the Patriots know plenty about high expectations. They also know how to manage them.
“I think it’s the same mindset every year. This year is a little different because there’s a ton of hype around the team,” McCourty admitted. “But for the most part, I think it’s the same mindset as we’ve always had — come in one day one and try and build to become the best team we can be.”
While an undefeated season is just about the only thing the Patriots have left to accomplish, the odds of it happening with this team or any future team are incredibly low. They may have to see footage of a certain catch at least once a year, but winning a championship is a more important and attainable goal.
