Now that they have completed the feat and gone 16-0, everyone wants to say that the job is not finished — the work is undone. What difference does it make if the Patriots go 16-0 only to lose in the playoffs, people say. A only means something if B also happens they tell me. You know what? I’m not buying into that. Sure, if you’re in the New England locker room, that’s probably what they’re saying and thinking. Good for them. Me, I’m independent of the locker room; I can judge the Patriots regardless of whether or not they reach their goal of winning the Super Bowl.
To me, going 16-0 is a greater feat than winning the Super Bowl. Before you jump on my case hear me out. Every single year there is a Super Bowl winner. It is an annual occurrence. You can lose six games in the regular season and still be the last man standing. You can be a six seed, get hot at the right time, and win a ring. Going through the regular season without losing however, is much more difficult. Only one other team in history has gone undefeated — the ’72 Dolphins. The 2007 Patriots are the only team to go 16-0. I realize that their story could become a cautionary tale but you telling me the Patriots don’t have a better place in history — regardless of the playoffs — than the ’02 Bucs? You telling me Trent Dilfer’s Ravens are a team of more significance than the ’07 Patriots? Please.
Win or lose in January and February, I already hold the ’07 Patriots in the highest regard. They’ve already accomplished more than any other team in history and already have their place in the record books. Their legacy has already been cemented and a Super Bowl victory would just serve as a nice bonus.
