Let's Take a Deep Breath

Fact, the 2012 New England Patriots are a flawed team.  Their defensive backs are an utter mess, Belichick's game management has been spotty and arrogant at best, and they close games about as poorly as any team could.

However, and I write this for my own therapy too, there are many reasons to remain positive.

Patriots reasons....

• The Patriots are young.  This is the youngest team in Belichick's 13 years in New England.  Young teams notoriously have a tough time closing games and winning tight games.  I'll take you back to the 1993 Patriots.  This team started 1-11 losing games by a score of 19-16, 17-14, 10-9, 9-6, 13-10, 17-13, 6-0, and 17-14.  The 93 Pats then figured it out as they went on to win their final four games then rode that momentum into 1994 where they went 10-6 and made the playoffs.
  
  You want a more recent example?  The 2010 Detroit Lions started 2-10 losing games by a score of 19-14, 35-32, 28-26,  23-20, 14-12, and 24-20.  They then ripped off four wins to close the year and rode that momentum into a 10-6 playoff season in 2011.
  
  Do you think a young team with Tom Brady, several key veterans, and Bill Belichick coaching can gain similar momentum in a quicker time frame by figuring out how to win close games?  I do too.
• Josh McDaniels will figure out how to best use his offensive weapons.  It's his first year coaching this specific Patriots team.  The play calling may still be maddening at times but it will get better.
• After dishing out money to Gronkowski and Hernandez, they HAVE to begin getting utilized better.  Those contracts indicate that these two guys is what the Patriots are building around.  Hernandez has been hurt and Gronkowski is far too talented to stay on his current pace of an 80 catch, 900 yard season .
• Chandler Jones has been a beast.  No reason to think he won't keep that up.
• The one part of Belichick that drives me nuts is his arrogance.  It's like he wants to do things differently so that NFL Films can wax poetically about how much of a genius he is.  You know what kills arrogance and breeds humility/humbleness?  Losing.  Get back to better clock and game management, Bill.
• The Patriots have lost two NFC games.  These mean less than dick when it comes to end of the year tie-breakers.
• It's not like the Patriots are getting smoked.  They've lost three games by a total of four points.  They could be similarly flawed yet 6-0 and I wouldn't be typing this up.
• The secondary CAN'T play worse.... right?

AFC East reasons for optimism....

• Although I do think the entire AFC East is feisty enough to beat the Patriots any Sunday and I truly don't see any of these teams as door knobs, the division is still not very good.  I see the Jets, Dolphins, and Bills as teams that will win in the neighborhood of 6 to 9 games.
• The Patriots will win 10 games.

AFC reasons for optimism......

• The AFC stinks.  If Denver beats San Diego tonight then the only teams above .500 will be the Texans and Ravens who are both 5-1.
• Have you watched the Ravens?  That defense is getting very old.  They have won games by the score of 31-30 and 31-29.  Oh and the lost Ray Lewis and Lardarius Webb for the season yesterday.
• Not to mention T-Sizzle is still out.  The Ravens are flawed.
• Aaron Rodgers shredded the bijesus out of the Texans at Houston on SNF.  So much for that great defense.
• Do Matt Schaub and Gary Kubiak scare you?  Me either.
• Who else is in the AFC?  Denver?  Manning, albeit still a genius, has a noodley arm and his defense stinks.  San Diego? Pfff, I won't waste my breath.  The Steelers?  You can't rule them out but they are 2-3 with no running game and an aging defense.  The AFC East we discussed isn't there yet and the AFC South minus Houston is garbage.  The Raiders, Chiefs, and Browns are total door knobs.  The Bengals?  They lost to the Browns!
• Seriously, the AFC stinks.

NFL reasons for optimism....

• Getting through the NFC playoffs will be an utter gauntlet.  Giants, Bears, Packers, Falcons, and 49ers are all legit teams to win the super bowl in 2012.  They will have to beat one another to make it.
• I'd argue the Eagles, Vikings, Seahawks, and possibly the Cardinals or Cowboys will be in contention and WOULD make the playoffs in the AFC.
• The last two Super Bowl champions were very flawed and had uneven regular seasons.  The 2010 Packers were 8-6 at one point and only made the playoffs thanks to the Eagles miracle win against the Giants.  You know what happened then?  They played their best football in the playoffs rolling their way to a championship.  I have a high school friend who's a Packers fan.  What do you think he'd say to me if I said to him, "Hey you may have won Super Bowl XLV but your team was flawed and you only made it cuz of that Giants-Eagles game."  He'd say, fahk you, we won the Super Bowl.  Then he'd watch his SB DVD.
  
  The 2011 Giants were actually outscored on the season.  They scored 394 points and allowed 400.  They went 9-7. Statistically they are by far the worst Super Bowl champion ever.  * Side note, statistically they were, but as an actual SB winner, they were not the worst, hell to the no. *  They lost twice to the shitastic Redskins.  They had a stretch where they lost five of six games.  I have a friend who I played flag football with who likes the Giants.  Do you know what he'd say if I told him, "the Giants were flawed and statistically the worst super bowl champion ever."  He'd say fahk you.  Then he'd rub it in my face that they've beaten the Patriots in two super bowls.  Then he'd go watch his SB DVD.
• And let's say the Patriots remain flawed and happen to make the Super Bowl anyway due to the stinkyness of the AFC.  From that point you just have to win a single game even if it's against a better team.  And you know what?  If Wes Welker holds onto the ball then the 2011 Patriots would have played out just how the 2012 Patriots could play out.  A good team with many flaws winning a championship.
  
  It ain't about the style points people so let's allow the season to unfold.... except I will still post on fb incessantly each week how we are porked.