Sunday, December 30, 2007

Sunday 12/30 (Very) Quickie: Pats 16-0!

Obviously, the story of the day/weekend/month/year is the Pats' perfect season, which they ended last night to become the first NFL team to ever go undefeated in a 16-game regular season.

They set a record for points scored in a season by a team. Tom Brady set a record for TD passes in a season. Randy Moss set a record for TD receptions in a season.

Here's the thing: It's all meaningless unless they win the Super Bowl, which they undoubtedly will. It is less a season of perfection than inevitability. But still an accomplishment that no one has ever seen before, and you know how much I appreciate superlative novelty.

(Meanwhile, I misspoke when I said that the Pats losing in the playoffs would be the biggest choke ever. That will forever be held by the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS. But the Pats losing in the playoffs would be the biggest choke in NFL history.)

College Bowl Wrap: Penn State rallies... Wake Forest wins "Cindy Bowl"... Croom caps season with a snoozer... Kevin Smith doesn't break Barry Sanders' single-season rushing record...

Coaching Carousel: UCLA hires Rick Neuheisel. So, is there, like, an office bracket over when his first NCAA violation will come out? I'll take early 2009. But the Bruins wanted a "splashy" hire and got one: UCLA will be better.

College Hoops: Dayton throttles Pitt. Wow, I thought Dayton would win, but not by 25. I don't think anyone -- even Dayton faithful -- saw this coming. That said: I think this win puts Dayton on the map as THE mid-major to watch.

More: Winthrop hangs Miami's first loss on the Canes... Wisconsin edges Texas in Austin in the most exciting finish of the day... nice "name" wins for Memphis (over Arizona) and Tennessee (over Gonzaga).

NBA: Hawks get a reality check, winning streak snapped vs. Mavs... Heat get a reality check, keep losing (this time to a Wizards team they have historically owned)... Keep an eye on Kevin Durant's sprained left finger...

More later...

-- D.S.

5 comments:

Steve said...

I wouldn't really consider teams in the Atlantic 10 to be mid-majors. I don't think of Xavier or UMass that way.

Eric Chase said...

Teams like Butler and Southern Ill. are "Mid Majors," not Dayton. Just because the Atlantic 10 hasn't been as dominant as it was under Chaney and Calipari in the mid 90s, doesn't make it a "Mid Major" conference.

Kurt said...

Dan, you make this HUGE deal on Friday about how it's the Giants Superbowl and they should play like it...they hang 35 points on the Patriots and play their hearts out (losing their center, backup safety, linebacker and cornerback in the process) and you can't even mention it?

Michael W said...

The Patriots offense is as unstoppable as ever, but the defense is looking... dare I say it? Average, at best. Eli was very un-Eli for most of that game, so there could be some serious shootouts when the Pats face a top tier QB.

Bill said...

If the Pats lose to the Colts in a classic game where they lose by a field goal then I don't think it would qualify as the worst choke ever. I think the Oilers giving up 35 second half points to lose in the playoffs is the all-time choke and really won't be beaten. If the Pats get smoked in their first playoff game then it would be a major choke I think