| Carl Setterlund. 3rd November, 2005 - 3:58 am
 Looking at the NFL this weekend and my beloved Patriots, a thought popped into my mind. I looked at the schedule that Patriots have had so far, and their match up this week against powerhouse Indianapolis. To me, it’s arguable that New England has faced one of the toughest first halves in NFL history. Let’s take a closer look at the path the Patriots have trodden thus far in 2005.
So far, the reigning champs have played only one divisional game. To start out the year, Brady and company faced Oakland, a team that struggled last year. However, in the offseason Al Davis made a deal, stealing the NFL’s premier wide receiver, Randy Moss, from a Minnesota team desperate for change. There was a buzz around Oakland’s offense entering the season with Moss and Jerry Porter at receiver, and new acquisition Lamont Jordan at running back. The Raiders are a disappointing 3-4, but have also faced a tough schedule and Randy Moss has been injured. However, they looked pretty sharp on opening day.
Next came a physical Carolina Panthers squad, a popular pick in the preseason to make the Super Bowl. At 5-2 the Panthers have been as good as expected defensively and surprising offensively. Bruising running back Stephen Davis and wide receiver Steve Smith proved to be too much for a traveling Pats squad. The Patriots couldn’t catch a break, traveling again in week 3 to play another physical squad, the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Patriots pulled out a win giving Ben Roethlisberger his first regular season loss, ending a 16-game win steak.
It was back home after their gritty win at Heinz Field to face a San Diego Chargers squad that went 12-4 last year and boasts the NFL’s top RB in LaDainian Tomlinson, its top TE in Antonio Gates and 2005 Pro Bowler Drew Brees. With Rodney Harrison out and several other defensive injuries New England was blown out 41-17, raising questions about this teams chances of repeating. Again, New England traveled on the road for two more games against Atlanta and Denver, both 10-win teams last year.
Coming away with a split, the Patriots entered their bye two weeks ago .500 team (3-3, but now 4-3 after a thriller against Buffalo). Overall, the Patriots opponents this year have a combined 69-43 record from 2004, and all of them have playoff hopes this season. Against the Bills last weekend, the Patriots face arguably their easiest opponent yet, a team that is respectable at worst. This week they will face an undefeated Colts squad. So you see, questions about the schedule are not completely farfetched.
New England’s division schedule is not changeable; they have to face each division team twice a year. However, their non-division foes are quite a formidable group. Out of their remaining games the only “gimme” would seem to be at home versus New Orleans in week 11. The rest of the opponents, Indianapolis, Tampa Bay and Kansas City have a combined 16-5 record through week 8. There is no question that the Patriots schedule is stacked, but it’s hard to decipher whether or not it is any more than a Super Bowl Champion should expect to see the following year.
This whole situation raises the question that if there is something fishy about New England’s schedule, what motive the NFL would have. By all accounts the Patriots are a model franchise, a team in the truest sense, a team that plays with passion and is fiscally responsible. It would seem that the NFL would want a team like this as the face of the product it sells.
The problem is that while the Patriots portray and image the NFL likes, at the same time one team dominating the league is bad for business. What hope does a fan of teams like Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Philadelphia or Atlanta have if they see their team losing every year to the Patriots? Or even worse, what kind of hope do the fans of the 9-7 and 8-8 teams have? So you see, while for years people were asking for an end to disparity, they don’t really want to see a true dynasty either, unless of course they are a Patriots fan.
I know what you’re thinking, you’re saying “Look at this Patriots fan, he has to make excuses because his team has finally fallen off.” I’m saying no such thing, I’m just raising a question that needs to be asked. I just want to furrow a couple brows and raise a few eyebrows where it merits it. Remember that the Patriots faced a lot of turnover this offseason and that they have been marred by injuries this year. Good things like what the Patriots have had the past 4 years – and still have today, I might add – are hard to maintain. Keep in the back of your mind that the NFL is a business motivated by profit and that a new champion would be to their benefit. So does the NFL have it out for my beloved Patriots? It’s hard to know. The decision is yours to come to. |
