Are the New England Patriots the greatest NFL team of all time?

They managed the pefect regular season last night with a come from behind win against the Giants on the road. They have to be considered the favorites to win the Super Bowl this season. On their way to to the record they have beat some very good teams along the way.

Week 2- NE 38-SD 14
Week 5- NE 34-Cle 17
Week 6- NE 48-Dal 27( @Dal)
Week 9 NE 24-IND20( @IND)
Week 8- NE 52-Was 7
Week 14- NE 34-PIT 13
Week 17- NE 38-NYG 35(@ NYG)

All of them are playoff team or can get a playoff berth(Cleveland and Washigton). They also went into Indy and Dallas and beat both of them.
They are 1st in pts/game, yards/game, passyards/game. They are in the top ten for most defensive categories and rank 4th overall in defense. They have won three super bowls since 2002, all in close games.

There record in the regular season since 2001 is 86-26. There playoff record in that time is 12-2, only missing the playoffs in 2002/2003 season despite a winning record.

They have a pretty impressive case for the claim and if they win the super bowl this year, I would say they deserve the crown.

*** disclaimer: I am NOT a PATS fan***

"Best team ever" is biased and opinionated. You could make that argument, but if we were to get technical and try to prove it as fact that they are the best, then we'd pretty much have to look at the NFL season by season and rate accomplishments.

That's really the only true way to judge who the best is all time and have it be fact. Otherwise, it's just opinion.

Like I said, the argument could be made for them, but that's only for the regular season. 16-0 or making the playoffs at 8-8 - it doesn't matter. All that matters is the Lombardi trophy. If you don't win that, all you've won is a moral victory with getting to the playoffs. You're no better off than the team that's getting the first pick in the draft.

So we'll see. I assume they are the favorites to win the Super Bowl. But - any given Sunday....

I just hate the PATS

I was hoping Miami would unseat them. That would have been irony at it's finest....

Oh well.. Maybe they will get beat in the playoffs.. I can hope after all...

Semper

I personally think the best team every was the 86 Bears. Any comparison of the Pats to any of the teams of the 80's, 70's or before is just not worth doing. Today's athletes are conditioning all year, eating right, working out and look like monsters. Watch some film of the NFL in the 70's (like the Steelers) - those guys look puny (by today's standards).
Plus I hate all Boston sports teams...

The 1984 and 1989 Niners hands down.... No cheating either

The Pats are a great team mind you but those Niners squads would mop the floor with them

[edit on 30/12/07 by Operation AJAX]

AJAX - yeah can't forget the non-cheating of Montana and Rice in their prime. In terms of best team I still stick with the Bears but pick the 49ers as probably the best overall dynasty (they were always good with M&R) - 88 and 89 were awesome years for them.

reply to post by Operation AJAX


reply to post by harddrive21


I was listening to ESPN radio last night and they basically said the same thing. I forget which 2 announcers it was but they used the same two teams as you fellows. They also mentioned the Steeler's teams of the '70's(also mentioned here) as the teams that could stand against the Pats.

Novus, I agree with you on that one would have to use a lot of statistical data to truly compare all the great teams. But to say that if you don't win the Super Bowl, your no better off than the worst team in the league that season. I don't know. You don't even have a shot at the trophy if you don't make the play-offs plus all the added revenue and bonuses from getting to the post season would put you in a bit better spot don't ya think.
You are right though, come January, every team that gets to the dance has a shot at winning the Super Bowl and any one can win on any given Sunday(or Saturday). Remember the Bills/Oilers game from the early 90's.

Originally posted by GAOTU789
You don't even have a shot at the trophy if you don't make the play-offs

That's true. I guess I just consider the Super Bowl the only goal. As a great quote goes - "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing". It's best to live by that philosophy.

Yeah, you made it to the playoffs, but if you get knocked out, then all you really did was played a few extra weeks. In the end, you have the same number of Super Bowl wins this year as Miami.

Firstly, let me just state that I am a rabid Cowboys fan... I have been watching football for 22-23 years now and have seen some awfully good teams. HYowever, I can't say that I have ever seen a team the likes of, as bad as I hate to admit it, what the Patriots have.. If they're not the best, they are one of the top three.

What's with the hate on Boston sports teams? Pats aren't the first team to go undefeated but they are the first to win as many games as they have. Granted it doesn't mean much if they don't win it all but why hate on them. They've played great all year and I don't see why the haters can't respect that.

They are a great, team, yeah. Am I happy about it? Not particularly. Quite frankly,I'm sick of hearing about them. If they go to the super bowl this year, it'll be what, the third or fourth time in five years? :shk: It's hard to believe that I was actually a half ass fan of the Patriots when they won their first super bowl. Now, I get qeezy at even the mention of them.

[edit on 30-12-2007 by SpeakerofTruth]

Hey Speakeroftruth,

I love your input on threads on ATS, but don't understand where you're coming at here. For some reason it seems to me like a lot of people hold the Pats in contempt for being so good, which boggles my mind. Surely we can all appreciate supreme dominance in this particular field.

Kwyjibo, it's about jealousy,I suppose. You know, the whole "Well, my team hasn't been good for x amount of years, so why should I sing the praises of some team that seems to have had a good team every year for the last ten years."

Look, Pittsburgh and Dallas experienced the "hate" in the 1970s, San Francisco in the 80s, Dallas, again, in the 90s, and now it's New England. Don't worry, after New England's glory days are over and they haven't had a "good" team for about ten or fifteen years, people will be glad to see them be a winner again. That is just human nature.



[edit on 31-12-2007 by SpeakerofTruth]

Hi SpeakerofTruth,

I was just mostly curious because you said you were a semi-fan when they won their first Super Bowl but got sick of them. I was confused because I would think their dominance over the years would increase or at least justify your fandom but I guess that was not to be. Interesting jealousy theory, although I do not like to throw New England dominance in sports (and all other pertinent matters) in anyones face. Afterall, it's not your fault you live in a place where your sports teams don't reflect your own personal glory, but I digress. Hopefully I don't eat my words if the Pats take a surprising playoff loss but I don't think that is in the cards.

Originally posted by GAOTU789
Remember the Bills/Oilers game from the early 90's.

I'll never forget it. :shk::shk: That was Texas' best shot at having a Texas Super Bowl and the Oilers screwed it off. Oilers 35, Buffalo 3, at half time. Buffalo 41,Oilers 38 in OT...

[edit on 31-12-2007 by SpeakerofTruth]

Originally posted by Kwyjibo
Hi SpeakerofTruth,

I was just mostly curious because you said you were a semi-fan when they won their first Super Bowl but got sick of them. I was confused because I would think their dominance over the years would increase or at least justify your fandom but I guess that was not to be. Interesting jealousy theory, although I do not like to throw New England dominance in sports (and all other pertinent matters) in anyones face. Afterall, it's not your fault you live in a place where your sports teams don't reflect your own personal glory, but I digress. Hopefully I don't eat my words if the Pats take a surprising playoff loss but I don't think that is in the cards.

Well, thanks for the compliment, but Texas has some very good sports teams, which is why Texas fans are so damned spoiled, but I'll digress. :shk:

Anyway, I think what it was withg me is that I cheered for New England because I grew up in the era when they were always the underdog. I can remember a time when the Patriots couldn't hit their butts with a bass fiddle. I wanted them to win for a change. I guess that explains why I am partial to teams like the Jets, the only New York team you'll ever see me holler for, and the Lions. They typically are underdogs.

My heart is with the Cowboys, always has been, always will be. However, I like other teams as well.

[edit on 31-12-2007 by SpeakerofTruth]

The underdog is always over-rated. Sports are about teams that will bowl you over with skill. I respect your liking of the underdog and living in the area and whatnot, but I still don't see how you can't appreciate the Pats going from misfit underdogs to supreme dominance of all. No doubt Texas is fanatical about their football and I appreciate that. Yeah Dallas has a good team regardless of how they were destroyed earlier. With all my rambling all I want to communicate is that the Pats are going to destroy everyone and I hope that everyone is emotionally prepared for that inevitability. Also I don't mean to be an annoying elitist, but wow are the Pats a good team not to mention other local sports teams.

(edit for over-doing it somewhat)

[edit on 31-12-2007 by Kwyjibo]

Well, honestly, I can't blame you all for being excited, especially about the Celtics. Hell, they haven't really had anything even remotely similar to what they have now since the 1980s.. The Red Sox were in the gutter for years and years... You have every right to be proud of your teams. However, don't take it for granted that your Super Bowl against my Cowboys is going to be a gimmie, because it isn't.

[edit on 31-12-2007 by SpeakerofTruth]

[edit on 31-12-2007 by SpeakerofTruth]

Hey I appreciate your understanding of over-zealousness, although I think you fail to appreciate how rare it is for so many teams from one area to be so good all during one time period. Not that I'm a mathematician but what are the odds? Unfortunately for this conversation New England and Dallas have a first round bye, so we'll have to wait before I can gloat in an even more boisterous manner. I can't see Dallas getting by Green Bay but I hope for the sake of argument New England faces them in the superbowl so that you can see the difference between greatness and momentary OKness.

Originally posted by Kwyjibo
I can't see Dallas getting by Green Bay

Really? I honestly can't see a young GB team coming into Dallas, if Dallas is on all cylinders, and beating them..But, we'll see. Obviously,Dallas wil have to play better than they have of late. If they can't do that, then they don't deserve to even be in the playoffs..



[edit on 31-12-2007 by SpeakerofTruth]

[edit on 31-12-2007 by SpeakerofTruth]