Cut Off Patriots' Tail and Another Grows

It’s official. You can’t kill them.

They’re the NFL’s very own Whack-a-Mole. You can smack them around for awhile but in the end, you’ve just wasted energy.

Cockroaches have survived massive global change over a few million years. If Vegas ever lays odds on slowest to extinction, take the New England Patriots and the points.

For awhile Saturday night, it really felt as if there would be no 16th win. Felt that way to us, maybe, but like parents of a two year-old, the Patriots were simply letting the New York Giants run around so they'd get tired.

They can’t even kill themselves. The NFL’s no dance partner rule led to the Giants’ first touchdown after a short kickoff. On the last drive of the half, they held Brandon Jacobs to the ground hoping to kill some clock but drew a penalty. The Giants scored again. Randy Moss dropped a sure touchdown pass that Brady didn’t heave quite far enough. They gave up more points than they had all season. And none of it mattered at all. The only champagne corks the 1972 Miami Dolphins pop this year will be on New Year’s Eve. 16-0. Even Bryant Gumbel couldn’t screw up this coronation.

It seems almost hard to fathom they weren’t even the best team in the AFC just eleven months ago. The Pats were a contender, sure, but there were questions. And then the Green Bay Packers dropped a Christmas gift into Bill Belechick’s hands eight months early. Ever-cautious General Manager Ted Thompson, who has otherwise done a remarkable job creating his own team, balked at giving the Raiders a fourth-round draft pick for Moss as draft day approached. The Patriots were waiting in the wings. And for a lousy fourth round pick, New England bought themselves a huge piece to the perfect season puzzle.

It was nothing new, really. The Kraft-Belechick era has been a legacy of shrewd personnel moves and record-setting efforts beginning with the fortuitous selection of Brady. Second string on his winless high school freshman team, Brady has gotten better each season since. From 2001 on, the Patriots are 83-1 when leading as the fourth quarter begins. That doesn’t include playoffs. But remember it the next time you think another team actually has a chance this season.