I've held back for too long. I've tried to not pay attention. I've even tried to blame it on the Northeast media bias. But as painful as it is to admit, the 2007 New England Patriots are the best team in the history of football.
Now, Patriots fans, you all know how I feel about the beloved cutoff-sweatshirt-wearing coach of yours, but he deserves as much credit as anyone. Being able to maintain focus and intensity during a cheating scandal is difficult enough, but continuing to absolutely demolish opponents without even a semblance of distraction on the field is the sign of an extraordinary coach.
But as the cliché says, coaches don't win games - players do. Led by offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, this offense is about as unstoppable as the 1998 Vikings' - arguably the most explosive and creative offensive powerhouse NFL defenses have ever seen.
The 2007 Patriots are chasing in terms of offensive records and prestige is that Vikings team. After leaving what was undoubtedly a great job laying tile in Las Vegas, Randall Cunningham led an offense that scored a record 556 points and later won the MVP award for his 3,704-yard, 34-touchdowns season.
With its own version of the Soul Patrol, the wideouts on that team were tremendous. Catching 78 of Cunningham's passes was Hall of Famer Cris Carter, who had the best hands of any receiver ever. Known for his iron body and unbelievable balance on the sideline, Carter became the mentor for another wideout on the roster, a rookie from Marshall University.
I think you've heard of him.
This brings us to the current Patriots team. In 11 games, the team has scored 442 points for an average of over 40 per game, on pace for 642 this season.
Tom Brady was great with receivers like Troy Brown, Deion Branch and David Givens. What makes Tom Brady the Hall of Famer he most certainly will be is the fact that he rarely makes a poor decision (except for that whole Bridget Moynihan thing).
There's rarely an errant throw, a mishandled snap or a fumble. His intelligence under center is something not seen since Joe Montana's heyday in the Bay Area.
And now with Moss, Wes Welker and Donte' Stallworth hauling in the Brady bombs, it's only natural that Brady is having the season that he is.
In 11 games, Brady has already thrown 39 touchdowns and completed over 72 percent of his passes - an exceptionally high percentage that not only showcases his out-of-this-world accuracy, but also the route-running and hands of his receivers.
Moss is having as good a season as any wideout has in recent memory, with 71 catches for 1095 yards and 16 touchdowns ... in 11 games. Welker, a glorified slot receiver who is as elusive as a rabbit on speed, is finally getting a chance to showcase his talent after catching passes from something called Cleo Lemon in Miami. In 11 games, he's caught 81 balls for 878 yards and seven touchdowns.
With all the talk on the offensive side of the ball, the defense really hasn't been mentioned too often. And it's a shame. Led by linebackers Mike Vrabel and Tedy Bruschi, this defense is as athletic as it is smart, and is still the identity of the team.
And it was in Sunday's win over the Philadelphia Eagles, when it counted most - when A.J. Feeley played like he wasn't Koy Detmer's backup in 2002 - the identity of the New England Patriots came through. They played like they should and pulled a victory from a the grasp of a feisty Eagles team hungry for an upset.
Only 68 days until the big game in Arizona - and it would be a complete shock if we didn't see this team there.
Ross Marrinson is a senior majoring in international relations. He can be reached at ross.marrinson@tufts.edu.
