[net.sport.football] Bears/Pats/Dolphins

jjc@houxa.UUCP (J.CARBONARO) (01/30/86)

<I am still pissed!  Hell, the Patriots can play better than they did in the
<Super Bowl.  I feel cheated!  Not only didn't I get to see the great game that
<I had anticipated, but I didn't get to see the great Patriots team, either.
<I'd like to know who were the wimps impersonating the Patriots Sunday!  That
<wasn't the team I watched in the playoffs.  Hell, that wasn't even the team
<I watched lose in Chicago the second week of the season.  This wasn't the
<team I watched play Miami tough in the Orange Bowl on Monday night Football.
<Maybe the New England Patriots all caught that flu bug down there in New
<Orleans, couldn't play, and hired replacements.  I hope it was something
<like that.

Yes, it WAS the same team.  Let's face it - the Bears were a real anamoly
this year.  The only team that can do what needs to be done against the
Bears "D" is Miami.  That's not just hindsight - I think we've all been
saying that a running team has no chance against Chicago.  You can't
take a team out of its usual gameplan, change their offensive philosophy
and EXPECT to win - but it worth a try.
It MIGHT have worked, and I applaud the Pats for TRYING it.
The mere fact that they DID proves that even they believed that a running
strategy would have killed them.  A Miami-Chicago SB had the makings of
a much better game.  The rematch MIGHT have been different.  There would
have been so many interesting things to look for.  Would Marino click?
He'd HAVE to in order to win.  Would the Bears (shoe on the other foot)
have changed their DEfensive strategy.  Yes, it might still have ended
up a blowout, but at least I wouldn't have spent two weeks EXPECTING one.

<I feel confident that next year the
<Patriots will return to the playoffs.  Will they do it as AFC East Champs?
<Maybe.  It's really too early to call.  Miami will be their only real worry,
<as I see the Jets going downhill (and the Colts and the Bills are already
<down that hill).

Just curious - why do you think the Jets will go downhill?