The Pursuit of Perfection*

Hello, and welcome to my inaugural blog. My goal is to use this space to talk/vent about things that are top of mind (specifically in the sports world). First off, let me put it right out there that I am unabashedly a homer for (just about) all things New England. That being said, I'd like to offer my thoughts on all of the nonsense surrounding the Patriots chase of an unbeaten season. I know that's its not popular to be a Pats fan these days, just as I know that a lot of people enjoy clinging to the notion that "spy gate" somehow nullifies the past championships. What I can't get my head around is how anyone could even try to make the argument that this years team has benefited from cheating. If anything, the Pats are probably the most heavily scrutinized team in the league. Of course, my problem is that I'm trying to look at this logically, unlike some of the grumpy old men from the '72 Dolphins. I'm not talking about everyone on that remarkable team, only the ones who can't seem to grasp the fact that if another team goes undefeated they will only JOIN them --- not DISPLACE them.

What irks me the most about these guys is the notion that they were such a stand-up group. Its possible that I'm forgetting something, but as far as I know the Pats have been proven guilty of two pretty bad things --- spy gate, and Rodney Harrison's use of HGH. The men who comprised the '72 Dolphins had a few short-comings as well, perhaps most notably:

• The loss of their #1 pick in response to negotiating with Don Shula while he was still coach of the Indianapolis Colts


• Mercury Morris: not sure which is worse --- the 1982 cocaine trafficking conviction, or his contribution to the world of rap

Also, aside from the fact that the Dolphins got it done in a shorter season (talk about needing an asterisk), let's not forget the following facts:

• The Dolphins opponents that had a winning percentage of just .400


• The 2007 Patriots opponents have a .511 winning percentage, including each division leader in the AFC (Indianapolis, Pittsburgh/Cleveland, and San Diego) as well as 12-2 Dallas

Despite these points, I still acknowledge that the '72 Dolphins are a team that others should aspire to because they were the first (and so far only) team to run the table. However, let's not discount the amount of pressure that any other team to follow has to face in the quest to match that perfection.