Parting Patriots Thoughts

Watching a 49-26 beatdown of the Raiders was enjoyable, but not particularly fulfilling. Though learning that the Raiders will have had 6 straight seasons with 11 losses is plenty fulfilling in and of itself.

And the sad thing is that may be the last game I watch the 2008 Patriots play. A long overdue vacation will keep me away from my precious NFL Sunday ticket the next two weeks, and if the Patriots can't run the table the last two weeks, there's pretty much no hope of a playoff appearance.

Final thoughts:
-If the Patriots beat Arizona, it will be because they traded points in a shootout and managed to be the last one possessing the ball. Because I can't see how they're awful pass defense can stop the likes of Fitzgerald and Boldin. Here's hoping that I'm as wrong about this as I was about Holt and Bruce back in 2002.

-Welker is the team MVP. He makes a 5-foot-6-inch guy like me dare to believe that I too could have played in the NFL....you know, if I was fast....or athletic....or willing to have 250-pound men run into me at full speed.

-Is it me, or do the Patriots have a lot of solid young defensive talent, but very few playmakers? I can't remember the last time I felt confident about somebody being able to make a big play in crunch time.