Editorial+Piece

Language Arts Eric Wahlstedt Editorial Piece October 10, 2011

**Why The Patriots Will Win It All** The Philadelphia Eagles’ “Dream Team” was the pick of almost every football fan to win the 2011-2012 Super Bowl. Now, at the beginning of week six in the NFL, this “dream team” is 1-4 with losses to Atlanta, New York, San Francisco, and Buffalo. The Eagles only victory was against the atrocious St. Louis Rams who have not won a game this season. Instead of a “Dead Bird” from the city of early elimination (see ya Phillies), this year’s real champion will be a team that can actually win, a team that is always a “dream team”. If you follow football you must be thinking – The New England Patriots! It is obvious.

The last decade proves the wisdom of my prediction. Just look at the numbers the New England Patriots have written in the record books; three Super Bowl wins in four seasons, a 16 – 0 season, the most touchdown passes by one player in a year (50), the most touchdown receptions by one player in a year (23), and the list goes on…(consult the hallowed pages of ESPN online). By the end of this editorial, I will make you nonbelievers, believers, and show you why the New England Patriots are destined to win the Super Bowl…….again.

The first reason that the Patriots will win is their legendary offense lead by Tom Brady. The numbers Brady has put up would make you think he was an adult playing in a 5-year olds flag football league. No active player is even close to his records (and never will be). For illustration, lets compare two active quarterbacks- Tom Brady (amazing) and Tony Romo (average). Since 2005 Tom Brady has thrown 53 more touchdowns, 8 less interceptions, and thrown for 4,770 more yards than Tony Romo. However we must take into consideration the year Tony broke his little finger…(boo hoo hoo).

Another reason the Patriots will win it all is the great group of wide receivers Tom Brady has at his disposal. All of these names are very well known in the fantasy football world. These great receivers include Wes Welker, Deion Branch, and Chad Ochocinco. Wes Welker already has the most receiving yards this year (740) and is second in receiving touchdown (5). This group also leads the NFL in yards per catch and holds the longest reception (99 yards) of this year (a 99 yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady to Wes Welker).

However, the Patriots are a well-balanced team so they also have a good running game. They have already rushed for 643 yards this season which ranks 6th in the NFL. They have also rushed for six touchdowns ranking 4th in the NFL. Their leading rusher BenJarvus Green-Ellis ranks third in the NFL with five touchdown runs and has never fumbled the ball in his four NFL years (406 rushing attempts). With their high-powered offense this is one major reason the Patriots will win the Super Bowl.

Defense is one of the most important parts of an NFL team and the Patriots have a good defense. The Patriots’ secondary already has seven interceptions this season and is on pace for 28 interceptions this season! You may be thinking how could the Patriots lose to the Buffalo Bills? My answer to that is the Patriots did not have starting safety Patrick Chung and defensive star Albert Haynesworth did not play at all. In two seasons Patrick Chung already has five interceptions in 34 games played and Albert Haynesworth has amassed 30.5 sacks and 326 tackles in his NFL career. These two players would have put the pathetic Bills in their place.

The Patriots have only allowed on average 118.8 yds/g in rushing this season which is not a lot considering they went up against opponents averaging 133 yards per game. This means opponents ran for 20 yards more against other team. This could be the difference between a field goal and a touchdown, which then could affect the outcome of the game. The Patriots lights out defense will lead them to their 4th Super Bowl in ten years.

The deciding factor of many games is the play calling and the head coach usually calls many game changing plays. The coach of the New England Patriots is the renowned Bill Belichick. Coach Belichick is the 11th most wining coach in the history of the NFL. He has 165 wins and 95 losses with a .714 wining percentage. He is also the only coach in NFL history to win three Super Bowls in four seasons. He learned many of his coaching techniques when he was an assistant coach under the legendary coach Bill Parcells. With his experience, he will definitely be a deciding factor in the Patriots’ Super Bowl win.

With their amazing offense, tough defense, and legendary coach, I hope I have proven to you why the New England Patriots will be lifting the Vince Lombardi trophy over their heads this February.