PHOENIX – If you’re a Patriots fan, the two best signs this week came Friday and Saturday. Bill Belichick ran practice for a mere 88 minutes and gave Darrelle Revis the day off. Saturday, Belichick cancelled the Patriots walk-through (which is usually a slapdash affair before the SB anyway).
As for further signs of possible Patriots success, I have another pair. Despite the hype, Seattle’s strength of schedule over the past eight games has not prepared it adequately for the Patriots and their coaching staff. They allowed 39 points over the final six regular-season games and allowed 17 and 22 in the postseason. Quarterbacks faced: Colin Kaepernick (twice), Mark Sanchez, Ryan Lindley, Shaun Hill, Cam Newton and Aaron Rodgers.
The lack of aggressiveness from Packers coach Mike McCarthy in the NFC Championship Game is probably a reason we haven’t been previewing another Rodgers-Brady duel. Meanwhile, that 2012 meeting – while a speck in the rearview – was a game in which many of the principals on both sides were on the field. The Patriots lost, 24-23 but they significantly outplayed the Seahawks in their own gym. Those are the things that matter so much more than whether or not seem team is desperate to be recognized as a dynasty or the best defense ever.
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