Patriots Pursuing Perfection

In just under an hour the New England Patriots will play their final game of the regular season.  They are a mere sixty minutes away from becoming the first team ever to win sixteen games in the regular season and from becoming the second team to finish the season undefeated.  They have said many times that though they would love to accomplish this feat they are more worried about the winning the Super Bowl.  This begs the question of how long their starters will play.  National experts will tell you that the Patriots should sit their starters and rest up for the playoffs.  New Englanders will cry to you that the starters have to play, two in particular, Randy Moss and Tom Brady so they can capture individual season records for the most touchdowns receptions and most touchdown passes respectively.  Well, what are they going to do?

It seems that the regular season starters will play, and they will play most of the game.  This is a luxury that they have because of how they have played the rest of the season.  Shouldn't it be a luxury that they don't have to play their starters?  That could be argued yes, but because the Patriots have secured home field advantage and a first round bye they don't have to rest their starters this week.  They can play them now and keep them fresh and game ready.  Besides, if you have ever actually watched the Patriots play you would realize by now that there are only a few players that it really matters if they start or not.  

The Patriots are team comprised of interchangeable parts.  A partial definition of a complex machine.  That is exactly what the Patriots are, a winning machine and that is not because of a few stars, though it certainly helps, it is because everyone on the team can play.  Every team has a few players that you can name, but just because those teams have those players doesn't mean they will win.  You need role players, and that is what the Patriots have.

So what is the role of the starters this week?  The starters are going to play like they have every week this season and they are going to stay in shape for the playoffs.  Football certainly is more physical than baseball but do you really think its a coincidence that teams with very long layoffs often struggle?  The Patriots are a smart team, a sharp team, and to stay sharp you need exercise.  There is no better exercise than game exercise and the Patriots will be doing just that tonight.