Are you not entertained?

The Patriots once again dismantle, destroy and embarrass another NFL opponent this past Sunday. I got a chance to attend the game and bit, making my decision based on many Foxboro games in the past that were very exciting but not this years' Pats edition. The games are often over by halftime and they haven't won by less than 14 points. This sort of thrashing is akin to Maximus in the provincial gladiator circuit slashing throats and bashing skulls with no difficulty, winning every bout with few moments of real drama and even less fanfare. Disgusted with the carnage but nonetheless elated by it, Maximus goads the crowd, "Are you not entertained?" To which the crowd roars in response, their undefeatable idol so talented, the actual match was not worth a cheer; but in his victory comes their adulation.

Another note about the Patriots victory over the Redskins was the issue of running-up the score. These are not amateur or student athletes. We are dealing with professional athletes that get paid in monopoly money salaries. There really isn't any room for sentiment with final scores. Us laymen like to compare what we see on the field on friday night and saturday afternoons with what happens on sunday but its just not comparable. We are trying to make a lesson of moral relevance with a level of competition that we cannot compare. From the opinion of this weak pushover, however, it still smacks of the ol' runnin' it up. But once you lose the killer instinct on the field, you may not be able to turn it back on. The team is tuned so well right now, only a moron would tell his team to "ease up" on these other sports professionals. They may need leniency for their poor self-esteems. Actually it may teach them some humility, a quality definitely lacking among pro-athletes.

While we're on the topic of running up scores, it’s very convenient for other teams to be begging for mercy after what happened after this season’s week one incident. Spygate anyone? That has been long forgotten after the Patriots wiped the floor with the favored Chargers in a game that has rematch later this year spray painted all over. I can’t remember one team, or player speaking in favor of the Patriots, in effect nobody came to their defense to respect what they had accomplished in years past, instead believing or wishing in a muckraking, substance-light conspiracy theory of cheating. The “cheating” did happen, but the extent to which it was blamed for past victories was way out of proportion. NFL officials, coaches, players, and fans had just let the lion out of the cage, giving feast to the ravished Patriots who always use misplaced quotes and the disrespect card to fuel their fire. Well, the NFL succeeded in giving them fuel for a bonfire. And now those same coaches, players and fans want to pull the reigns in. Well, I say blow ‘em away Bill. No mercy. Do people remember what teams did to the old hapless Patriots? Was there any quarter given? I don’t think so. This is the NFL, not pop-warner.