re: Patriots getting ready for the big game!

Can't go by Super Bowl wins alone, though they could be notching their fifth today. The fact that they've had so many Championship and Super Bowl appearances over the past two decades should be enough. But here is one opinion of why the Pats are the greatest. On top of that, the Patriots have done it all in the era of unrestricted free agency and the salary cap. It's harder to win now than ever before in NFL history, and the Patriots keep finding ways to get it done.

The NFL today is structured to prevent what the Patriots have done, and they do it anyway, with players cut by other teams or players not wanted in the draft by others. Their stars (Brady aside) keep going to other teams and often times fizzle out (Matt Cassel comes to mind) because they aren't used to their full potential as they were in New England, or they don't play quite like they did with the support of the NE coaching staff and player development.

The Patriots are a machine that consistently excels regardless of the players they put on the field, and they put up some gaudy numbers doing it. Even with Brady out the first four games, look what they were able to do with the 2nd and 3rd string QBs. It's why so many people hate them; everyone loves the underdog and the Patriots are rarely the underdog.