Ok, pinching myself. CRAP, that hurt. Checking the calendar - Monday, 1/12/2009. My dog doesn't have horns growing out of her head and my teenage daughter is still saying, "Like, oh...my...god!! Like, whateverrrrr. Like, okay?" Not only has the regular season been a little left of center, but the playoffs have been, too. Oh, teams not in the playoffs have their fair share of goings on as well, lemme tell you. Since this is a Patriots blog, strange begins with losing your starting QB 7 minutes into the regular season and handing the keys to the kingdom over to an untested backup who had trouble in the preseason. So let's start the list, shall we?
- The Knee - It bears mentioning again. 7 minutes into the regular season, TB goes down with a season ending injury. 3 year clipboard carrier, Matt Cassel, takes the reins and guides this team to within a hair's breadth of an AFC East championship. Speaking of record...
- 11-5 - And no playoff berth. A close one down to the wire, we needed His Favreness to best the team that became home for the dude who's place he took. Ever the gunslinger, it wasn't meant to be and Brett ran off the field by himself, destined for wherever it is he goes.
- Mike Shannahan - unable to recapture the magic of the John Elway days, Denver's longtime coach is fired. This paves the way for a Belichick student by the name of Josh to test the waters and ultimately, take the HC plunge.
- Cleveland Browns - Former Patriots defensive coordinator, Romeo Crennel, is fired after another dismal season. In addition, GM Phil Savage is shown the door. Owner Randy Lerner had a man-crush on Eric Mangini and fast tracked him to the HC spot. That all but eliminated Scott Pioli 'cause the 2 probably don't trade Xmas cards anymore. In addition, Eagles GM Tom Heckert took himself out of consideration as soon as Mangini was crowned. Hmm...
- Kansas City - With Pioli not buying a house in Cleveland anytime soon, KC came knocking. According to an NFL source, as reported at Reiss's Pieces, talks between the 2 have heated up. This is one wacky, wonky post season happening I can do without. In fact, it might make me start drinking for the first time since...an hour ago.
- Miami - At 1-15 for 2007, a 2 loss start to the 2008 regular season didn't have them looking much better. Week 3 against the Patriots, they unveil the Wildcat and proceed to hammer NE at home. They would ultimately end up the AFC East Champions, but lose to Baltimore's bruising defense in the wildcard round of the AFC playoffs.
- Tony Dungy retires - one of Belichick's greatest rivals, it's going to be weird facing the Colts without him on the sidelines. Sure, when NE and Indy square off, it's a show between 2 of the greatest quarterbacks of this era, but let's not forget about the guys wearing the headsets. Two chess masters battling it out, every timeout, play call, and penalty making a difference. Colts fans are feeling it.
What are your most memorable moments?