Miami linebackers Joey Porter and Channing Crowder are right...sort of. Now, before you banish me to the stocks at Old Sturbridge Village, hear me out. I think they're both a bit too outspoken for my tastes and they need to ACT like Divisional Champions rather then TELL everyone they're Divisional Champions:
Porter, named the Dolphins' Most Valuable Player along with quarterback Chad Pennington, said he couldn't understand how the Patriots, especially Randy Moss and Wes Welker, could be talking so openly about reclaiming their stranglehold on the division without giving proper credit to the upstart Dolphins.
Randy Moss never actually talked openly about reclaiming the stranglehold on the division. What he said was:
"The sky's the limit for this offense," Patriots receiver Randy Moss told me over the phone Monday afternoon. "I think that we could be a little bit better than two years ago.
"I'm very excited for us as an offense. I'm excited for us as a team. There's a lot of good things about Tom Brady coming back that excites the people, the fans, the coaches and the players around here.
Context is everything. If the media asked Moss, "What do you think of the division this year?", I'm pretty darn sure he'd give credit where credit was due and hand Miami some props. However, his statement above was regarding the return of Tom Brady and the state of the offense after some key acquisitions. Moss is excited and he should be. So, does that mean he's supposed to "give proper credit" to the Dolphins with every statement he makes? C'mon Joey and Channing, let's get real, OK? You're looking for the red carpet to be placed at your feet everywhere you go and it ain't gonna happen.
Bringing this to the 10,000 foot level, and this COULD be where Channing and Crowder were going, the "prediction circus" swirling around the Patriots is getting to be a bit much. I love my team as much as the next New England fan. Heck, I write about them almost every day and obsess about every transaction, practice, and news bit about these dudes. But I'm growing tired of the coverage. It's suffocating and annoying. Tell me about position battles. Analyze the OLB sitiation or the defensive backfield. Shelve the "Here's why the Patriots will win the Super Bowl this year" stories. The media "experts" who write this drivel are desperate for material and are simply making rival fans hate us more.
If this team lives up to its potential, this is going to be quite a year for New England fans. But September is a long way away. Shouldn't we just concentrate on getting through training camp?