11-5, and starting the offseason in December

Well, the NFL Regular Season is over. Without patting myself on the back too much, the Patriots have finished the season with an 11-5 record, as I predicted about 15 weeks ago. They lost some heartbreakers, got completely ransacked, won some squeakers, and won some blowouts. Interestingly enough, a couple of their blowouts/shutouts came in 27" of snow or 145mph winds! OK...I embellish a bit.

Today, they had one game left, against a Buffalo Bills team that started strong, and then eviscerated themselves about 1/3 of the way through the season. The Patriots won, 13-0 in blustery, wind-driven weather with wind gusts of 70mph, that actually bent the Goal Posts over to the point that they had to be righted by staff before a Field Goal or Extra Point could be kicked!

So, Patriot Nation should rejoice. 11-5 is a VERY respectable record, especially if you consider 15 different players placed on Injured Reserve, including their starting MVP Quarterback! Ahhhhh... 11-5. Life is good.

Oh, did I mention that the Patriots did NOT make the Playoffs??????

But wait, is that fair? I mean, really! Let's look at who made the Playoffs with worse, and in some cases, MUCH worse, records!

AFC West: San Diego Chargers: 8-8

NFC East: Philadelphia Eagles: 9-6-1

NFC North: Minnesota Vikings: 10-6

NFC South: Atlanta Falcons: 11-5 (same record as Patriots)

NFC West: Arizona Cardinals: 9-7

Wow. Going 11-5 doesn't guarantee you a Playoff spot anymore. Now, most of those other winners are in the NFC (does that say that the NFC is Weaker than the AFC??? I'm not going there!). But, the facts don't change. The Patriots finished 11-5, and still did not the Playoffs.

Well, I have to give a hand to the Miami Dolphins. Last year, they finished 1-15. This year, they finished 11-5 and made the Playoffs. Bravo to them! I wish they had done worse, but they deserve a lot of credit.

The Jets...they just have hit rock-bottom at the wrong time of the season. IE: The End. I have to think that Favre is done, for good, now. This is it. He'll retire again this year, and this time, it will be for good. He was good for the Jets. He was good in the sense that Pennington did more for the Dolphins then he would have for the Jets. Where do the Jets go from here for a QB? Not sure, but I have my bets henched on Mangina trying to entice Cassel. We'll see how that goes. And, there's a RUMOR (and I put that in caps because not too many Sports Announcers are talking about it, so it's still very much in the rumor stage), that Brady may need another knee surgery, and that his 2009 season is in jeopardy. No matter whether that is rumor or fact...I just have a hard time seeing Bellichek letting Cassel go, not knowing how and when Brady will be back. If they Franchise Cassel, it'll cost them $14 million. Is that too much for a tried and true Starting QB? One that, when Brady comes back, is worth a LOT in trade??? I don't think there's any question, that Brady is the Patriot's QB, when he's healthy. No matter how well Cassel did. But by keeping Cassel, they could make sure they start the season with a worthy QB, if Brady can't start. And still have time to give Brady some time before the trade deadline.

Just my $.02, of course. And we shall see! :-)