13 straight years without a losing season

[QuantumMechanic]

Last night's comeback made it 13 straight years without a losing season.

May not sound like much in this "we expect to go deep into the playoffs" era, but for those of us who have been following the team since the 70s or earlier it's amazing and wonderful to see.

 

[Hammer of Thor]

Last night's comeback made it 13 straight years without a losing season.

May not sound like much in this "we expect to go deep into the playoffs" era, but for those of us who have been following the team since the 70s or earlier it's amazing and wonderful to see.

Not just that -- it's 17 out of 18 years, and 18 out of 20 years. This is just incredible. I know it was Pats-Broncos last night, but of course it's not hard to think of the great Pats-Colts matchups over this time. There was a time when Pats-Colts was the equivalent of Jaguars-Buccaneers, and the big chance for the Pats to earn one of its few wins each year. I'm just very lucky and thankful that we have the best ownership, coach, and quarterback nowadays,

 

[Onedaful]

Truly amazing and proud to have been born in New England. I was thinking about it in bed last night, it's going to be one sad day when Tom Brady retires but I realized that I am honored to see the best QB to ever play the game in my lifetime.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

It is 13 straight winning seasons (no 8-8 seasons in there either)

9-7 was the low point (2002)

 

[Nikolai]

It is 13 straight winning seasons (no 8-8 seasons in there either)

9-7 was the low point (2002)

Technically need one more win for that.



Wait...what's that?

The Texans next week?

Hmmmmmm....

 

[Uncle Rico]

My favorite under-the-radar fact about this extended run:


The last time the Patriots played a game when they weren't still in contention for a championship is ....

Dec. 24, 2000, season-ender vs Miami.

13 years of every game mattering. Pretty cool.

 

[Uncle Rico]

Technically need one more win for that.



Wait...what's that?

The Texans next week?

Hmmmmmm....

Homecoming Week! Think BB can come up with some bulletin board material for this?

 

[Schnit]

Yup...and I think we have the easiest remaining schedule than the other play off teams. Bye week here we come

 

[RayClay]

Yup...and I think we have the easiest remaining schedule than the other play off teams. Bye week here we come

Not thinking like that has got us where we are.

Any given day...

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

Yup...and I think we have the easiest remaining schedule than the other play off teams. Bye week here we come

Hopefully..And to think 11-5 didn't make the playoffs in 2008 but the #6 seed will have at LEAST 6 losses this year as they are all bunched at 5-6...............with 5 games to go....

 

[PATSNUTme]

If we win 2 more- it will be 11 straight seasons with 10+ wins. Only the Niners at 16 have more.

 

[TruthSeeker]

Technically need one more win for that.



Wait...what's that?

The Texans next week?

Hmmmmmm....

Oh No, you're not talking about the Texans HOMECOMING game, are you?

 

[Schnit]

If we win 2 more- it will be 11 straight seasons with 10+ wins. Only the Niners at 16 have more.

Nice...I never knew that stat before...looks like there is no one in between us and them, according to wikipedia

 

[TruthSeeker]

Not just that -- it's 17 out of 18 years, and 18 out of 20 years. This is just incredible. I know it was Pats-Broncos last night, but of course it's not hard to think of the great Pats-Colts matchups over this time. There was a time when Pats-Colts was the equivalent of Jaguars-Buccaneers, and the big chance for the Pats to earn one of its few wins each year. I'm just very lucky and thankful that we have the best ownership, coach, and quarterback nowadays,

So true, and a lot of it coincides with Bob Kraft (19 years). The Pats have had excellent coaching and QB play since 1994 (Parcells/Bledsoe) to now. 2 QB's that were excellent or better (Bledsoe and Brady with a year of Cassel thrown in), and 2 Hall Of Fame Coaches (Parcells and Belichik). We truly have been blessed.

 

[mosi]

My favorite under-the-radar fact about this extended run:


The last time the Patriots played a game when they weren't still in contention for a championship is ....

Dec. 24, 2000, season-ender vs Miami.

13 years of every game mattering. Pretty cool.

I thought by the time the 2008 final in Buffalo started, we knew we were out of the playoffs. No?

 

[Horace's Ivories]

for those tough Post Grogan - pre Bledsoe/Brady years - this is a great time

 

[Uncle Rico]

I thought by the time the 2008 final in Buffalo started, we knew we were out of the playoffs. No?

I don't think that's the case.

Scroll down to Week 17.

The Patriots traveled to Buffalo for their regular season finale, needing a win and help from either the Dolphins or Ravens to make the postseason. ...

...(Game description) ...

The shutout win was the Patriots' first since 2006, while the Patriots' eight passing attempts were the second fewest in franchise history, behind only the three attempts in the Snowplow Game of 1982.[62] This game also cemented an NFL record for the Patriots for the fewest penalties in a 16-game season, with 57, breaking the 2007 Seattle Seahawks' former record of 59 in a season.[62] New England had done what they needed to do, but unfortunately watched as Miami and Baltimore won their late games and left the Dolphins as the 2008 AFC East champs, the Ravens as a wild card team, and the Patriots missing the playoffs for the first time since 2002.

I know it's Wikipedia so feel free to find something different to cite, but this seems right to me.

 

[goheels22002]

So true, and a lot of it coincides with Bob Kraft (19 years). The Pats have had excellent coaching and QB play since 1994 (Parcells/Bledsoe) to now. 2 QB's that were excellent or better (Bledsoe and Brady with a year of Cassel thrown in), and 2 Hall Of Fame Coaches (Parcells and Belichik). We truly have been blessed.

Don't forget Pete Carroll tucked in there. While his first stint as an NFL head coach (Jets 6-10) wasn't much to write home about, Carroll did not have a losing season in his three years in New England. His low-water mark was 8-8 in 1999. My read on Carroll is that he has learned a lot about coaching in general, and learned more about how to handle pros. It is not far-fetched at all to think he's the favorite to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. Not bad for a guy who got overly "pumped and jacked" to stick around the NFL some 15 years ago.

 

[fnordcircle]

Not bad for a guy who got overly "pumped and jacked" to stick around the NFL some 15 years ago.

I wish that sports writers in Boston at the time had spent half as much time looking into how Bobby Grier's drafting and undermining of Carroll's authority impacted the team as they spent trotting out the "soft, player's coach" meme about Carroll.

The 8-8 season was mired with some really tough injuries and Carroll had the likes of Damon Denson, Sedrick Shaw, Ed Ellis and Tony Simmons to fall back on. Not exactly a 'next man up' team.

 

[PP2]

As someone who has lived through the **** MacPherson era, I am always thankful and have been thankful that I've pretty much forgotten what it's like to have a losing season in Foxboro. The memory of **** running onto the field with a rolled up paper(s) is still in me, but to this day I don't really hold him responsible- he just had the misfortune of coming in during the last years of the seriously dysfunctional Sullivan ownership. The Kraft/Tuna years were when the fans dared to hope.