COMMENTARY: The Full Count

By Tate Castleton The Arbiter

October 29, 2007

Boise, ID (CSTV U-WIRE) -- The New England Patriots are the National Football League's best in 2007. The question that everybody is asking now is, are they good enough to finish 16-0 and run the table to the Super Bowl?

The 7-0 Pats are, no question, my choice to win the Super Bowl. But it's hard for me to say that perfection is possible for anyone in the NFL. At the same time this is one of the most dominant teams I have ever seen play.

In recent memory the Indianapolis Colts have been the league's premiere team, records wise, because they had shots of going undefeated in both 2005 (13-0) and 2006 (9-0) before losing its first games late in each season.

The Colts, however, are coached by a conservative, quiet giant - Tony Dungy. Records and numbers mean nothing to Dungy, who pulled out his starting lineup in 2005 when his team was 13-0 and just three games away from making history.

It's no surprise that Indianapolis is again undefeated in 2007 (6-0). But on Nov. 4, when the Pats travel to Indy to face the Colts in what has arguably become the NFL's best rivalry, one team must lose.

The Pats have a slight advantage because Tom Brady is having his best season as a pro. With 27 touchdown passes through seven games Brady is on track to demolish Peyton Manning's touchdown record (49).

Brady has Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Donte Stallworth and Ben Watson at his disposal and the Pats have one of the league's top defenses.

What really sets these Pats apart from the Colts is Head Coach Bill Belichick. Three Super Bowls and six consecutive winning seasons sets Belichick apart from the pack.

Expect to see the Pats take a shot at perfection under Belichick. New England is averaging nearly 40 points per game and is winning games by an average of 17 points. As difficult as it is to go undefeated in a 16-game season, the New England Patriots have as good a shot as any team since the Miami Dolphins finished 17-0 and won the Super Bowl in 1972.

With New England and Indianapolis chasing perfection there are two other teams in the league that are chasing perfection of a different kind.

The Miami Dolphins (0-7) and the St. Louis Rams (0-7) are just bad enough from top to bottom to possibly finish winless in 2007. It's difficult to decide which team is more awful, but I think I'll give the nod to Miami.

The Dolphins lost starting running back Ronnie Brown to a torn ACL for the season. There is little to no hope in Miami now.

Things are only going to get worse in Miami before it gets better and 0-16 could be a very real possibility. The Rams do have hope. For now I'm most interested to see what the New England Patriots continue to do on its way to 16-0. I'm guessing the Pats will lose at least one on the way, but I wouldn't be surprised if it achieves perfection and shatters records in the process.