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The source for back issues of Clint's Corner. Forget a trade? Were Clint's predictions correct? Here's every edition, verbatim.

For 12/3/2003

No excuse...

So the Pats are off to their best start in franchise history and for the first time in 8 seasons GoPats.com isn't up to date. Excuses? None. Time to get back to "work."

When last me wet, the Pats were 2-1, riddled with injuries, and on their way to face the "Super Bowl bound" Redskins in Washington. The Patriots ended up losing to the Redskins in a game they absolutely should have won. A crucial second half turnover set the Redskins offense up 1st and goal at the 1 yard line, and the 'Skins capitalized to take a 13-3 lead which they extended to 20-3 midway through the 4th quarter.

The Patriots roared back to close the score to 20-17, and after the defense held late in the 4th quarter, the offense found itself 1st and 10 in Redskins territory needing only a field goal to force overtime. Having thrown 3 interceptions prior to leading his team back, QB Tom Brady again was off the mark, failing late in the game to lead to his team to victory. This was a devastating defeat - far worse than the 31-0 debacle in Buffalo. For the better part of two seasons, the Patriots have prided themselves in winning the close games, and given the opportunity to pull a rabbit out of the hat once again, they failed. Very un-Patriot like. Things were not looking good with the physical Titans and then contending Giants due in Foxboro the following weeks.

Now we know better. That loss in Washington was not a sign of things to come, but indeed an apparition. The Redskins have since fallen off the map, while the Pats have since not lost a game. During their 8-game winning streak, the Patriots have beaten 5 teams with winning records, 3 of those on the road, and 4 of which would qualify for the playoffs if the season ended today. Say what you want about the Patriots 10-2 record, but you can't at all say they've benefited from their schedule. Equally as impressive, the Patriots mettle has been tested, with four of the wins coming in either overtime or inside of 60 seconds remaining in regulation - three of those on the road.

The Patriots are owners of the longest current winning streak in the NFL and are off to the best start in their 43-year history, but they are still not without their doubters. Not scoring a touchdown against the Browns you say? The Dolphins Olindo Mare missing a FG in overtime? Taking the Texans down to the wire? Holding on for dear life in Indy after leading 31-10? You've got questions - I've got answers.

It's ridiculously early to be talking Super Bowl, but after 12 weeks, who's the best team in the NFL? Is any team out there blowing away quality opposition week in and week out? If you're one to look for holes in the Patriots rather than give them credit, allow me to play Devil's Advocate with the top four AFC teams other than the Pats among ESPN's top 10 according to their week 13 power rankings:

Kansas City - a great team. Priest Holmes is the real deal and the offense is explosive, particularly at home. At 11-1, they currently own the NFL's best record. However, while the Patriots are 6-0 against teams with winning records, the Chiefs are just 2-1, 1-1 on the road with victories over the 7-5 Broncos and 7-5 Ravens and a loss at 7-5 Cincinnati. Neither the Ravens nor the Broncos would qualify for the playoffs if the season ended today. In each of their victories over Denver and Baltimore, KR phenom Dante Hall returned a 4th quarter kickoff 90+ yards for the deciding score. Their remaining 9 victories have all come against teams at .500 or below.

Tennessee - another great team. Steve McNair is a bona fide MVP candidate and their receiver core is very talented. Their lines are physical on both sides of the ball, and head coach Jeff Fisher has to the most unheralded head coach in the league. However, the Patriots beat them at their own game in week 5, they lost 33-7 in Indy earlier in the season, and recently lost to the Jets on Monday Night Football, who while inspired by the return of Chad Pennington, are not a team a Super Bowl contender should be dominated by. Don't let the 24-17 score fool you - the Titans were never in the game after halftime. If you're going to criticize the Pats for a close call against the 5-7 Texans, you can't ignore the Titans 38-31 escape in Atlanta from the 2-10 Falcons the same week nor their 10-3 squeaker at home over the 3-9 Jags the week prior.

Indianapolis - yet another solid club. The big three on offense, Manning, James, and Harrison, are finally surrounded by other playmakers while the defense clearly has the look of a contender in Tony Dungy's 2nd season. Their comeback against the Bucs on Monday Night Football earlier this season was legendary, even if the Bucs are just a 5-7 club. Like the Patriots, they too beat the Browns on the strength of three field goals, have lost to the Patriots, and also dropped a much-hyped home match-up to the 8-4 Carolina Panthers, a contender in the junior circuit of the NFC.

Miami - a good team, but a class below the Chiefs, Titans, Colts and Pats. They sure looked good on Thanksgiving Day against the Cowboys, but what else have they done to lead you to believe they're a solid contender? Aside from their victory in Dallas, their only other win over a winning team was a 9-6 home overtime squeaker against the Ravens in which QB Anthony Wright was making his first start of the season for Baltimore. The Pats were lucky in OT when Mare missed a field goal? How about Jamal Lewis fumbling the ball with nary a touch at his own 33 yard line to set up the game winning field goal in overtime? The Pats didn't beat the Texans badly enough on the road? How about losing to them at home?

Careful...

Does all this mean our beloved Pats are destined for Houston on February 1? It could, but then again the Pats could go from 10-2 to 11-5 and be made short work of in the playoffs as well. What's encouraging is that the players and coaches know this - this is not a team that's full of itself or expects to blow teams out. They're also well aware that at 10-2, they still very much have their work cut out for them.

A loss to Miami this weekend could change things in a hurry. That would drop the Patriots to 10-3 with a dangerous trip to the Meadowlands upcoming - potential cause to overlook the feisty Jaguars at home the week before in a classic trap game. Although 10-2, the Pats are still just 2-1 in their division and have yet to sweep a divisional foe - a loss to Miami and suddenly a very mediocre 3-3 divisional mark and a slip out of the top two spots in the conference would be very plausible.

With their victories over the Colts and Titans, coupled with the Titans loss to the Jets Monday night, the Patriots can now afford to lose another game and still finish no worse than the 2nd seeded team in the conference - a critical position if a team has serious aspirations of making a post season run for glory. Should the Patriots stumble down the stretch, they're still likely to win their division, but will need a victory in round 1 of the playoffs at home just to have the privilege of going on the road for round 2. A team that's made a habit out of winning by the skin of their teeth cannot afford to get complacent at 10-2, and the Patriots will not.

The Patriots have it all there in front of them for the taking. They have a firm grasp on a 1st round bye with three of their final four games at home. Are you still not on the Pats bandwagon? Hey - game 7 in Yankee Stadium was a long time ago - it's high time you got on board.

Thanks for reading. It's great to be back - and Go Pats!