Since nobody else in the national media is paying any attention at all to the New England Patriots, we thought The UWM Post ought to be the first to thrust the 9-0 Pats into the national spotlight.

Did you know the Patriots could go undefeated this year? Did you know Tom Brady could break Peyton Manning’s touchdown record? Did you know Randy Moss is good again after two years of not really trying that hard?

Alright, alright, so maybe there has been some media coverage of the Patriots this year. Maybe there’s even been too much. Maybe there’s been so much coverage that you can’t watch “SportsCenter” anymore without wanting to throw your TV set out the window 30 minutes into the show (which, unless Stuart Scott is hosting, is 10 minutes earlier than you would normally have the desire to chuck your set).

With the Patriots a contender for the undefeated crown that belongs solely to the 1972 Miami Dolphins, some of the members of that 17-0 squad have been babbling to reporters about how they’re still the greatest ever, which is fine (whatever helps you sleep at night, Mercury Morris). Recently, though, Don Shula, the coach of that Dolphins squad, suggested that if the Patriots finish a perfect 16-0 in the regular season and 19-0 overall, the record books should include an asterisk next to the record because of the Patriots’ spy tactics that have cost them both draft picks and respect.

For Shula, who is usually a pretty classy guy, his remarks appear laced with bitterness and envy. Now, I’m as annoyed by the Patriots as any other football fan, but asterisks should be reserved for records broken by whiney, steriod-filled cheaters who are embarrassments to their respective games.

While Patriots’ safety Rodney Harrison comes close to fulfilling the preceding requirements, the entire team’s achievements need not be tarnished should the Pats win out.

Sure, it’s a little unethical that New England runs the score up on lesser opponents, but this isn’t high school football. If the Patriots want to risk certain injuries to their star players by letting them pad their stats in garbage time, so be it.

And sure, watching Brady treat every post-game press conference like his own personal runway doesn’t exactly exemplify the game played by guys like ‘Mean’ Joe Greene and Deacon Jones, but to each his own, I suppose.

The Spygate controversy is a black eye to the Patriots’ organization, no doubt, but it’s been pretty obvious through the first nine games of the season that the Patriots would be just fine without a few strategically placed cameras.

What’s more, Shula points out that the fact that the Patriots were stripped of their first round draft pick as a result of Spygate indicates the seriousness of the offense he deemed deserving of an asterisk.

As ProFootballTalk.com mentions, the Dolphins were stripped of their first round draft pick for tampering in 1970 when they hired Don Shula, eventual head coach of the 17-0* Dolphins.

Shula could have just taken the high road and wished the Patriots well, even if he secretly wishes for Tom Brady to break his leg so he can sip champagne with a bunch of old egos from the glory days. The fact of the matter is the Patriots still have seven regular season games left, including match-ups with the Ravens, Steelers and Giants.

They also will face the Dolphins, and likely assist the 2007 version in their quest to go a wholly defeated 0-16. After all that, it’s no guarantee that they win two playoff games and the Super Bowl.

Shula could have at least waited until later in the season to make his resentful suggestion to the league.

Congratulations to the Dolphins for going undefeated in 1972. Really, that is a pretty impressive feat. It would be more impressive, though, if they didn’t gloat at every waking opportunity. Hopefully, when the Patriots do go 16-0 (and 18-1 when they lose the Super Bowl to the Packers), they’ll handle the next team that accomplishes a perfect regular season with a little more class.

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