I. Bill Belichick. If the Pats finish 19-0, we'll never stop hearing that he's the greatest coach of all time. Belichick was a miserable loser with a dysfunctional front office in Cleveland. And now he's a multiple Super Bowl winner with a great front office in New England? Connect the dots.
II. Tom Brady. If he wins a fourth title there might not be enough gorgeous Brazilian supermodels on the planet to bear his children.
III. Randy Moss. Does a guy who sulked and loafed for two years in Oakland deserve a Super Bowl ring?
IV. Rodney Harrison. One of the league's dirtiest players, Harrison carries the banner for a Patriots secondary that many opponents believe gets away with more than its share of downfield contact.
V. Don Shula. The classy Shula went 17-0 in 1972 with an offense not nearly as stacked as Belichick's. He did as much with a lot less and deserves the distinction of coaching the NFL's only perfect team.
VI. Pete Rozelle. The most successful commissioner in professional sports history, Rozelle's dying wish was for parity. There is no parity in 19-0.
VII. Underdogs. There have been 31 of them in the league this year. And now only the Giants are left to represent them all.
VIII. The AFC East. It's already the most top-heavy division in football with the Patriots and three teams - the Bills, Jets and Dolphins - who don't appear close to playoff contention. A Patriots loss at least gives the others some glimmer of hope next season.
IX. LaDainian Tomlinson. You know how badly one of the game's most passionate players wanted to be on the field Sunday. To have to stand on the sidelines for most of the biggest game of his career was cruel enough. Watching the Pats win the Super Bowl would be overkill.
X. The rules. I don't care who else was taping defensive signals. If Belichick is really so brilliant, he shouldn't need a cheat sheet.
XI. Bostonians. If the Red Sox, Patriots and Celtics all win championships in the same calendar year we might have to give Massachusetts back to the British.
XII. History. No, not 19-0. Brothers winning Super Bowl titles in consecutive years. Way cool.
XIII. Archie Manning. All of that New Orleans heartache he endured would finally disappear.
XIV. Tom Coughlin. Like him or not, Coughlin is one of the few remaining old-school coaches in the league. He runs his team the way you wish you had the guts to raise your kids.
XV. Ratings. If the Patriots are down by a touchdown at halftime, even my wife will want to tune in to see if they lose.
XVI-XVIII. The Eagles, Ravens and Giants. All three teams had the Patriots on the ropes and should have beaten them. The Giants get a do-over.
