Falcons @ Patriots: The Confidence Factor

It seems that everywhere you read, there’s a story of some player, some team that has this pig flu.

Yesterday’s college scene saw Tim Tebow go down from a hit but then… almost as an afterthought, it was mentioned that he had some otherwise undefined "respiratory issues." And while I am no fawning follower of the Gators or Mr. Quarterback, it just struck me as an insult to him and his team that someone thought it necessary to make excuses for the situation.

The reason we are beginning this Falcons rant with a story from the college ranks is indirectly related to an old Vince Lombardi quote: “Confidence is contagious. So is lack of confidence.”

To be sure, the H1N1 virus was not the only contagion making an appearance. Even as Florida continued to roll and prove itself again as the team to beat in both the SEC and the BCS, someone, somewhere in Gatorland didn’t have enough confidence in the proven to dispense with the apologies.

Well, today’s Falcons @ Patriots game may involve some of this same illness and the moment it begins to show itself, you’ll want to cover your nose and mouth.

For the Patriots, it’s already been a long season

At 1-1 and with only 34 points to show for a strangled win over a thoroughly mediocre Buffalo team and then, the solid loss to the NY Jets, it is now clear that these are not your daddy’s New England Patriots. At least, not the team that practically owned the league through the first half of this decade.

And as far as that old confidence bug goes? There’s this story title from the Boston Herald: “Tom Brady’s human”

No way! Say it ain’t so, Tom! ((Ah-choo!))

Bless you. Now, let’s have a look at a headline from Atlanta’s Journal-Constitution: “Matt Ryan: The absolute right man at the absolute right time”

At this moment in 2009/10 NFL season, the Atlanta Falcons will march into Foxboro’s Gillette Stadium fully inoculated from that old virus. And, while the question of whether confidence alone is enough to win games, is arguable, there’s just absolutely no doubt that you'll never, ever win without it.

As Mr. Lombardi noted, it is indeed quite contagious. This kind of disease needs to be cornered and quarantined quickly, before it spreads. The Pats simply can’t afford a whole team that is…well, just human.