The patriots are the greatest football team in NFL history

Well, looking at the resolution, you can take it to mean two things: 1. The Patriots have the best SINGLE-SEASON team ever. OR 2. The Patriots are the best football team ever. I'll refute both, but I want the voters to note that should I win on EITHER of these points, I should win today's debate. This is for the simple reason that the Pro's burden of proof would not be fufilled. 1. "As everyone knows the patriotshave the best offense, and their entire starting offensive line is going to the pro bowl. Tom Brady is the best quaterbackplaying now, and can throw with procision and accuracy." - The fact is, I can't really argue your statement. However, you aren't trying to prove that the Patriots are the best team this season, as that point would be a lopsided debate. The fact is, they are (most likely) the best team THIS SEASON. However, they are in NO way the best team ever. I won't compare yearly statistics of the teams, because those are misleading. The league is different in the respective era's, and proving that one team was better in their era proves nothing. http://espn.go.com... http://espn.go.com... - For reasons relating more to the amount of room I have to argue, I'd like to ask that you prove that the 2007-2008 Patriots are better than either the 1985 Bears, the 1962 Packers, or the 1984 San Fransisco 49ers. -I'll concentrate, for this argument, on the Packers (as they have had the best season this year). Feel free to argue this and premptively attack the other teams as well. Players: The Green Bay Packers of 1962 have had the most hall of famers out of ANY team. Now, the Patriots haven't had enough time to get thier players in the Hall Of Fame, but I'll argue who is likely. A List of the HOF Packers in 1962 (http://www.profootballhof.com...): Herb Adderley, Willie Davis, Forrest Gregg, Paul Hornung, Henry Jordan, Vince Lombardi, Ray Nitschke, Jim Ringo, Bart Starr, Jim Taylor, and Willie Wood. 11 players. A List of Likely HOF Players on the Patriots of 2007: Tom Brady, Bill Bellichick, Junior Seau, Randy Moss, Richard Seymour, and (Maybe) Rodney Harrison. That's 7 guys. So the Patriots had worse players, but what would have happened had the team matched up? Offense: We saw the Patriots almost get stopped by the New York Giants in the last game of the season. The Giants are nowhere near the best defensive team. I think it isn't a far cry to say that a team who in 4 games allowed only 14 points could beat the Patriots. Defense: The Patriots haven't even had the best defense this year. Granted, it's good. But could it really stand up to Bart Starr and a team that racked up an astounding 628 yards on offense in one game (a playoff one at that). Coaching: Vince Lombardi and Bill Bellichick. Arguably the two best coaches ever. However, I'm confident in saying that Lombardi is by far the best ever. If you feel this statement is wrong, feel free to argue, and I'll prove it. However, I don't want to waste space proving something that you might agree with. (Source: http://espn.go.com...) Assuming both teams play at the top of their game, the Packers would win on all fronts. No question. -I have room, so I'll cover the Bears next. Players: I can't for the life of me find a list of the HOF players on the Bears, so I'll listen to your arguments on this. Offense: While the Patriots are a good team offensively, the are not comparable to the 85' Bears. Make any argument about this, I'd love to hear it. Defense: The Bears featured one of the best running backs of all time. The Patriots weakest facet of defense is the run stop. Added to that, they haven't faced a HOF running back. Loss here. Coach: I think it'd be a win for you in the coaching department. But let's keep in mind that the coaches don't play, and a better coach can't make up for a worse team. Win goes to the Bears. -I found a quick link for the San Fransisco team: http://www.mercurynews.com... Go crazy. 2. The second thing I can disprove is that the Patriots are not the best football team in history. Let's look to championships, longetivity, and HOF's. Championships: The most Super Bowl wins is five – a record shared by the San Francisco 49ers (1982, 1985, 1989–90, 1995), the Dallas Cowboys (1972, 1978, 1993–4, 1996) and the Pittsburgh Steelers (175, 1976, 1979, 1980, 2006). Patriots haven't gotten their yet. You could argue they might, but the topic is "The patriots are the greatest football team in NFL history". Not "The Patriots Will Be The Greatest Football Team In NFL History." Longetivity: The Patriots have just been good recently, not historically. Whereas teams such as the Packers, the Cowboys, and the Steelers have been good for decades. HOF's: I believe the team with the most HOF's is the Bears, and then the Packers. However, I can guarentee it is NOT the Patriots. http://en.wikipedia.org... Looking forward to the responses.