Patriots fans urge team to go all out for record

BOSTON (Reuters) - New England Patriots fans are urging their team to go all out for an unprecedented 16-0 regular season on Saturday rather than resting players for the playoffs.

"It would be a milestone for football," said Thomas Hession of Wrentham, Mass., located two miles from the Patriots' Gillette Stadium. "No team has ever gone 16 and 0."

A win over the New York Giants in New Jersey would make New England the first undefeated team since the 1972 Miami Dolphins and the first to go 16-0 in NFL regular-season history.

The Dolphins went 14-0 and then won all three post-season games.

"Hopefully it's a blowout and (coach Bill) Belichick will get his players out by the fourth quarter. But they can't just mail it in," Hession told Reuters.

"I don't think it's in Belichick's personality or persona to just mail in the game. It's just not him."

Fans on the team's Web site (www.patriots.com) were also pushing for the win.

"We want the perfect record, so WIN THIS GAME," wrote a Web site fan who goes by the handle 'Paulawht'.

"Don't screw this game up. You have come (too) far to mess this up. So they better play like their (lives) depend on it."

Patriots players, who have long espoused the "one game at a time" philosophy of their coach, were finally able to talk of the 16-0 this week.

"I think we realize what a win would mean," quarterback Tom Brady told reporters. "Being 16-0 would be a very special achievement, one that no other team has ever achieved. We're finally at that point.

SPECIAL SEASON

"This has been a very special season. I'd hate to think that we'd go out there and not put our best out there this week, so we've got to bring energy and excitement. I just hope we're able to finish off the season the way that we really hope," he added.

An opinion piece in Thursday's Boston Globe by Ed Siegel, was headlined: "Rivalry Comes Full Circle".

Siegel reminded readers the Giants used to be New England's team, coming out of the old NFL before the Boston Patriots were born almost five decades ago; and how many in the area still root for the Giants.

Saturday's game is a major event in an area that has been saturated with winning in recent years.

The Patriots are pushing for their fourth Super Bowl title in seven years, the Red Sox have just won their second World Series in the last four and the rejuvenated Celtics are 24-3 with the best record in the NBA.

All eyes are on the Patriots, almost literally. A settlement with the NFL means the game will be simulcast on all three major network stations in the Boston area and on NBC and CBS nationally.

"It's like the State of the Union address," said Belichick.

"You can flip to every channel to see it."

(Editing by Alison Wildey)