Business Blog: Hoover’s Business Insight Zone

“The Patriots have been running up the score.” That’s been a steady refrain in the current NFL season. I say baloney.

Tom Peters, writing in from abroad, complained about this a couple of days ago:

. . . I would order a pox on the Pats — leading 42-10 at the end of three quarters, why the 14 additional points in Q4?

Depite being a fan of his, I let him have it in the comments of his blog. After reviewing how the Pats’ fourth-string running back scored long after the team’s aerial game had been grounded, and how a lightning-fast defensive back scored on a recovered fumble, I called into question Peters’s attitude:

Pardon me while I interrupt my years and years of unreserved Tom Peters fandom to get in a two-second snit with you, Mr. Excellence! Always!: What the hell are those players supposed to do out there, NOT try? They’re trained to play hard on every play, and playing at half-speed is a recipe for injuries and accidents.

These aren’t Little Leaguers. If my son’s team of Runts squared off against the Big Bad Bombers and got shelled, at some point we’d invoke a mercy rule. My Longhorns don’t score gratuitously against Podunk State in the second half of a pre-season game. But the Bills defense (players and coaches) are highly compensated professionals whose JOB is to stop opposing offenses. They couldn’t do it last night because the Pats are too good at what they do. That’s tough for the Bills, but you know what? Their professional pride (and large paychecks) will somehow help them weather the storm.

Is Goldman supposed to not “run up the score” because Merrill and Citi are hurting? Tell that to Lloyd Blankfein and see if he can contain his laughter.

The Pats’ attitude isn’t what I’d want my little boy to emulate. But they’re achieving as much as they are because they’re BETTER than all the rest. They are Excellence in action, even if you and I don’t like the flavor.

The other commenters on the post seemed to agree with me. These aren’t schoolboys — they’re professionals. They’re not scoring every point they can, but they will continue to play hard for 60 minutes (a habit that saved them in their big clash with the Colts a couple of weeks ago, by the way). Any of their opponents who would like that to stop . . . should stop them. Just like Citi and Merrill should get better to top Goldman. And so on throughout the business world.

If you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen.