Dan. Oh.

BRADY: He doesn't look too worried.

The Globe's Dan Shaughnessy -- are you sitting down? -- doesn't think the Patriots can win a playoff game this year. (Those who are not surprised to hear this please click the "like" button.)

Clearly wanting the title of "first member of the Sports Blabosphere to say the Pats suck," Shaughnessy wasted no time declaring the playoffs over. Me and my tailgating friends plan on showing up anyways for the first playoff game on the night of January 14th. Actually, we can't wait.

But according to Dan, we are not going to like what we see once the game begins. "Something bad is going to happen at Gillette Stadium before this month is over," he writes. Something bad. (Hopefully not a ban on margaritas). I assume he's talking about the Pats losing a playoff game. He may be right. That's the thing about the NFL. You can have a great regular season (like, say, 13-3) but then have one bad game (heck, one bad quarter) and the season is quickly over. Happens to at least one team every year. Happened to the 14-2 Pats and 14-2 Falcons last year. That's what makes the NFL playoffs so much fun. Each game is huge because there is not the "we'll get 'em tomorrow" attitude you get in the best-of-seven world. That's why football fans get into watching every playoff game. Each one is an event. Each one is huge. A team like the Packers can get hot and roll to a championship. But let's not get all caught up in how much fun playoff football is. Who wants to talk about that when you can talk about how bad the 13-3 Pats are?

Like I said, Dan may be right. The Pats might get knocked out quickly. They are not unbeatable. And the other teams are all good. The Pats will have to play solid, near mistake-free football and even get some luck. That's the way it is no matter what a team's record is or how many passing yards the defense has given up. You know what team was beatable but played solid football and caught some luck? Actually I can think of three. The 2001, 2003, and 2004 Pats. Were those teams better than the 2011 Pats? In many ways yes, in some ways no. What those teams did better than all their competition was make plays when they had to. They gave up plays but got turnovers when they needed. And they caught breaks, lots of them, and took advantage of almost all of them.

Of course in '01 there was the Tuck Rule. And a non hands-to-the-face call in the Super Bowl on a pick-six. But the luck didn't end with that incredible year. Many seem to look at the back-to-back title teams as if they dominated every game. They didn't. In '03 there was a Steve McNair pass tipping off the fingers of Drew Bennett on a fourth-down play that should have been caught and would have sent the game into overtime. The Pats barely escaped the frigid temperatures and then went on to win it all. In '04, the Pats played an average game in the Super Bowl against Philly but made just enough plays to win by a field goal.

That's one of the main positives about the Pats of the last two years. They make a lot of plays. That's one thing the '09 Pats didn't do. And it showed in the blowout loss to the Ravens. Last year and this year the Pats have been among the best in winning the turnover battle. That, combined with a great offense and sound special teams, makes them a real contender. Dan says he thinks the real Patriots aren't the 13-3 team, but instead the team that fell behind early against Denver (and Miami and Buffalo and ...) before, in his words, "the Broncos turned the ball over three times in their own end in the second quarter ..."

Dan talks about those turnovers as if the Denver players just handed the ball to the Pats D and said "Here... you guys need some help." In fact, two of the three turnovers were plays that the Pats D made to turn the momentum in their favor. The D made those plays. The result of players doing what they have learned to do and being in the right position. And then making the play. The first was linebacker Dane Fletcher sniffing out the run, nailing the running back at the line, and knocking the ball loose. The next lucky turnover was caused by defensive end Mark Anderson who is becoming a force to deal with. Anderson slashed through the line and caught Tebow on the option, hitting him in stride and forcing another fumble. A great defensive play. The third turnover was a special teams gift. A gift that Ross Ventrone quickly accepted with the recovery. That's the Ross Ventrone who has been released, signed to the practice squad, activated, released, signed, released, signed ... He's one of the many role players who has played his role well.

Just as important as the plays to create the turnovers were the plays the offense then made to turn those turnovers into 13 points to take over the game. I think the real Pats are the ones that took the best shot of a red-hot Broncos team and then responded, one play at a time. On the road. Under pressure.

Dan can talk about how he doesn't have a good feeling about this team. He doesn't like what he sees. Maybe he needs to look a little closer. Here's what I see. Tom Brady. Wes Welker, Gronk, Hernandez, BenJarvus and Ridley, Branch, Woody, (not Ocho), Waters, Mankins and the rest of the offensive line. Solid young kickers in Zoltan and Gostkowski. And on the statistically challenged defense... Big Vince, Mark Anderson, Mayo, Spikes, Chung, a one-armed but gutsy McCourty, Arrington, Ninko, and Edelman (the new Troy Brown). That's a lot of playmakers.

Oh. and Bill Belichick. The Pats might lose, but it won't be because they aren't a playoff caliber team. In fact, I would say there's just as good a chance that the Pats come out and play a great playoff game as there is that they don't.

But that's just the way I look at it. I'm a fan. Not a Dan.