Valentine's Views: Shula should have left this alone

We all know one. You know, the elderly parent or grandparent who pretty much says whatever is on his or her mind. The one who's comments always seem to pass funny somewhere and end up in the land of insensitive or too much information.

Well, 77-year-old Hall of Fame football coach Don Shula is sounding like that guy.

Shula has been sounding off about the unbeaten New England Patriots lately, saying that the Belicheats ought to have an asterisk applied if they manage to make it through the season unbeaten.

"The Spygate thing has diminished what they've accomplished," Shula told the paper. "You would hate to have that attached to your accomplishments. They've got it."

Shula is way off base on this one. Yes, Bill Belichick was an idiot for having someone videotape the New York Jets sideline. Yes, I'm glad the Patriots got caught. Yes, you have to wonder what else the Patriots have done to skirt the rules in an effort to gain an advantage.

But, to say that something that took place in the first half of the first game of the season diminishes what the Patriots could be en route to accomplishing this season is ridiculous.

So, do we chalk Shula's comments up to the rantings of a senile old man? Not exactly.

Shula, of course, coached the 1972 Miami Dolphins -- the last undefeated team in NFL history.

Those Dolphins pop champagne each and every season once no undefeated teams remain to threaten their place in history. They are fiercely proud of how long their accomplishment has stood unequaled.

No one can blame them for being happy about keeping their place in history intact. The fact that it is now being threatened by the Belicheats has to make it even more galling.

Face it, New England has become a target. They are to the NFL what the New York Yankees are to baseball, or the Detroit Pistons 'Bad Boy' teams were to the NBA years ago. They are the team everyone loves to hate.

That, of course, is largely because of Belichick's grating personality and take-no-prisoners style. It is also because of the Patriots' long run of success. They used to be 'The Little Engine That Could.' Now, though, they are the big bully who has collected all the best toys.

Everyone who isn't a Patriots fan looks for ways to take shots at the bully, to knock him down a peg and tell him he isn't as much of a big deal as he thinks he is.

This is the wrong way to go about it, though. Shula just makes himself look small and petty by refusing to give the Patriots credit for being what they are -- a great team.