It's almost as if an asterisk exists: 18-1*. The 2007 Patriots were not only the most entertaining team of the 21st century, not only the most dominant, not only the luckiest and unluckiest, but also the most epically conflicted. They won with selfless class and with a bloodthirsty resolve for running up the score. They won with a historic offense and with an unappreciated defense, the opposite of how they had won Super Bowls. They won as a unified team, yet became a divisive force. They won without cheating, as far as we know, but Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft were fined a combined $750,000 for years of cheating, and so their overall record and the records they set seem tainted in the eyes of some fans, like a home run mark. They won games when Tom Brady threw six touchdown passes and they won games when he threw three interceptions. They won despite -- and under the weight of -- their own winning. They won all of their games in September and October and November and December and January. They won so much that you had to appreciate them, even if you hated them, because you can't discuss the greatest teams in NFL history without mentioning them. In fact, they won so much that some players think that they damn well could have won it all -- if only they had lost.

May 2007, minicamp

Brady's 2006 season was one of the hardest, and one of the best, of his career. He was angry that star wide receiver Deion Branch had been traded to the Seahawks after a contract dispute. But with a grab bag of receivers -- Reche Caldwell, Jabar Gaffney -- he nearly led the Patriots to the Super Bowl before losing to the eventual champion Colts in the AFC title game. So Belichick, for the first time in Brady's career, set out to acquire bona fide weapons. He traded for Randy Moss and Wes Welker and signed free agent Donte Stallworth. Fans had always wondered: What could Brady do with an all-star cast? Now they would find out.

Stallworth: First meeting of the year, right after the draft, Belichick said, "We're all losers. None of you were on the Colts." And then the first play he shows is Brady throwing an incomplete pass. He says, "Johnny from Foxborough High could hit that pass." I was sitting next to Randy, kind of slouched over. We both sat up straight.

Brady: That's where all this "Humble Pie" started. We'd have these meetings where Belichick was serving us humble pie. That's his coaching style. It's everything that you do wrong. He's just constantly on you.

Rosevelt Colvin (linebacker): When I first got to the Patriots, I thought Brady was cocky, thought he was a little overrated. I found out he was a competitor. The quarterbacks do a drill where they have a net and four squares, and they throw to different spots. He's in there throwing, and he's pretty close. I say, "If you're supposed to be as good as you say ..." He laughed and said, "If you think you can do it, let's make a bet. Step up." It's a 35-yard throw, and I sunk it. We bet $100, and he paid me in all $1 bills."

Brady: When I lose, I make it a little difficult.

Week 1: Patriots 38, Jets 14

Russ Hochstein (guard): We always wanted to be an explosive offense. And that culminated in 2007.

Ben Watson (tight end): I was a Moss fan. "We just got Moss," we'd say that to each other. In camp, he caught a pass one-handed and it was so effortless. And then, on a go route, he pulled up. Everyone said, "Oh crap." He walked off kind slow. So against the Jets, we weren't sure, and he wasn't sure either, how his hamstring was going to hold up.

Stallworth: I was wondering, are we going to be clicking?

Ron Antonelli/NY Daily News Archive/Getty Images

Brady: [Moss] ran a route and I threw it and I got hit as I threw it so I didn't see it. I was like, Oh s---, I overthrew it. And then I hear, Ohhhh. And he caught it! I was like, Holy s--- that was nice!

Stallworth: It was pretty early in the game. I was the second or third read. The route was for me to go 10 yards, go to the post, then curl at 22 yards. As I curl Brady is just coming back to me. He's holding the ball, and I see him do this [sticks his thumb out, telling him to go to the sideline]. So I went out, and I caught the ball. Tom comes over and says, "Good job seeing my thumb." I thought about it -- this dude is in the pocket and he's thumbing me to go out that way. Who does that?"

Brady threw for 297 yards and three touchdowns. Moss caught nine passes for 183 yards and a touchdown. And then …

Ellis Hobbs (cornerback): Against the Jets, I broke the return record [a 108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown]. … That following Monday, I was at my locker. Reporters come over, and I thought they were going to talk about the kickoff return. First question was, "What is this about you guys cheating?"

Watson: Bill called a meeting.

Right after the Week 1 victory over the Jets, Bill Belichick called a meeting to explain Spygate to the team. Many veteran players were furious. AP Photo/Lynne Sladky

Stallworth: Bill said, and this is all he said about it, "There were some things that happened." … He basically said that we stretched rules, but didn't break any rules. Did we do anything that anyone else hasn't done? No. But we never went against the rules. … We're gonna prepare you the best we can. I don't want anyone talking about it in the media. A lot of the veterans were pissed. Tedy Bruschi was pissed. Mike Vrabel was pissed, visibly. Rodney -- he said something to the papers, because he could say whatever he wanted. Tommy [Brady] was upset but he never showed it. Other NFL players and media were saying that they didn't earn those championships.

Watson: [Belichick] asked if anyone had questions. Nobody said anything.

Brady: As players, we're like, what are you talking about? We're not even privy to what goes on.

Hobbs: It kind of came out, then it disappeared. It was elephant in the room but the elephant was invisible. Bill did such a good job of keeping us focused, or keeping us distracted. One day, Bill said, "A lot of you guys have paid your debts. Your family is suffering. Parents are suffering. Bodies are suffering. Wanna know what cures it? Winning. Winning cures everything."

Dan Koppen (center): It really was kind of a pain in the ass. You gotta deal with that whole situation, but as players, it was bulls---. None of the players knew what was going on. We played the game. We just wanted to say "F--- you" to everyone.

Week 2: Patriots 38, Chargers 14

Week 3: Patriots 38, Bills 7

Week 4: Patriots 34, Bengals 13

Week 5: Patriots 34, Browns 17

Week 6: Patriots 48, Cowboys 27

Fueled by Spygate, the Patriots were rolling. Brady threw 30 touchdown passes in the first eight games, eclipsing his previous career high for an entire season.

Stallworth: There was a play that we put in before the Cowboys game. I wasn't 100 percent on it. We weren't 100 percent on it that week. We were 90 percent on it, but that's not good enough. I remember holding back -- should I ask Tom about it? The play wasn't designed for me; it was designed for Randy. Well, I figured, it's going to go to Randy. So I never asked him. We're in the fourth quarter of the Dallas game. They call that play and they call it to me. Oh, s---! I could tell that Tom wasn't 100 percent, because I stopped out of the huddle and looked at him and he grabbed me. We're both like, we're not on the same page. The play was designed for me to do three different routes against three different coverages. And so I asked him, "What do you want me to do?" And I'll never forget: He looks at me, he looks back at the defense, and he says, "Go deep." We scored a touchdown. After that play, I came to sidelines, we looked at each other and started laughing.

The team developed a reputation for running up the score. "There is no sportsmanship," said cornerback Ellis Hobbs. "We're going to keep putting points on the board. We didn't care. With Spygate, we had to over-satisfy." Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

With the game beyond the Cowboys' reach, the Patriots scored an in-your-face touchdown with 19 seconds left. Brady was as pumped-up on the sideline as if it were a comeback win. Not everybody liked New England's bloodthirsty ethic. Belichick began to take heat for running up points on teams.

Hobbs: Bill just said, "Every time we step on the field, prove you're the best." We weren't showing any weakness. There is no sportsmanship. We're going to keep putting points on the board. We didn't care. With Spygate, we had to over-satisfy.

Colvin: People thought Bill was giving Tom all the answers. So it was a matter of, we're not just going to stick it to you, we're going to stick it to you a little more than we usually have. We're going to prove a point, and prove it hard.

Brady: When we won Super Bowls, we were a defensive football team. Our offense was average most of the time. … In that situation in 2007, for the first time our offense could support our defense. And it was a nice feeling.

Tom Brady Sr.: There was a little bit of a rage in there. … Whether it was high school or college or the pros, you're always Pick No. 199.

Week 7: Patriots 49, Dolphins 28