06-09-2006, 06:01 PM
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#7
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Rookie
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 22
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I obviously don't post an awful lot, but the circumstances of this miserable day I've had, and this particular question was so good... I just couldn't help but share my thoughts.
You see.... Super Bowl 36 was easily the greatest single moment in Patriots history - the moment when the 42-year-old ugly duckling finally turned into a swan.
That said... It was their very next game that did it for me. A whole year later... the champions at home, hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers in the opening game of the 2002 season. Were there doubts? Hell yeah! I loved that Super Bowl more han any other, but it just semed so improbable... I was not...let's say... "overly confident" when we faced off against "the Burgh" in that season opener.
The beating the Pats gave Pittsburgh that night was almost as good as the Super Bowl. It was like an affirmation that everything the team went through was real. It wasn't a fluke, wasn't a mirage, it was the first time that I actually thought to myself, "My God, the Patriots are the best team on the planet!".
You know... I know 2002 turned out to be a disappointment (I'll never forget smashing a beer can and having some of it's liquid remains hit my dad during that late season Titans game), but for me... that opener forever changed my thoughts regarding my favorite team.
Just like the Gillette sound system pumped out that night - Kordell Stewart saying, "Sometimes the best team doesn't win"... well, that night I realized how very special this team was. It made the 2003 & 2004 championships easy to believe. The 21-game win streak was impressive, but it wasn't beyond my realm of reasoning anymore.... With Bill Belichick's Patriots, I knew anything was possible.
Last edited by MrTumnus; 06-09-2006 at 06:08 PM..
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