idle thoughts - the abbreviated mourning period - New England Patriots Forums

patfanken · 02-16-2012, 06:07 PM

Boy am I surprised. Back in 2007, I didn't look at anything that might even remind me of football until mid April, just before the draft, and the pain of that superbowl still haunts me. After this Superbowl, I knew the pain wouldn't be THAT bad, but I thought it would take me at least until the end of the month before I could think about football. I mean there was a superbowl that was in our grasp. There were so many turning points. The ball bouncing off our most reliable receiver's hands, that would have almost assured victory, while at the the same time the ball sticking to the hands of their LEAST reliable receiver's hands in the next series that essentially gave them the game. You know, SOOOOO close, yet SOOO far away. Its the stuff that wakes you up at night and fantasizing how different that game could have been IF Welker had simply caught the ball he catches 99 time out of hundred. BTW not that that was an easy catch by any means, just one we've seen him make so often over the years.

BUT as the past 2 weeks have progressed I have had the chance to reflect on the true nature of the 2011 season. To think PAST the pain of being so close, to looking FORWARD to the future. It first manifested itself as a few peeks at PFT about 10 days after the game to see what was going on in the league. Then yesterday I finally came back to Patsfans.com again and read a few threads. OTG's was particularly inspirational. Then today I went surfing through a bunch of mock drafts and I was hooked again.

I mean while you have to think that this season still has to be looked at as a lost opportunity, it also has to be looked at as kind of remarkable journey of a flawed team that came within a single drive of a championship. Painful for sure, but when you think on it, its a LOT less painful than it was for fans of 30 OTHER teams in the league.

THEN when you think about the exceptional resources we have available to repair the flaws, via the draft and FA, the prospects are just too thrilling to dwell on the pain. The future is NOW and I couldn't wait until March to start to speculate about it. We know that the vast majority of the returning team will made up of a group of good guys who are coachable and together. So whatever additions and subtractions are made to this team, it will be faster, more athletic, deeper, and stronger than the one that was ushered off the field on 2/5.

To the best of my knowledge, we will have 5 draft picks in the first 3 rounds and will have in excess of $20MM of cap room when FA starts in a few weeks. We will be getting back 4 potentially key players back from IR in Dowling, Pryor, Barrett, and Carter. We will be adding through FA/draft high end talent at the S position, CB position, interior DL, DE/OLB, and WR. One can only speculate the names of those players, but I have NO doubt that ALL those positions will be filled either through FA or the draft. And ALL will be upgrades over the team that finished the season.

I saw one mock draft that had us getting Cox, a penetrating interior DLman , Marcellus, a high end rushing DE/OLB and MCarter, a good sized S with good coverage skills (a HUGE missing piece from this season) with our first 3 picks. WHAT a haul that would be, though it will be surprising to think that any of these players will likely to be there when its time for us to pick come the end of April, STILL at this point of the process it sure is nice to think about.

We are fans of a team that made the superbowl last season, and that is NO small task. But we are lucky to be in position to realistically contend next season and into the near future. That's the good news.

The bad news is being a very talented team doesn't guarantee you another trip to the superbowl, just ask the Packer, Saints, and Ravens. OTG is right when he say's that you have to build a team that is good enough to get TO the playoffs, yet one that fully comes together FOR the playoffs.....and then has a little bit of luck to get you through to the end.

So I appeal to those still in mourning to awake to the new day and shed the pain. Its a new day and the optimism deserves to be high, and the speculation of who we will add to the mix should be nothing but FUN.

***MoLewisrocks*** · 02-16-2012, 07:02 PM

People can biatch and moan and pitch a fit, but it simply doesn't get better than this for a fanbase in a decade and counting. Enjoy the ride, because you won't see it's like again soon. That first one was just so...unanticipated. Then to find out cinderella wasn't a fluke. One year to catch your breath and then 4 more trips to the ultimate game in the next 9 years - and nearly 5. And 2 more Lombardis. And no real down year, even when the franchise went down in a heap.

And there's a good reason most fans seem to bave bounced back better this time out. Aside from the perfection thing, this also isn't a team with an agenda or one on it's last hurrah. It's a younger team that still hasn't peaked. And the QB is still looking for the next one. And the HC is enjoying the hell out of coaching again. And the ownership is perhaps even more connected to this group than it was to those earlier teams. And more appreciative of the journey because they truly shared one this last season because of Myra. And the goal wasn't to simply win it all at any cost, it was to give your best effort for unselfish reasons to honor more than the bottom line. And they did.

Wouldn't trade places with the Giants or Packers or NO or Pittsburgh or Indy (yeesh) let alone all the other wannabes. The hell with the whiners. It doens't get better than being a Patsfan. Pinch me.

doesntmatter1 · 02-16-2012, 09:23 PM

I took this loss pretty well and I actually took the 07 superbowl pretty well too. Yeah we had chances to win both games but because they were such hard fought games it made it better somehow and I just accepted that the ball didn't bounce our way litterally.

The loss to the jets and especially ravens pissed me off more than depression. The only game that completely devastated me for months was when we lost to the colts in 06 after we had that huge lead. No loss compares to that one for me anyway.

Also, I have extreme faith in this team but I was really happy just to make it out of the first round. One and dones suck so bad and we got that monkey off our back. For a second I had feared that brady was turning into Romo and couldn't handle the big game. Maybe he's not as clutch as he use to be but this year assured me that he is no where near romo level. And I like our chances next year better than this year so i am excited. This year we are going to fix our glaring need at wideout one way or another and that will just make us that much more dangerous.

***Joker*** · 02-16-2012, 09:29 PM

I'm just still pi$$ed off...why?...because I'm greedy...at least I'm honest...I picked them to go at best, 10-4 at worst 7-9 last season...they blew that away...with THAT secondary...we owe all this to two people, Bob Kraft of course...and Bill Belichick...he called the coverage to perfection, got exactly what he wanted in the biggest spot of the Super Bowl...the safety broke late...pi$$es me off...all those dropped passes...pi$$es me off...watching and hearing the hordes of classless Midget jerks making all kinds of rude and lewd comments post game about Brady and his wife...the sports "media" broadcasting every insult while cackling with glee...still pi$$es me off....

I just hope BB is half as pi$$ed off as I am...I think this team is four players away from devastating the AFC next season.

***fgssand*** · 02-16-2012, 11:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joker

I'm just still pi$$ed off...why?...because I'm greedy...at least I'm honest...I picked them to go at best, 10-4 at worst 7-9 last season...they blew that away...with THAT secondary...we owe all this to two people, Bob Kraft of course...and Bill Belichick...he called the coverage to perfection, got exactly what he wanted in the biggest spot of the Super Bowl...the safety broke late...pi$$es me off...all those dropped passes...pi$$es me off...watching and hearing the hordes of classless Midget jerks making all kinds of rude and lewd comments post game about Brady and his wife...the sports "media" broadcasting every insult while cackling with glee...still pi$$es me off....

I just hope BB is half as pi$$ed off as I am...I think this team is four players away from devastating the AFC next season.

Yeah, I hear you and realize we almost stole a ring in a year no one thought we would get close. Just did not play well and did not get any breaks....grrrrr.

Anyway, PFK is right, gotta move on to 2013 and beyond and it sure does look bright over the next 5 years with a great chance to get back to the superbowl, maybe even more than once. When we do, let's just hope we eliminate bad football and play well again, then we wont have to worry about getting any breaks.

***patsfan13*** · 02-16-2012, 11:22 PM

Having been a fan since the 60's I am very well aware of how well we have it.

Nothing to complain about here, even when we are so close yet so far.

I will enjoy this ride as long as it lasts.

Off The Grid · 02-16-2012, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by patfanken

Boy am I surprised. Back in 2007, I didn't look at anything that might even remind me of football until mid April, just before the draft, and the pain of that superbowl still haunts me. After this Superbowl, I knew the pain wouldn't be THAT bad, but I thought it would take me at least until the end of the month before I could think about football. I mean there was a superbowl that was in our grasp. There were so many turning points. The ball bouncing off our most reliable receiver's hands, that would have almost assured victory, while at the the same time the ball sticking to the hands of their LEAST reliable receiver's hands in the next series that essentially gave them the game. You know, SOOOOO close, yet SOOO far away. Its the stuff that wakes you up at night and fantasizing how different that game could have been IF Welker had simply caught the ball he catches 99 time out of hundred. BTW not that that was an easy catch by any means, just one we've seen him make so often over the years.

BUT as the past 2 weeks have progressed I have had the chance to reflect on the true nature of the 2011 season. To think PAST the pain of being so close, to looking FORWARD to the future. It first manifested itself as a few peeks at PFT about 10 days after the game to see what was going on in the league. Then yesterday I finally came back to Patsfans.com again and read a few threads. OTG's was particularly inspirational. Then today I went surfing through a bunch of mock drafts and I was hooked again.

I mean while you have to think that this season still has to be looked at as a lost opportunity, it also has to be looked at as kind of remarkable journey of a flawed team that came within a single drive of a championship. Painful for sure, but when you think on it, its a LOT less painful than it was for fans of 30 OTHER teams in the league.

THEN when you think about the exceptional resources we have available to repair the flaws, via the draft and FA, the prospects are just too thrilling to dwell on the pain. The future is NOW and I couldn't wait until March to start to speculate about it. We know that the vast majority of the returning team will made up of a group of good guys who are coachable and together. So whatever additions and subtractions are made to this team, it will be faster, more athletic, deeper, and stronger than the one that was ushered off the field on 2/5.

To the best of my knowledge, we will have 5 draft picks in the first 3 rounds and will have in excess of $20MM of cap room when FA starts in a few weeks. We will be getting back 4 potentially key players back from IR in Dowling, Pryor, Barrett, and Carter. We will be adding through FA/draft high end talent at the S position, CB position, interior DL, DE/OLB, and WR. One can only speculate the names of those players, but I have NO doubt that ALL those positions will be filled either through FA or the draft. And ALL will be upgrades over the team that finished the season.

I saw one mock draft that had us getting Cox, a penetrating interior DLman , Marcellus, a high end rushing DE/OLB and MCarter, a good sized S with good coverage skills (a HUGE missing piece from this season) with our first 3 picks. WHAT a haul that would be, though it will be surprising to think that any of these players will likely to be there when its time for us to pick come the end of April, STILL at this point of the process it sure is nice to think about.

We are fans of a team that made the superbowl last season, and that is NO small task. But we are lucky to be in position to realistically contend next season and into the near future. That's the good news.

The bad news is being a very talented team doesn't guarantee you another trip to the superbowl, just ask the Packer, Saints, and Ravens. OTG is right when he say's that you have to build a team that is good enough to get TO the playoffs, yet one that fully comes together FOR the playoffs.....and then has a little bit of luck to get you through to the end.

So I appeal to those still in mourning to awake to the new day and shed the pain. Its a new day and the optimism deserves to be high, and the speculation of who we will add to the mix should be nothing but FUN.

PREACH it, Brother Ken!!

I'm deeply honored, indeed, to be mentioned so kindly in the fabled pages of "Idle Thoughts."

One of your very finest, Sir.

grandpajim · 02-17-2012, 12:43 AM

Dr says to patient " I'm very sorry sir but I have bad news for you and also worse news. First you have cancer and second you have alzheimer's."

Patient "At least I don't have cancer."

What superbowl?

NinjaZX6R · 02-17-2012, 09:31 AM

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS FAN ROLLICANNOLI RETIRES AFTER 52 YEARS AND SIGNS ON WITH THE STEELERS. - YouTube

A tool.

Sounds like few people on this board.

***shmessy*** · 02-17-2012, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NinjaZX6R

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS FAN ROLLICANNOLI RETIRES AFTER 52 YEARS AND SIGNS ON WITH THE STEELERS. - YouTube

A tool.

Sounds like few people on this board.

Doesn't surprise me that the sports editor of the Boston Globe, Joe Sullivan, made that video.