Oswlek
Veteran Starter w/Big Long Term Deal
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2006
- Messages
- 9,086
- Reaction score
- 5,955
IBBWT is based on having a resevoir of confidence. It's not blindly following, that's closer to what JETS fans are exhibiting right now because they're going up against a 40 year history of being snookered into believing this is the year when it never has been.
Lots of people continued to expound on questions and concerns in the wake of the 2002 season, after BB traded their binky to a division rival and he went to the pro bowl while we missed the playoffs. Then came 2003 when he cut bait including another revered binky (mine ) and started out 2-2 including a humiliating 31-0 loss to that same division rival(in a game where Bledsoe's replacement threw 4 picks despite not having any ACL repair or rusty mechanics issues...) while placing his shiny new FA OLB on IR after week 2. Somehow though despite evidence of turnover, tumult and maneuvers sufficient to support the contention that mistakes had been and were likely being made, they managed to string together 15 in a row on the way to Lombardi #2 (in a bizarre game where nobody could score a point until just before halftime when suddenly neither team could stop the other from scoring points...).
I think far more problems with this team exist in the minds of members of this board than ever exist in the bowels of Gillette. Fanatics are by nature torn between unrealistic expectations and the need to say I told you so when they aren't met (or even when they are if not in the way they proposed it should be). That dichotomy, combined with a lot of agenda driven opinions fueled by arrogance, ignorance or just the old standby testosterone driven ego doesn't make for terribly intelligent discourse.
This board is polarized as a result. We can't rationally look at or discuss things critically because of all the mindless criticism that unleashes. And we can't support this team because of all the anti homer backlash that unleashes. There is no middle of the road or opportunity for developing concensus here anymore. This is board warfare and all sides are dug in. People suddenly care more about supporting their own posting principles and opinions than they actually do about supporting or rationally analyzing this team.
I hear lots of arguments that start out with the premise: what else are we supposed to do here...this is a message board :blahblah: (implying that they all exist merely as venues to argue and outlets for frustration). Similar to Felger's sports talk radio rationale (happy is boring). But this is a Patriots fans message board Ian intended to establish as a community of what he claimed were the best fans on earth. On that basis this place is becomming an EPIC FAIL. People used to come here to follow the latest news, interact with folks with similar interest in the team, talk about football and team issues and believe it or not sometimes learn something simply by lurking and reading some fairly intelligent posters who perhaps knew a little more than them about X's and O's or a whole lot more than most about the salary cap... Now they come here to spar and jab and spew insults at each other or the players or the team...or to crash the server while adding their 2 cents to the latest eposide of an ego driven show that premiered back in 2006, patsfans pissing match meltdown.
Another excellent post. Now I'm not sure whether I prefer spacecrimes or Mo's.