Which coping/rationalization is working best for you?

[BradyManny]

We all move on in different ways, which work for you...

Shoot, I f'd up the poll. So screw the poll....here are my options:

RATIONALIZATIONS:

- We didn't deserve to win, so we can't be the best team ever (yet)
- Our team had flaws, we'll reload again and really be perfect next year
- It's sports, you simply can't win them all, sometimes things are out of your team's control

DENIAL:
- What loss? I didn't watch any game on Sunday?

MOVING ON:
- We'll be better in 08 with an easy schedule, watch out

 

[Tunescribe]

Moving on is the only sane choice, I know this from experience. Whenever something unexpected, shocking and heartbreaking has happened in my life (a relationship breakup, death of a friend, bad traffic accident, being deceived by another, job problem, etc.), my habit has been to dwell on woulda/coulda/shoulda -- turning over every tiny detail, looking for REASONS and RATIONALIZATIONS, and playing the fool's game of REVISIONIST HISTORY. Trouble is, none of this helps.

Here is an additional point to ponder: I'm willing to bet we'll have a better chance of becoming Super Bowl champs next season having lost this year than had we won.

 

[richpats]

My rationalization- the season is over whether we won the game or not. We would be in preparations for 2008 whether we won the game or not. We can actually have a better season than 2007 in 2008 (or whenever) if we win the SB, no matter how many losses we have. We could actually go 18-1 and win the Super Bowl at some point. We have hope for a title in 2008 now that we didn't win the SB (it would have been tough to repeat).

 

[upstater1]

Only one form of coping: it's a new era, and it's damn hard to win Super Bowls in this era. We've been to 4, and lost 1.

What can you do? 3-1 ain't bad.

And before someone mentions that the 49ers never lost a Super Bowl during their dynasty days, someone should point out that there's really no honor in losing in the earlier rounds rather than the Super Bowl.

If the Patriots do indeed win one more, hopefully two, then this loss will be forgotten. That's what I tell myself.

 

[BradyManny]

Only one form of coping: it's a new era, and it's damn hard to win Super Bowls in this era. We've been to 4, and lost 1.

What can you do? 3-1 ain't bad.

And before someone mentions that the 49ers never lost a Super Bowl during their dynasty days, someone should point out that there's really no honor in losing in the earlier rounds rather than the Super Bowl.

If the Patriots do indeed win one more, hopefully two, then this loss will be forgotten. That's what I tell myself.

I agree, and I see no reason why we won't be back to the Super Bowl anywhere between 2-4 more times in Brady's career.

So what the Niners never lost a Super Bowl. I look at it this way - Tiger Woods comes in 2nd or 3rd place in majors A LOT. The Celts in the NBA championship twice in the 80s.

You can't win them all. We'll be back and we'll win more.

 

[BradyManny]

Moving on is the only sane choice, I know this from experience. Whenever something unexpected, shocking and heartbreaking has happened in my life (a relationship breakup, death of a friend, bad traffic accident, being deceived by another, job problem, etc.), my habit has been to dwell on woulda/coulda/shoulda -- turning over every tiny detail, looking for REASONS and RATIONALIZATIONS, and playing the fool's game of REVISIONIST HISTORY. Trouble is, none of this helps.

Here is an additional point to ponder: I'm willing to bet we'll have a better chance of becoming Super Bowl champs next season having lost this year than had we won.

Sports is different and is separate from real-life - ultimately, it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things compared to one's life, but for that reason, I think it's EASIER to dwell on and so we do. I sort of have a little bit of an "it is what it is" attitude towards life when shyt happens, I think it's necessary to some extent, but in sports, whether watching or playing, I've dwelled on all those "what if?" moments b/c you can, it's trivial.

 

[Mike the Brit]

I said before the game that, win or lose (which I didn't expect), the Patriots had had a great season. I'm still telling myself that and trying not to think about the game itself. When I do I can't help realizing that we were THAT close ...

 

[reflexblue]

My rationalization is that even though they lost look at what they have achieved in the last eight years,and that theres still more to come. I acually don't know if this is a rationalization. They have won three SB, two back to back, been to two afccg's won one,went to another SB lost that (duh) and set a record for regular season wins. Not a bad record at all it still belongs up there with the best of all time imo.

 

[Tunescribe]

Sports is different and is separate from real-life - ultimately, it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things compared to one's life, but for that reason, I think it's EASIER to dwell on and so we do. I sort of have a little bit of an "it is what it is" attitude towards life when shyt happens, I think it's necessary to some extent, but in sports, whether watching or playing, I've dwelled on all those "what if?" moments b/c you can, it's trivial.

Sports is a microcosm of life and you can learn lessons from it. But if you enjoy playing mind games with yourself over "what if," knock yourself out. It doesn't accomplish anything. I'd rather put my energy into looking forward to next season, it's much more positive.

 

[PatsFaninAZ]

I've been coping, to some extent, by coming to this board. It was working ok, to a point, until someone posted that article about Mike Carey almost blowing the whistle. That set me back about 3 days in the healing process.

 

[BelichickFan]

My only rationalization is that there's a winner and a loser in SB and the last three we have won by 3 points each. Either of the first two could have gone the other way (Philly not quite so much) and this time we fell off the tightrope. But we were 3-3 in our last three games in which one team always loses.

 

[stcjones]

We all move on in different ways, which work for you...

Shoot, I f'd up the poll. So screw the poll....here are my options:

RATIONALIZATIONS:

- We didn't deserve to win, so we can't be the best team ever (yet)
- Our team had flaws, we'll reload again and really be perfect next year
- It's sports, you simply can't win them all, sometimes things are out of your team's control

DENIAL:
- What loss? I didn't watch any game on Sunday?

MOVING ON:
- We'll be better in 08 with an easy schedule, watch out

I think ANGER first and foremost....because WE HAD THE F'IN game in the bag.....and we let them steal it away from us in 2 plays........This BROKE MY HEART,......so then I was sad and despondent.......and I am still somewhat in that stage....thinking of what could have and SHOULD have happened if our D lineman could have just held onto Gomer (yeah I know that they were being held by the Gint O lineman......so take that for what it is worth).....and if Rodney could have just fugging knocked that ball away........Then I go back to the anger stage after either hearing about that play or watching it replayed on TV which the media loves to do over and over.......The saddest is watching Hobbs run around with his jock around his ankles not knowing which way to run....because he had NO HELP and Burress was WIDE FUGGING open.....I think the average fan goes through all kinds of emotions on this one....and will forever.....This loss is a buckner.....it is a legendary Boston implosion that will never ever be forgotten........If we never win another SB in my lifetime.....(40 yr old).......this will burn inside my gut like the drought/curse that was on the Boston Red Sox for 86 years.......just so damned painful........Got to take advantage of those chances BB....got to do a better job.......

 

[sieglo]

To paraphrase Luke Skywalker, "The Pats overconfidence was their weakness."

They will never be overconfident again.

The core of the team is still intact.

The Pats still have great coaching.

They have excellent draft position and cap space.

The only way they can make up for the indignity of Game 19 is to win the Super Bowl next year.

 

[BradyManny]

Sports is a microcosm of life and you can learn lessons from it. But if you enjoy playing mind games with yourself over "what if," knock yourself out. It doesn't accomplish anything. I'd rather put my energy into looking forward to next season, it's much more positive.

I agree, I am thinking of 08 already. I was merely explaining why it's so easy to ask "what if" over and over and over in sports.

 

[Pats726]

I said before the game that, win or lose (which I didn't expect), the Patriots had had a great season. I'm still telling myself that and trying not to think about the game itself. When I do I can't help realizing that we were THAT close ...

makes the best sense...

 

[pheenix11]

I watched the game again and played the "escape" in slow motion. AD, Jarvis Green and Seymour were all blatantly held and O'Hara had his hand underneath Seymour's facemask jerking his head.

WTF can you do when a guy has a choke hold on you?

Watch the play and then watch the replay that Fox shows from field level.

We were effin robbed. If Manning is sacked there or if a penalty is called like it should have been then the Giants are looking at either 4th & 15 or 3rd & 15.

Regardless of how the offensive line played, or the defense or the coaches, we had a lead of 4 points. We had Manning sacked and the Giants facing 4th down and it was stolen from us.

That play is a friggin travesty.

 

[reflexblue]

I watched the game again and played the "escape" in slow motion. AD, Jarvis Green and Seymour were all blatantly held and O'Hara had his hand underneath Seymour's facemask jerking his head.

WTF can you do when a guy has a choke hold on you?

Watch the play and then watch the replay that Fox shows from field level.

We were effin robbed. If Manning is sacked there or if a penalty is called like it should have been then the Giants are looking at either 4th & 15 or 3rd & 15.

Regardless of how the offensive line played, or the defense or the coaches, we had a lead of 4 points. We had Manning sacked and the Giants facing 4th down and it was stolen from us.

That play is a friggin travesty.

With the offensive weapons we have it shouldn't have to come down to this one play.

 

[pheenix11]

With the offensive weapons we have it shouldn't have to come down to this one play.

It doesn't matter. Just because we went 18-0 we have to win by 20 points or it doesn't count?

Its tough to win a football game, BB says that all the time. Its hard enough without the refs looking the other way.

There were 2 refs looking right at what was going on, they didn't see O'Hara with his arm around Seymours neck?

 

[#12]

I agree, and I see no reason why we won't be back to the Super Bowl anywhere between 2-4 more times in Brady's career.

So what the Niners never lost a Super Bowl. I look at it this way - Tiger Woods comes in 2nd or 3rd place in majors A LOT. The Celts in the NBA championship twice in the 80s.

You can't win them all. We'll be back and we'll win more.

That's a very good point. I never looked at it that way....The thing that keeps me from dwelling on what happened is that we have so much to look forward to. And if we do indeed get more (which I truly believe we will) than all will be forgotten, at least in my eyes. I don't care how close we were, it hurts but thats sports and **** happens. This team is still amazing and has so much more to accomplish. I'm really excited for '08

 

[reflexblue]

It doesn't matter. Just because we went 18-0 we have to win by 20 points or it doesn't count?

Its tough to win a football game, BB says that all the time. Its hard enough without the refs looking the other way.

There were 2 refs looking right at what was going on, they didn't see O'Hara with his arm around Seymours neck?

Thats not the point. You shouldn't have to pin a whole game/season on one play.