Hats off to the Patriots.

[Lansdowne]

It was supposed to be our guys celebrating in the confetti.

It was supposed to be our guys hoisting the coveted Vince Lombardi trophy at midfield.

It was supposed to be our guys having a parade in honor of a Super Bowl victory.

It was supposed to be us...

...but it didn't happen.

It's been five days now since the Patriots ripped my heart out, Raiders of the Lost Ark style, and flung it across the room to its gory demise. Like the rest of you, I've been a zombie, just trying to make sense of it all.

The loss was so catastrophic, so traumatic, it became nearly impossible not to dwell on it every waking second. I certainly didn't need any reminders from the media, so I avoided it as much as possible.

F*ck those motherf*ckers. They created this monster, after all. Made the Patriots into their darlings, only after they had already dismissed any possibility of defeating the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. Then the following season came, and the media reminded all of us that our beloved team was a fluke. The innocence of being a Pats fan was gone from that moment forward. The chip was hammered into my shoulder, and into my soul.

Every year was something different.

"They're lucky!"

"They're boring!"

"They're classless!"

"They're cheating!"

"They're chokers!"

The chip on the shoulder, the resentment I have for those who resent us, got heavier and heavier. This season it became a lot to bear, with only the hope-- nay, the expectation-- of a 4th Lombardi to keep me up. When the Super Bowl concluded, and all of Giants country (and the sad, sorry Schadenfreude-driven Pats haters) lifted onto Cloud 9, the rest of us crumbled down to our knees, literally and figuratively speaking.

It was a cruel and unfair finish to what should have been a glorious and historic season. Instead it is historic for its infamy. This is what we must live with, for we have no other choice. Trust me, there is nothing more I would like than to mail Belichick and staff a video tape of SB 42 to February 2nd, 2008, in a manila envelope with "DO NOT ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN" scribbled on it. So instead we must end that chapter and turn the page. If you must look back, then look back further.

---------------------------------------

In the days immediately following the Super Bowl, I didn't want to be reminded of the disaster. So I refused to wear any of my many Patriots hats, and opted to go with the Red Sox or Boston College or even the Celtics. I surely didn't want to upset other jaded Pats fans outside. Interestingly enough, it seemed that most everyone else had the same idea in mind. Patriots hats were replaced by Red Sox hats. Remnants of a Patriots poster flailed on an apartment window. Anything to get our minds off the Pats, d%#*!@t.

But now, I want you to do me a favor.

Before reading any further, go into your closet and pull out your Super Bowl champions hats.

...go on...

Got one?

All right.

Now look at them. Some of you may have just one hat, some of you may have all of them. All of that is besides the point. The point is I want you to look at your hat. It's worn in and probably long overdue for a good wash, right?

How did it feel when you first wore it? Great, I would imagine. If you were anything like me, you grinned from ear-to-ear when you looked in the mirror and saw "Super Bowl Champions" draped on your head. How could you not? You walked with a certain swagger. The sun shined a little brighter. As long as you had the opportunity to wear that hat, all was right with the world. It means your team is a champion.

Okay, so you may have three hats. Awesome, right? But the real awesomeness doesn't come from the fact that there are three altogether. Rather, it's that each individual hat represents a truly special time to be a fan of the Patriots. Each season precious in its own right. You indiscriminately love all of those championship seasons, much like a parent would indiscriminately love all his or her children. It's a privilege given not just to anybody, but to the passionate fan of a team that has triumphed in the biggest game of them all. I've grown very fond of my 2004 version; an ugly brown hat that looked like it belonged to a UPS truck driver. But it's really not ugly...it's beautiful.

We would've liked a chance to go over to Modell's and pick up a 4th hat to add to our collection; the more, the merrier, as they say. But who's to say a 4th won't come in due time? Contrary to what others may tell you, you don't have to be content with just the 3 SB titles. If you're not pulling for your team to win the championship every year, then you simply are not a fan.

This is Patriot Nation. Johnny-come-latelys need not inquire. We are truly blessed to have this organization to support; an organization that hasn't always achieved their goals, but has given us so much to cheer for and will continue to do so. Browns fans, Eagles fans, Bills fans, etc. ... they would kill to have a privilege of wearing a Super Bowl Champions hat of their own.

Today I wore my Patriots 2004 hat and I felt much better. I encourage all of you, when you feel you are ready, to wear your Super Bowl Champions hat, and be proud. Do so as a reminder to yourself and those around you that, hey, being a Patriots fan is not so bad. It's a great way of showing support for the team you love, and it will brighten the spirits of your fellow Pats fans.

We're all in this together through the bad times and the good. This is as good a time as any to remind every Pats fan that they are not alone.

 

[#12]

We would've liked a chance to go over to Modell's and pick up a 4th hat to add to our collection; the more, the merrier, as they say. But who's to say a 4th won't come in due time? Contrary to what others may tell you, you don't have to be content with just the 3 SB titles. If you're not pulling for your team to win the championship every year, then you simply are not a fan.

This is Patriot Nation. Johnny-come-latelys need not inquire. We are truly blessed to have this organization to support; an organization that hasn't always achieved their goals, but has given us so much to cheer for and will continue to do so. Browns fans, Eagles fans, Bills fans, etc. ... they would kill to have a privilege of wearing a Super Bowl Champions hat of their own.

Today I wore my Patriots 2004 hat and I felt much better. I encourage all of you, when you feel you are ready, to wear your Super Bowl Champions hat, and be proud. Do so as a reminder to yourself and those around you that, hey, being a Patriots fan is not so bad. It's a great way of showing support for the team you love, and it will brighten the spirits of your fellow Pats fans.

We're all in this together through the bad times and the good. This is as good a time as any to remind every Pats fan that they are not alone.

Great post! :rocker:

 

[NoQuarter]

From a Giants fan, Hold you head high support your team in victory AND defeat.
YOu have nothing to be ashamedx of!
winning all your games in the regular season really is something that, in time, you will see is one heck of a great accomplishment and has only been done twice before in the history of the NFL.

 

[PatsSox363804]

There are no words to describe how beautiful this post is, man.

Like you, I changed into my "B" hat quickly after the game and avoided any sports media. I haven't been able to watch Eli escape the clutches of our defense, or Asante letting the game slip through his fingers, it's too painful.

However, I had a revelation last night and it happened at the weirdest time. I was flipping through the channel and Fever Pitch was on FX. Now, I generally can't stand that movie but I was bummed out about the Pats still so it was neat to see a movie where the Sox win it in the end (and I was too lazy to get up and put in my dvd .)

Anyway, at one point during the movie they describe the curse and all of the things that came with it, be it Boone, Buckner, Dent, Tony C taking a ball in the eye, etc. and as I'm watching it, behind my television are two banners, one reads "Boston Red Sox 2004 World Series Champions" and the other reads "Boston Red Sox 2007 World Series Champions" and during the ironic nature of that event it dawned on me just how lucky I am to live in this time in history again.

Then I turned around and looked at my back wall which has all of my Patriots title stuff on it, and for the first time all week I looked at that and it didn't seem like it was missing something, it didn't represent a lost opportunity anymore, it represented 3 triumphs that most any fanbase would be damn lucky to have been a part of.

In a perfect world we close out the games this season and last season, but we didnt. however, we will be back next year and even if the Patriots never win another one again I'll always have those 3 seasons, which is much more than any of my friends who are Saints fans can say.

 

[homerpatsfan]

took the words out of my mouth ,awesome post, thanks

 

[danny88]

It was supposed to be our guys celebrating in the confetti.

It was supposed to be our guys hoisting the coveted Vince Lombardi trophy at midfield.

It was supposed to be our guys having a parade in honor of a Super Bowl victory.

It was supposed to be us...

...but it didn't happen.

It's been five days now since the Patriots ripped my heart out, Raiders of the Lost Ark style, and flung it across the room to its gory demise. Like the rest of you, I've been a zombie, just trying to make sense of it all.

The loss was so catastrophic, so traumatic, it became nearly impossible not to dwell on it every waking second. I certainly didn't need any reminders from the media, so I avoided it as much as possible.

F*ck those motherf*ckers. They created this monster, after all. Made the Patriots into their darlings, only after they had already dismissed any possibility of defeating the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. Then the following season came, and the media reminded all of us that our beloved team was a fluke. The innocence of being a Pats fan was gone from that moment forward. The chip was hammered into my shoulder, and into my soul.

Every year was something different.

"They're lucky!"

"They're boring!"

"They're classless!"

"They're cheating!"

"They're chokers!"

The chip on the shoulder, the resentment I have for those who resent us, got heavier and heavier. This season it became a lot to bear, with only the hope-- nay, the expectation-- of a 4th Lombardi to keep me up. When the Super Bowl concluded, and all of Giants country (and the sad, sorry Schadenfreude-driven Pats haters) lifted onto Cloud 9, the rest of us crumbled down to our knees, literally and figuratively speaking.

It was a cruel and unfair finish to what should have been a glorious and historic season. Instead it is historic for its infamy. This is what we must live with, for we have no other choice. Trust me, there is nothing more I would like than to mail Belichick and staff a video tape of SB 42 to February 2nd, 2008, in a manila envelope with "DO NOT ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN" scribbled on it. So instead we must end that chapter and turn the page. If you must look back, then look back further.

---------------------------------------

In the days immediately following the Super Bowl, I didn't want to be reminded of the disaster. So I refused to wear any of my many Patriots hats, and opted to go with the Red Sox or Boston College or even the Celtics. I surely didn't want to upset other jaded Pats fans outside. Interestingly enough, it seemed that most everyone else had the same idea in mind. Patriots hats were replaced by Red Sox hats. Remnants of a Patriots poster flailed on an apartment window. Anything to get our minds off the Pats, d%#*!@t.

But now, I want you to do me a favor.

Before reading any further, go into your closet and pull out your Super Bowl champions hats.

...go on...

Got one?

All right.

Now look at them. Some of you may have just one hat, some of you may have all of them. All of that is besides the point. The point is I want you to look at your hat. It's worn in and probably long overdue for a good wash, right?

How did it feel when you first wore it? Great, I would imagine. If you were anything like me, you grinned from ear-to-ear when you looked in the mirror and saw "Super Bowl Champions" draped on your head. How could you not? You walked with a certain swagger. The sun shined a little brighter. As long as you had the opportunity to wear that hat, all was right with the world. It means your team is a champion.

Okay, so you may have three hats. Awesome, right? But the real awesomeness doesn't come from the fact that there are three altogether. Rather, it's that each individual hat represents a truly special time to be a fan of the Patriots. Each season precious in its own right. You indiscriminately love all of those championship seasons, much like a parent would indiscriminately love all his or her children. It's a privilege given not just to anybody, but to the passionate fan of a team that has triumphed in the biggest game of them all. I've grown very fond of my 2004 version; an ugly brown hat that looked like it belonged to a UPS truck driver. But it's really not ugly...it's beautiful.

We would've liked a chance to go over to Modell's and pick up a 4th hat to add to our collection; the more, the merrier, as they say. But who's to say a 4th won't come in due time? Contrary to what others may tell you, you don't have to be content with just the 3 SB titles. If you're not pulling for your team to win the championship every year, then you simply are not a fan.

This is Patriot Nation. Johnny-come-latelys need not inquire. We are truly blessed to have this organization to support; an organization that hasn't always achieved their goals, but has given us so much to cheer for and will continue to do so. Browns fans, Eagles fans, Bills fans, etc. ... they would kill to have a privilege of wearing a Super Bowl Champions hat of their own.

Today I wore my Patriots 2004 hat and I felt much better. I encourage all of you, when you feel you are ready, to wear your Super Bowl Champions hat, and be proud. Do so as a reminder to yourself and those around you that, hey, being a Patriots fan is not so bad. It's a great way of showing support for the team you love, and it will brighten the spirits of your fellow Pats fans.

We're all in this together through the bad times and the good. This is as good a time as any to remind every Pats fan that they are not alone.

Wow. Honestly when did you write this?

 

[pheenix11]

I have my back wall in my garage painted half Patriot Blue and Half Patriot Silver

I have 3 Rob Arra panoramic 13x39 shots framed on the wall (along with a 16x20 of Adam Vinatieri's snow kick). Each one is from one of their Superbowl wins. They are gorgeous photos. My wall looks kind of funny because there are 2 on one side and 1 on the other. It looks unbalanced (like me).

I told my wife a few weeks ago, well it looks like I will finally get that wall evened up. Looks like I will have to wait a while longer.

Anyways this is how I commemorate the Pats SB wins. Every night I come up and open the garage door and those are the first thing I see.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

Gotta tell ya, I have a job, so some of the edge came off for me But it's been a crappy week. I've come to terms with it fine. "Here's what happened... We went 18-0. It looked like we'd win the Super Bowl. We lost." I'm now ready for an offseason full of anti-Patriots bullcrap. I'm all rational again. But MAN was I bad for a couple of days. My wife told me she'd been very patient, but now I had to shut up about it or she'd leave, about 24 hours after the game... I told her pack your damn bags then, cuz this ain't a one day recovery period...

But then it pretty much clicked for me around Tuesday. It was done. The Giants won it. I finally got my head around it: sometimes you lose. As a Pats fan, I had forgotten it was even possible, especially in the Super Bowl.

Yes, even though losing the Super Bowl is the world's biggest kick to the crotch, in this rare almost-perfect season, that world's biggest kick was with a steel toed boot.

But we can't very well dwell on that. We've got media and politicians to deal with the next few weeks, just like it was linemen and linebackers last Sunday.

Well, I'm sure Buffy and Chad are back off the bandwagon now... so it's back to the faithful.

To the original poster here, hope you got it all out in that post. Yes, everybody hates us. We know this

I would like to crush the league in 2008 now please. With a side of whoopass.

PFnV

 

[Lansdowne]

Wow. Honestly when did you write this?

Today.

I was on my way home and while on the T, I saw a reflection of my 2004 hat in the window. And I smiled...and I kept smiling. That's when I knew what I was going to write about. So as I got home, I got to typing and that was the finished product. Didn't take me that long. The inspiration I got from the hat helped.

 

[richpats]

Personally, I'm getting back to basics with this team, i.e. I'm not dwelling on past championships anymore. I started rooting for them in '94 and they had no great legacy, it was all about the TEAM, not the glory. Most of my devastation about the game is that I EXPECTED them to win, as if it was a given, since they went 3-0 with Belichick & Brady, not to mention the 18-0 mark. I wasn't even nervous about the game, unlike all the other Super Bowls. Well that was wrong on my part, I took things for granted and now I have to deal with it.

In 2008 I will pull hard for the Patriots and have no expectations about how many games they should win or if they should win the Super Bowl. And I think I'll appreciate the heck out of them even more. Honestly, it's the perfect time to clear all expectations, they just lost a perfect season to a team QB'd by Eli Manning - if that's not a sign that this team is capable of ANYTHING (good or bad) I don't know what is.

So, for the upcoming year, I'll neatly store away my championship memorabilia and just treasure the fact that I am a fan of the New England Patriots, going into my 15th season, and hopefully they can bring home a Lombardi this time next year.

 

[12+81=TD]

AMEN, OP...So what, we didn't win the Superbowl, so what people FINALLY get to take shots at us...all in all? We set 3 NFL records this season, went undefeated in the regular season...AND yes, yes..Tom Terrific WILL go to the HOF 1st ballot. Period, End of discussion...what can the haters say to that?

Spygate? Nah...Media Hype, as PROVED by our loss in the Superbowl and our season record.

Specter? Flu? Ankle? Tuck Rule? Time Management? 4th and no field goal? Blah blah blah...we lost, no biggie, we have our team intact (save for Asante..more than likely) and still have the #7 overall pick? I smell another run, let them hate. Hell I live in Indiana and get hatred spewed at me EVERYwhere I go.

This may be my first post here (long..long time lurker) but I had never had a favorite NFL team (I never even really followed the NFL until this) until Bledsoe's rookie year. 1993, week 16, Pats @ Browns - my (now ex) step father took me to my first live NFL game in Cleveland, he was a HUGE Browns fan....and I hated him. So to spite him I walked out to a booth, bought a NE hat and PROUDLY wore it the entire game. We won...I have been a part of the Patriot Nation ever since that slap to his face.

Right now we are facing the most adversity we have ever seen, Fanbase, Media....the list is a mile long. I say PROUDLY wear that Patriot gear as I did on my first ever game I attended, win or loss...we are the Patriot Nation! :rocker:

 

[cincipatsfan]

It was supposed to be our guys celebrating in the confetti................

Amazing post. After the nightmare Sunday night, and a week in work filled with nothing but problem after problem. And constantly hearing people say things like "hey great game huh" or "So much for your dynasty" and "You know what they say about karma and cheaters", I come home and the first thing I read is this.

Thank you. At least one thing I encountered this week was

"Perfect"

 

[Lansdowne]

Amazing post. After the nightmare Sunday night, and a week in work filled with nothing but problem after problem. And constantly hearing people say things like "hey great game huh" or "So much for your dynasty" and "You know what they say about karma and cheaters", I come home and the first thing I read is this.

Thank you. At least one thing I encountered this week was

"Perfect"

Thanks. I know these days we're still stunned by what happened, but it helps to put things in perspective.

 

[pheenix11]

Speaking of this....

My wife came home from the gym a couple hours ago. She opened the garage door to pull the car in and some kids nearby saw my Patriots wall. They said, "ohh that is cool, you like the Patriots?" Then one little kid said to another, "not really, they lost".

So I turned the sprinklers on the little bastards.

If I see them again I'm going to sick the rabid mutant muscovy ducks on them!

 

[#12]

*bump* Cause it's a great post...

 

[Randy Moss]

Awesom post! To the top

 

[The Sarge]

The NFL network is showing "Americas game 2003 Patriots" Monday night. This will help us lick our wounds.

 

[Hamtown]

Awesome and perfectly stated post. Thanks man. It really helped.

 

[Lansdowne]

Shameless bump for the Monday afternoon crowd.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

The media makes you, then they break you. All season long the media is out to get the inside story of the "invincible team" but the "invincible team" says "Being undefeated isn't one of our goals. Getting better every week and winning the next 'one game season' is our goal. We won't even win our next game if we don't play well."

So they run with it-- wall to wall coverage of the team they think is the greatest team ever. Maximum exposure.

But... eventually there is nothing more to say. Their coach won't give good sound bites. Their players won't give bulletin board material. Every 1972 Dolphins/ 2007 Patriots comparison piece has been written.

The media has pumped up the team that didn't ask to be pumped up as much as possible. There's nothing left to do but....

TEAR 'EM DOWN!!

The media won. They made the hero, then they wanted their villian, so they created it. America bought it hook, line, and sinker.

The team that is always careful to be respectful to opponents and talk about how their next game is "going to be our toughest challenge yet" is painted as arrogant jerks.

The team that never trades trash talk during pregame hype is painted as ****y trash talkers.

The team that always emphasizes that last week means nothing, your team record means nothing, the score starts 0-0, and the team that plays best will win is painted as overconfident slackers hung up on their record.

The team that emphasizes that this is a team game, who forever changed the way teams are introduced in the Super Bowl (as a TEAM!), and stress that individual accomplishments are meaningless is painted as stat-stuffing me-first players.

The team that screwed up by taping signals from an illegal location, owned up to it, apologized for it, and cooperated fully with the investigation is rewarded with being blindsided 2 days before the Super Bowl with "new" allegations much more serious, but with no named sources and no evidence, and allegations that the commissioner says are disputed by multiple sources willing to give their names and testify.

The team that tried to stay grounded and refused to get caught up in the hype was painted as self-absorbed and self-centered.



The media decided to call the daytime "night" and the nighttime "day" and America has lapped it up, as witnessed by the pro bowl booing. Obviously the truth does not matter. The perception is the reality.

So other fans will believe what they want. There will be no evidence, no asterisks, no further punishment. They will boo all they want. The Patriots won't trash talk. They don't do that. They won't badmouth opponents. They don't do that.

They will move on.

They are the odds-on favorite to win the Super Bowl next year. They will get BETTER and win it all. After that, they will not gloat.

Because, well... they don't do that.