BradyManny
Pro Bowl Player
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2006
- Messages
- 11,103
- Reaction score
- 1,520
I was thinking about the Pats 01 season the other day. I was a senior in HS at the time, and growing up locally, the school was abuzz with Pats and Brady fever that winter. (Ironically, I'd been a Bledsoe homer and took some time to convert to Brady, LOL 
) It was an excitign time, and it was one of - if not the - most amazing seasons I've ever participated in as a fan of sports.
Anyway, going into the AFCCG v the Steelers, most of us were quietly confident that the Patriots could knock off the Rams if it came to that. But at some point, some dissenting voice brought up the idea that maybe they couldn't, that maybe the Rams couldn't be beat anyway. I can vividly remember saying in response to that something to the effect of "I don't care anyway, I just want them to win [the AFCCG] so I can watch them play one more week." The point was, that 01 season was a fun, carefree ride. Each week was guaranteed excitement, and seeing ourselves as overachieving underdogs, you felt like there was nothing to lose. More than anything, I simply wanted them to beat the Steelers for the sake of extending their season so that I could enjoy said season for one more week.
Contrast that to this season. Super Bowl Sunday, I called up a couple of these buddies from high school in the hours before the game. During the conversations with one of them, I said something to the effect of "I just want to win and get it over with." It wasn't the first time in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl I'd uttered such a sentiment, but it struck me at the time as I was talking with someone who I'd enjoyed the 01 season with how different it was rooting for this team last year. I just wanted the season to end, the pursuit of perfection had become such a burden.
Don't get me wrong, last season, for 3+ hours every week, we were privileged to the best season of football any fan could ask for. But in between game days, and particularly at the end of the season, it was not a fun carefree ride by any stretch. It felt more like a laborious and taxing perfunctory ride to inevitable victory that would bring contentment and relief rather than euphoria. Ironically, we never got that, and I wish I had just ignored all the spygate BS, all the perfect season crap, all the other distractions, and spent more time enjoying the season for what it was - one of the best played regular seasons in the history of sports.
Bottom line, I'm vowing to not let the BS in the media or anything else re: this team get to me next year. I'm just going to enjoy the games, and block out all the other noise. I encourage others to follow, b/c it's not worth it otherwise.
) It was an excitign time, and it was one of - if not the - most amazing seasons I've ever participated in as a fan of sports. Anyway, going into the AFCCG v the Steelers, most of us were quietly confident that the Patriots could knock off the Rams if it came to that. But at some point, some dissenting voice brought up the idea that maybe they couldn't, that maybe the Rams couldn't be beat anyway. I can vividly remember saying in response to that something to the effect of "I don't care anyway, I just want them to win [the AFCCG] so I can watch them play one more week." The point was, that 01 season was a fun, carefree ride. Each week was guaranteed excitement, and seeing ourselves as overachieving underdogs, you felt like there was nothing to lose. More than anything, I simply wanted them to beat the Steelers for the sake of extending their season so that I could enjoy said season for one more week.
Contrast that to this season. Super Bowl Sunday, I called up a couple of these buddies from high school in the hours before the game. During the conversations with one of them, I said something to the effect of "I just want to win and get it over with." It wasn't the first time in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl I'd uttered such a sentiment, but it struck me at the time as I was talking with someone who I'd enjoyed the 01 season with how different it was rooting for this team last year. I just wanted the season to end, the pursuit of perfection had become such a burden.
Don't get me wrong, last season, for 3+ hours every week, we were privileged to the best season of football any fan could ask for. But in between game days, and particularly at the end of the season, it was not a fun carefree ride by any stretch. It felt more like a laborious and taxing perfunctory ride to inevitable victory that would bring contentment and relief rather than euphoria. Ironically, we never got that, and I wish I had just ignored all the spygate BS, all the perfect season crap, all the other distractions, and spent more time enjoying the season for what it was - one of the best played regular seasons in the history of sports.
Bottom line, I'm vowing to not let the BS in the media or anything else re: this team get to me next year. I'm just going to enjoy the games, and block out all the other noise. I encourage others to follow, b/c it's not worth it otherwise.
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