Dynasty: How Spoiled Are We :)

BigEZPatsFan76 said:

I was thinking of this one as well, last night. The Pats were giving Favre & Co., all they could handle in that game. In the third quarter, Pats score a TD to close the score to 27-21 Pack. Then Desmond Howard does the unthinkable, and returns the KO 99 yards for the TD, which essentially broke our back. If only he had been stopped, that game may have ended differently. It looked like the Pats were getting it going. Wasn't he nearly stopped at about the Packer's own 15 yard line? I think he just missed by one of the kick coverage teams. A game of inches I guess.

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I look back on that game with a strange sort of pride. I think Bledsoe threw 3 or 4 interceptions in that game. To still be in it after that and the 80 yard debacle in the secondary to Brooks was amazing. Always comes down to just a couple of plays in NE Super Bowls minus the Chicago game.

I don't know If I can say I feel spoiled because I appreciate and cherish every tick of that clock every chance I get. I'm well aware this won't last forever. And even though we are the biggest winners, I think there is something to be said about this fanbase having to deal with some of the toughest losses in the history of the NFL.

But yes we are very fortunate, and I appreciate every snap.

Patriot Missile said:

I look back on that game with a strange sort of pride. I think Bledsoe threw 3 or 4 interceptions in that game. To still be in it after that and the 80 yard debacle in the secondary to Brooks was amazing. Always comes down to just a couple of plays in NE Super Bowls minus the Chicago game.

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Yep, the 4 TO's, the "big plays", and the KO return did us in. Even with all that, until the 99 yard kick return for TD, the Pats were very much in it with a good chance to win it, down only 27-21.


Here's a good breakdown on SB 31:


http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199701260gnb.htm

PatsFanInVa said:

.... 60s Packers, 70s Steelers, or 90s Cowboys...

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I can say at one time I thought the Cowboys would always make the playoffs at least 9 out of 10 years - was I spoiled! Now I appreciate what they did and what is going on now in NE.

Someone mentioned what if BB steps down in a few years and is GM to keep the continuity - great idea.

RecoveringCowboy said:

I can say at one time I thought the Cowboys would always make the playoffs at least 9 out of 10 years - was I spoiled! Now I appreciate what they did and what is going on now in NE.

Someone mentioned what if BB steps down in a few years and is GM to keep the continuity - great idea.

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That is my hope and I think will happen, once BB decides to stop grazing the sidelines, he will be FULL TIME GM.

I know we all will have to cope with Brady's departure sooner than later... but on the other hand we have Wheel of Fortune on, and Vanna's still turning the letters. Still hasn't lost the accuracy of which letters to flip, and can make all the flips, even across her body on the opposite side of the phrase.

For those of you who came on board in the last 14 years, I agree, stay on board through the bad times. Don't just jump to whoever's hot then.

For youz guys going back to the pre-01 Super Bowls, here's my thought process at the start of the Rams game....

1) We seem to go to a SB every decade now... and this time it came early in the decade, and we even had some of the same guys... okay, look at the talent on both sides... this is the Ram's game to lose... but at least we might start making the playoffs regularly. Maybe. Don't get ****y. Then by 5 years later maybe get to the SB and come out on top maybe. Yeah. Probably not this one but it's a good sign.

2) OMG OMG OMG, but what if we win??? An actual SB win! And then and then and then maybe we could win ANOTHER and be like the Broncos or even be like the Cowboys or Steelers or 9ers and be a dynasty and and... meh. Not gonna happen. Focus on praying for that 1 SB win.

3) Vinatieri made that kick, the whole bar exploded, some drunk chick jumped up on me, locked her legs around me, and rode me around the bar. Then a minute later she had disappeared. Spur of the moment thing. But I totally understand where she was coming from, she might have already orgasmed or something.

None of that would have been worth half as much if I hadn't watched Plunket go from savior to Raider, watched Ben Dreith hand the Raiders the AFC crown when it was s'poseta be OUR year, watched 1-15 seasons, watched Curtis Martin stolen by the Tuna, watched Robert Edwards light up the league then limp off the pro bowl, torn my "Berry the Bears" T-shirt in half against the Bears, watched Desmond Howard bust our nuts in 95-96, or suffered through quarterback carousels, Marino divisional dominance, and all the rest.

I remember all the times figuring out the playoff scenarios, and thinking "if ____ beats ___ and ____ beats _____ and we win today..."*

It's been a nice decade and a half. Don't know how much more there is to come but I am loving every minute of it.

*PS - while it did come during the period of Patriots dominance, who the ***** goes 11-5 and misses the freaking playoffs?

One of my wife's friends invited us to a Super Bowl party and I can't stand to watch big games with non fans so I had to tell her that if the Patriots were in it that we wouldn't be there.

It struck me that every year we go through this same thing. We had to cancel plans my wife unknowingly made back in January 2012 when they went to their last Super Bowl. Last year I had to scramble at the last minute to have my own Super Bowl party after they lost the AFCCG and it was the first one I've ever been able to have. I think the last one I went to before that was 2008.

My wife who is not a football now knows that being married to me means that no Super Bowl party plans can be made until the Patriots are knocked out.

I said to her the other day, this isn't how things normally are. In fact there has never been a team that has had such a streak of sustained success over such a long period of time. We got married in 2003 and every year you either win it or come excruciatingly close.

I don't think she understands how amazing this run has been and my 5 year old son thinks every team wins all the time. Even I can't believe it sometimes. It's been 14 years of heart attacks, unbelievable highs and some of the worst heart breaks I've ever had. We are so spoiled, it's hard for us to fathom just how lucky we are.

tasmlab said:

I didn't really care for football when I was younger. Some friends drug me to a Pats game in 2001, where it was the back up quarterback's second start. I started to get into it and would soon become a huge fan of the game and the Pats.

My entire NFL experience as a fan is that your team just wins all the time. Not bad.

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But you'll never appreciate it like fans that waited 25 years for a taste.

1960Pats said:

Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, a match made in heaven.

The last 15 years have even helped sweeten the sour memories of the previous 40. That's how great this team has been.

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Funny, but i've enjoyed the whole ride. from our great lines and grand opera, through hannah and arguably the best starting cornerbacks on one team and the greatest road trip, revenge respect tour to the sb, though the result was sad. Even the horrible seasons led to some pretty good turn arounds with fairbanks, berry, parcells and early holovak.

everything since has been gravy, i'll never take it for granted

BigEZPatsFan76 said:

I was thinking of this one as well, last night. The Pats were giving Favre & Co., all they could handle in that game. In the third quarter, Pats score a TD to close the score to 27-21 Pack. Then Desmond Howard does the unthinkable, and returns the KO 99 yards for the TD, which essentially broke our back. If only he had been stopped, that game may have ended differently. It looked like the Pats were getting it going. Wasn't he nearly stopped at about the Packer's own 15 yard line? I think he just missed by one of the kick coverage teams. A game of inches I guess.

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if you watch a replay of that kickoff you will see vinatieri get held trying to tackle howard. never got called and if you know anything about vinatieri he's great on kickoffs. he caught herschel walker from behind on a thanksgiving in dallas.

This really has been the most enjoyable, sustained dynasty of all time, especially if there is another Super Bowl win in the Brady era. In the hunt almost every single year. As mentioned before, 9 AFC's. The Super Bowl appearances so far, with winning a majority.

The 16-0 year, flirting with the perfect season.

The "Brady goes down" year, finishing 11-5.

It's had every kind of way a team can demonstrate competitiveness, each kind of variation.

With every other major sports team in Boston winning one or more championships--each--since our Super Bowl drought, it's a bit of a wonder why we even follow the team. Even the major league soccer team that plays in the same stadium has reached the title game four times since then, while the Patriots twice.

I'll never forget the day I watched my first professional football game. I turned on the TV, not expecting anything special, and it was a white and gray, washed out picture. Wait, it's snowing and they're playing a football game. Seriously? Wow. Wait, it's the local team, and it's the playoffs? I gotta watch this and try to figure the sport out.

I've watched every game since.

1960Pats said:

Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, a match made in heaven.

The last 15 years have even helped sweeten the sour memories of the previous 40. That's how great this team has been.

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So true. I've been a Pat's fan since 1975, started liking them in 1974 (was a Mack Herron fan). I was brainwashed to be a Jet's fan, born and raised in Queens NY, but gravitated towards the Pats in 1974. I remember I got my first Pat's jersey as a 14 year old on Christmas in 1976 (Randy Vataha). As a long time suffering fan, I remember a lot of bad times, but even during some of the bad years, even the 1 or 2 win seasons, I remember the excitement of getting to watch the Pats play on TV. I would get psyched about every draft for the Pats since 1976 (great draft). I remember, even when we won in 2001, after the game winning field goal, waiting a second before celebrating because I was looking for a flag, but no, this was a different Patriot's team.

Now we've seen greatness for many years. 14 great seasons, 12 division titles , etc. The 2 constants throughout those years, Brady and Belichick. Who knew Y2K would bring greatness to the Pats in the form of Belichick and Brady.

Belichick8384 said:

This has been more than I could ever dream of at 6 years old, watching New England run out of steam against Green Bay in the super bowl. I thought that was their peak at the time, and would have never guessed they'd go even higher in the future. Looking back, I do feel as though I've been spoiled with all the winning because I take losses so much harder than I used to. But when I step back and look at the grand scheme of the team, not all is lost. There could be much more in store for us from now for all we know!

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I take losses much better now than I used to. I think that comes with getting older.

scott99 said:

So true. I've been a Pat's fan since 1975, started liking them in 1974 (was a Mack Herron fan). I was brainwashed to be a Jet's fan, born and raised in Queens NY, but gravitated towards the Pats in 1974. I remember I got my first Pat's jersey as a 14 year old on Christmas in 1976 (Randy Vataha). As a long time suffering fan, I remember a lot of bad times, but even during some of the bad years, even the 1 or 2 win seasons, I remember the excitement of getting to watch the Pats play on TV. I would get psyched about every draft for the Pats since 1976 (great draft). I remember, even when we won in 2001, after the game winning field goal, waiting a second before celebrating because I was looking for a flag, but no, this was a different Patriot's team.

Now we've seen greatness for many years. 14 great seasons, 12 division titles , etc. The 2 constants throughout those years, Brady and Belichick. Who knew Y2K would bring greatness to the Pats in the form of Belichick and Brady.

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It's funny how we all had to prepare for the changes on Y2K that never came, and nobody was prepared for the Pats.

I have to commend your parents for allowing you to become a Pats fan instead of a Jets fan. They saved you from a lifetime of futility.

I'll never forget 1976. That was the year Ben Dreith stole our first SB win. We got even though.

Patriot Missile said:

I look back on that game with a strange sort of pride. I think Bledsoe threw 3 or 4 interceptions in that game. To still be in it after that and the 80 yard debacle in the secondary to Brooks was amazing. Always comes down to just a couple of plays in NE Super Bowls minus the Chicago game.

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I can still visualize Shawn Jefferson blowing by a DB on the right sideline like he was standing still, only to have Bledsoe throw off his back foot and lob a pass at least 20 yards short. That pick was his third of four for the game, and came with 8 minutes left. Game. Set. Match.

Patriot Missile said:

Always comes down to just a couple of plays in NE Super Bowls minus the Chicago game.

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If you remember that game. I do.The Pats took a 3-0 lead and either got the ball back on a turnover or on downs. They then were starting to move the ball and there were two drops,or drop and a penalty and one big one. If they could gone up 10-0 the complexion of that game may have changed completely.

1960Pats said:

I'll never forget 1976. That was the year Ben Dreith stole our first SB win. We got even though.

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Worst call in Pats history. Thats a call they wouldn't even call today. On a 4th down no less.
I still can't stand it.

Patradomous said:

Worst call in Pats history. Thats a call they wouldn't even call today. On a 4th down no less.
I still can't stand it.

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You should trademark "I can't stand it" and "I still can't stand it." Those get a lot of hits around here.

The worst part of the theft of 1976 was that in the earlier 1st round game that day the Steelers blew the doors off the Colts 40-14, but also lost both Rocky Blier and Franco Harris for the next game. The Raiders got to play for the AFCC against a toothless 10-4 team and then went on to win the SB 32-14 against an even weaker Vikings team. It would have been our first SB win instead of their first.

I was a little young for that 76 season but I'm a huge historian. Just looking at the stats and games of that season always has fascinated me.

As a team they rushed for 2,957 yards. I can't even fathom that. Just looking through the game logs it seemed like they ran for 200+ a game.

That must of been one of the most exciting seasons ever. From Mike Haynes in the opening game against Cleveland celebrating early at the 5 on the punt return like he was Desean Jackson, getting hit and fumbled. Stingley recovered. Beating the Steelers at Pittsburgh and destroying the Raiders at Oakland. I can see why fans loved that team and their chances.