Looking back at PatsFans
 

Here is some fun reading if your bored while waiting for the season to start. I went to archive.org and type in patsfans.com and found this. It's funny to read about how Brady doesnt have anything to offer...guess sometimes its hard to tell what you have in a player.

PatsFans.com - The Ultimate Pats Fan Playground

Re: Looking back at PatsFans
 

It's pretty funny reading the article about Bledsoe's injury and Brady stepping in. "At this point, all Brady has is a good collegiate pedigree and a strong August arm. That's about it". Good find. It's a shame the Message Board doesn't work because I wanted to see if Patsfans circa 2001 held the same doom and gloom about the franchise as Patsfans circa 2009 does.

Re: Looking back at PatsFans
 

Based on what is at the bottom right of that link, I'd say it is safe to assume the doom and gloom quotient was just as high then as it is now.

Take 'Drew' out of that last sentence and replace it with 'Tom' and fan reaction doesn't look a whole lot different than it did eight years ago, does it?

Re: Looking back at PatsFans
 

Interesting - just found the article archive and it's still there:

Story Index

Although it's sorting from the newest to oldest, with the oldest story at the bottom. Some pretty good reads from us back in the day - definitely funny to read those now. It is disappointing there aren't some board posts to read - looks like it was blocked from being archived.

Re: Looking back at PatsFans
 

Good find, and a good read. Funny how everything worked out... :)

This is the great quote:

Re: Looking back at PatsFans
 

I'm a fan of this gem from the linked Steve Buckley article...

Re: Looking back at PatsFans
 

Typical of the comments we still see today:

Some things NEVAH change here in NE...

When I first started posting here in 2005 it was to challenge those I was reading as a lurker who dismissively claimed that Brady should just take whatever damn contract extension the team was willing to offer and be glad they were offering one or the dynasty should just move on without him.

Re: Looking back at PatsFans
 

I'll be the first to admit that, though I never hated Brady, I was "jealous" of his success that year and badly wanted Drew to go back in once the doctors cleared him. By the end of the season that had started to wane, though it still seemed odd to have Tom at QB for a while. (Ironically it reminds me of last year, watching Cassel fill in for Tom; like it's the Patriots, but it's not the Patriots. Kinda like when those two replacement cousins filled in on The Dukes of Hazzard. Except different.)

And during the day or two after the AFCCG when it was unclear which of them would start in the Super Bowl, I was totally rooting for Drew. For years by then I had been dreaming of the day Drew would win a Super Bowl. Now that chance was close, but this little punk usurper was going to get all the glory instead.

I'll also admit that while watching the SB I was yelling at the TV for BB to pull Tom and put Drew in, because it seemed like Tom just couldn't throw the long ball, at least not like Tom could. For a while there I was afraid that was going to cost the Pats the game.

Finally, for a brief time after Drew was traded to Buffalo, I considered defecting and becoming a Bills fan. I didn't like how BB had treated him. But before too long I came to my senses and realized that I couldn't just root for Drew, because he wasn't going to play forever. It wasn't him I loved, but the fact that he played for the Patriots. And if I was going to switch teams just because I didn't agree with some of their personnel moves, I was never going to have a permanent team, because every team does things their fans don't agree with. This sentiment was largely confirmed the next fall when I saw Drew and the Bills play the Vikings in Minnesota - yeah it was still Drew Bledsoe, but without the Flying Elvis on his helmet, it just wasn't the same anymore.

That's why I laugh at these imbeciles who threaten not to be Packers fans because of the whole Favre drama. I've been down that road. ;)

Re: Looking back at PatsFans
 

IMHO, the "doom and gloom" was appropriate then and now. Brady turned out to be one of the best quarterbacks in the history of game. Why should anyone have presumed that this would be the case?

As for now, you pollyanna's can think that the team would just bring in another Brady and we would win the Super Bowl anyway. The rest of us are grounded in the reality that there is a large dropoff from Brady to anyone on the team (and to anyone in the league not named Manning). The rest of will indeed be worrying every time Brady goes down.

Please do not misinterpret me. I think that we would go to the playoffs with a veteran backup quarterback and perhaps even under the leadership of a surprising Hoyer (less likely). After all, I have always pushed for having a Huard or a Garcia on the squad. Walter was the flavor of the day. Perhaps next week it will be Feeley or Huard or another.
The offense did great last year because of the schedule and the quality of the offense, not necessarily because of the quality of the backup quarterback. This year, the offense is even better with the additions at RB and TE.

Re: Looking back at PatsFans
 

Thanks for sharing the look back. WOW, tough things to remember. The total despair that many of us felt that September after 9/11.