All this tripping down memory lane makes me realize how comparatively little I cared "back in the day," whether we beat this or that hated rival. Wins and losses seemed to come randomly from the football gods back at that time, and when I was lucky enough to get to see a game televised, and that game was an actual win -- I felt great for that one game, but the whole idea of the season as more than a collection of disconnected games was just beyond my grasp until the Pats started to challenge for the playoffs.
I'd say we're spoiled, yeah, but we've also got a collective dread that it's ENDING, in terms of championships... that we have to hang around over the Jordan, looking at the promised land, as a punishment for receiving such riches already...
This is the same agony the 9ers had between Super Bowl peaks during their glory years - the agony of "is this how it ends?" Well, I don't want to be done yet.
Third most points scored, third least allowed, 6-2... these are very good division leading numbers. The only thing that's going to matter is that we win the East, and that we beat the Colts/Broncos/YourNameHeres in the playoffs and Super Bowl. And I don't think we're that good right now.
I feel in synch with the team's goals here, not "spoiled." And (God forbid) I'll hang with em through 2-14 seasons again, if that's what it takes to earn this ride.
Having a good team means having better than a 1-in-32 shot at the Super Bowl, even though the odds are still long for any given team. While we have that better-than-average shot, I want us to make the best of it.
But hey, that's just me and the other spoiled fans. I do believe we're spoiled, because our team is always in it. The question isn't whether we can compete, it's whether we can excel. So if you want to distinguish yourself as not spoiled, root for mediocrity.
PFnV