Take a step back.
Take a deep breath...
Stop following the story or the offseason if you have to...
and realize there is a high burden of proof, if you are keeping centered on the rights of the league and the Pats.
That's for proof in your heart that your guys are okay: and that's all that matters.
Fork other fans, and fork the media. I could give a shlitz at this point. They've shown themselves to be subjective and hostile. And clearly, Specter is subjective and hostile.
So you are left with yourself, as a Pats fan, to answer to. Walk away and come back if you need to...
But don't let this bullcrap grind you down. Back in the old days we could stand around and talk of "what if we beat the Raiders" or "Could you imagine, if we beat the Oilers, then went on to..." and other fans would laugh. Like, how cute. The Patsies would like to go beyond a first round playoff game. Then 85? That thudding back to earth? I knew we were the kind of fans that could watch our guys, be loyal to our guys, but were a fluke. We would be standing aside to watch the big boys play at the end of every year...
Then everything going to hell Post=Parcells, when it became apparent that he was going to bring an AFC championship to New England, and that was it?
I was almost out of hope and rebounding, when they came up with this "Cleveland retread," and moved heaven and earth to get him. I was thinking WTF? Of course, that was Belichick, and it was the best thing that ever happened to this team.
So like I said, walk away from the coverage if you need to, or take a breather.
Machiavelli said "It is better to be feared than loved."
Overall, especially in the context in which he said it, I think that little aphorism leaves a lot to be desired.
But, in this context, I think it applies quite nicely.
Everybody loved the inoffensive, ineffective "Patsies" of years gone by. We were just another team that couldn't even get to a big game.
Now we're Goliath, and this stuff comes with the territory.
Once you get to a certain level, you're the only one that you can listen to, as to the value of the team's accomplishments. You have to judge what you think of the crap they're slinging around.
So be a fair jury:
- take into account the motivations of your accuser
- take into account selective enforcement
- take into account what you believe about the seriousness of the charge
- keep your eye on the actual facts, not words put in one party's mouth by another
Come to your own conclusion. Your own team deserves the standard of guilt or innocence of any other team - no more, no less.
To me, hanging with the coverage is part of my Pats obsession. It doesn't make me feel "low" or "depressed," though it is a little draining.
It's gonna be a long offseason in this regard, be ready for it. If that means walking away, walk away.
This team will play in September, however... after all, they really dislike an odd number of teams in the NFL. I think it's pretty clearly demonstrated last season that nobody in the Pats' organization got a free pass to destroy the league, based on use of cameras. They did it by being smarter and better than everyone else... except, of course, one very hot team at one very wrong time.
Me? I don't give a damn if they make us retroactively forfeit all 3 super bowls we won, and make new trophies and new rings for the Eagles, Panthers, and Rams. I saw those seasons and those games, and I know what happened.
Caveat: I don't think it'll come to that. I think the cycle will go back around, as the "startling revelations" are examined one by one, like this "Walsh has tapes" line his attorney is taking.
I think eventually someone asks the question: "Did other owners destroy any tapes when the Pats destroyed theirs?"
Bear in mind the NFL is one big corporate entity. Far more cohesive than the "coaches fraternity" is the owners' corporation. Nobody wants to damage their own franchise, and the league would rather have "one dirty franchise" than "cheating that went on league-wide."
But if it comes down to the Lombardi carrying asterisks for 3 years? I dunno. I might call around to other owners and have them chat with their head coaches.
Eh, a long rambling post for a Saturday morning.
My only point is don't feel low. feel proud.... feel proud that your team is a big enough fish to attract this crap. Don't believe for a second that your team is guilty until proven innocent. And don't bother "defending" against other fans too much... that's what'll make ya feel low.
There's no need for it. Measure your team against the known behavior of other teams, such as what Jimmy Johnson has said he did as a coach, and what we know Miami and the Jets have done... and consider normal.
You're the one that's caught, you pay the ticket. I was fine with that part. It's against the rules, that makes it cheating. I was fine with that part.
But this bullcrap about a "cover-up" when the league does its own policing? What you're basically doing is subjecting the Pats to double-jeopardy, via the league. No other team, mind you, and on no other charges. Just one really good team, the only one to win multiple super bowls this century.
I hope Specter gets laughed out of the Senate.
PFnV
