you guys have 3 rings
you wouldn't know heartbreak if it smacked you in your face
Good persepctive, jcdavey, as usual. I doubt it takes for many here.
There are teams that haven't sniffed a Super Bowl. Poor us. We lost a competitive championship game with only an AFC Championship to show for it. Many on this board said the team was one and done in the playoffs, so I hope that those crying about heartbreak did not hold the team in low regard throughout the season. The Pats exceeded their expectations by far by fighting for the title, so there is nothing to cry about. Those fans should be thrilled.
The Pats were blown out in one title game at the end of the 1985 season. The games ending 1996, 2007 and yesterday were competitive games to the end, with yesterday's loss resulting from a few fumbles skipping the Giants' way, a tough pass that skipped off Welker's hand, and a "hail Mary" that bounced just a little too low. 2001, 2003 and 2004 were similar games that ended with the Pats winning the game, largely because plays like that went the Pats' way.
Be disappointed now. I certainly am given the outcome. But at the same time realize titles are not given to the Pats by making the title game. That seems to be the bizarre position of many resulting from winning 3 Super Bowls by 3 points in games that easily could have been lost. There are 30 teams who watch the game, so pity them first.
Be thankful you have a horse in the race at the end of the season. Be thankful the Pats were in it to the very end. Realize in 1985 we would have killed to see a playoff win. In 1996, the Pats had no shot against the Packers (nobody pictured the Pats beating the Donkeys in the playoffs) but we loved it when the game went to a 6-point deficit in the 4th before Desmond Howard killed us. Every other game has been close, with a "win some, lose some" outcome typical of the team-oriented, "any given Sunday" mantra of the NFL.
I am not thrilled right now, but I know the Pats, unlike most other NFL teams, will be back in the hunt next year. That is why this team is great, and I will keep watching it year after year. Know that the 'heartbreak' you might be feeling comes from visions of greatness that few other teams inspire in a fan base.