What will this region ever do someday when the inevitible downturn comes?

[jeffbiologist]

Well its alot like being with your better half who stops putting out! Either you roam to find a new one because thats what is important...or you stay with whats familiar because thats what is important. Now that I am not a boy, and we have won a SB, I cant honestly tell you what I will do. My best friend has been a yankee fan for years...and now that coming to an end. Its really sad to see a GREAT FAN without a team to root for!

 

[Wildo7]

Well its alot like being with your better half who stops putting out! Either you roam to find a new one because thats what is important...or you stay with whats familiar because thats what is important. Now that I am not a boy, and we have won a SB, I cant honestly tell you what I will do. My best friend has been a yankee fan for years...and now that coming to an end. Its really sad to see a GREAT FAN without a team to root for!

Are you ******* serious? What a joke.

 

[Opus232]

I've been following the team since Super Bowl XX, when they got shellacked by Da Bears. I went through 1-15 in 1990, 6-10 in 1991, 2-14 in 1992. If I recall correctly the first year of Parcells/Bledsoe was 5-11. The Pete Carroll teams won more than they lost, but these were mediocre and frustrating teams to watch. I can certainly handle watching a losing Patriots team. I won't like it but I can certainly handle it.

Certainly many bandwagon fans will jump ship if the team has a downturn, but this happens everywhere. The die-hards will stick around.

 

[jeffbiologist]

Are you ******* serious? What a joke.

I still dont think you get it. I HAVE been through the 1,2 or 5 win seasons and have been there 30+years for my team. But what I am saying is that I dont define myself by my past either. And life is a journey, if you say you know what you will do when X happens....you may never be ready for Y. I dont really know if I could put up with the crap that I have now KNOWING THE DIFFERENCE. Sure, there will be plenty of people who stick their heads in the sand and dont/cant make hard decisions. But there are AWFUL owners out there, there are awful coaches out there, and all that will certainly play into my decision. Dont judge me because I dont stick my head in the sand.

 

[stcjones]

After 18 years the 49er dynasty had to come to an end. So did Pittsburghs.
Finally in the 80's the Cowboys went downhill.
it happens.

What will this crowd do when someday the Patriots go through lean years again.

I will tell you. They wont be able to handle it. They cant handle one loss!

The bandwagon fans will go and we will find out if this franchise really is beloved or if we will go back to TV blackouts and 40,000 crowds.

As someone who has been a fan for over 30 years and was a fan when they were 1-15 and listened to home games on the radio, this younger crowd is pathetic. Absolutely no knowledge or perspective of the NFL.

there i feel better.....

I am a seasoned Patriot fan and I approve this message

Lifer:

First and foremost.....here's the point.......when you pretty much KNOW that your team is in a rebuilding stage....or are a few pieces away from having a good team to put on the field (AKA 2007 Miami Dolphins)....you have NO EXPECTATIONS....If they win one somehow.....you are psyched....but you are prepared for them to lose every game.....That is how it was when the Pats were 1-15 or 2-14 in the 80's. When this team sucked back then.....we had NO expectations whatsoever....and AS A TRUE PATS Fan you can deal with that.......

Now let's turn our attention to yesterday's disgusting performance by our team.....This is a team that SHOULD BE one of the top tier teams this year.......We have more offensive firepower (on paper) THAN ANY other team......Yes our QB went down....that hurt horribly....and yes BB should have been better prepared in the backup QB position so there wasn't such a huge dropoff.....we all get that....AND we have a very good defense overall (maybe old at some positions)...but still a force to be reckoned with.....we EXPECT this team to go out there and play smash mouth defense and play to the best of their ability.....we DON'T expect them to go out and play half a##ed...loose tackling....sleepwalking through their plays.......and embarrass themselves and their fans.....

THIS TEAM is TOO GOOD for this kind of bullsh##..........and that is why it is so unsettling and embarrassing/humiliating........
In short, when you KNOW that your team is in a rebuilding phase.......you know what to expect.......when the team is STILL STACKED and there is no reason why they shouldn't BE IN ANY game this year.......and they play like it doesn't mean crap to them......fans are going to get upset.......This team played like the season was over yesterday.....like they are already mailing it in.....despite having some of the best talent in the league.....Talent that went 19-1 last friggin year.......and you expect the fans to not be disgruntled....humiliated......and to not boo that despicable performance yesterday.......

Lastly....I don't mind ANY LOSS ....as long as the team gives 110% out there....play every friggin snap like it is your last.......and if you come up short.....them's the breaks......Not yesterday.....I don't think I saw 5 players on that team playing all out football....and that...is PATHETIC.........

 

[Jimke]

There will be bad times. I remember Mike Holovak struggling to win and also conserve used bubblegum and string. I remember being respectable with non NFL players, until the team collapsed in 1966. I remember 4-10 seasons, and losing seasons from '66 well in to the mid 70s.

I also remember a roster virtually devoid of any NFL caliber players. Rebuilding then, really was worse than what faced an expansion club.

Even if this team goes down, it will not be for long. There is very little age on the Offense, Faulk, and Moss. And the Defense is now pretty young; save for Tedy, Rodney and maybe Vrabes. There simply isn'
t much to rebuild.

The F.O. has stockpiled draft picks, and another double draft this offseason wil give us a #1, 2 #2s, 2 #3s, and probably 2#4s. That should be more than enough to secure an ILB, OLB, OL, and perhaps a 3rd down HB. That is assuming that Tedy, Rodney, and Kevin's replacements are not already on the roster, in the form of Guyton, Tank, and Lamont.

But I still think this team wil do well this year. Cassel appears to me to be a talented QB; with a big arm, size, mobility, patience, and knowledge of the playbook. He just needs some more snaps and expereince and he will get them.

So long as Tom Brady is the quarterback and Bill Belichick the coach,

the Pats will compete for the playoffs. I do think that the roster needs

some major tweaking like an OT, OG, and TE on offense and a ILB , S,

and CB on defense. I was happy this year the Pats concentrated on

improving the defensive side of the ball. This was overdue.

 

[cupofjoe1962]

I have been a season ticket holder since 1979.

I sat through the Ron Earhardt 2-12 season of 1981.
I sat through the late 89's Rod Rust 1-15 season
I sat through the early 90's 1-15 **** McPhearson season.

At the time I was a single guy who could afford the tickets because
2 season tickets only set you back a couple hundred bucks.

In 1979 I paid $200 for 2 season tickets ($10 per ticket - sideline seats).
In 2001 I paid $610 for 2 endzone tickets - yes I downgraded to
(Mosi's Mooses).

2008 I am a married guy with 2 young kids. I paid $2400 for 2 tickets
after the additional fee's.

I use ticketexchange & usually go to the best 5 regular season games and
the playoffs. I sell the other 3 on ticket exchange. I give away the
pre-season tickets.

When this team hits the skids, the waiting list will be gone and ticketexchange
will have a lot of tickets available.

When Brady and Belichick have gone, I will probably be giving up my
seats and watching the games on HDTV. If they black the game out, I will
buy directtv and get the NFL package. I will probably go to a couple games
each year, but I will not be blowing $500 on pre-season tickets.

I am far from a bandwagon fan, but as a father of 2 I can find a lot better
ways to put $2400 to use. (Food, Gas, Heating fuel, College funds, ect)

 

[Pats726]

Are you ******* serious? What a joke.

True fans...yes??? As I have said..A LOT of fans who claim to be Patriot fans now would HARDLY be if they had endured many of the Patriot's rough times...

 

[Lifer]

Lifer:

First and foremost.....here's the point.......when you pretty much KNOW that your team is in a rebuilding stage....or are a few pieces away from having a good team to put on the field (AKA 2007 Miami Dolphins)....you have NO EXPECTATIONS....If they win one somehow.....you are psyched....but you are prepared for them to lose every game.....That is how it was when the Pats were 1-15 or 2-14 in the 80's. When this team sucked back then.....we had NO expectations whatsoever....and AS A TRUE PATS Fan you can deal with that.......

Now let's turn our attention to yesterday's disgusting performance by our team.....This is a team that SHOULD BE one of the top tier teams this year.......We have more offensive firepower (on paper) THAN ANY other team......Yes our QB went down....that hurt horribly....and yes BB should have been better prepared in the backup QB position so there wasn't such a huge dropoff.....we all get that....AND we have a very good defense overall (maybe old at some positions)...but still a force to be reckoned with.....we EXPECT this team to go out there and play smash mouth defense and play to the best of their ability.....we DON'T expect them to go out and play half a##ed...loose tackling....sleepwalking through their plays.......and embarrass themselves and their fans.....

THIS TEAM is TOO GOOD for this kind of bullsh##..........and that is why it is so unsettling and embarrassing/humiliating........
In short, when you KNOW that your team is in a rebuilding phase.......you know what to expect.......when the team is STILL STACKED and there is no reason why they shouldn't BE IN ANY game this year.......and they play like it doesn't mean crap to them......fans are going to get upset.......This team played like the season was over yesterday.....like they are already mailing it in.....despite having some of the best talent in the league.....Talent that went 19-1 last friggin year.......and you expect the fans to not be disgruntled....humiliated......and to not boo that despicable performance yesterday.......

Lastly....I don't mind ANY LOSS ....as long as the team gives 110% out there....play every friggin snap like it is your last.......and if you come up short.....them's the breaks......Not yesterday.....I don't think I saw 5 players on that team playing all out football....and that...is PATHETIC.........

Oh, I agree totally! But there is a difference in being disgusted with the teams performance yesterday and people declaring Cassel sucks, the defense sucks, Josh McDaniel exposed, etc etc etc......the complete opposite of last week when the team wins a game and everyone is worried how Brady will be perceived when Cassel wins the Super Bowl.

If anything has been exposed its the segment of Patriot Nation that doesnt have a clue.

 

[IcyPatriot]

What will this region ever do someday when the inevitible downturn comes?

When the Patriots sucked we watched them but we rooted for the Bruins.

 

[ClevTrev]

Some will do what we've always done, root for the one team we've followed over many years. To those that have been spoiled by recent times, hold those memories tight and appreciate what this team is doing, it doesn't last forever.

 

[jmt57]

What will this region ever do someday when the inevitible downturn comes?

Can you imagine the reaction if the Red Sox become a sub-.500 team at the same time?

 

[jeffbiologist]

True fans...yes??? As I have said..A LOT of fans who claim to be Patriot fans now would HARDLY be if they had endured many of the Patriot's rough times...

Well everyone is a fan for different reasons. Not that anything WILL change, but I like to be honest with myself.....and whats that mutual fund saying?? "prior success doesnt guarantee future success" or something like that? And there is no wrong answer to this question...

 

[Krebjeff]

What will this region ever do someday when the inevitible downturn comes?

Can you imagine the reaction if the Red Sox become a sub-.500 team at the same time?

Maybe my girlfriend would stop being obsessed with Jacoby Ellsbury...




I am just glad I was born in 1985 and have only had to endure Pete Carroll and a sand monster eating Robert Edwards knee....

I've been through worse crap with the Celtics... Those 1995-97, 1998-99, 2006-07 seasons... Rick Pitino, Antione Walker... The Tim Duncan draft.......

 

[CTPatsFan]

I'm hoping lots of STH's bail out so that I can finally move out of the corner of the endzone and up the sideline. My brother is hoping to move from the 300's to the 200's. Run away! Run away!

 

[SmokeShowin]

There will be a long procession heading towards the Tobin. They will be like zombies shuffling along moaning Brady!!!!!!!

 

[Fixit]

It'll make Jonestown look like a mid-afternoon nap.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Well its alot like being with your better half who stops putting out! Either you roam to find a new one because thats what is important...or you stay with whats familiar because thats what is important. Now that I am not a boy, and we have won a SB, I cant honestly tell you what I will do. My best friend has been a yankee fan for years...and now that coming to an end. Its really sad to see a GREAT FAN without a team to root for!

Well everyone is a fan for different reasons. Not that anything WILL change, but I like to be honest with myself.....and whats that mutual fund saying?? "prior success doesnt guarantee future success" or something like that? And there is no wrong answer to this question...

The definition of a frontrunning bandwagon fan meets self absorbed, committment phobic new age rationalization... My decisions are all about me, and why shoudn't they be... There is no such thing as a GREAT FAN without a team to root for. Just lots of people who perceive themselves as great fans of teams no longer worthy of their rooting for.

Yup, there will be a lot of that around here in part because this team picked up an aweful lot of disenfranchised and casual football fans nationally and locally between 2001 and 2003, just like this board picked up a ton of passionate fans when Ian linked to that freakin' baseball board in 2006.

Those fans will exit the bandwaggon at variable and opportunistic rates - some have already while other are just prepositioning near the exits lest they get trampled in the eventual mass exodus. The worst part for the rest of us is they won't leave quietly.

What is really sad to see is a historically great team without a deserving fan base to root for it for better or worse as the saying goes. It's easy to become a fan of a team with a storied history or in the midst of a run. What seperates the men from the fanboys is having the intestinal fortitude to adapt with a little dignity and not alter your allegience because your entitled level of expectations is not presently being met. That is the mentality of the new age sports as entertainment fan and it reflects society in general.

I have a cousin who grew up here when this team were patsies and like many young boys he looked elsewhere for his football heros. Became a Raiders fan. But I have more respect for him these days because he still is. It's not much fun, and to make it worse he married a Chargers fan and they live in SD. But he stoicly awaits the day his team will rise from Al's ashes... And his wife accepts his fandom because she can appreciate that kind of unwavering loyalty from the guy she's raising two kids with.

 

[Tunescribe]

What gets me through lean times is the simple fact that I love pro football. When the Patriots lose, I still enjoy learning about how it happened and why, what can or can't be done about it, and how the owner/management/coaches/players are reacting. You can't get the most out of watching pro football unless you have a team to root for, because there's just as much (if not more) to be learned from defeat as there is from victory. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I enjoy the "process" of football just as much as the winning. How a team and the individuals comprising it deal with adversity always is fascinating to witness, and can be instructional -- even inspiring -- to average joes like me. Plus, the games themselves are fun to watch, win or lose. The athleticism, emotions and strategy trump any other sport.

 

[TruthSeeker]

What will this region ever do someday when the inevitible downturn comes?

That's what the Red Sox are for. Or the Celtics. Or the Bruins. Or the Revolution.

Okay, scratch the Revolution.

Seriously, it's the super-emotional fans that write wacky things and looking out over the ledge one moment who are full steam ahead supporters the next. That's the nature of the beast. Many of the rest of us who are more stoic (i.e. like some guy named Belichick) take the longer view and we'll still be around laughing or crying at the end as well.

Just be aware that there are all types of people and simply because some are a little crazy, it doesn't mean they will permanently go off the deep end. OK, a tiny fraction might, but the vast majority will still be there bouncing up and down like a yo-yo regardless of the good times or the bad times.