I'm gonna try to be polite here, Patsummerallofthe80s.
Your premise is wrong. You're asking a "have you stopped beating your wife question".
The people on this board haven't given up on anything--they never did, even at the worst point in the season. They were discouraged, but they are loyal and always will be. And from loyalty springs hope eternal.
The people who post here know the quality of the Patriots' players, coaches and management. They also know that football is an unpredictable game, in which injuries and luck play a large role. We understand that victory isn't inevitable or predictable even for the best team in decades, which is what this is.
Even in the team's darkest days, we knew it would be back. We didn't know it would be back so soon, but we knew we'd be in the fight for the championship, if not this year, then next year. That's because we know those three Superbowls in the last four years are no accident. They are the product of intelligence, determination and class.
So asking us why we've given up our team is insulting. We haven't come within a light year of giving up. We haven't even considered giving up. The thought hasn't occurred to us. We've felt BB's and Brady's pain, not to mention Rodney's. We've seen the frustration. But we have been and we are confident that better days lie ahead.
Will we win the Superbowl this year? Well, we've been weakened by injuries. But the heart and spirit of the Patriots is as strong as ever. If we lose, the team that beats us will feel damn lucky to have gotten out of the game alive. And we will have nothing whatever to be ashamed of. But anyone who bets against the Patriots this year is taking a risk.