How special was this last SB to you?

[Steve102]

I attended XXXVI. I will always hold the win vs. the Rams as #1. It was after 9/11, they were underdogs, the U2 halftime, all the emotions of it made it really special. The win against Carolina meant they were not a one-and-done team. They were just better than everyone vs. Philly. The loss vs. the Giants in 2007 was awful. It was like someone died. I actually mourned the loss of the opportunity to be the greatest ever. The second Giants loss... they were just lucky to be there. All these games made this one the most nerve wracking of all. I don't think I spoke in the second half, I spent most of the it in a pseudo-fetal position in my chair, occasionally muttering "that's a big three and out" or "bleed the clock, Tommy". The fact that they won it in such dramatic fashion, complete with Tyree2.0 and Malcom's pick made it so much sweeter in the end. It makes the Belichick-hasn't-won-since arguments mute. It solidifies TB12 as being arguably the GOAT. It doesn't make the 2007 loss go away, but it certainly overcomes Manningham.

It's #2 on my list. Hell, it could even be #1a, as it shuts up the haters.

 

[condon84]

Sweetest NE championship for me.

First SB seemed like destiny to me. I really believed we would win that one. The 2nd and 3rd SB were inevitable to me. It really felt like we were not going to lose in a playoff game at that point.

This run came in the heels of 10 years of frustrating loses in the playoffs, heartbreaking defeats in the SB, the taunting by other fan bases and media members of no SB wins after Spygate, the burial of the team after the KC game this year, and the incredible fiasco of the deflategate that led to this year's SB. It would have been sweet just to win and give everyone the F you because of all the above, but to win it in the fashion that we did was incredible. I just can't imagine a scenario where I would again feel what I felt after Butler made that INT for the rest of my sports viewing life. It was pure disbelief followed by euphoria. Those Youtube reaction moments captures how all of us Pats fans felt that very moment.

 

[brdmaverick]

Despite all my friends and family knowing how much of a fan I am, I think only members of this board truly understand how special this championship really was.

I get so irritated anytime anyone ever tells me "it's just a game." It most certainly is not. I have invested so much time and passion into this team. I go to training camp every year, watch and rewatch games, and make highlights. I can't get enough Patriots. This one was particularly sweet because even though a ten year drought really isn't much in the sports landscape, it is wehn you consider that we've been knocking on the door in each of those years. To always come so close and lose is devastating, not to mentoin the years when we really were just a play away (Giants losses). To make matters worse, I have some people around me who actually gloat whenever they lose to me (ha ha, they'll never win again, Brady doesns't have the drive since he's met Gisele, all of the otehr Boston teams have won since the last time the Pats won, yadda yadda yadda).

Each year the losses have been devastating. I realize that we as a fan base are spoiled. After all, a divisional round or AFC Championship game appearance is a respectable finish for a team. Even though I tell that to myself I still can't help but be devastated. I've just wanted another one SOOOOOO BADLY. Just give me one to help erase the pains of the '06 AFCC or the '07 Super Bowl.

The fourth quarter started with a failed third down attempt followed by a punt. It cut to commercial,........I remember going into another room of my house (pacing). Bad thoughts were feeding into my head........"how is this happening?" ...."how can we be losing by 10 when we were so dominant in the first half?!?!"......"can I really endure another loss?"........"at the beginning of the day we had a 50% chance of winning this game, and now it's more like 10%"......"I love being a fan, but why do I do this to myself"...........then I collected myself and reminded myself there was still 13 minutes left to go and stranger things have happened.

The comeback started.......during the commercial break prior to the final Pats drive I remember going to the other room again and thinking "Ok, here we go. We have the ball with a chance ot tie or take the lead. I couldn't really ask for more than this. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE finsih the deal."

TD Edelman, I'm going crazy. "Oh man, we were almost dead 20 min ago and now we are on the verge of winning. Oh my god".

Kearse catch over Butler, "ARE YOU SERIOUS!?!?!?, Losing is one thing, but LOSING LIKE THIS!?!? I mean, that is messed up." Words do not do justice to describe how I was feeling at that point.

Butler pick, WOW, oh my god, I saw him grab it, fall to the ground and oh man, I WAS OUT THE DOOR.......running down my street screaming followed up a jump into the snow. Oh man, a delirious laughter ensured. Oh man, that is the ultimate feeling......realizing your team just won the Super bowl. From absolute heartbreak to the highest of highs.

Oh man, I wanted this one. I wanted it BAD. and we got it.

In fact, in answering your question I've gone into some side rants. I can't even put into words properly how much this one meant to me.

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

They're all special. Just like my children. Each is different and wonderful in their own way.

Though I have a couple neighbors' children that remind me of '07.

 

[kennyb]

If they had lost I would have been utterly devastated. I wanted to throw up when they were down by 10 in the second half. 3 SB losses by 3 points each, back to back to back with miracle 4th quarter come from behind catches in each game? Don't know if I could stand it.

The monkey is off their backs now. They outplayed them and won even if it did take a great play to do it.

Utterly relieved.

 

[signbabybrady]

Sorry for your loss.

I watch just about every game with my father and brothers. It all started with Papa Joe who passed a year or so after 3 out of 4. It's a family thing for us and it would mean a lot to me to know he got to see one more.

This one is special for me for all the football related stories that are obvious the stamp on the legacy of BB and TB, the redemption post spygate, redemption post 2 losses, and whatever other stuff you could pile on.

But my brothers, father, and best friend trumped the football related story and while I was in a hospital bed with pancreatitis waiting for gall bladder surgery they all came to watch the game with me and brought in a big screen TV because the hospital TV did not cut it.

 

[bostonia3333]

This was the greatest championship ever because it was so much harder to get than the other 3. Pats don't have to win another in my book. Their legacy is cemented as the best football team ever. Brady destroys Montana in every playoff statistic imaginable. I don't even think you can put Peyton Manning and Brady in the same sentence anymore.

The Butler play you could make a case for being one of the best plays in SPORTS history.

The Revis signing was one of the biggest one year acquisitions in sports in recent years........reminded me a bit of Deion signing with the Niners in 94.

2015 was just amazing!

 

[BradyManny]

Simple question really. This SB has now turned into a very very special thing for me and my mother. Not to be somber but my father passed a week after the SB win and i am just SO happy he got to see them win it one more time in his life as he was die hard like myself.

Sorry for your loss. It is kind of amazing - in a good way - how sports can bring people together or make defining moments in people's lives.

 

[BelichickFan]

From a family standpoint it was cool for me as it was my 15 year old son's first championship.

He didn't care in 2007 but by 2011 he was a big fan. You know those ads "New England Patriots fans, your team has won the Super Bowl, call now and get the hat, t-shirt and video of your team's win" or whatever the words are ? Well the day after the 2011 SB loss he said, sadly, to me, "if the Patriots had won I was going to order the package". I felt so bad for him because it's tough to win championships and who knows when your next chance will be.

He's also an Oregon Ducks fan and saw them lose the championship game in 2010 and 2014. After this year's Duck loss, combining the 2010, 2011, 2014 losses for the Ducks and Pats he said "will one of my teams ever win the big game ?". So it was pretty cool when they did. And although we didn't order the official "package", he has plenty of SB 49 stuff to wear now.

 

[Ross12]

It was real special. Their previous win in '04 was one of the first football games I saw, I was 13 years old at the time and it was one of the things that got me into football. After a lukewarm interest for a couple years I really got into it and chose the Pats as my team since I live in PA and who wants to root for the Eagles and Steelers? My family is from CA and my dad is a 49ers fan, I could've went with them but the Pats were just so cool that I adopted them as my team... So, for me, I hadn't yet witnessed a SB win by them as "my team"; I have fleeting memories of the '04 win but I didn't have a rooted interest and I didn't see the '01 or '03 wins.

Suffering through the two SB losses really sucked and sometimes, the really dark times, I would wonder "has it run its course? Is it really likely for a team to win 3 in 4 years and then win again within a decade?"

My faith was rewarded big time this year needless to say now I know how you all felt watching the team win years ago. I can only hope to relive the experience of back-to-back championships too this year!

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

I am hoping that I can really enjoy football in 2015. Ever since the loss to the Colts in the AFCCG, and even more so after the 18-1 heartbreak, each season has brought more anxiety than joy. I have loved watching the Patriots but even after satisfying victories, the euphoria quickly turned to thoughts about whether or not they could finally get their fourth ring. All the losses, taunts of fans AND other teams players about cheating, doubts about Spygate, tired responses to to the fact they hadn't won in so long, they take a toll on you. I think in 2015, I'll be able to sit down and enjoy the games; although #5 would be incredible and I'm sure I'll be obsessed with watching them try to attain it, they have fully and completely redeemed themselves and made all of this time worth it for me.

 

[BelichickFan]

I am hoping that I can really enjoy football in 2015. Ever since the loss to the Colts in the AFCCG, and even more so after the 18-1 heartbreak, each season has brought more anxiety than joy. I have loved watching the Patriots but even after satisfying victories, the euphoria quickly turned to thoughts about whether or not they could finally get their fourth ring. All the losses, taunts of fans AND other teams players about cheating, doubts about Spygate, tired responses to to the fact they hadn't won in so long, they take a toll on you. I think in 2015, I'll be able to sit down and enjoy the games; although #5 would be incredible and I'm sure I'll be obsessed with watching them try to attain it, they have fully and completely redeemed themselves and made all of this time worth it for me.

I'm sure I will be as competitive as ever once the season starts but all the stuff like "The Patriots haven't won a championship since Spygate" which was so stupid will never be heard again. If the Seahawks had won we would still have been to 3 Super Bowls in 8 years; and, yet, moron, jealous haters would still claim we can't win without "cheating". As if any other team has been to 3 Super Bowls in the last 8 years. Almost none have, I guess Seattle but the first was under a different regime.

Anyway, yeah, as much as I want another one, the pressure is definitely off now.

 

[Archeryaddict12]

It's awesome, every member earned it and deserved the win, but I'd really like a #5 between bb and Brady. That would end everything the haters would ever have to argue. I am off the sb high, guess the way I am, never ride the highs too long or sulk on the lows. I'm already waiting for next season.

 

[Crazy Patriot Guy]

It's up there but nothing will ever beat 2001. I was 22 and lost my grandmother to cancer the day before the game. Visitation was that Sunday and I didn't expect to see the game. About 20 minutes before kickoff my mom told me to head to my grandpa's house to watch it. When the kick went through, I just remember being on the ground laughing. I couldn't stop laughing. It was just that moment that let me know things were going to be ok. Seeing the smile on my grandpa's face as he walked through the door was priceless, he was so happy for me and it was amazing to see his spirits lifted.

14 was amazing just to vindicate everything. For years I would say that I'm blessed as a fan and really can't ask for anything, but just give me one more. It was a wondeful night.

 

[Archeryaddict12]

It also shows how hard it is to win a sb. To have 4 already between these 2 greats, and 6 appearances, we will probably never have anything like this in our lifetime again. I'm content and fine if we don't win another, but #5 would be comparable to 19-0 imo. Something that had never been even thought about by anyone, could be accomplished by both GOATS

 

[JoeSixPat]

Some simple truths for me are

1.) Nothing would have been sweeter than a 2007 Perfect Season. I blame Goodell for fanning the flames of a non-scandal (and of course, The Herald) for denying me that and always will (Mangini had no way of knowing how badly Goodell would over-react)

2. The first Super Bowl holds first place for me - after years of supporting the team through the worst of seasons but also several "almost" heartbreaking seasons too, seeing that ball go through the goalposts to win that game will always be special

3. This Championship ranks a close second, a loud STFU to those who mindlessly simplified things to "The Patriots haven't won anything since Spygate"

So, yes, there's a particularly nice feeling right now knowing the best comeback the haters currently have is "The Patriots haven't won anything since February"

 

[nabwong]

My daughter was born the day after we lost to seattle 2 years ago. So to be able to watch a Super Bowl with a little one is special for me, even if she will not remember it and especially when I scared the schiit out of her when I was jumping up and down after the interception.

 

[Wordsmyth]

Bittersweet. My dad passed away last July.... I really wish he'd been able to see it. I kept wanting to call him and talk Pats during the season.

Same here, except my mom passed away in December. This SB win was a (partial) catharsis for the woundedness in my family's collective soul.

 

[scott99]

Despite all my friends and family knowing how much of a fan I am, I think only members of this board truly understand how special this championship really was.

I get so irritated anytime anyone ever tells me "it's just a game." It most certainly is not. I have invested so much time and passion into this team. I go to training camp every year, watch and rewatch games, and make highlights. I can't get enough Patriots. This one was particularly sweet because even though a ten year drought really isn't much in the sports landscape, it is wehn you consider that we've been knocking on the door in each of those years. To always come so close and lose is devastating, not to mentoin the years when we really were just a play away (Giants losses). To make matters worse, I have some people around me who actually gloat whenever they lose to me (ha ha, they'll never win again, Brady doesns't have the drive since he's met Gisele, all of the otehr Boston teams have won since the last time the Pats won, yadda yadda yadda).

Each year the losses have been devastating. I realize that we as a fan base are spoiled. After all, a divisional round or AFC Championship game appearance is a respectable finish for a team. Even though I tell that to myself I still can't help but be devastated. I've just wanted another one SOOOOOO BADLY. Just give me one to help erase the pains of the '06 AFCC or the '07 Super Bowl.

The fourth quarter started with a failed third down attempt followed by a punt. It cut to commercial,........I remember going into another room of my house (pacing). Bad thoughts were feeding into my head........"how is this happening?" ...."how can we be losing by 10 when we were so dominant in the first half?!?!"......"can I really endure another loss?"........"at the beginning of the day we had a 50% chance of winning this game, and now it's more like 10%"......"I love being a fan, but why do I do this to myself"...........then I collected myself and reminded myself there was still 13 minutes left to go and stranger things have happened.

The comeback started.......during the commercial break prior to the final Pats drive I remember going to the other room again and thinking "Ok, here we go. We have the ball with a chance ot tie or take the lead. I couldn't really ask for more than this. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE finsih the deal."

TD Edelman, I'm going crazy. "Oh man, we were almost dead 20 min ago and now we are on the verge of winning. Oh my god".

Kearse catch over Butler, "ARE YOU SERIOUS!?!?!?, Losing is one thing, but LOSING LIKE THIS!?!? I mean, that is messed up." Words do not do justice to describe how I was feeling at that point.

Butler pick, WOW, oh my god, I saw him grab it, fall to the ground and oh man, I WAS OUT THE DOOR.......running down my street screaming followed up a jump into the snow. Oh man, a delirious laughter ensured. Oh man, that is the ultimate feeling......realizing your team just won the Super bowl. From absolute heartbreak to the highest of highs.

Oh man, I wanted this one. I wanted it BAD. and we got it.

In fact, in answering your question I've gone into some side rants. I can't even put into words properly how much this one meant to me.

Was that you in the YouTube video ? I saw a video of a guy running around then jumping in a snow pile.

This one was really special to me. I kept saying after the last Giant's SB loss in 2011, I rather we lose the AFCCG than the SB, losing the SB is just too painful. After Seattle took the 24-14 lead, I thought, game over, gonna lose another one. But in the 4th quarter, in my head, I just kept saying in my head, "14-0", "14-0". I don't know why, maybe it was wishful thinking, but I just remember how dominant the defense had been in 4th quarters lately, I was just hoping we could out score them 14-0 in the 4th. I was shocked when we did just that. But after the Kearse catch, my thoughts/premonition went out the window, but then the glorious Butler int, and my dream came true.

The smile hasn't come off my face since. There is something incredibly satisfying when the team you love, the team you live and die with, wins a championship. I've been lucky to see several of my favorite teams win several champions, but it NEVER gets old. This is my 2nd favorite Pat's SB championship, the first one in 2001 is my favorite. I still get goosebumps hearing Madden say, "What Tom Brady is doing right now, gives me goosebumps". And hearing, the Patriots win, the Patriots win on the 2001 DVD. But man, this recent one is damned close, cements Belichick's and Brady's legacy.

I remember thinking after seeing the 49ers win their 5th Championship in 14 years, thinking, wow, that's amazing. Well, the Pats have won 4 in 13 years, equally amazing. Maybe......

 

[scott99]

Same here, except my mom passed away in December. This SB win was a (partial) catharsis for the woundedness in my family's collective soul.

My condolences, I'm glad the win could somewhat ease the pain.