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- Apr 3, 2006
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To me, I think the odds are against ever having another experience like either game again. That they happened just two years apart is really amazing.
I was a huge Red Sox fan (now I no longer watch baseball, probably due to the Patriots ruining it for me by making it seem so boring) back in 2004 and was on cloud 9 when they came back from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Yankees. I thought at the time that I had likely reached my pinnacle of a roller coaster, emotional victory topped off with a primal scream of pure joy. But that actually had nothing on these last two Super Bowls.
I'd wager that even if the Patriots had won SB42 by a comfortable margin, my euphoria still would not have been at the levels of 49 and 51. It wasn't necessarily about the actual historical accomplishment (although that certainly helped) but about the game itself. All in a 3-4 hour span, experiencing the absolute lows and thrilling highs, a total roller coaster of emotions.
In some ways the two SB losses to the Giants served to increase the total excitement in the end, as the suppressed joy, and the realization that this wouldn't necessarily be a fairy tale ending, the long, painful memories of these losses, reminded me of what was at stake in the Super Bowl.
In both SB49 and SB51, there were points in the game when I had truly, completely accepted defeat. I wasn't even upset at the team in the way i was against the Giants - where I thought they didn't play to their potential - I had just become totally resigned the the very, very strong possibility they had just lost to a team who was capable of playing at a higher level than them.
In SB49, it was the whole context of Deflategate, the idea that Brady would be buried in history as "won 3 before Spygate, lost 3 after Spygate" an ultimate unjust yet simplistically perfect snapshot of the Patriots dynasty. It would be impossible to argue Brady, BB, or the Patriots dynasty as the GOAT with three consecutive SB losses. The game itself was probably the best Super Bowl I have ever witnessed, but I really thought it was over when they were down 10 and failed to move the ball in the fourth quarter. Then of course the absolutely ridiculous lucky catch by Kearse on the sidelines was probably the worst moment of my life as a sports fan (that or Burress's TD). For my worst moment as a sports fan and greatest moment (Butler's INT) as a sports fan to be minutes apart is an experience that I don't think many people will ever know.
In SB51, I probably don't need to get into as much detail. It was something I doubt will happen again in the NFL in my lifetime. In some ways, it was just the absolute perfect game, almost scripted. Before the game, virtually every pundit said that if the Patriots won, Brady would go down as the GOAT, and for his ascension to the throne to ALSO be a game that will live on forever, a game which in itself may have been the greatest comeback of all-time...wow, we are so lucky.
I was a huge Red Sox fan (now I no longer watch baseball, probably due to the Patriots ruining it for me by making it seem so boring) back in 2004 and was on cloud 9 when they came back from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Yankees. I thought at the time that I had likely reached my pinnacle of a roller coaster, emotional victory topped off with a primal scream of pure joy. But that actually had nothing on these last two Super Bowls.
I'd wager that even if the Patriots had won SB42 by a comfortable margin, my euphoria still would not have been at the levels of 49 and 51. It wasn't necessarily about the actual historical accomplishment (although that certainly helped) but about the game itself. All in a 3-4 hour span, experiencing the absolute lows and thrilling highs, a total roller coaster of emotions.
In some ways the two SB losses to the Giants served to increase the total excitement in the end, as the suppressed joy, and the realization that this wouldn't necessarily be a fairy tale ending, the long, painful memories of these losses, reminded me of what was at stake in the Super Bowl.
In both SB49 and SB51, there were points in the game when I had truly, completely accepted defeat. I wasn't even upset at the team in the way i was against the Giants - where I thought they didn't play to their potential - I had just become totally resigned the the very, very strong possibility they had just lost to a team who was capable of playing at a higher level than them.
In SB49, it was the whole context of Deflategate, the idea that Brady would be buried in history as "won 3 before Spygate, lost 3 after Spygate" an ultimate unjust yet simplistically perfect snapshot of the Patriots dynasty. It would be impossible to argue Brady, BB, or the Patriots dynasty as the GOAT with three consecutive SB losses. The game itself was probably the best Super Bowl I have ever witnessed, but I really thought it was over when they were down 10 and failed to move the ball in the fourth quarter. Then of course the absolutely ridiculous lucky catch by Kearse on the sidelines was probably the worst moment of my life as a sports fan (that or Burress's TD). For my worst moment as a sports fan and greatest moment (Butler's INT) as a sports fan to be minutes apart is an experience that I don't think many people will ever know.
In SB51, I probably don't need to get into as much detail. It was something I doubt will happen again in the NFL in my lifetime. In some ways, it was just the absolute perfect game, almost scripted. Before the game, virtually every pundit said that if the Patriots won, Brady would go down as the GOAT, and for his ascension to the throne to ALSO be a game that will live on forever, a game which in itself may have been the greatest comeback of all-time...wow, we are so lucky.
