We should take a minute to count our football blessings

Football included, never take anything for granted, just like my team.

Again, another reason why I love me some NEP...

Dunnieboy said:

I have to say as a Jets fan ... It refreshing to hear that Most of you guy to not take the Pats success lightly....

Click to expand...

Most fans don't take it lightly at all. There's a bit of humility behind most of the bravado. We'd never be that self-focused. You'd never catch us gloating about a decade of pro sports success unlike any other for any city in US history. Or about starting as a middle-sized sports media market, and growing that to becoming one of the top eight in the country, providing revenue to those teams unheard of prior. You'd never hear us bragging about having four pro teams with talent that makes a championship a real possibility in any given year. We'd never be that obnoxious, and it's nice to see a Jets fan acknowledge it.

And BTW, if picking, developing, and promoting Brady was about luck, then so were the events of the last few minutes of the Giant's super bowl win that kept Brady from having his fourth ring (so far).

And BTW BTW, where's your Myra Kraft avatar? It takes a lot of nerve to come over here and disrespect her like that!

I remember thinking back in 2002 they could both never top what they had accomplished and yet probably never really legitimize it. Being Cinderella was a once in a lifetime experience, but then they went one better and legitimized the franchise in 2003-04 and ultimately elevated it to dynasty status. And 2007 really just underscored that. Seven years of being the team to beat...that's really what being a dynasty is all about. This is still that team. If you don't grasp that then you never got what the journey was all about. Once you win one ring, it's all about consistently remaining in contention for the next ring. They were never going to win them all, no one can or ever will. But as long as you remain in contention there is the possibility you win another...

Can't ask for more than that or your a delusional frontrunner fan. And like all dynasties, we've inherited a boatload and created a generation of those miserable, demanding, dysfunctional, entitled, but what have you done for ME lately fans. The kind who would lead the national mediots to legitimately question just how truly Brady is appreciated here...based on their ego driven need to predict and project the future at the expense of acknowledging or appreciating the past or the present. That says a lot more about the makeup of the present day Patriots fanbase than it does about Brady or the organization. Be careful what you wish for (for all of us) because one day you will get it...and sadly only then will you know how foolish you were.

I am very happy to see the contagious effort of honor instilled by Patriot members implementing this Patch as their sole avatar's.


very classy and I hope more do it!

Ian could we get this thread PINNED???


if not Ian... then

Any Admin plz Pin this Thread

PushnPencils said:

What a bunch of roody poo is this!

What you call blessings I call redemption for years of crud. We are owed this.

Prior to 2001, any success we had was treated with tongue in cheek admiration.

We had the worst stadium, some of the worst seasons the league had ever seen.

As much respect I have for Billy Sullivan for giving us this team, his families administrative decisions made Mike Brown look like the Rooney's.

My memories start with the Chuck Fairbanks debacle. 20+ years I endured, recognizing that my

team was considered a laughing stock of the NFL. But I held out hope and am now being repaid.

I owe and am thankful for NOTHING!

Click to expand...

I was in the 8th grade when the Pats came into existence. I actually had a cousin who's father purchased some Pats stock, only to have it stolen away a few years later by Billy Sullivan.

Over their history the Pats HAVE managed to have 2-3 decent seasons a decade, while the Sullivans bungled away opportunity after opportunity to create some consistent success. His failures were compounded by the Kiam and Orthwine. regimes, which were BOTH thankfully short.

However, PP, you are wrong in thinking that the Pats success didn't start until 2001. Relatively to the rest of the world the 90's didn't exactly suck. During that 10 year period the Pats went to the Playoffs 4 times including a superbowl run. For 90% of the rest of the league THAT is a good decade and certainly was the best decade in Pats history.

Count our football blessings - Christ is THAT an understatement. What we have experienced over the last 18 years is UNPRECEDENTED in league history, and what makes it so amazing is that it doesn't look like its going to end any time soon. There is an entire GENERATION of Pats fans who only have tangential memories of what a losing season feels like. And when you think how the league has been set up to avoid this kind of long term success, its even more amazing.

Look at the 49er who have struggled to reach mediocrity for over a decade after their run. The Cowboys have one ONE playoff game in over 15 season over being vastly over rated. Even the Steelers have 2 years of dips. Only the Colts and Eagles IIRC can even come close to what we've accomplished here.

Count your blessings?????? Damned STRAIGHT!

I will be very disappionted and perhaps heartbroken (for a couple of days) if they don't win it all this year, as I was last year and after the Giants SB.

But, and this is the truth, I don't forget the plea I made to God back in the early 1990's. I begged God that they do not move my team out of New England and if I could experience just 1 SB victory before I die.

So this great 10 year run has been more than I could have reasonably expected or dared to ask the big guy for.

That is why I get a little short with the spoiled fans who for months and months dwell on a recent playoff loss as if they a entitiled to a SB win every year.

PS, I will change my avatar wehn I get home tonight.

Well said, friends.

I have to admit how worried I was, too, when rumours of a potential move started coming out. THAT would have been heartbreaking. I was so relieved when they stayed.

betterthanthealternative said:

And BTW BTW, where's your Myra Kraft avatar? It takes a lot of nerve to come over here and disrespect her like that!

Click to expand...

I'm not sure I know what this means ... but I'd never do that.

betterthanthealternative said:

And BTW, if picking, developing, and promoting Brady was about luck, then so were the events of the last few minutes of the Giant's super bowl win that kept Brady from having his fourth ring (so far).

Click to expand...

I agree ... both lucky. Though you have to admit that the Giants (whom I hate) D was awesome during that game.

Dunnieboy said:

I'm not sure I know what this means ... but I'd never do that.

Click to expand...

Alot of people are carrying the MHK avatar for the year as a mark of respect.

Betterthanthealternative is only yanking your chain a little about you not carrying one in your avatar too

patfanken said:

I was in the 8th grade when the Pats came into existence. I actually had a cousin who's father purchased some Pats stock, only to have it stolen away a few years later by Billy Sullivan.

Over their history the Pats HAVE managed to have 2-3 decent seasons a decade, while the Sullivans bungled away opportunity after opportunity to create some consistent success. His failures were compounded by the Kiam and Orthwine. regimes, which were BOTH thankfully short.

However, PP, you are wrong in thinking that the Pats success didn't start until 2001. Relatively to the rest of the world the 90's didn't exactly suck. During that 10 year period the Pats went to the Playoffs 4 times including a superbowl run. For 90% of the rest of the league THAT is a good decade and certainly was the best decade in Pats history.

Count our football blessings - Christ is THAT an understatement. What we have experienced over the last 18 years is UNPRECEDENTED in league history, and what makes it so amazing is that it doesn't look like its going to end any time soon. There is an entire GENERATION of Pats fans who only have tangential memories of what a losing season feels like. And when you think how the league has been set up to avoid this kind of long term success, its even more amazing.

Look at the 49er who have struggled to reach mediocrity for over a decade after their run. The Cowboys have one ONE playoff game in over 15 season over being vastly over rated. Even the Steelers have 2 years of dips. Only the Colts and Eagles IIRC can even come close to what we've accomplished here.

Count your blessings?????? Damned STRAIGHT!

Click to expand...

I agree with just about everything you say, but I think we should give Orthwine a "Pass." Whatever his other flaws, he made the decision to hire Parcells, who brought Belichick to New England and to the personal knowledge of the Krafts.

Pre Parcells (and Kraft, of course), the Pats were just another team owned by a rich stiffs who were looking to make a buck and only expected the occasional good year, surrounded by mediocrity. So there were some good years in there, but no one ever mentioned the Pats in the same breath with the Steelers or Cowboys, which is their peer-group today.

PATSNUTme said:

I will be very disappionted and perhaps heartbroken (for a couple of days) if they don't win it all this year, as I was last year and after the Giants SB.

But, and this is the truth, I don't forget the plea I made to God back in the early 1990's. I begged God that they do not move my team out of New England and if I could experience just 1 SB victory before I die.

So this great 10 year run has been more than I could have reasonably expected or dared to ask the big guy for.

That is why I get a little short with the spoiled fans who for months and months dwell on a recent playoff loss as if they a entitiled to a SB win every year.

PS, I will change my avatar wehn I get home tonight.

Click to expand...

Yeah, the season ending a bit early last season sucked. There's no denying that. It didn't take long though to realize my team had just gone 14-2 in a rebuilding year. It was a great season and I certainly have nothing to complain about.

After the SB 42, it honestly only took me about 30 minutes to get over that game. All I did was think back to 2001, how we were the Rams this time and the Giants did exactly what we did. It made that win against the Rams even more special to me. Getting a 4th championship would be amazing but like you said, one was enough for me, everything beyond that is just gravy. (sweet, delicious gravy )

Crazy Patriot Guy said:

Yeah, the season ending a bit early last season sucked. There's no denying that. It didn't take long though to realize my team had just gone 14-2 in a rebuilding year. It was a great season and I certainly have nothing to complain about.

After the SB 42, it honestly only took me about 30 minutes to get over that game. All I did was think back to 2001, how we were the Rams this time and the Giants did exactly what we did. It made that win against the Rams even more special to me. Getting a 4th championship would be amazing but like you said, one was enough for me, everything beyond that is just gravy. (sweet, delicious gravy )

Click to expand...

Great perspective. Well stated.
Post 42 I was @ Disney World the next day with the kids. Thought I'd be away from that awful memory but the masses of New Yawkiz around the pool with SB victory hats less than 24 hrs post game was a nightmare.

PatsWickedPissah said:

Great perspective. Well stated.
Post 42 I was @ Disney World the next day with the kids. Thought I'd be away from that awful memory but the masses of New Yawkiz around the pool with SB victory hats less than 24 hrs post game was a nightmare.

Click to expand...

I guess what also helped me get over it quickly was being a Texas Longhorns fan. Back in 2005, weeks before the national championship between USC and UT, the sports networks were already trying to rank the Trojans among the best teams ever. I remember thinking "Don't they have one more game to win?"


Fast forward to the leadup to that Super Bowl and the same thing was being done for the Patriots. Best ever, best ever. It was giving me that "Oh crap" feeling. That's not to say I expected to lose but I guess there was a part of me that saw it coming.

patfanken said:

Relatively to the rest of the world the 90's didn't exactly suck. During that 10 year period the Pats went to the Playoffs 4 times including a superbowl run. For 90% of the rest of the league THAT is a good decade and certainly was the best decade in Pats history.

Click to expand...

I personally think that the 70's and 80's were quite impressive as well, on par with the 90's in some ways, and better in others.

1976-1979:

11-3
9-5
11-5
9-7

a better 4 year record then the Pats 90's teams.

includes a team that still owns the all time team rushing yards record - '78

includes a team that was cheated out of a shot at the SB by Ben Drieth - '76 (one notices its this team, not the '85 team or '96 team that shows up with it's own section on the Pats 2001 SB DVD.

1984-1988:

9-7
11-5
11-5
8-7
9-7

The famous '85 Pats which nailed the Jets on the road, then the Raiders on the road, and finally squished the fish. The Bears was just the wrong team to play. 3 playoff trips in the 80's with a 3-3 record, better then then the 3-4 of the 90's teams.

The 90's teams:

10-6
6-10
11-5
10-6
9-7

I'm not trying to denigrate the 90's teams, just don't want people to ignore the other two decades.

Crazy Patriot Guy said:

Anything less than a Super Bowl win for us this season will be a disappointment.

Click to expand...

This contradicts the title of your thread.

I thought the Pats exceeded expectations in 2010. I knew their D would be a problem and their Passing game is overrated. But the team had its best draft, possibly ever and the future is bright.

Yes, it sucked to lose to the Jets, but they were better defensively. It was refreshing to see this team finally change their defensive philosophy to a 4-3.

That said, despite my contrarian posts, I see this team succeeding even beyond Brady's career.

Brady-To-Branch said:

This contradicts the title of your thread.

I thought the Pats exceeded expectations in 2010. I knew their D would be a problem and their Passing game is overrated. But the team had its best draft, possibly ever and the future is bright.

Yes, it sucked to lose to the Jets, but they were better defensively. It was refreshing to see this team finally change their defensive philosophy to a 4-3.

That said, despite my contrarian posts, I see this team succeeding even beyond Brady's career.

Click to expand...

I agree I could have worded it better. Instead of saying not winning the Super Bowl would be a disappointment, I should have said we have Super Bowl aspirations, and rightfully so. Our team is good enough to go all the way. A lot of fans can't say that.