Which of the other Patriots Super Bowls does this feel most like to you?

For me, I was just happy to be there in '85,'96 and '01. By '04 it was such a regular occurance it wasn't the same and in '07 I think I felt like we had to win so I was stressed out the whole thing. This year I just have a great, confident feeling like I had in '03. I knew the Patriots were going to win, I was fired up, I wasn't fearful of losing...I think the Patriots not only win today, but unlike the first three championships, they do it in a way that acts as a stamp on their dynasty and locks in Brady and Belichick as the best qb and coach of all time. Patriots 31-23, with the Giants scoring late to make it that close. Brady MVP. Branch the surprising star.

This one feels like 01 to me-If not for the snow kick (01)/missed field goal(11), we could easily have lost either game. That offense was not great; this defense is not great. Yet, somehow in spite of all that, we get to watch our team in the Superbowl. What a great team/coach/owner!

Reminds me of 2003 because of the quality of the opponent.

2001 for me.

2003 for me.

To me it feels like '04 and '07, and to some degree '03. We're favored. Nobody wants to see us win but us and it would be huge to shut up the haters, which we unfortunately couldn't do in '07

2001, we have a team of unproven guys who are attempting to make their place in history, we are on a 10 game winning streak and we are playing the last team that beat us in the super bowl (week 9, just like with the rams). Everyone thinks the Giants will win. Feels a lot like 01 to me.

2003.........

1996, I was shocked to be there.

2001, Was a magic ride. Did not expect to win. Just happy to be there.

2004, Knew we had the best team was ultra confident we'd win.

2007, Was honestly a little worried about that game. Did not like how we faded towards the end of the season.

2003........ Was very pleased to be there. Was very confident we'd win, but knew we were facing a very tough opponent that we could beat, but could also lose to if we did not bring our best stuff.

Because of the national disrespect and discounting of the Patriots....2001.

Without a doubt 2001, and most importantly because the season turned a corner with HUGE road wins @ the NYJ in each season. Also, no one, self included, thought this team could win with the defense it has....GO PATS

Brettlax3434 said:

2001, we have a team of unproven guys who are attempting to make their place in history, we are on a 10 game winning streak and we are playing the last team that beat us in the super bowl (week 9, just like with the rams). Everyone thinks the Giants will win. Feels a lot like 01 to me.

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Oh man, I had forgotten that similarity. Rams/Giants last team to beat us before the winning streak. Yeah, id like to see Belichicks record in the second game of a season when he lost the first game. Very, very few losses, no more than 3 or 4 I bet.

I've got the '01 feel, because of the whole Pats-have-no-prayer choir, and I'd guess at least one or two Giants are thinking thoughts in the vein of "Tonight a dynasty is born" and "I like our chances, I LIKE OUR CHANCES!"

04 for me..when we were facing the Eagles. Our D was awesome then and O was balanced with Dillon. But I knew the Eagles would bring it and the game would be a blood bath.

i go to Super Bowl XXXIX in JAX against PHI

this one feels completely different. I was nervous before all the other ones. Not today.

SB 38.........the Panthers vaunted DL of Peppers, Jenkins, Rucker, Bruckner were supposed to be unstoappable. They had 3 WR attack of Steve Smith, Mushin Mohammed, Proehl.........and Delhomme had average year but got hot.

Finally, the game was insidoors in Relaint Stadium and Defenses were gassed in 2nd half after all the indoor fireworks heated up the stadium

Feels like 2001 - everyone said we couldn't do it, we were too flawed, it was impossible, and BB and TB found a way to pull it off despite the odds.

From a results standpoint, feels like 1985 to me....except now we're the Bears.

Honestly, as a lifelong Pats fan, it's just a shocker to me that we get to even ASK this question. Damn it's been a good millenium so far, win or lose today.

Especially win.

Dragda said:

this one feels completely different. I was nervous before all the other ones. Not today.

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I'm in the same boat; I don't think this one feels like any of the six previous ones (I was too young to have any recollection of the AFL championship loss to the Chargers, thankfully.)

In this game the Pats are slightly favored by Vegas, yet almost everyone else thinks the Pats will lose; that wasn't the case in any other game.

The only other game where the other team talked a lot prior to the game was in '85, but despite some - if not many - people trying to portray the Giants to be just as formidable and unstoppable, their record, stats, and narrow victory last week is all evidence that there is no comparison at all between the two teams.

I suppose the closest comparison would be to the Eagles; the Pats were favored and deservedly so. Freddy Mitchell talked a lot - but nowhere near as much as the Giants. People talked about the Pats not being able to stop Terrell Owens - but nowhere near to the extent that they have been talking about how the Pats won't be able to (a) stop the Giants pass rush, (b) stop the Giants receivers, (c) stop Eli Manning, (d) stop the Giants running game, and even (e) run the ball against Giants; in fact many are even saying (f) nobody on the Pats will be able to get open because Gronkowski is apparently going to have his leg amputated.

The really odd thing is that despite all the talk, when I look at this game as objectively as possible no matter how many times I do, I keep seeing the Patriots as the more likely victor.

To me the feeling heading into this game is unique, and unlike any other. The vast majority thought the Bears, Packers and Rams would win - but there was logic behind those opinions, and it coincided with the Vegas line. The vast majority - I would guess about 75% - seem to truly believe the Giants will win. Not only is that unique to championship games the Pats have played in, I can't recall such a large percentage of the public believing - not hoping, but actually believing - that the underdog would win any championship game.

Each game feels the same on game day. So, today, at this moment. I'm a nervous wreck. The exception to that was four years ago, when I had a sinking feeling in my stomach all day, exacerbated by the reporting on the Tomass (may he burn in hell, with the devil pulling his finger nails out one by one, over and over again, for all eternity) article. In my gut, that day, I felt we were going to lose.

This week, though, I was thinking that I hadn't felt so serene in the buildup to a SB since 2003. In about eight hours, I'll know exactly how much that feeling was worth.

I have to go with 2001 because this is not the dominant team that the 2003/2004/2007 teams were. The doubting also plays into it for me, no respect.


I just have this feeling that Belichik and Brady have something in store for the Giants, just as Belichik had something in store for the Rams in 2001.