My $0.02 on the crowd

[JoeSixPat]

Let's just be clear - no one thinks the Patriots play was worth cheering about.

Also it seems like the arbiters of "what a good football fan is" think that good fans should not boo.

So can we just all agree that fans need to sit in silence should the team fully underperform? That would be interesting.

 

[Deus Irae]

Classless jerks? Wow. They are so classless they paid for the 2nd highest ticket prices in the NFL and voiced their displeasure with an inept Pats performance by booing.

Jerks, classless jerks, all of them

Exactly, and ticket price has nothing to do with it. So, were you among the first to boo, or did you just join in with the herd?

 

[Garbanza]

I don't get some of you at all. Although I did not "boo" nor do I ever "boo" I do get disgusted. That performance was disgusting. One thing to lose while giving a good effort, another to get out-hustled, out-muscled, out-eveything. They looked disinterested and disoriented out there. I guess the fandom has high expectations for this team. You know, like trying to be competitive. I'm going to chalk it up to "sh*t happens" and look forward to the next game and I look forward to an improved performance. The booing didnlt bother me all that much - at least the people that booed care. What bothers me more is the fools that just go to the game, chat with their buddies, sit on their hands and have a general lackidaisical attitude about the actual game. During the fourth quarter, I was one of a handful of people in my section standing and screaming "defense!" on third downs. I wasn't expecting a miracle come-back - I wanted to show them (the players) that the fans cared. So many just don't seem to. That bugs me most. The lack of passion. Hate it or accept it - but at least the boo birds care.

 

[JoeSixPat]

Let's just be clear - no one thinks the Patriots play was worth cheering about.

Also it seems like the arbiters of "what a good football fan is" think that good fans should not boo.

So can we just all agree that fans need to sit in silence should the team again dramatically underperform?

That would be interesting.

 

[Ring 6]

Hobbs never should have said it because it goes against everything the team claims they believe in: not putting emphasis on the past, not taking responsibility and not caring about things you have no control over.

And what honorable qualities did the fans exhibit?
You know what, it was a slap in the face. To say Hobbs should have said "We deserve it because we should get no credit for ever doing anything for these fans, we deserve it because we must be ready to commit suicide if we play poorly, and who cares, we cant control the crowd" would really mean you are either 11 years old, or out of touch with the real world.

 

[Ring 6]

Let's just be clear - no one thinks the Patriots play was worth cheering about.

Also it seems like the arbiters of "what a good football fan is" think that good fans should not boo.

So can we just all agree that fans need to sit in silence should the team fully underperform? That would be interesting.

I'm not talking about the kind of fan, I am talking about the kind of person.

If you honestly can act as if the fact that this team had won 21 straight regular season games has no bearing on this, and try to make this about whether booing in general is appropriate or not, then you are either dodging the issue, or incapable of grasping it.

 

[Ring 6]

Classless jerks? Wow. They are so classless they paid for the 2nd highest ticket prices in the NFL and voiced their displeasure with an inept Pats performance by booing.

Jerks, classless jerks, all of them

It doesnt take class to pay for a ticket.

 

[Gainzo]

Exactly, and ticket price has nothing to do with it. So, were you among the first to boo, or did you just join in with the herd?

I sold my season tickets this year because I didn't feel like parting with $5100 of my hard earned cash in March. My tickets went up $45 per seat. (Multiply that by 3 and then by 10 and you get a $1350 increase).

I know everyone who sits around me in my section and received 3 phone calls and numerous texts on Sunday from people at the game voicing their displeasure with the Pats.

Do you go to games or just sit behind the keyboard calling out the 68,000 people who go to Gillette each week?

 

[Ring 6]

I don't get some of you at all. Although I did not "boo" nor do I ever "boo" I do get disgusted. That performance was disgusting. One thing to lose while giving a good effort, another to get out-hustled, out-muscled, out-eveything. They looked disinterested and disoriented out there. I guess the fandom has high expectations for this team. You know, like trying to be competitive. I'm going to chalk it up to "sh*t happens" and look forward to the next game and I look forward to an improved performance. The booing didnlt bother me all that much - at least the people that booed care. What bothers me more is the fools that just go to the game, chat with their buddies, sit on their hands and have a general lackidaisical attitude about the actual game. During the fourth quarter, I was one of a handful of people in my section standing and screaming "defense!" on third downs. I wasn't expecting a miracle come-back - I wanted to show them (the players) that the fans cared. So many just don't seem to. That bugs me most. The lack of passion. Hate it or accept it - but at least the boo birds care.

I see it differently. I agree with most of what you say, but I don't think people who booed THIS GAME, the game that ended a 21 game win streak care. I think they feel entitled. I think they are the ones who brag how great it makes them that they are a fan of the Pats when the Pats win, and show no appreciation for it the second it is gone.
I equate it to children who will throw a temper tantrum when they don't get everything they want.

 

[Garbanza]

And what honorable qualities did the fans exhibit?
You know what, it was a slap in the face. To say Hobbs should have said "We deserve it because we should get no credit for ever doing anything for these fans, we deserve it because we must be ready to commit suicide if we play poorly, and who cares, we cant control the crowd" would really mean you are either 11 years old, or out of touch with the real world.

I don't understand why you are taking the boo-bird's so personally. I was at the meadowlands the week before. I heard boo's there too - but hey, Joe Namath won 'em an incredible SB back in 1969 - they should be grateful. C'mon!

Worry about your own honor. You will not change peoples attitdes about what they think is their right to do. For example, I brought my nephew to his very first pro-game Sunday. We ended up parked and tailagted next to some folks that had two Phin fans next to us. Some good natured ribbing pre-game. Post game, I shook their hands and congratulated them on their teams ass-kicking victory. I did this to show my nephew what a true sportsman does.

 

[Ring 6]

I don't understand why you are taking the boo-bird's so personally. I was at the meadowlands the week before. I heard boo's there too - but hey, Joe Namath won 'em an incredible SB back in 1969 - they should be grateful. C'mon!

Worry about your own honor. You will not change peoples attitdes about what they think is their right to do. For example, I brought my nephew to his very first pro-game Sunday. We ended up parked and tailagted next to some folks that had two Phin fans next to us. Some good natured ribbing pre-game. Post game, I shook their hands and congratulated them on their teams ass-kicking victory. I did this to show my nephew what a true sportsman does.

I'm not taking it personally, I am giving my opinion on the topic. When I am done in this thread I won't have a personal vendetta against them. I am simply saying that I find it reprehensible that the same people who reveled in the teams success, turn on them for one loss. (You know the people I mean. The ones who act like being a Pat fan makes them better than a guy who is Jet fan. The ones who who are 'we' in the good times, and 'them' in the bad times. The ones who show up when you are winning and stay away when you arent) I simply flat out think that it is a low class person who 'identifies' with the team when it wins and turns on it when it loses, especially when there was so much winning and the turning happens at the first loss.

 

[JoePats]

Dry humor doesn't translate well in writing - I meant that the players didn't seem to show up for the game against the Dolphins

I gotcha. To be perfectly honest I just read the last line of your post and responded to it without reading the rest of it and then took it out of context. My fault.

Anyway, I think Hobbs was absoultely 100% right in what he said. Did he have to say it? No. But we were all talking about it here so it's not like he brought up something to Patriot fans (who he was his audience) that nobody was aware of. Hobbs was asked a question and he answered it. It's not like he got on the podium and gave an unsolicited monologue.

 

[Deus Irae]

I sold my season tickets this year because I didn't feel like parting with $5100 of my hard earned cash in March. My tickets went up $45 per seat. (Multiply that by 3 and then by 10 and you get a $1350 increase).

I know everyone who sits around me in my section and received 3 phone calls and numerous texts on Sunday from people at the game voicing their displeasure with the Pats.

Do you go to games or just sit behind the keyboard calling out the 68,000 people who go to Gillette each week?

I live in Florida. I go to the games when they are down here. However, game attendance does not make one more or less capable of pointing out the lack of class shown by the boo birds this past weekend.

You do like to toss out those red herrings, though....

 

[Jimke]

Many forum members watch these games on TV. How would

you liked to have payed a couple of grand for tickets to see Tom Brady

lead the Patriots to the promised land? Instead, you have your hopes

dashed 7 minutes into the first game when the star goes down for

the season. I'm sure many of these folks feel that their money has

been flushed down the hopper. Their worst fears for the season were

realized on Sunday when the Pats got the crap kicked out of them.

Much of what you saw on Sunday was frustration at seeing things go

from bad to worse.

 

[Ring 6]

Many forum members watch these games on TV. How would

you liked to have payed a couple of grand for tickets to see Tom Brady

lead the Patriots to the promised land? Instead, you have your hopes

dashed 7 minutes into the first game when the star goes down for

the season. I'm sure many of these folks feel that their money has

been flushed down the hopper. Their worst fears for the season were

realized on Sunday when the Pats got the crap kicked out of them.

Much of what you saw on Sunday was frustration at seeing things go

from bad to worse.

That doesnt excuse them from acting responsibly, with dignity or with respect.
They booed PEOPLE. Mostly the same PEOPLE they have taken so much pride in being associated with, and the same PEOPLE who have provided so much success for the fan base that they deserve a better fate than a giant F-U thrown at them for one failure.

 

[Tunescribe]

Much of what you saw on Sunday was frustration at seeing things go from bad to worse.

I'm one of those season ticket holders of which you speak, and I feel very passionate about this "booing issue." Booing because you're frustrated is just childish and stupid and serves no purpose. It's like a baby throwing a fit because it isn't getting what it wants. I've been going to games for 16 years and have NOT ONCE booed the Pats for lackluster performance. Booing the home team is immature, ignorant and unnecessary.

 

[Ring 6]

I live in Florida. I go to the games when they are down here. However, game attendance does not make one more or less capable of pointing out the lack of class shown by the boo birds this past weekend.

You do like to toss out those red herrings, though....

I just dont know how people dont understand that booing indicates "I have put up with this long enough, you deserve to hear that I am disgusted and you are not worthy of me being your fan, F-U' and that it is classless to say that in the game that ends a 21 game winning streak.

 

[MassPats38]

I'm not talking about the kind of fan, I am talking about the kind of person.

If you honestly can act as if the fact that this team had won 21 straight regular season games has no bearing on this, and try to make this about whether booing in general is appropriate or not, then you are either dodging the issue, or incapable of grasping it.

Andy-

My question is where was the outrage precisely 2 years ago when fans booed at home and Tom Brady made that comment about booing when the team went into the half down 17-0 to Buffalo on September 10, 2006? If that outrage showed up on this board, I must have missed it. The team then did not have a streak, it had 3 Lombardi's and had defended a championship the season prior. This team had a streak going (and has stated in the past it cares less about records than it does about rings) but is further removed from the last championship. Why was fan conduct two years ago not an issue but now it is, because Hobbs bleats about it? Because the team did not rally back after the evident displeasure of the fans booing? Would it make any difference if they had held the boos until a second consecutive performance like this? A third? A season? Two seasons? What is the appropriate waiting period if the inappropriateness of booing is tied to some win streak?

Again, I have not and would not boo the Patriots. It just seems inappropriate to do that to your home team to me personally. At the same time, Web search "booed" and virtually any other team and you will find stories of home fans showing displeasure for lousy performances. If it is classless here, it is classless anywhere and this stadium reflects the conduct of virtually any other stadium and should not be noteworthy at all. Or it should be noteworthy everywhere. This practice is not uncommon to the Patriots as I distinctly recall showers of boos and "you suck" in the bad old days when the team put on a show like it did Sunday.

As a separate matter, those who do boo this team will not likely be shamed into doing otherwise, instead following a "I pay to see a competition, and if a team failures to provide a return on my ticket price I will let them know" theory. People pay to be entertained and these games are just that - entertainment. These players are paid 6 to 8 figures to play to the limits of their abilities, so if they essentially do a walk-through at game time I can see why fans might be a bit disgusted.

I just take issue with this subject evoking vociferous outrage when it would be equally inappropriate two years ago and apparently got no play because the team won. I suspect then, in light of Brady's comments, it was deemed appropriate motivation whereas now it is considered piling on. This team's mission statement is 1 game at a time, 1 play at time. Did that game reflect that statement? No. Was it a worthy effort? No. Do you expect the players and coaches will look at the game we watched (I saw it from home, not the stadium) and feel a sense of pride in their accomplishment? Absolutely not. As such, do you think the criticism of a few or many fans will serve as a downer or they would somehow feel better if the fans were cheering an abysmal loss ending a win streak? I seriously doubt it. Not unless every player statement on intensity and philosophy is a complete PR ruse, and from the team's record I doubt that.

 

[CrazyDave]

In a nutshell: The fans who paid to attend the game should have applauded the Pats effort on Sunday based on the last 7 years. Gotcha

I don't think anyone is saying they should have cheered, but booing is indeed un-classy.
Groan? Sure. Be quiet? Sure. But booing is just... lame.
Everyone is entitled to an opinion. Mine is booing is B.S.
I can't say too much - I have'nt been to Foxboro in a long time. Not since Harbaugh was the Colt's QB ( 55 knocked him out of the game - broken nose I think).
I have 3 kids, a modest home and a modes income. I don't have the resources right now to make the trip from northernmost Berkshire county, but if I did, I would not Boo this team.
Period.
my .02

 

[Ring 6]

I'm one of those season ticket holders of which you speak, and I feel very passionate about this "booing issue." Booing because you're frustrated is just childish and stupid and serves no purpose. It's like a baby throwing a fit because it isn't getting what it wants. I've been going to games for 16 years and have NOT ONCE booed the Pats for lackluster performance. Booing the home team is immature, ignorant and unnecessary.

Andy-

My question is where was the outrage precisely 2 years ago when fans booed at home and Tom Brady made that comment about booing when the team went into the half down 17-0 to Buffalo on September 10, 2006? If that outrage showed up on this board, I must have missed it. The team then did not have a streak, it had 3 Lombardi's and had defended a championship the season prior. This team had a streak going (and has stated in the past it cares less about records than it does about rings) but is further removed from the last championship. Why was fan conduct two years ago not an issue but now it is, because Hobbs bleats about it? Because the team did not rally back after the evident displeasure of the fans booing? Would it make any difference if they had held the boos until a second consecutive performance like this? A third? A season? Two seasons? What is the appropriate waiting period if the inappropriateness of booing is tied to some win streak?

Again, I have not and would not boo the Patriots. It just seems inappropriate to do that to your home team to me personally. At the same time, Web search "booed" and virtually any other team and you will find stories of home fans showing displeasure for lousy performances. If it is classless here, it is classless anywhere and this stadium reflects the conduct of virtually any other stadium and should not be noteworthy at all. Or it should be noteworthy everywhere. This practice is not uncommon to the Patriots as I distinctly recall showers of boos and "you suck" in the bad old days when the team put on a show like it did Sunday.

As a separate matter, those who do boo this team will not likely be shamed into doing otherwise, instead following a "I pay to see a competition, and if a team failures to provide a return on my ticket price I will let them know" theory. People pay to be entertained and these games are just that - entertainment. These players are paid 6 to 8 figures to play to the limits of their abilities, so if they essentially do a walk-through at game time I can see why fans might be a bit disgusted.

I just take issue with this subject evoking vociferous outrage when it would be equally inappropriate two years ago and apparently got no play because the team won. I suspect then, in light of Brady's comments, it was deemed appropriate motivation whereas now it is considered piling on. This team's mission statement is 1 game at a time, 1 play at time. Did that game reflect that statement? No. Was it a worthy effort? No. Do you expect the players and coaches will look at the game we watched (I saw it from home, not the stadium) and feel a sense of pride in their accomplishment? Absolutely not. As such, do you think the criticism of a few or many fans will serve as a downer or they would somehow feel better if the fans were cheering an abysmal loss ending a win streak? I seriously doubt it. Not unless every player statement on intensity and philosophy is a complete PR ruse, and from the team's record I doubt that.

How can your argument be based on your memory of 2 years ago? How can you act as if your assumption that I wasnt upset then means I shouldnt be upset now? You are making it all up.

Do you really believe that 1 loss at this stage of the franchise deserves telling players FU?

Thats what it is to me. Booing is a cowardly way to hide amongst a crowd and doing the equivalent of saying F-U to the players.
Do you feel this game was an appropriate time to say that, or do you think they deserve a little more benefit of the doubt?