Well thank you Vince Lombardi for the perspective. Champions like you are what made the NFL what it is. You may now appropriately break into your "Winning isn't everything. It is the only thing" speech.
I hate losing to the Jets and Colts as much as anybody. If you have seen celebrations over the fact of the loss rather than optimism on bright spots in the game, by all means shine your championship light Vince and point to those threads.
The fact is the Pats were down 24-6 in what could well have been a romp and lost in overtime after a comeback that fell short. After a bad first half of defense (allowing 17 points), the defense allowed 7 second half points and allowed the offense to tie it. That is pretty crappy, given the fact the defense was out Warren and Thomas and starting second options and rookies in the secondary. And the past 4 games: 10 (really 3 with 7 points in garbage time), 18, 16 and 7 points. Lousy, crappy. You are on the money, Vince.
Expectations of winning are for the coaches and players. They practice and prepare for the game, and those firing shots at the defense may consider reading up on the 3-4 defense and getting a clue as to how hard that is to pick up and play for rookie linebackers with second option linemen. If, as a fan, you cannot claim you have played at a professional level and won under these circumstances or appreciate the fact this team fought to win this game when it could have gone way south, you may want to check your fan card at the door. Nobody likes losing, and in the end the standings are what dictate playoff position and the Pats cannot afford to lose many more to get to the show. But a real fan can appreciate when a team is fighting and get ticked off when it is sleepwalking against the competition. I will not cheer a game like the Dolphins or Chargers of this year, but the Jets game actually was a battle. That type of fight can get this team to the playoffs. Hopefully the Pats show that tenacity down the stretch and win the games that really matter this season.
