This is rarified air

[Tunescribe]

Sometimes I find myself wondering if I -- or Patriots fans in general -- really grasp the significance of what's going on here, with this team. I mean, winning is pretty much taken for granted; we're contemplating team records and playoff matchups already in October. Foxboro is the epicenter of the football universe, and I can't imagine how a regular season could get any better than this.

I'm trying to soak in the nirvana while at the same time not taking it for granted, because we all know that eventually, it'll all come back to earth. If there is a downside to being on top, it's the knowledge that it won't last forever and there's nowhere to go but down.

So I'm just taking a moment here to be truly appreciative of something so very special, an experience that MOST fans of NFL teams can only dream about and probably will never know in their lifetimes. Thank you, BB, Scott Pioli, Tom Brady and Bob Kraft, for making our autumns something to remember now and forever. It's been seven years, and counting, of excellence.

 

[Holy Diver]

amen, bruthah...

 

[Grizzafted]

Yeah, you gotta take stock. It's like being in Dallas or Chicago in the 90s, or Pittsburgh in the 70s..SF in the 80s. This doesn't happen often.

 

[psychoPat]

Just about exactly what led me to this new sig a few days ago!

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

I know that I and many members of this Forum will never live long enough to see the likes of this again. I saw the 1960s Celtics and then waited 4 decades to see a similar dynasty. These seasons are SO enjoyable. Any game with Brady or Manning in it should be savored because they are clearly both Top 5 All Time QBs. The Pats are especially sweet to watch if you're a student of BB's coaching and organizational management philosophy. Quite often the national media is clueless as to what's going on behind the player moves or strategies but students of BB's management style can enjoy a 'secret' insight. This Forum is quite helpful in that regard, even with Box O Rocks MIA.

 

[ALP]

i think it is special...but i believe i wont really act like it until AFTER the results come in...

then u take stock of wut happened...and u wish u could go back and savior the taste

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

i think it is special...but i believe i wont really act like it until AFTER the results come in...

then u take stock of wut happened...and u wish u could go back and savior the taste

I don't know if I agree, but then again I have no idea of what you said.
Welcome to our planet and one of its major languages!

 

[Halifax_Pats_Fan]

It is special, I can only imagine the excitement all across NE. As a fan I am excited that things worked out for us. I actually thank Mo Lewis cause withouth that hit, Drew keeps playing, maybe results are BB gets run out of town, like in Cleveland, you never know right? I mean hypothetically speaking I think the coaching staff would ultimately and eventually realize how hard #12 works and would have given him his shot.

Things worked out, I am glad. I think one of the things I am glad about the most is the culture and core group we have in our lockerroom right now.

We have a good organization nowadays. Let's ride this thing for all it's worth...

 

[Tunescribe]

i think it is special...but i believe i wont really act like it until AFTER the results come in...

then u take stock of wut happened...and u wish u could go back and savior the taste

That's why I'm saying, it's important to find ways to really enjoy this while it's happening. I mean, can you believe we're two weeks away from being HALF WAY through the season? The season opener seems like only yesterday.

 

[Ring 6]

From a fans perspective the first 6 weeks of this season as a Pats fan have been perfect. I don't think there is anything that could have reasonably happened that would make for a better 6 weeks as a fan of a team.

Of course, that hasn't stop the fearful postings on this board (i.e. our 140 yards a game rushing is a one-dimensional offense, the Cowboys less than 100 rushing yards is a harbinger of trouble, etc, etc). I think we could win every game 50-0 and there would still be negative posts.

 

[Ring 6]

That's why I'm saying, it's important to find ways to really enjoy this while it's happening. I mean, can you believe we're two weeks away from being HALF WAY through the season? The season opener seems like only yesterday.

It was a lot of fun watching this team just win on the way to 3 SBs. It adds a little bonus feature to see them working toward breaking numerous statistical records along the way this time.

I must admit that while Ive always been a guy who could care less about stats (meaning winning with or without stats is the same thing, not that they aren't a great tool for analyzing teams and players, in the proper contest) I DO find myself rooting for stats this year, since more than half of the game time has been after winning was no longer in question.
Its fun to know we have the game locked, and also be looking at Brady being 80% complete, or getting to 350 yards, or 4-5 TDs.
This week, after the game is in hand, I'll definitely be rooting for Brady to extend the 3+ TD streak. 0 TDs and a win is better than 5 and a loss, but a win THEN 5 TDs is fun.

 

[ALP]

It was a lot of fun watching this team just win on the way to 3 SBs. It adds a little bonus feature to see them working toward breaking numerous statistical records along the way this time.

I must admit that while Ive always been a guy who could care less about stats (meaning winning with or without stats is the same thing, not that they aren't a great tool for analyzing teams and players, in the proper contest) I DO find myself rooting for stats this year, since more than half of the game time has been after winning was no longer in question.
Its fun to know we have the game locked, and also be looking at Brady being 80% complete, or getting to 350 yards, or 4-5 TDs.
This week, after the game is in hand, I'll definitely be rooting for Brady to extend the 3+ TD streak. 0 TDs and a win is better than 5 and a loss, but a win THEN 5 TDs is fun.

totally agree...and i think stats is all weve been lacking...

if u ask pats fans whether they had rather the pats this year break a lot of records and not go to the SB, they would rather have the SB and NO stats...but having both is exciting...

if we won each game by 1 point, it would be nice...but not the same...we are witnessing something special indeed, and when it is all over...hopefully we get both our wishes eh?......and after spygate...why not?

 

[Imperator]

I'm trying to soak in the nirvana while at the same time not taking it for granted, because we all know that eventually, it'll all come back to earth. If there is a downside to being on top, it's the knowledge that it won't last forever and there's nowhere to go but down. .

Very true.

"He who blinded by ambition, raises himself to a position whence he cannot mount higher, must thereafter fall with the greatest loss." - Niccolo Machiavelli

Wouldn't say the Pats are blinded by ambition. but ambition to be the best gets you to the top, and there's eventually no where else to go but down from there.

I'll take in every joyful moment of this season, the past seasons and the rest, until the greatness is all but left. Then I'll cherish the memories for as long as I live, cause I doubt we'll see something like this here ever again.

 

[primetime]

Sometimes you have to breathe and go "holy **** this team won 3 Super Bowls and is still the best team in the league."

I think back to the years when winning was a miracle. When Topps football cards had "team cards" with a season highlight on the front and the schedule of the team on the back. The Chiefs, for example, had "Christian Okoye rumbles through 5 defenders," the Lions had "Barry Sanders jukes way to 80 yard TD," that kind of thing.

The Patriots? "John Stephens is stood up at the line," with Stephens getting mauled by about 9 defenders.

It's UNBELIEVABLE what we're experiencing right now in contrast to that (I can still remember my father swearing off Anheuser-Busch products when they announced that if they bought the Pats they'd move them to St. Louis). Thank God for Tom Brady. Can anyone truly say enough about this guy? The Colts have to feel the same way with Manning. In an age when even good teams like the Chargers have QB questions, how does it feel to have a guy who's so special that people are putting him above Montana... 7 years into his career? Both the Colts and the Patriots were terrible for a long time, though both had short glory days back in the Unitas and Grogan eras. In 2001, when we picked Seymour and they picked Wayne and Tom Brady was still the 4th string QB, both teams picked in the top 10 and neither looked like they had a future, just like neither had a past (though we didn't fare horrible during the Pete Carroll years, in the early 90's both teams had been the AFC East's whipping boys). Now they're the two best teams in the league. And it isn't even close.

 

[maverick4]

Yeah I was talking about this the other day, this year may never happen again. We don't know what will happen next year or in the future, cherish every single game, this season will be a memorable one for all time.

 

[Pats726]

Sometimes I find myself wondering if I -- or Patriots fans in general -- really grasp the significance of what's going on here, with this team. I mean, winning is pretty much taken for granted; we're contemplating team records and playoff matchups already in October. Foxboro is the epicenter of the football universe, and I can't imagine how a regular season could get any better than this.

I'm trying to soak in the nirvana while at the same time not taking it for granted, because we all know that eventually, it'll all come back to earth. If there is a downside to being on top, it's the knowledge that it won't last forever and there's nowhere to go but down.

So I'm just taking a moment here to be truly appreciative of something so very special, an experience that MOST fans of NFL teams can only dream about and probably will never know in their lifetimes. Thank you, BB, Scott Pioli, Tom Brady and Bob Kraft, for making our autumns something to remember now and forever. It's been seven years, and counting, of excellence.

I totally agree..take a breath and just RELAX and ENJOY!!!! I do agree this is a special year!! Enjoy it all...!!! A great post!!

 

[ljuneau]

This is a year all Pats fans will be always looking back at with proud memories.

I remember early this year when I first heard that the Pats had signed Thomas, Welker and Stallworth. I was excited. Then I heard that the team had acquired Moss. OMG! It was one of those times in your life where you will always remember where you were when you heard the news.

I called friends, wrote emails, and just about drove my wife batty. I knew this year was going to be Unbelievable. I started checking the Pats websites and messageboard on a daily basis. I admit, I wasted many hours at work on the internet. I had never been so excited about a football season.

Yes, I am savoring and enjoying each game. This is a year to remember!

 

[Patriots4Life83]

Its hard to fully appriciate. I feel like I am watching one of the best teams to ever play the game, in a time where dominance was suppose to be a thing of the NFL past. It scares me a little. I thought it would never get any better than winning that first Super Bowl in New Orleans. I thought it would be downhill from there. But this... this has to be the top of the mountain. How long can it last?

 

[fgssand]

It's UNBELIEVABLE what we're experiencing right now in contrast to that (I can still remember my father swearing off Anheuser-Busch products when they announced that if they bought the Pats they'd move them to St. Louis).

HaHa - I remember when we all faxed protest letters to Budweiser, threatening lifetime boycotts.

This is the greatest run of my life ( I go back to the Celtics dynasty, but this is different) and I am loving every single second of it. I don't even schedule calls on Mondays anymore to totally soak in our victories!!

Simply amazing....enjoy it Pats fans.

 

[Xzibit23]

As a Vikings fan, I can only dream of being a fan of a team that has won 3 SBs and is the odds on favorite for a 4th, I honestly cannot begin to comprehend what thats like because I just want the heartache to end and just get 1 measly title, I would be all set with that. That 1 title right now feel like one of the Mt.Everest.

That being said, I definetely do know what going through a special season is like. The '98 Vikings will be remembered for going 15-1 and not winning it all, for being undefeated in the metrodome only to lose at home when it counted most. The NFC Championship game was absolutely the most torturous way you could've scripted the Vikings to lose: we lost in an OT heartbreaker but thats not even half the story, this was a game that saw us blow a commanding lead by stupid turnovers like Cunningham losing the ball at our goalline, but even after blowing the lead we still would've won because our kicker who was perfect all year could've given us the W by hitting an easy FG with time basically expired in regulation..of course we know what happened.

But still..that doesnt change the fact that this team gave me the best my most enjoyable season as a fan..all the way from week 1 to the most depressing day I've had as a sports fan, Jan 18, 1999. Seeing my team go undefeated at the Metrodome by winning games by an average of over 3 TDs, I can honestly relate to what you guys feel about this years team. Call me a homer, but if we played that Falcons team 100 times at the Metrodome, we winn 99. I also firmly believe we woulda beaten Denver and the whole landscape of the franchise would've been forever changed.