In the world of sports, no fan base is more loyal to their team through the good and the bad than the fans of the New England Patriots. As a Patriots fan, I am constantly thinking about the Pats of the present and any number of past and future events dealing with the Patriots. Here are 10 things that run through my head daily as a Patriots Fan.
1. I love Tom Brady! He's the best QB ever! All Pats fans love Tom Brady! In the last 13-14 years, Tom has been the anchor that has led the Patriots to be a franchise team for the ages. He simply is the best! Four Super Bowl Rings, two MVPs, plus he is just an awesome person in general. Without Tom Brady, who knows where I or any other Patriots fan would be right now? Probably crying in a corner about not winning like all the Cowboy fans, that's where!
2. Bill Belichick is the greatest coach to grace this earth! I don't know if it's destiny, fate, or just the football gods gracing greatness onto the Patriots, but thank you. The greatest compliment to the greatness of Tom Brady, is the greatness of Bill Belichick. Bill is what is known as a defensive genius, and has found ways to create amazing defenses from next to no talent. He is a strategist and is always 5 moves ahead of the opposition, and he is just another reason for the Patriot domination in the last 14 years.
3. We are going to WIN it again this year! Winning brings a sort of swagger and cockiness that is expected from a winner. But once you win over and over, it turns into a confidence that expects the win every week. In the last 10 years, there has not been a second in any game in any week that I and all Pats fans have not expected to get the win. It's just a belief that we are the best, and it's just that simple.
4. Damn you, Helmet Catch! No one can win all the time! Eventually, life comes and snatches victory away from you and it hurts. In this case, it was mortifying. The date: February 3, 2008, the place: Glendale, Arizona, the event: Super Bowl 42. It's not just that the Patriots were on the verge of the greatest season to ever be played by any professional team in all of sports. It's not just that we lost to a New York based team by a meager three points. It's not just that the Patriots could have ended the game a play before but failed to do so with a dropped interception. It's all that combined with the fact that Eli Manning evaded three defenders, wildly threw it downfield, and David Tyree caught the ball with his helmet and some fingertips while being perfectly defended by Rodney Harrison. Adding the fact that David Tyree had nothing all season until the Super Bowl, this game was atrocious. That single play will always be an everlasting memory that haunts me and all of Patriot Nation.
5. They hate us cause they ain't us! It's a simple phrase that has come to symbolize the New England Patriots. Among the many hated teams in all of sports, the Patriots are pretty much on the top of that list! You will rarely meet someone who is indifferent when it comes to the Pats. They will either love them unconditionally or hate them, and outside of the New England area, there is a plethora of haters. The patriots of the last decade or so have been winners, and that success means that most of the other 31 teams fail, a LOT. It's just simple human nature; they hate us, cause they ain't us!
6. I hate the Giants! Without hesitation, there is no Patriots fan who is indifferent to the New York Giants because we HATE them. Merriam-Webster defines hate as "intense hostility and aversion usually deriving from fear, anger, or sense of injury." Four wins, two losses: that is the Patriots' record in the Super Bowl since the year 2000. Four Super Bowl rings in six appearances is a very respectable, and in most circumstances many would be very happy, but not this one. Both losses handed to the Patriots came from the same team in the form of the New York Giants. Not only were both games close, the giants winning by a combined margin of 7 points in both games, but both games included plays that can only be seen on a big screen. The Giants are a thorn in the side of Patriot nation that just causes pain every day. I hate the New York Giants, and if you don't, then you aren't a Patriots fan.
7. DEFLATEGATE is a bunch of bullsh*t! I'm just so glad that every few years, the NFL has time to try and shame Tom Brady and the Patriots organization. It's stupid and ridiculous, and all the other "scandals" were not as blown up as Deflategate. A four game suspension of Tom Brady and $1,000,000 fine for the Patriots were the penalties for the speculated deflated footballs. Fans' thoughts and feelings towards the NFL and all others related in this circus show are not suitable for this article. One thing I can say is that we are not happy, but this is expected. We know we are the best and all I have to ask is, "Who won though, who won the Super Bowl, again?"
8. The Jets suck! Batman vs. The Joker, Thor vs. Loki, Superman vs. Lex Luthor, the Patriots vs. the Jets. All heroes have an archenemy and in the case of the New England Patriots, that enemy Is the New York Jets. Unlike the first 3 examples, the latter of the four is not a fair matchup. The joker, Loki, Luthor all are formidable bad guys, but the Jets, well, the Jets just suck! The Jets are that one kid on the team that hates the best player, so they challenge them over and over, never winning and always whining. They are cry babies, always complaining and never giving credit where credit is due. They are sore losers and will continue to be for as long as they exist.
9. Tom Brady is going to play forever! There are some beliefs in this world that defy logic, that are refuted by history and science, and that deep down even we know are not true; but in the end we still believe them anyway. One of those beliefs, that I for one believe, is that Tom Brady is going to be the New England Starting Quarterback for as long as I live. The day he retires will be a day of sadness, so I refuse to believe that it will come. I refuse to imagine a game where he doesn't stand in the middle of the field and command his offense to perfection. He embodies what Patriots football is all about and will always do so! He can't retire, he simply just can't.
10. Tom Brady, Tom Brady, Tom Brady, Tom Brady, Tom Brady! He is that good! He just is, and he has the hottest wife in the world! We love you, Gisele!
