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Friday, February 08, 2008

Why do you hate the Patriots so?

Is it the NY Yankee syndrome, where you just hate because they succeed? But the NFL rules are much different than MLB. The Patriots haven't and can't outspend teams to succeed, they have to outwork and outsmart you.
Is it because of Spygate? I'll grant you it was wrong and they got caught, and they were handed the most severe penalty ever given an NFL team...for doing something that in one form or another everyone does. If Roger Goodell is covering something up, what do you think that might be? He's trying to protect your team and his league by not opening up a can of worms. I don't condone cheating but do we really want to go down this path, really?
Is it because they're viewed by some as arrogant? No doubt the head coach is arrogant, justifiably so for the most part. But I would suggest to you that the quiet confidence displayed by the leaders of this team is nothing more than that, and not arrogance. This is a classy, hard working bunch with hardly a superstar among them. Why would you hate that?
Do you hate that they brought in a very talented malcontent (not the first time, I might add) and the result was records broken everywhere? Do you hate the posterboy QB who, up until this game, always made the right decision on the field, who never talked out of school? Do you hate him for his rings, his MVP trophies, his supermodels. America loves a winner and that guy is a winner. He never says a bad thing about anyone; he just goes out and produces. The most arrogant thing I've seen him do is "scoff" at the suggestion the Pats would only score 17 points. What did you want him to do...agree?
Do you hate them because their success is coinciding with the recent success of the Red Sox and you're just sick and tired of Boston? Okay, fine, but all you NY Yankee fans who have never set foot in the state of New York can kiss my ass.
You all really didn't want them to win the Super Bowl and go undefeated? You didn't want to see something happen truly historical, something that won't be approached again. Aren't you sick and tired of Mercury Morris?
This team has accomplished great things while maintaining a class of character rarely seen in the modern player, say nothing about a whole team. Yet everyone hates the Patriots but loved America's Team. Can I take from that you'd prefer your champions to boast, to overdo every celebration, to celebrate for doing their job; you'd prefer they be tabloid fodder and be on suspension lists? You seem to prefer that over a team that mirrors the way you go about your job, a team that does things the way you say to your kids they should be done.
Now, I've left the head coach out of this because he's an easy target. He is arrogant, he will seemingly do anything to win, he's frankly been downright rude and unsportsmanlike on occasion. You didn't hate a whole franchise for The Big Tuna's antics. So why hate the franchise for this one's?
If you want to hate them for something, hate them for getting rid of the old red, white and blue uniforms and Pat The Patriot on the helmet, as I do.

(This post inspired by my friends who are Cowboy and Raider fans, of all things)

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

And you forgot one of the classiest owners in professtional sports

Anonymous said...

Zeb, you're back! I'm a Raider fan, so everyone knows this goes back to The Tuck Rule. It was a fumble. (laughs)

I'm not mad with Randy Moss. He showed his true colors on that final drive. His arms suddenly became shorter than an alligator's, the same thing he did in Oakland once the Raiders struggled.

I'm not a fan of Belichick because he's classless and he cheats. Time will tell if Spygate goes a lot further than that's being printed in the media.

Or as I like to tell my offline friends that are Patriots fans, my team's Super Bowl wins were live, not Memorex.

Unknown said...

Watched the game with some friends from NJ who were big NYG fans. It was an up and down night with my brother and I doing a very premature victory dance with 3 minutes left in the game and the Pats ahead. Alot more people like the Pats then the NYY though.

Anonymous said...

I know I'm behind here but I LOVE football and I LOVE the Pats. I think Brady is a QB genius and a coaches dream. And arrogance...ummm...I tend to think that arrogance is "OK" if you can back it up. I watch all the Patriot's games and I am excited for every new season. alisa
Thanks Zeb!