As I look around Bleacher Report and read people’s bios and comments, something dawns on me.
There are some of you out there who do not like the New England Patriots. Some of you may have even been happy when the Patriots lost Super Bowl XLII.
This is shocking to me, a lifelong Bostonian. So I am here to give you 10 reasons to embrace the Patriots.
If you see a Patriots fan, give him or her a hug. You may laugh now, but after reading this article, you will understand and see things in a different light. Okay, probably not, but here goes.
Troy Brown
Does anyone personify class and dignity better than Troy Brown? A former eighth round pick out of Marshall, Brown’s career almost ended before it got started. He was cut and brought back so many times, you would have thought he was Bill Parcells’ personal Yo-Yo.
But rumors kept floating about Troy Brown. Drew Bledsoe said he had the best hands on the team.
Little by little, the little dude who was almost out of football began to contribute, first on special teams, then as a wide receiver, and then amazingly as a defensive back on a Super Bowl-winning team.
This guy has never been in trouble, and he does not showboat. He is the epitome of a professional.
Out of loyalty to the franchise that once cut him, he has accepted less money on more than one occasion to remain a Patriot. Who would not respect that kind of loyalty?
Knowing the Rules
Come on, who knew about the tuck rule before the 2002 Patriots? Who knew where to draw the line on what kind of spying you can and cannot do on your opponent? Without the Patriots, you would not be as knowledgeable a fan as you are today.
One Week at a Time
Every team says it, one team goes out there and does it better than the rest.
How else do you explain going 16-0? How else do you explain winning 18 straight regular season games over two seasons?
The Pats may lose games, but it is not because they look ahead.
You want proof? The Pats lost in Super Bowl XLII to a huge underdog. Has anyone, even the biggest Patriots hater you know, ever suggested it was because the Patriots took the Giants too lightly?
In 2001, there were stories of the Steelers taking the Patriots lightly for the AFC Title Game, then rumors of the Rams doing the same for the Super Bowl.
The Patriots lost to the Giants in Super Bowl XLII because the Giants were better than the Patriots that day.
Spygate
You may have heard about this Spygate story. It has been in the news from time to time over the last few months.
But to paraphrase Colonel Jessup from A Few Good Men, deep down inside, in places you don’t talk about at parties, you know this was an overblown story.
The Pats did wrong, it was not that big a deal, and if any other team had done it, it would have meant the loss of the sixth round pick and a $25,000 fine.
But it was the Patriots, so Roger Goodell came down hard, and the Patriots have not complained about their punishment at all. Think about this: If it were your favorite NFL team in that scenario, how mad would you have been about it?
If The Pats Can “Make It,” So Can Your Team
Look, I am 34 years old. I have seen some bad pro teams in Boston. I've seen some bad Red Sox teams, some bad Celtics teams (as recently as last year).
But none was ever the model of incompetence like the Patriots used to be. Ask any long time Patriots fan about Dick MacPherson or Rod Rust or James Orthwein.
If you are a fan of the Atlanta Falcons, the L.A. Clippers, or the Tampa Bay Rays, look no further than the Patriots for inspiration. If the Patriots can do it, and become a dynasty, trust me. Any team can do it.
Tom Brady
I grew up hating Joe Montana. If pressed for a valid reason, I would have said something stupid such as, “He is only good because of his system,” or “he just dinks and dunks,” or, “Jerry Rice made him a great QB.”
I was just jealous. So many times, I would see the scores on the 10-minute ticker, San Francisco would be losing by four late in the game, and then a few minutes later, you would see that final score, San Francisco 38, New Orleans 35.
It was not fair! If my beloved Patriots were losing by three late in a game, they would end up losing by 17. I missed out on all the fun of one of the great QBs of all time because I was so mad that my team could not come close to their efficiency.
Now, you hear similar criticisms of Tom Brady. Don’t make the same mistake of a young Andy Miller. Enjoy watching one of the best QBs of all time in the prime of his career.
The Pats Have Given You What You Wanted
Okay, you hate the Patriots. But without them, the league might be boring. It used to be the Raiders, it used to be the Cowboys, now it is the Patriots.
They are hated partially because of their success. Okay, that is fine. What have they done the last two years?
They have filled you with happiness, drama, and in your world, a happy ending the last two years. The Pats have gone 28-4 over the last two regular seasons, yet have not been able to win a Super Bowl.
They have lost two heartbreaking games each time to end their season. This is what you want.
Now if the Pats did not get a 12-man-in-the-huddle penalty late in the 2006 AFC Title Game, or if a couple of 300-pound linemen could have brought down Eli Manning, you might be talking about the five-time World Champs, and I would understand your hatred.
But I will defy you to find a team that lost in a more crushing manner two years in a row than these Patriots have. I have not looked it up, but I will pretty much guarantee it has never happened.
Bob Kraft
As a sports fan, what do you want from an owner?
Shut up, sign the checks, and stay out of the way.
Bob Kraft does just that. He lets his people make the decisions; he stays out of the way.
But he also saved the Patriots when they were in trouble of being re-located. In 1992, Kraft, a lifelong Patriots fan and season ticket holder, went above and beyond, paying $175 million to buy the Patriots and save them from re-location.
Now, $175 million seems minimal for a pro sports franchise, but in 1992, the Patriots were one of the worst franchises in sports, and many in the business world laughed at Kraft.
As fans, we loved him because he kept our team from moving. Sonics fans would love for some Robert Kraft-type person to come in and save the team.
(On a side note, I am hoping that something like that does happen.)
Making the World A Better Place
If you are a fan of the NFL, you love the rumors, the trades, the drafts, and the games.
But unfortunately, we have to put up with a whole lot of other crap, like Michael Vick, Chris Henry, Pac Man Jones, and numerous others.
With a few rare exceptions, like Willie Andres, the Patriots stay out of trouble. Not only that, but the Patriots have taken in supposed “bad-seeds” and have seen no incidents.
Randy Moss did have an issue with a former girlfriend, but Moss vehemently denied any problems, and the charges were dropped. Other than that, Moss has been a model citizen and model teammate.
Corey Dillon came in with a bad reputation, and had a successful, incident-free tenure with the Patriots.
Don Tomasso
Bleacher Report writers Stew Winkel and Kevin Ryder know Don very well. The rest of you probably don't know him at all.
Let me give a small background. Don Tomasso is a lifetime New Englander, who, like so many of us, grew up loving the Red Sox and Celtics.
His primary sports love, however, is the New England Patriots. Don can recall plays from games that happened 15 years ago, and other than his family, Patriot games were the most important thing in his life.
Don is your classic “life of the party” guy, and he brightens every room which he enters (a cliché, but with the man they call DT, it is very true). He is completely stuck in the 80s like no one I have ever met, and he can amaze anyone with his memory of events from the 80s.
Don had some pain on his side recently, and even though he hates going to the doctor, he told his wife to call an ambulance. They went in for what was believed to be a relatively routine appendix removal; they discovered during this procedure Don actually has cancer.
He has significant internal bleeding, and has been on a respirator for several days. The situation has gotten worse, and Don has been in and out while the doctors prepare to remove one kidney.
On top of all this, Don’s wife is nine months pregnant and could give birth to their second child at any moment.
If this was a Lifetime movie, you would ask your girlfriend or wife to change the channel.
But for Don, his friends, and family, this is very real, and we all spend every waking moment praying for the best.
My point is that at the end of the day, we all love sports, we are all very passionate and loyal to our teams. But once in a while, step back and remember what is truly important in this world and what is just a hobby that we all enjoy on the side.
No one is guiltier of forgetting this than me, but whoever your favorite team is, send some kind wishes to Don and his family in this unbelievably trying time.
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3 months ago
Best wishes to Don and his loved ones!
On a side note, I think I like point 1 the best.
from 3 months ago
Agreed.
If there's one thing the NFL needs more of, its guys with the character and attitudes of Troy Brown and Kevin Faulk.
3 months ago
Thanks, Steve. Don is having more surgery today, and we all just hope for the best. Not sure why the numbers did not come out properly in the article, but maybe that can get fixed?
3 months ago
Ha! I thouhgt you had done it intentionally....now it's fixed and my post makes no sense! It's all good though!
3 months ago
Okay, I know this article was written with the best of intentions, but I have something to say on the matter.
Never have I seen fans of a franchise desire public affection and love more than fans of the New England Patriots.
If I were a fan of a successful NFL franchise, I wouldn't care what citizens across America and fans of the other 31 teams thought--- because my team is dominant and has provided me with some great memories and a few titles along the way. I wouldn't try to run from the hate; in fact, I would embrace the hate and scorn of fans of the other 31. There are two levels of being hated in sports: hate because the team is a joke, or hate because the team is playing at a high level.
Given that I am from Dallas, I have had plenty of great Cowboys moments, and I'm quite familiar with the disdain and animosity toward the franchise from Philadelphia, New York, and Washington, to name a quick few, and in earlier days, San Francisco and Green Bay. I know they have a strong distaste for Dallas, and it doesn't hurt my feelings when their fans go off on tangents about our mothers or the collective sexual orientations of the fans, or when their wordsmiths come up with clever twists on the Cowboys' name (Cowgirls, Cowpies, Cocaine Cowboys, etc). The hate other fans hold for the Cowboys (or any other successful franchise) has absolutely zero effect on the performance of my team and, in fact, might even strengthen the love a fan has for his team.
And over the past few years, I have seen Boston and its fans downright confused and shocked, frozen in their disbelief--- what can we do to change your mind? How can we win you over? Why doesn't the rest of America like the Patriots as much as we do?
Quite simply, because we are fans of our own franchises, not yours. And fans of under-performing franchises will always hate the dominant teams. Sometimes hate can be a good thing. Embrace it.
from 3 months ago
your right sebastian, you are quite familiar with jackasses who are jealous of your team's greatness, however, New England sports tend to run hot and cold every decade, which means that fans up here don't have the time to develop a sense of entitlement/familiarity to dominance enough to gain a thick skin when it comes to criticism
Sullivan, we have no problem with people whose teams are rivals to us, I deal with smack talking colts and steelers fans everyday and it's fun for me because it's a rivalry in those cases, it's difficult to talk sense into some schmuck who sees that the pats broke a rule yet have not taken the time to find the severity or commonness of the infraction in question, it gets old after a while and I'm kinda new to being a fan of a city hated around the country in sports circles, if the Pats continue their dominance for another... say 2 years, spygate will be long gone and if anyone ever mentions it, I'll have the pleasure of laying the smackdown (verbal of course) that the idiot in question so rightly deserves
I couldn't care less what some jackass in Oakland thinks about how Belichick should get a lifetime ban (yes I've actually heard this crap) but I feel the need to defend my team in the face of such a display of idiocy, maybe I care too much about some ignorant casual fan's opinion, but that's just me.
peace
3 months ago
Rock on Patriots, forget being embraced win something this year eh...
3 months ago
Sebastian makes a great point. I "hate" the Patriots - not because Tom Brady beat up my Mom (which never happened) but because I'm a die hard Indianapolis Colts fan. It's just rivalry. When the Super Bowl was over I was immediately happy, but after I did, indeed, feel bad for Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. I mean, they may have been smug during the course of the season, but they certainly worked hard and they didn't lose because they played poorly. The Giants just played better. So yeah, I think animosity towards a certain team has more to do with your loyalty to another team than anything else.
from 3 months ago
i think in response to Sullivan and Sebastian, i understand what you both are saying, but i think the hatred for the Patriots since the beginning of last season has gone beyond the normal i hate team-x because i root for team-y. after winning 3 super bowls, some people hated the patriots the way Sebastian is talking about (hating them for success). that is fine, and if that was all that is going on with people's actions towards the patriots, i think not only would pats fans accept it, but they would (and did) embrace it. and it isn't that hating the patriots for getting caught breaking the rules isn't a worthy reason, but the hatred and the way people go out of their way to find reasons to now hate the team have gone far beyond what i have ever seen for another team.
3 months ago
good points, sebastian and sullivan. you are right. i have no problem with people hating the patriots. it is part of being a good team for a sustained amount of time. i just hopw people hate the patriots for the right reasons (seau is pompous, i hated him in SD, moss dogged it in OAK, belichick is a jerk, which he is, etc). the spygate thing seems to be the thing people are leaning on, and while it was a terrible mistake by BB, and the pats deserved to be punished, i just hope people realize that at this point, it has become an overblown story.
3 months ago
Thanks for the positive comments for us Sonics fans. We need all the support we can get.
Cheers from Seattle,
-Jeremy Ward
sonicsfansunited@yahoo.com
www.myspace.com/macrounit
check out the sonics tune at the above address.
3 months ago
I hate the Patriots (kind of) but I loved you article. It was nice to hear a well thought out article that wasn't just "Patriots rock and you all suck"...For the dislike that I have for Tom Brady, and a certain type of inner will to join the rallying call against a great team like Patriots, I still have enormous respect for the franchise, especially the front office. I have enormous respect for Bill Belichick and I really appreciate the team mentality that the Patriots symbolize.
I'd also like to make a special mention to the Spygate reference that you made. Even if I don't like the Patriots I always felt that Spygate was blown out of proportion, the idea of a professional sports team trying to get an advantage? How shocking! Honestly you'd have to be pretty naive not to think it happens, several former coaches admitted to trying it. Also the Patriots didn't pretty much shitpound everyone on their roster because of some game film...it's because they were better than the other teams.
Once again, great article keep it up.
My prayers are with DT.
from 3 months ago
I must say that I appreciate both your honesty and respect it. Great comment, and thanks for taking the time to be thoughtful rather than just saying something like "That pats suck and they choked and belicheat blows and blah blah blah"!
3 months ago
as a Colts fan,it's more of a dislike because of the rivalry that has developed rather than hated.
from 3 months ago
I must say it's an awesome rivalry to watch...I mean who doesn't want to watch the Colts-Pats game, it's always sure to be two of the best teams in the NFL going at it, not to mention two great QBs, and two great Head Coaches
3 months ago
I have been a Pats fan from the beginning and these are the best of times for sure. I was deeply disappointed after the last Super Bowl like all Pats fans. I watched the game twice again and a few key plays were the difference like most games. I have great respect for Bill B because of the "Team" mind set that a the players have towards their collective success. We do not have the "Superstars" of other teams and some of our players earn less than their equal on other teams. I don't understand "Spygate" and never will. It was stupid and still is. Nothing to be gained by a winning team and nothing to be gained by the NFL blowing it out of proportion. DT and his family are in my prayers.
Patriots fans keep your heads up. As for the rest of the NFL I love all the teams - without competition there would be no game. I admire the competition, I get frustrated by the calls on the field more and more each year by the refs. Lets enjoy baseball, basketball and hockey for right now and get ready for another great year by the Patriots! New England Rocks!
3 months ago
1 of the best articles I have read in a long time.... First and foremost, my prayers to DT...
As for the Patriots, they are a total package....and as for others who hate on us, it's jealousy....they only wish their team could be as great as ours!!!! :) Spygate, we paid our dues, so let's move on....like you said, if any other team had gotten caught, you bet your ass they wouldn't have paid as high a price as we did....Now.....let's just look forward to another season.....
from 3 months ago
If my team were caught, I would be more embarrassed than self-righteous. As for paying a high price, I would say that the only real punishment was losing their 31st pick, when they already had a 7th to fall back on. I'd like to see what the NFL would have done if the Pats ONLY had the 31. My guess is they would still have it. The NFL needs a dynasty, so I wouldn't lose sleep about any future punishment coming down on New England. At least as long as NE is still good.
Money isn't an object these days (with regard to Belichick's fine), and I'm sorry the feelings of the Pats were hurt by all the mean people out there.
But yes, I wish the 2008 season were here already.
3 months ago
Best thing to love about the Patriots?
18-1.
Suck on that, you pompous little Patsie fans. Hope you all cancelled your pre-orders for that 19-0 book.
God I love poetic justice.
3 months ago
BTW, I do wish that Don Tomasso guy nothing but the best. Hope all goes well for him and he makes a full recovery.
3 months ago
So we weren't perfect, how did your team do?
3 months ago
My team beat yours in the superbowl!!!!
:-)
3 months ago
As a Giants fan I couldn't have cared less about the Patriots until they happened to be playing my team in the Superbowl last year. In fact, I kind of like watching them keep the Jets down for so long. But having since become familiar with the team's fans I've decided that I'll dislike the Pats from now on. So there's another reason to not like a team, not just because they suck or are great.
3 months ago
MY PATS RULE....U HATE BECAUSE THEY WIN....
3 months ago
I liked this article. I have great respect for Troy Brown and have worn his shirt for a long time. I will miss him if he stays retired and wish him good things in his future with whatever he decides to do. A true team player and a really nice person. Hope all goes well for DT and his family.
3 months ago
ALSO 12---------------------------------------81.....for 7 .... 3x champions
3 months ago
Good article over all but I think Bob Kraft does more than sign checks and shut up. As much as I admire Bill Belichick, and I've admired him since he coached Cleveland, it is Bob Kraft who sits atop that organization and hired Belichick in the first place. I'll bet he's more involved behind the scenes than you know.
What an executive Kraft is!
3 months ago
Good article but for one thing: Bob Kraft does a lot more than sign checks and shut up.
I am the only Browns fan I know of who has admired Bill Belichick ever since he coached the Browns. But even I questioned whether Kraft's decision to give up a first round draft pick to get him. Hah. Now the price looks cheap.
I think Kraft appears not to do too much because he stays in the background but I'll bet he's more involved than you think. It's just that he's involved the way an executive should be involved, not second-guessing his coach but helping Belichick make strategic decisions.
Kraft is one of the best executives anywhere, inside the NFL or out.
3 months ago
"So we weren't perfect, how did your team do?"
True, my team ended up with a worse record. Less wins, more losses. But still, that 18-1 is satisfying, because it means that for all their arrogance, for all the boastfullness of their fans, for all their cheating, and classlessness, for all the 19-0 books written before the game was even played, and the parades that were planned (which is especially ironic considering the way the Pats viewed Philly planning their parade early), it all came back to bite the Pats in the ass. No Tom Brady, Plax wasn't giving your offense too little credit, he was actually giving it too much. No Ellis Hobbs, there was no wrath of God striking down Anthony Smith for daring to think the Steelers could beat the Pats, there was only karma catching up to New England.
Perhaps the most appropriate scene from the Super Bowl was Justin TUCK sacking and stripping Brady, in a play eerily similar to the "Tuck Rule" play against the Raiders that started all of this in the first place. It began with a Tuck, it (hopefully) ended with a Tuck. At least the Pats were perfect in one way. ;)
3 months ago
I feel for Don and his family and I wish them well
however, I will not be embracing the Patriots
3 months ago
thank you for all the feedback regarding the Pats, and especially regarding DT and his family (patriots fans and non-patriots fans alike).
and when I made my comment about Kraft, i meant as a compliment. he stays in the background for the most part, which I think most fans want from their owners. he does not meddle, which I think is a good thing.
and every team in a super bowl plans a parade. there is a 50/50 chance that your team will win, and you cannot plan something like that in 24 hours. yes the pats used it as motivation in the past (eagles SB), but any coach will use any comment he feels can get his team an edge. do you really think these committees sit there, waiting for the clock to tick down, and then they say, "OK, it's over, now we can plan that parade!"?
3 months ago
also, as for the "Anonymous" person two quotes up, I hear what you are saying, but I think brady has been maligned somewhat unfairly for his reponse to the burress comment. he was goofing around, very obviously. everyone was laughing. i hate how athletes nowadays do nothing but give cliche answers 24/7, but i understand it, because if they step outside the box at all, it gets thrown back in their face.
that being said, i have no problems with plax predicint a win. every players feels that way and i give any athlete credit for showing faith in his team.
you have no problem with anthony smith guaranteeing a win, but if ellis hobbs, or randall gay had said the same thing, you would be all over him, calling the patriots arrogant. like i said, i have no problem with an athlete showing confidnece, but you have to be fair both ways. and you cannot go out there and lay a complete goose egg, like anthony smith did. you have to go out and put your money where your mouth is, like plax did.
3 months ago
Not rooting for the Patriots during this past season is like not rooting for Tiger Woods or Roger Federer. Only, the Pats are MORE impressive, because for ONE person to be at the absolute top of their game requires a great amount of individual talent and determination... but for an entire TEAM to be as dominant as they have been, well, it's just awe-inspiring. Would you have rooted against the '72 Dolphins? Praying they crashed and burned?
Take your office environment. Is it not nearly impossible to get everyone pulling in the same direction? Abiding by the same rules, saying the same thing, believing the same things? Now what if everyone in your office were being paid big bucks determined by how much they individually produced? Wouldn't that make it more impressive to have them all playing at the highest level, as a TEAM, that anyone has ever seen?
I don't know about you, but when I'm watching Tiger Woods, I'm hoping to see something amazing every time, not hoping that he shanks the ball so "someone else can get a chance to win." And when Roger Federer breaks serve without breaking a sweat, I'm impressed, not disappointed. Well, it was the same thing watching this year's Patriots... it was just amazing football (until the playoffs, where they really started to stumble). They deserved every bit of praise they got. Not winning the Super Bowl doesn't make them any less of a dynasty in my opinion.
By the way, I'm an Eagles fan.
(P.S. I'd like one person to finally define "class" as it refers to an organization, WITHOUT using examples. Give me an empirical definition.)
3 months ago
i would define class as doing the right thing, without regards to public perception or money. i will give you two examples (i know you do not want examples, but here goes).
-patriots owner bob kraft refuses to put a poison pill stipulation in wes wlker's contract. instead, he calls the dolphins and offers second- and seventh-round draft picks for Welker. the deal gets done, and both sides are happy.
-giants ownership voting in favor of the salary cap, even though they know, playing in NY, a cap-less leg could very well benefit their team. they did what was right for the league. i am sure the yankees would agree to that stipulation if they were ever asked......
3 months ago
I hear so many people saying they where so happry the Pats lost in super bowl 42..its like, where the frick was your team?
the Pats will win this year..and they can win another
5 rings for brady..you know it could happen
3 months ago
[I wrote the post that starts w/ "Not rooting for the Patiots..."]
Andy, I appreciate your examples, and especially like that you gave examples from 2 teams. But I'm looking for the people who say that the Patriots are a "classless" organization to explain what the heck an organization with "class" is. It is management who opens the door for you when you walk by? Are they people who say "please" and "thank you"? Are they people who, because they don't want to offend anyone, don't say anything at all?
I think this past season it has been just as vogue to say that the Patriots "don't have class" as it was to say that they were the "best franchise ever." Both are exaggerations, made by passionate people prone to hyperbole. Take, for instance, Sean Salisbury.
Anyway, I'm all for rivalry. I encourage it. But don't be blind haters; don't let rivalry get in the way of you appreciating the sport that your favorite team (whose colors you no doubt bleed) is playing. If you're a football fan, root for your team first, and football second.
Because let's face it. I hate the Giants because I'm an Eagles fan. But you know when I love a Giants fan? When we're both rooting against the Cowboys. :)
-KeepThePeace
3 months ago
For reason 7, giving us what we want, you're right. You've given the NFL fan base a team to hate. Thanks!
3 months ago
As far as Spygate goes, I couldn't disagree with you more! Where I come from, cheating usually results in a forfeit. I personally think the Pats should have been forced to suffer a loss for that game. I know the $ and the draft picks will ultimately hurt worse, but it doesn't help the team who was cheated against. I think that the whole thing may perhaps be long forgotten already had the Pats been forced to surrender that first game.
I do agree there are worse things in the NFL right now. Things within the game that are deemed corrupt, like cheating or gaining an edge in some way, will never damage the NFL like individuals bringing things into the NFL picture - such as Vick's infamous dog fighting.
I also agree with the fact that if NE can make, so can virtually any team. They were so horrible just a few years back. Parcells got them back on the right track, somewhat, but they virtually went from worst to first, and they are there to stay it seems (at least in the top 5 of best NFL teams).
Good arguments, but I still don’t like the Pats, sorry. Not because they are successful, but simply because I hate they way Drew Bledsoe was shoved out of there, and I don’t really care for Bill Belicheat too much. So, get rid of the coach and Brady and I’ll probably show some interest in them.
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