Attention, Football Fans: Do You Love ‘Em Or Hate ‘Em?
I thought that title might grab your attention. As I am writing this, history is in the making in the National Football League. The question is how do you feel about it?
When I travel around, people can tell where I’m from fairly quickly. If my accent doesn’t give it away they sometimes look down and see my red elastic bracelet that is always on my right wrist. The bracelet is for The Jimmy Fund (children’s cancer) and the Boston Red Sox. Shortly after they find out I am from Boston they give me their opinion on something. Typically it isn’t always about the Red Sox or even the sport of baseball. They switch gears and move to football.
They give me their opinion on the New England Patriots, and most times it’s a very strong opinion that isn’t positive.
Why is that?
- Is it because they have won three super Bowls this decade?
- Is it because they dislike the all-American look of Tom Brady
- Is it because Bill Belichick shows little to no emotion
- Is it because they have never liked Randy Moss?
- Is it because they hate the city of Boston?
Or is it really because of SPYGATE?
When you review the history of this franchise:
- They only have three people in the hall of fame
- They have only seven retired numbers
- They have never had the NFL defensive or offensive player of the year
- They have never had the NFL MVP
I am a fan of the Patriots - you could say it is because I am from Boston. That is certainly part of it but not all of it. They have won recently because they have been over-achievers. They clearly NEVER have the best individual talent. They are able to mold players and make the team a winner. They have won in an era that it is very hard to keep players. They have been able to lose star players and coaches year after year and replace them quickly and continue to have success.
This team is 14-0 and quite possibly could have the first undefeated team in over 35 years.
- How do you feel about them?
- Aren’t they loveable?
- Don’t you want to cheer them on?
- Don’t you want the record to fall?
I do. What about you?
I look forward to reading your comments.
December 19th, 2007 at 10:07 am
I truly believe it is jealously that drives the desire of some to see the Pats fail. I believe the Cowboys of old suffered the same fate.
I am a Dallas native and grew up a Cowboys fan, but unless the Pats are playin’ the ‘Boys, I want them to succeed.
I agree that they never have the best talent and that is exactly what I like about them. They almost remind me of a college team the way they really work with what they have and have developed some superstars in the process.
A great example of this is Wes Welker. This kid is truly amazing and I am thrilled to death that he was picked up by the Pats. He was not heavily recruited for college, even was second choice for a scholarship. He did not play at a top 10 college, Texas Tech, I believe.
Check this guy out if you get the chance (and you will). I should probably also mention that I am a Texas Tech alumni.
So I would say “Love ‘em” unless playing my Cowboys and then maybe “Dislike them a little”, but really hard to hate ‘em.
December 19th, 2007 at 10:09 am
I have a ton of respect for the Pats and what they’ve accomplished. I also think their coach is one of the all-time greats (along with Landry, Noll and Walsh…notice I didn’t mention the overrated Lombardi), but he is an arrogant a**.
When the Cowboys first began winning (back in the 70s with Landry and Tex Schram) they were always voted the most liked team and the most hated team, in the same polls. I think the Pats are in the same boat. They may not have achieved America’s Team status, but they have certainly achieved “everyone has an opion about them” status.
December 19th, 2007 at 10:26 am
I love tradition, rivlaries, history, dynasties, and the pursuit of records. I think they are good for sport because it brings more fans into the discussion. I am not a Yankee fan, but I love their tradition, their records, past dynasties, and their uniforms. I like the Red Sox but not a die hard suffering fan -I love their tradition, their rivlary with the Yankees, the fact they have now won two World Series, and their uniforms. I love Notre Dame - enough said. I am not a Patriots fan at all, their tradition is limited, they are a dynasty, I would love for them to go undefeated in the regular season, I DON’T like their uniforms. Uniforms should never change. (See Yankees, Red Sox, Cowboys, Cardinals, Dodgers, et al). If the Cowboys don’t make it to the Super Bowl, the I would want the Pats to go 19-0. I won’t become a Pat’s fan, but I love records to be broken.
December 19th, 2007 at 10:32 am
Hey, I love ‘em (surprise)!
I didn’t grow up supporting the Patriots, because I actually pre-date the Patriots existence (for the record, I was a Y. A. Tittle fan as a kid and rooted for the Giants). But, being the Massachusetts homer that I am, I have been rooting for the Pats since the 70’s. Steve Grogan remains one of my all-time favorite players in any sport.
But the thing I love about the modern Pats (and the thing I try to explain when confronted with the animosity that Merrill describes above) is that they play as a TEAM. This is especially important in an age that worships the individual player. Yes the Pats’ stars are good, but they also make everyone on the team good. They can take a player like Randy Moss and team player.
And the Pats have made football popular in New England. That’s quite a feat. As Ed Sugar can attest, I used to say “I’m from New England, where the football season begins with the last out of the World Series and ends with the first tip-off of the NBA season.”. No more. The Pats have made believers out of all of us and have shown other NE teams how to win. The recent success of my beloved BoSox has, I believe, been at least partially modeled on the “all-for-one, one-for-all” dynamic of the Pats.
Cry in your beer Yankee and Jets fans.
December 19th, 2007 at 10:40 am
Sorry Merrill, I’m the wrong man for this question. The short of it is that people hate your team because a combination of all of what you pointed out. Let’s start with;
1. People hate Boston - i think it’s the accent, but it could be many things.
2. People hate Brady - does he really need to be that good looking?
3. People hate Belichick - he does nothing to warrant not being hated. he’s hated by the coaching community. and now, he’s a known cheat. he always takes the position of me against the world. he wishes he was that important.
4. People hate Randy Moss - this one is too easy. fill in whatever you like. quitter, winer, pouter, not a winner yet.
5. People hate a winner - especially one that acts like the collective sum above.
And, no. I do not want to see the record broken by this team. Nothing really to root for here.
December 19th, 2007 at 10:41 am
This is an interesting topic. I’m a NY Giant’s fan but over the last several years I have become a big admirer of the Pats. Admittedly, this was made more so by my cousin David’s next to last book, The Education of a Coach. Since reading the book I have constantly compared The Pats to a well-run, high performing business. Belichick is a great CEO who has the loyalty and dedication of his employees. They all strive for the same goal on a consistent basis. To me, as a business owner, this is what has attracted me and made me a fan. It’s not possible, at least I don’t think it is, in this business to be perfect for a year (season). So, I relish the thought of, and would love to see them have, a perfect season. That being said…..Go Giants!
December 19th, 2007 at 10:55 am
I think the coach has done a great job in sustaining a winning tradition. At the same time it is my opinion that HE is probably a big reason that people outside of Boston don’t embrace the team.
In my opinion he comes off as a raging jerk.All this nonsense about not shaking hands with Mangini and Dungy is silly.
By the way Spygate does not bother me because I am sure that every team in the NFL is guilty of similar behavior.
Unless the Giants ( who don’t deserve it ) sneak into the Super Bowl I hope the Pats go all the way because they are clearly the class of the NFL.
Merrill, I hope you and your family have a very Merry Christmas.
Great job with the Blog. It’s been a lot of fun.
PS. I’m ready for pitchers and catchers.
Joe
That being said the team has been wonderful. Brady should be this years MVP. I am also happy to see that Moss has played up to his potential and has avoided the antics that always turned people off in the past. The coach has to take some credit for this.
If the Giants were not involved I’d have loved to see the Pats go undefeated. But I think the Giants may need that win to get them in the playoffs
December 19th, 2007 at 11:32 am
As a Rams fan who suffered through the biggest upset in football history at the hands of the Pats in what I’ll always consider a tainted game (post-911 attack and the Pats come out wearing flag uniforms and in light of “Spygate” which explains how the Pats knew what the Rams were going to do-remember early in the game the interception return for the TD which got the Pats on the board-it’s awfully hard for me to enjoy the Pats success. They have become the Yankees of football, in that the are a supreme force and it’s the whole NFL against these guys, which in today’s balanced game might actually be good.
I respect excellence and the Pats may make history.. I actually like Tom Brady and Randy Moss. I like that a team is better than the individual players. I don’t like Bellichik. He’s a cheater and deserves to lose. If the Pats win, as everyone expects, I hope that there’s an asterisk put next to all 4 Super Bowl scores just as there should be next to Barry Bonds’ record.
December 19th, 2007 at 11:40 am
Thank you so much for your comments so far.
Andy - Welker is great and should stay in new england for as long as they have him. If that happens he will have a GREAT career with hug stats!
Adam - appreciate your honesty.
Will - appreciate your comment about liking records to be broken
Joe - I do think you are probably right. The coach’s actions are really foolish at times.
Merrill
December 19th, 2007 at 11:53 am
What’s not to love about the Patriots? For the record, I’m a Buffalo Bills fan, but I’m rooting for the Patriots to win out. It’s an added bonus to me that they will cause some discomfort to some former Miami Dolphins.
1 - They win. Everyone loves a winner
2 - They work hard. It’s nice to see people succeed on effort and teamwork over God-given talent.
3 - They are humble. Even when they go for it on 4th down with a 40-point lead they don’t appear to be rubbing it in their opponents’ noses. They show up, win, and leave.
Basically, they are like an entire team of Brett Favres.
And SPYGATE is over-rated.
Happy Holidays everyone,
Mike.
December 19th, 2007 at 11:54 am
Correction Adam, WOMEN love Brady…and Romo…and Favre.
December 19th, 2007 at 12:34 pm
I live in Massachusetts so I have followed the Pats closely for the last 10 years. They have been enjoyable to watch as any professional sports team I can remember. They have won championships with little or no pro bowlers- you all know the story.
They do so many things well but one thing sticks with me. Belichick’s public persona. I know he needs to give dead pan answers because he doesn’t want to give the opposition anything. But he appears weekly on local sports radio and is relaxed and even funny!!. He asked a local comedian (Lenny Clark) to talk to the team on the night before the Colts game - which was billed as a Super-bowl. Apparently it turned into a roast of Belichick, Brady etc (and Mangini) and had everyone rolling in the aisles
The rest of the company sees the press conferences and the handshakes and that is all they see. I think he may be shy. I know he thinks some NFL rules are stupid (see dress code) I wish he would explain a bit more- especially why he had those cameras against the Jets- he is not stupid. Why did he do that- there must be a reason?
December 19th, 2007 at 1:25 pm
Even though they’ve had recent success, frankly the Patriots don’t usually make it on my radar as a team to feel too much of anything about. They are just kind of there. Don’t really hate them, certainly don’t love them, pretty apathetic to them actually. Don’t consider them a dynasty team, probably because of the mediocre soup that todays NFL is.
December 19th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
I think it’s a combination of people are tired of them winning (everyone tires of a winner after a few years) and their coach who is a less than likeable guy–his frumpy dress style doesn’t help by the way.
For whatever reason, the Dolphins record seems sacred. Maybe it’s fond memories of the “old NFL.” I’m a Colts fan and was actually mixed about their own run a few years back.
I can’t say I’m either pulling for them or against them in this run. I certainly respect them for what they’ve accomplished.
December 19th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
Ken,
Interesting that 4 super bowls in 7 years wouldn’t be a dynasty.
I wonder what would - 3 or 4 in a row?
Merrill
December 19th, 2007 at 1:59 pm
The Pats are one of about six teams I cheer for (an advantage I guess of moving so many times) and won’t mind seeing them go 19-0, unless of course they end up playing either the Cowboys (my current favorite team) or the Packers (my first ever favorite team.) And by the way Robert Harrell, what do you have against Lombardi?
December 19th, 2007 at 1:59 pm
Merrill,
It’s less to do with the Pats than it is with todays NFL. I HATE free agency and the salary cap with players moving around all the time. Some argue that in the age of free agency it’s harder to build a dynasty, I’m not convinced that is true. Guess I’m just old school and long for the days of rooting for the same players for their whole career, knowing I would always be watching Staubach to Pearson for their entire career. Besides I was a huge fan of the original Patriots helmet…they lost me when they tried to get too “fancy”.
December 19th, 2007 at 2:05 pm
Merrill, I hate to be a stick in the mud on this subject, but until the NFL and their player’s union step up to the plate and devise a comprehensive health care system for their retired players, this season and future seasons are just a side note on the sports page to me. If the Pats go undefeated it will mean absolutely nothing as long as there are banged-up retired veterans are going without treatment for chronic conditions and illness suffered on the gridiron. Since Kyle Turley (my vote for NFL MVP) stepped forward, to donate his $25,000 game check from this coming Sunday, a little over $400,000 has been raised for the non-profit group formed to help former NFL players. During this seson of joy and giving it would be wonderful to see every current NFL player do the same this weekend and have the owners watch their contirbutions dollar for dollar.
December 19th, 2007 at 2:36 pm
Like some others have mentioned, I don’t really have strong feelings one way or the other about the Pats. Maybe it’s because my favorite team is in the NFC and I don’t see that much of them. Maybe it’s because I have to respect all that they have accomplished. Belichick may come across as arrogant sometimes, but he has got to be the best coach in the league right now.
I do think that all their winning, combined with spygate and signing Moss, has made them more hated around the country. If they eliminated my favorite team in the playoffs every year, I might hate them, too!
And to my esteemed colleague Robert Harrell- there is a reason why they named the trophy after Lombardi: five NFL championships in seven years, including three in a row which has never been duplicated. Kinda hard to overrate that……
December 19th, 2007 at 2:55 pm
To Fred V.T.
I like VL just fine. I just think he gets way too much credit for winning the 1st 2 Super Bowls. His teams were competing against a vastly inferior league.
December 19th, 2007 at 2:56 pm
Ken,
I share your feeling about free agency. Players are moving around way too much for my liking. I actually am one of those people who thinks it is harder to win with free agency especially with a salary cap.
General managers need to be very creative these days to keep players. Much more creative than the Cowboy and Steelers championship teams.
I really believe that spy gate has forced people to judge the patriot organization in much more of a negative light than needed.
Some people are calling for the asterisk - not sure I go that far.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Merrill
December 19th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
Robert,
I think you are slighting the Packers…and more importantly my Cowboys. While the league as a whole may have not been great (especially the AFL/AFC) there were good teams to challenge the Packers those first 2 years, especially the Dallas Cowboys. The playoff games between the Packers and Cowboys in those years were legendary…the Cowboys could easily have won the first 2 Superbowls instead of the Packers.
December 19th, 2007 at 11:45 pm
i am not a Pats fan at all but how can you not respect a winning program, especially one that wins with the contributions of so many players. I wish Belichik was more personable but since when did that become a criteria of being a great coach. His job is not to make friends, his job is to win football games and he does that year after year. And remember, this team is not bought like many teams in sports are. This is a combination of drafted players, free agents and many veterans who have been brought in at the end of their careers or because they were not succeeding elsewhere. How about the year Randy Moss is having and really not a peep out of him - now that tells you something about the program. I wish my Giants would have put together this kind of program. Imagine how the Jets feel since they had him as a coach for a New York minute. I am all for acknowledging accomplishments in sports and this franchise deserves every bit of that.
December 21st, 2007 at 1:07 am
Merrill:
I am a died in the wool Viking fan. In my mind the 1976 season should have been the Vikes and Patriots. If it weren;t for a roughing the passer call on Sugar Bear Hamilton on a tipped pass and a Kenny Stabler run with 10 seconds to go 12/18/76 we might have seen Minnesota actually win a trophy…alas I digress…
Is evertyone aware that while the 1972 Dolphins went 14-0, only one of their opponents had an above .500 record! Going 16-0 since the season as extended to sixteen games in 1978 may be nice and all yet I notice a precedent. The Vikings of 1998 and the Steelers went 15-1 only to lose in a championship game. You have to be very very good or lucky to go 19-0. Tyhe NIners of 1984 did it. So did the Bears of 1985. It hasn’t happened since!
You talk about the success of Tom Brady and Tony Romo…both came to prominence after Drew Bledsoe went down to injury. Are the Patriots a dynasty? Hell yes! Just like the Steelers of the 70’s. NIners of he 80’s and Cowboys of the 90’s.
Bill Belichik has been successful by virtue of being part of the Parcells caommission. This whole decade a new body comes in and they perform. Did anyone really believe that would happen after Randy Moss left Oakland?
There is a system in place. You come to New England, and you learn the team sytem! I fully expect to see a Super rematch of 1996 with the Pats and Packers.
Some of my fondest memories of the Pats go back to the days of Steve Grogan, Sam Cunningham, Russ Francis, jim Nance, and Mosi Tatupu.
Pats dynasty, Red Sox dynasty, revolution dynasty, Celtics soon to be dynasty, and the Pats? Sure sounds like New York North! Careful what you ask for, you just might get it!
I want to see history made in my lifetime!
December 22nd, 2007 at 11:53 am
Should the Pats run the table, they can arguably go down in history as the greatest team ever assembled (SportsCenter just played them against the ‘72 Phins in Madden, and the Pats won). But similar to those Cowboys and Steelers teams of my youth, the Pats and those fans who immerse themselves in the euphoria of this season are just another source of aggravation for fans of other teams. As you know, I’ve long suffered with the Oilers/Titans, so there is a bit of jealousy, coupled with a nostalgia for keeping the past pristine (I remember the ‘72 Dolphins…my Oilers stole their fight song!).
But perhaps, what inhibits me most from embracing this Patriots season, is that in many ways it strikes me as emblematic of an insatiable cultural desire that we have in America to tout everything new to be bigger, better and more perfect than that which came before it. We are so busy trying to supersize each other with everything that we do, that so many superlatives seem forced and expected so that they lose their meaning or appear too contrived.
Couple that with all of the black marks on the NFL this year (Spygate doesn’t help) and perhaps that is what drives the scrutiny, or hatred of the Patriots that you describe. It’s oxymoronic that at the same time that America strives to out superlative itself at every turn of a hat, we also love to find every possible opportunity to knock down our heroes and expose every possible flaw.
So, for me, I’ll probably appreciate the magnitude of the Pats’ accomplishments in about five to ten years, when the sting of another less than Super Titans season abates, and we distance ourselves from the constant oversaturation of often hollow superlatives. At that time, the records will speak for themselves.
January 14th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
17 down and two more to go.
Amazing - the New england Patriots find a way to win every single week.
Merrill
January 24th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
18 down and one more to go!!!
Here is a joke that was sent sent to me:
God asks Peyton Manning first: “What do you believe?”
Peyton thinks long and hard, looks God in the eye, and says, “I
believe >> in hard work, and in staying true to family and friends. I believe in giving.I was lucky, but I always tried to do right by my fans.”
God can’t help but see the essential goodness of Manning, and offers
Him a seat to his left.
Then God turns to Tony Romo and says, “What do you believe?”
Tony says, “I believe passion, discipline, courage and honor are the
fundamentals of life. I, too, have been lucky, but win or lose, I’ve
always tried to be a true sportsman, both on and off the playing
fields.” God is greatly moved by Tony’s sincere eloquence, and he offers him a seat to his right.
Finally, God turns to Tom Brady: “And you, Tom, what do you
believe?” Tom replies, “I believe you’re in my seat.”
Merrill
February 5th, 2008 at 7:08 am
The 1972 Miami Dolphins can rest easy they are still the only undefeated football team.
Congrads to the NY Giants and their fans on winning the Super Bowl. The Patriots came up short and and couldn’t end up the season 19-0.
Much to my shock Plaxico Burress was right - the Giants were able to stop the great Pats offense.
What I find amazing is the odds are already out for next years Super Bowl and guess who is the favorite?
Pats 4:1
Indy 6:1
SD 6:1
Dallas 10:1
Jacksonville 15:1
Pitt 20:1
New Orleans 25:1
NY Giants 30:1