I was going to jump back into the blogosphere on March 10 (more on that later), but find a need for a bit of writing therapy. Specifically, I don't want to rant and don't want to whine, but put the Patriots' loss to the Giants in persepective.
1. Disappointed? Yeah, hard not to be if you're a Patriots fan. But still, this one doesn't hurt nearly as much as four years ago. That loss erased a chance at history, a chance at immortality, a chance for the team you follow to be a mentioned in the same breath with the likes of the 1927 Yankees -- and a chance we may never get to see again in our lifetimes. (Don't believe me? Ask the Packers.)
This run was inspiring and the fact they were even in the Super Bowl was due to a bit of luck (not to mention a rushed field goal attempt). Quite frankly, once the Pats got past the Broncos, everything else was gravy.
2. If Belichick is one of the greatest coaches in NFL history (and for the record, he is), what does that now make Tom Coughlin, who has twice beat him in sport's biggest showcase?
3. For that matter, what about Tom Brady and Eli Manning? My friend and former blogging colleague Matt McSorley (who always has the door open to join me again) had the same thought I did: Eli is now Brady, circa 2005. Brady is now Eli's older brother, Peyton, capable of huge numbers in the regular season, but not able to close the deal in the big game.
In fact, Eli (look, I'm not crazy about this first-name basis thing, but it saves time) has had the tougher road in the pros. Start with the fact that he's the little brother of a guy who had a spectacular college career at Tennessee, then went and restored the Colts to perennial contender status. In addition to following that, Eli has had to succeed in the pressure-cooker of New York City. You've got to hand it to him. And now, he's assured of a spot in Canton with Peyton and Brady. Good for him.
4. No joke: When the Patriots lined up for that last Hail Mary, I had this brief flash of hope that Chad Ochocinco would win the J.D. Drew Award for pulling something out of his ass after doing nothing all season. Alas, he is still better known this year for Tweeting to the Speaker of the House that he looks "pretty angry."
5. My father-in-law and I were wondering about this: How much did that safety pay someone in Vegas?
6. Come on, if you had been told before the 2001 season that by 2012, the Patriots would be in FIVE Super Bowls, winning three and losing two they had a shot at winning, you wouldn't have believed it, would you?
7. Boston sports fans really are spoiled, but we must be getting better at this. We have been through losses for the Celtics in the finals a couple of years back (and an epic choke for the Bruins that same year, which fortunately was redeemed the next year), the Red Sox unfolding this year and these last two Super Bowl losses.
Now think back to Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS, aka "The Grady Little Leaves Pedro In" Game. The feeling any Red Sox fan had after that one: "It's really not gonna happen in our lifetime, is it?" Time was, these losses destroyed us as fans. But then Theo Epstein went to Thanksgiving dinner at the Schillings, and the rest is history.
- JDE2
P.S. Oh yeah, the significance of March 10: It will mark my 20th anniversary as a professional journalist. But that's a story for another time. For now, pitchers and catchers report soon, and Go Bruins!
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