I hate the New England Patriots. As a New Yorker I think that I am just naturally inclined to hate all Boston area sports teams. The Yankee-Red Sox, Knicks vs. Celtics, even Rangers vs Bruins. The football rivalry has not been much of a rivalry, with the Jets not posing much of a challenge to their division mates for the past two decades. Ironically, though not natural or divisional rivals, the NY Giants have posed as the only true Kryptonite to the legacies of The Patriots, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, handing Brady and Belichick their only two blemishes to the record 7 Super Bowl appearances.
The Super Bowl win for the New England Patriots over the Atlanta Falcons gave both Belichick and Brady unprecedented 5th victories as a head coach and starting quarterback. I was in New York for the week leading up to the Superbowl. Despite the fact that it was the Fiftieth edition of one of the most hyped spectacles in all of sports, I did not get the sense that there was the same sense of anticipation for the game this year, at least in New York.
That subjective feeling was surely lead by own apathy, along with the subconscious booking of travel during the exact designated game time hours. My flight was delayed and equipped with satellite television, so I ended up missing literally only a few minutes of the game during a brief security and boarding processes. Despite my lack of real interest, the game turned out to be a classic, at least for Patriot fans.
The first overtime game in Super Bowl History also saw the games largest comeback. Down 28-3, the Patriots scored the next 31 points to win and secure both Belichick and Brady’s status as the respective greatest coach and quarterback in the league’s history. Whether you feel that the Falcons blew the game or not, the reality is that the Patriots never gave up, made big play after big play and won.
As much as I hate the Patriots. As much as people think they push the envelope of competitive advantage (i.e. spygate and deflate gate), the reality is that the franchise has earned the respect that their sustained excellence warrants. The perception of the politics of the coach, star and owner, do not change the acknowledgment and recognition of their greatness. As a Giant fan do I take some small sense of satisfaction that my team has been the only one able to derail the Patriots’ historic run? Yes of course, but even the fluke nature of how we won is just really a stronger testament to how great and how much respect the Patriots deserve.
I will never root for the Patriots. In fact I will root even harder against them. Yet, that does not mean that I cannot tip my hat to them as a franchise and Belichick and Brady for their achievements in the game.
#NFL, #SuperBowl, #TomBrady, #BillBelichick, #Belichick, #Brady, #RogerGoddell, #RobertKraft, #NYGiants, #Falcons, #AtlantaFalcons, #Boston, #respect
