If you were to ask anybody who knows me the question: "What is Sid's favorite football team?" The answer would be automatic: The Patriots. I have an obsession with the patriots and their lead QB Tom Brady. Football season is one of the things I live for. Being a supporter of the Pats has a lot of upsides. They are a very successful team and have won 3 superbowls in my lifetime. Not many people have the fortune of seeing their favorite team win it all. Over the course of me supporting them, there have been 3 time periods where I was most emotionally involved. The first being when They won the superbowl 3 years out of 4.
Before 2001, I watched football without any specific support. I was happy to be watching the sport just because it was fun as any 7 year old would. This all changed during the playoffs. I'll be honest, I started supporting the Patriots as a bandwagon fan. But can you really blame a 7 year old for supporting a team that is successful? The Patriots made it to the Superbowl and were set to face the heavily favored Rams. After a late 4 quarter drive engineered by a young Tom Brady, they won. From this point onward, the Pats were my team. Over the next 3 seasons, they would win 2 superbowls. I had absolutely nothing to complain about.
After this, the Pats went through a relative rough patch. This patch all ended in the 2007 season. The patriots acquired Randy Moss making one of the best duo's Football has ever seen. That season, Brady threw a record setting 50 touchdown passes, with Moss catching a record setting 23 of them. On top of these records, the Pats went undefeated. Something that had never happened before in 16 game season history. Needless to say, they were the clear favorites to win the superbowl. They made it to the superbowl and the stage was set to have the greatest season in football history. One more game. I happened to have a fever of 104 at the time so I was ready for the win. What came was one of the greatest upsets in sports history. The Giants played a masterful game stumping Bill Belichick and the Pats Offense.
The final big memory I have with the Patriots is the most recent season. Brady put together what I believe was an even better regular season than in 2007. The supporting cast to his offense was as deep as Wes Welker. Other than him, Brady had nobody. But he made no-named people into stars. Brady again set NFL records. He went on the longest streak without throwing a pick, and had a better touchdown to pick ratio than anyone before him. It is safe to say that I didn't miss a single snap of that season. The way my week went was basically based on whether the Pats won or not. Unfortunately, the season ended in disappointment. The Pats lost to the Jets in a beautifully coached game by Rex Ryan.
Being a die hard fan is awesome and terrible. If your team happens to do well, it's great. But if not, it is truly awful. I wish I was capable of detaching myself from the sport but it doesn't seem possible. I am forever cursed to have my emotional state controlled by Football.
Before 2001, I watched football without any specific support. I was happy to be watching the sport just because it was fun as any 7 year old would. This all changed during the playoffs. I'll be honest, I started supporting the Patriots as a bandwagon fan. But can you really blame a 7 year old for supporting a team that is successful? The Patriots made it to the Superbowl and were set to face the heavily favored Rams. After a late 4 quarter drive engineered by a young Tom Brady, they won. From this point onward, the Pats were my team. Over the next 3 seasons, they would win 2 superbowls. I had absolutely nothing to complain about.
After this, the Pats went through a relative rough patch. This patch all ended in the 2007 season. The patriots acquired Randy Moss making one of the best duo's Football has ever seen. That season, Brady threw a record setting 50 touchdown passes, with Moss catching a record setting 23 of them. On top of these records, the Pats went undefeated. Something that had never happened before in 16 game season history. Needless to say, they were the clear favorites to win the superbowl. They made it to the superbowl and the stage was set to have the greatest season in football history. One more game. I happened to have a fever of 104 at the time so I was ready for the win. What came was one of the greatest upsets in sports history. The Giants played a masterful game stumping Bill Belichick and the Pats Offense.
The final big memory I have with the Patriots is the most recent season. Brady put together what I believe was an even better regular season than in 2007. The supporting cast to his offense was as deep as Wes Welker. Other than him, Brady had nobody. But he made no-named people into stars. Brady again set NFL records. He went on the longest streak without throwing a pick, and had a better touchdown to pick ratio than anyone before him. It is safe to say that I didn't miss a single snap of that season. The way my week went was basically based on whether the Pats won or not. Unfortunately, the season ended in disappointment. The Pats lost to the Jets in a beautifully coached game by Rex Ryan.
Being a die hard fan is awesome and terrible. If your team happens to do well, it's great. But if not, it is truly awful. I wish I was capable of detaching myself from the sport but it doesn't seem possible. I am forever cursed to have my emotional state controlled by Football.
I have the same fanaticism for Illinois sports, so I get what you mean about being emotionally attached to your team. The important thing to remember is that there is always a season next year (for your sake I hope the NFL doesn't stay lockedout!)You never know who your team is going to bring in that will be an immediate contributor. As for the Patriots, I anticipate Brady playing at a high level for about another 5 years, so the most important position on your team is set for a while. Good post.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame there's going to probably be a lockout stealing a year from Brady. I'm just gonna say this to anger you: I LOVE THE TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS! Anyways, nice post!
ReplyDeleteI would just like to say that since 2000, the steelers have been the most impressive franchise in my opinion. While tom brady is an elite quarterback, the Pats surround him with a lot of talent, so you cannot give him all of the credit. And i know, the Chargers are my team, but i honestly think that the Jets are going to turn into the best team team in the AFC east in the years to come. js
ReplyDeleteThough I care nothing for football, I live with two die-hard Giants fans, so I can relate to this post, at least vicariously. I've gotten pretty invested in particular basketball teams, both NCAA and (less so) NBA, at various points in my life, though. Unfortunately, I've never rooted for a particularly winning team. (And my favorite baseball team is the Cubs, so...)
ReplyDelete"Ist es ein Mann?" "Ja" "Tom Brady."
ReplyDeleteGood post. :D