Well, they did it. The embroidered patch for my banner is on the way.
There is a lot of Patriots hatred about. I completely understand it. It's the same feeling I have for the Yankees and Cardinals, for Duke, and for Notre Dame.
In the Patriots case, it's two main factors. One is the cheating or perception of cheating. That's probably 75% of it. Bill Belichick will always say about WalkThroughGate and SpyGate that "it wasn't against the rules" or "every team does it." He flatly denies Deflategate, and it seems implausible on its face, but Brady destroyed his cell phone and ultimately accepted a suspension, so the consensus is that something happened.
These are good reasons to hate a team, and I empathize. If the Yankees were caught doing this sort of thing, I would never stop tweeting about it.
The other and more mundane reason for Patriots hate is that Belichick takes no joy in winning. This is as equally true as the cheating/perception of cheating argument. This seems to me to bother fewer people but much more intensely. Cheating is a time-honored tradition in American sports, and probably in every sport (ask Diego Maradona). Not showing joy and gratitude at winning, though, is a cardinal sin that can never be forgiven. There is a protocol when you win something as difficult and arduous as the Super Bowl. Everyone involved must celebrate and take part in the festivities and show real, unbridled emotion. Belichick is simply incapable of that.
From his perspective, he did what he was hired to do, expected to do, and no more. He understands better than any human alive what is required to win NFL football games, and he simply applied his knowledge, earned at his father's knee and in the countless hours studying film for other head coaches, to the Patriots when he was finally given full rein to run a team as he saw fit.
You could almost see, after he handed the Lombardi Trophy to Brady, the machinations in his brain. "Ok, this is over. How am I going to replace Flores and Gronk and the McCourty twins? What about the draft? Are we ready for OTAs? Who should we get in Free Agency? Can we get Brady to take less money again? On to Week 1 of 2019."
The idea of anyone playing football for entertainment is anathema to Belichick. You play to win, and you only have to win by one point. It could be 3-2 if that's the game plan. Grace, acrobatics, outlandish speed without strength, panache, style...none of these things help you win games. And after you win every game there is to win in this season, there is next season to prepare for.
Thus, Belichick keeps winning, and keeps looking forward to winning, like a relentless Terminator, and everybody loathes him and his team.
I really don't care. I prefer winning to losing. Go Pats!
There is a lot of Patriots hatred about. I completely understand it. It's the same feeling I have for the Yankees and Cardinals, for Duke, and for Notre Dame.
In the Patriots case, it's two main factors. One is the cheating or perception of cheating. That's probably 75% of it. Bill Belichick will always say about WalkThroughGate and SpyGate that "it wasn't against the rules" or "every team does it." He flatly denies Deflategate, and it seems implausible on its face, but Brady destroyed his cell phone and ultimately accepted a suspension, so the consensus is that something happened.
These are good reasons to hate a team, and I empathize. If the Yankees were caught doing this sort of thing, I would never stop tweeting about it.
The other and more mundane reason for Patriots hate is that Belichick takes no joy in winning. This is as equally true as the cheating/perception of cheating argument. This seems to me to bother fewer people but much more intensely. Cheating is a time-honored tradition in American sports, and probably in every sport (ask Diego Maradona). Not showing joy and gratitude at winning, though, is a cardinal sin that can never be forgiven. There is a protocol when you win something as difficult and arduous as the Super Bowl. Everyone involved must celebrate and take part in the festivities and show real, unbridled emotion. Belichick is simply incapable of that.
From his perspective, he did what he was hired to do, expected to do, and no more. He understands better than any human alive what is required to win NFL football games, and he simply applied his knowledge, earned at his father's knee and in the countless hours studying film for other head coaches, to the Patriots when he was finally given full rein to run a team as he saw fit.
You could almost see, after he handed the Lombardi Trophy to Brady, the machinations in his brain. "Ok, this is over. How am I going to replace Flores and Gronk and the McCourty twins? What about the draft? Are we ready for OTAs? Who should we get in Free Agency? Can we get Brady to take less money again? On to Week 1 of 2019."
The idea of anyone playing football for entertainment is anathema to Belichick. You play to win, and you only have to win by one point. It could be 3-2 if that's the game plan. Grace, acrobatics, outlandish speed without strength, panache, style...none of these things help you win games. And after you win every game there is to win in this season, there is next season to prepare for.
Thus, Belichick keeps winning, and keeps looking forward to winning, like a relentless Terminator, and everybody loathes him and his team.
I really don't care. I prefer winning to losing. Go Pats!
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