A Patriot for Life

A fan holds up a sign at the sendoff rally for the Patriots - Getty Images

You know the old saying “they hate us cause they ain’t us”. Well this rings true for all Boston sports, but especially for the Patriots. As we gear up for the Super Bowl, I am embracing all of the wonderful aspects of being a life long Patriots fan, even the hate and criticism. 

Many are doubting the Patriots and whether they’re good enough to be in the Super Bowl. It is always interesting to hear how people rewrite history. Throughout the season many commented that the Patriots had the easiest schedule, but weren’t likely to be any kind of contender. However, the Patriots proved everyone wrong and made it to the playoffs. Winning their division, but not being number one in the AFC, there were concerns about whether they would make it far. Their run was arguably the hardest, and could’ve been easier if they hadn’t won the AFC East or had won the whole AFC. But this was the lot that they were dealt. It didn’t matter because they marched and defied the haters. They played the Texans which were ranked as a number one defensive team in the league. People believed that the defense would be the reason why the Pats wouldn’t continue to the conference championship, However, the offense showed up and put up points when it mattered most. Additionally, our defense was able to hold them, having several sacks and three interceptions. But now many are acting as though the Texans weren’t really that good of a team. Then the Patriots faced the Broncos in the conference championship, with a defense that was ranked number three in the league. This was guaranteed to cause them to struggle. Admittedly the Patriots did struggle. It was not the prettiest but they did enough. Some have argued that with Bo Nix the Pats would never have won. But you simply can’t play the what if game. Maybe he would’ve, we will never know. That’s not the game that was played. Others say the conditions were unfair. Yeah, they were. Yet a team still had to win. Which the Patriots did. Not every win is gonna be pretty, sometimes it's just doing enough to come away that day with the dub. 

As we approach the big game, many think the Seahawks will trounce us. But we would be wise not to forget that the Seahawks have a defense ranked sixth in the league and the Patriots are only a few spots behind at eighth. This is not nearly as wide a gap as many of the commentators are making it out to be. And who knows what the ranking would have been if we had Milton Williams and many other notable starters at the end of the season. Many key players were out for the last few games of the season. It could be argued that Seattle didn’t actually win the game, but that the Rams lost the game with a punt return gone wrong, ultimately leading to a crucial Seahawks touchdown. I don’t know that Seattle is all that much better, the Rams had them pretty well on the hook. But the debate will be settled on Sunday.

  The Patriots are the considerable underdog for a variety of reasons. They had a significant amount of turnover between last season and this season. A new team, coming off several bad seasons. Of course they were not a favorite to be anything special. And yet they are.   They are a magical team and being an underdog just might add to the magic. Often when a team is counted out and in many ways disregarded is when they band together and play like they have never before. The Patriots are one of those teams. They don’t need the belief of others, because they believe in themselves. They know the kind of team that they are and trust each other to get the job done. 

The coach is also a key ingredient. Mike Vrabel who has brought a renewed energy and new philosophy to the game, which I have talked about before. But he is the only part of the magic. Drake Maye is a significant factor. He is only in his second year in the league. At 23 years old he is headed to the Super Bowl, with a team many didn’t expect to rise again for a long while. One of his best strengths is his speed and his athleticism. In a recent playoff game, Maye notably passed Tom Brady in rushing yards. Maye is not afraid to put his body on the line to get the first down, touchdown, buy time for his guys to get open or even to block so his guy can score. He has speed and agility that few quarterbacks have. Importantly, he and the team haven’t played anywhere near close to their best game. The playoffs haven’t been pretty, but they have survived. Maye has done alright under the playoff spotlight and pressure though as a second year quarterback he has done remarkably well, but there is still room for improvement. This is incredible news. The team hasn’t put together a standout game and yet they are headed to the Super Bowl. The best is still to be seen from this team and our young quarterback. 

The Patriots are back, and a new dynasty seems to be emerging!