2008 Woodie Awards
How can any sports fan from New England not love the Patriots right now?
Bryan Shaffer
Issue date: 1/24/08 Section: Sports
Now this should come as a shock to everyone. I am from New England, writing an article for the sports section, and the Patriots have just clinched the AFC spot in the Superbowl. So what will I write about? Okay, even though I like the Celtics and Red Sox more than the Pats, under these circumstances I must write about the amazing Patriots.
Now, I will not claim to be the biggest Patriots fan in the world. In fact, some could call me a bandwagon fan. Though I usually hate the bandwagoniers, right now, I must say I am developing an almost inescapable zest for Patriots football.
I mean, how can any sports fan from New England not love the Patriots right now? Watching Tom Brady connect with number 81 Randy Moss for miraculous touchdown after miraculous touchdown throughout the season was breathtaking. Seeing Bill Belichick, the genius behind this Patriots dynasty, eye the playing field and out maneuver any opponent that steps on the field is also quite incredible.
And what I love most, about watching this team, is the fact that we are watching history in the making. This year's team is destined to go down as one of the greatest teams of all time (if not THE greatest), which is unbelievable. To think that in fifty years our grandchildren will ask us what it was like to watch the Patriots go undefeated and win the Superbowl (knock on wood!) is really cool.
What is most remarkable about this team is the way that it is constructed. The Patriots can come at any team, for any number of ways. Will they score fifty points, with Brady connecting for six touchdowns like he did against the Dolphins? Or will they battle to the end and barely scrape together enough points to win, like they did against the Ravens? Week in and week out, they come to win, and they will do it no matter what. Every player on the team has the same attitude, and that is the attitude of winners. Never will you hear any of them say anything disrespectful of their opponents, or show any cockiness at the fact that they are the best team in the league. Instead, they always seem down to earth, and display incredible modesty in any public interview.
When you have so many great players, it is usually hard to get them to have such an attitude as this, which makes Belichick's coaching all the more remarkable. Not only is he a great coach in the sense that he can find ways to beat the teams that he plays in any number of ways, but he can also make the most out of players by dealing with his players and making sure that they put their team first, and their egos second.
Well, I am not going to say much in the way of statistics, because the records speak for themselves. But I will say that this has been one of the most fun seasons to watch of any sport, and the Superbowl should be awesome. What a great time to be a New England sports fan!
Now, I will not claim to be the biggest Patriots fan in the world. In fact, some could call me a bandwagon fan. Though I usually hate the bandwagoniers, right now, I must say I am developing an almost inescapable zest for Patriots football.
I mean, how can any sports fan from New England not love the Patriots right now? Watching Tom Brady connect with number 81 Randy Moss for miraculous touchdown after miraculous touchdown throughout the season was breathtaking. Seeing Bill Belichick, the genius behind this Patriots dynasty, eye the playing field and out maneuver any opponent that steps on the field is also quite incredible.
And what I love most, about watching this team, is the fact that we are watching history in the making. This year's team is destined to go down as one of the greatest teams of all time (if not THE greatest), which is unbelievable. To think that in fifty years our grandchildren will ask us what it was like to watch the Patriots go undefeated and win the Superbowl (knock on wood!) is really cool.
What is most remarkable about this team is the way that it is constructed. The Patriots can come at any team, for any number of ways. Will they score fifty points, with Brady connecting for six touchdowns like he did against the Dolphins? Or will they battle to the end and barely scrape together enough points to win, like they did against the Ravens? Week in and week out, they come to win, and they will do it no matter what. Every player on the team has the same attitude, and that is the attitude of winners. Never will you hear any of them say anything disrespectful of their opponents, or show any cockiness at the fact that they are the best team in the league. Instead, they always seem down to earth, and display incredible modesty in any public interview.
When you have so many great players, it is usually hard to get them to have such an attitude as this, which makes Belichick's coaching all the more remarkable. Not only is he a great coach in the sense that he can find ways to beat the teams that he plays in any number of ways, but he can also make the most out of players by dealing with his players and making sure that they put their team first, and their egos second.
Well, I am not going to say much in the way of statistics, because the records speak for themselves. But I will say that this has been one of the most fun seasons to watch of any sport, and the Superbowl should be awesome. What a great time to be a New England sports fan!
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