Great Game, Minus The Whining
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by user Xinoph
There were great stories here.
An underdog team coming in and upsetting the pre-crowned AFC champs. A rookie kicker finishing his season with a brilliant post-season performance, including a record-breaking kick that erased a certain Adam V. from one franchise record. A quarterback who struggled, but led his team to a game-winning drive in the final moments. A less-than-notable receiving corps that still made the big plays when it counted. A team that was behind almost all day, with their only two leads coming in the opening and closing moments of the game, moving ahead in the playoffs. An NFL-best team being plagued by penalties and a few terrible decisions.
And yet.
We have people, on this site and in the media, who dwell on the inane moments. People more interested in who stood where after the game, how they celebrated, what the running back said, and what the head coach wore than in the actual game itself.
These are the same people who were predicting the collapse of the franchise before the season started. Apocalypse because a kicker left (and, by the way, Gostkowski did better in his rookie season than Vinatieri did in his). A disastrous receiving corps. The Miami Dolphins, of all teams, competing for the AFC East title.
They laughed at those of us who had Faith, because they don't get it. They never have, and never will. This is a team that manages to pull it off when nobody thinks they will, that can always manage a comeback, and that nobody can ever count out. They're fun to watch because it's close, because you feel like it's always a toss-up, a mystery. Winning close games isn't a deficit by any means. You only need to win by one; the rest is gravy. Trust me, they don't give a bigger trophy for running up the score.
And yet.
We have these ever-present critics. When they can't find anything to criticize they nitpick. They whine. They moan. The San Diego Chargers weren't the only team to whine after losing to the Pats this year; the Tennessee Titans are in that category as well. Even people who aren't fans of the team that lost - and who wouldn't say the same thing if it were their team - moan and complain.
Hey, you know what works much better than whining and moaning?
Winning.
Do that, and you don't have to worry about complaints, yours or anybody else's.
Don't worry about all this, Patriots fans. This is all to be expected. Nothing breads criticism like success; this is the adult version of a losing kid screaming "He cheated!" in recess. This happens all the time. All we can do is make sure we don't act this way when it's one of our teams.
After all, we remember the years when they were called the Patsies. We remember being the worst in the AFC, when the AFC was the J.V. conference. We remember the plumbing failing when Foxboro Stadium opened, and we remember the controversial call the night it closed. We remember Pete Carroll and Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells and more, and more.
You don't bread arrogance and overconfidence in five years, especially not in a fan base that has endured decades of struggle and false promises in other sports. Having faith in Bellichick and Brady to pull it off isn't arrogance or overconfidence; it's simply logic, at this point. While they don't do it every time, they do it often enough that it's never worth it to bet against them (literally or figuratively).
So whether you're hoping they'll lose or criticizing their success, give it a rest, already. Root for your team, and worry about the Pats when they play each other. There's better ways to be a sports fan than just being against whichever team is doing well lately. I don't dislike the Yankees just because they're successful - I dislike them because they're Boston's main rival. Moreover, I don't extend my dislike of the Yankees into a general loathing of Yankees fans - there are some good ones out there. Let's make it the same with football. Root for whatever team you want, but hating a team just because they're doing well and extending that dislike to unfair, broad characterizations of their fans - well, that's just childish.
| This user is a Los Angeles Lakers fan. |
