”If you can make God bleed, then people will cease to believe in him.” - Iron Man 2
The New England Patriots are the luckiest franchise in all of sports; not because of their Super Bowl victories or their talent level or their coaching staff, but because of their fans. They have a fan base that almost blindly, almost cult-like, follows and believes Brady, Belichick, et. all to a fault. Atleast they did until this past weekends playoff loss to the New York Jets caused each fan from Rhode Island to Maine and every where in between to question the mantra that had so smoothly slipped off the tongue in years past: In Bill We Trust.
The New York Jets are the ultimate villain team: they talk sh*t (Bart Scott), they have questionable character players (Antonio Cromartie, Braylon Edwards), unlikable stars (Mark Sanchez, L.T.), and a Head Coach who never shuts up unless he is asked about his foot fetish videos with his wife. The week leading up the game was almost unbearable for any Pats fan, having to listen to the garbage coming out of the Meadow Lands every day while our team did the “Patriot Way” and kept their mouths shut. Everyone was in anticipation of a blood bath on the field to shut them up.
That blood bath never happened, and in fact the Patriots lost, breaking hearts all over Patriots Nation. I could dissect the game and analyze all the questionable calls (the fake punt, benching welker, the lengthy drives, etc.), but I want to take a look at the bigger picture. I want to take a look at the last 3 post season games for the Patriots: this year’s loss to the Jets, last year’s loss to the Ravens, and the Super Bowl loss to the Giants. There are some eerie similarities between all three that any New Englander might not want to look at, but it is time to stop blindly following this team and realize that they are not the same force that once won 3 Super Bowls in 4 years.
In all three games, the problems were the same:
1. No Pass Rush
2. Can’t Stop Run
3. #2 Lead To Succesful Play Action
4. #3 Lead To Average QBs Having Great Games
5. Recievers Did Not Work Enough To Get Open
6. #5 Lead To Brady Holding On To Ball Too Long
7. #6 Lead To O-Line Giving Up Sacks.
8. No Adjustments During Game
While each of those 8 points is troublesome, #8 should be the most worrisome simply because it calls into question the two main cogs in this “Dynasty”: QB Tom Brady & HC Bill Belichik. For so long these two men have been heralded as among the best who ever lived at their respected positions, and certainly that is true. However, it is time to admit that neither is what they used to be, or atleast appeared to be: infallible. They now make mistakes, they now can be questioned, they have lost 3 straight post-season games. Now, does this mean that they are washed up? Of course not, but it does mean that expectations (and personnel) needs to change. The veterans surrounding this team (especially at the WR position and on the defensive side of the ball) have either moved on or aged too much. The young guys for the most part have shown promise, but still lack experience and that Super Bowl pedigree.
Fans still look at this team as the same team that dominated the early part of this decade simply because the two lead guys (Brady and Belichik) are still there. What people need to realize is that football is the ultimate team sport, and while the faces of this franchise may be the same, the heart beneath is very different, and thus expectations must be lowered. Fans must realize what the rest of the NFL has known for a few years now: that these are no longer the God’s of their sport, but men just like every other team.
But with a slew of draft picks and money to spend, it’s time to make the long climb back up Mt. Olympus.
