Wow, what a game. Is there really any other way to put it? A lot of people were picking the Giants to win, yet somehow I don’t think they believed it. How could they? The Patriots were a juggernaut, but against all odds and logic, the Giants persevered making these men with their wild picks look, well, logical.
Despite my primal screams trying to will the Giants onto the porch with the trophy in hand, never once did I believe that they would overcome the real giants. Not when Tom Brady was throwing desperation darts 70 yards down the field with ten seconds to go, not even when everyone had to clear the field to run the last tick off the clock. That’s just the way the season went for the Patriots. Never had there been more of a sure thing, yet, for some inexplicable reason, I half expected some higher power to reach down and will Adalius Thomas through the line to intercept the snap.
Despite my nature to cheer on the underdog, something feels unfulfilling about this outcome. Some people billed this up as modern day tale of good versus evil, but I don’t see it that way. Watching the Patriots crumble was almost disheartening. I hate to say they had it coming, but in a way they did. Their season was the equivalent of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel in glory and perfection heading into Sunday, but instead of painting squares of the creation of man, their version would have depicted the fall of Damion from the heavens.
Even though I truly felt this way, part of me was quietly supporting them on Sunday. I didn’t want to, I hated the fact that they had deceived everyone, and I questioned whether those video’s still had some type of impact. Who knows what was on them, and how valuable the information they unearthed was. Still, despite this, I kind of wanted to see them complete their mission. To find the grail, but turn back without it seems unfathomable.
This team will forever be remembered for choking, when in fact, they provided us with some of the best football we have ever witnessed for 18 weeks. No one will remember that. No one will remember that Tom Brady and Randy Moss handed in the single greatest seasons of all-time at their positions, or the brilliance of Belichick. No, more importance will be placed on the tapes, and all of the sudden the validity will come under greater scrutiny. It’s simply easier to hate them now.
That seems wrong to me, but that’s the way it is. In the era we live in, what they did is minor compared to the infractions occurring across sports. This is simply a case of an over-eager coach that will stop at nothing to win, part of me respects that, the other part despises him.
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
ket 02.03.08 at 9:07 pm
I was going out now and don’t have gadget to receive match result. Hopefully patriot win a perfect score.
Rupert 02.03.08 at 10:09 pm
When you hate a team that much… you believe it.
Nick Underhill 02.03.08 at 10:22 pm
Rupert, I’m not quite sure I understand what you are saying? When you hate a team that much you believe what? That they cheated their way there? I’m not following, If your suggesting that I hate the Patriots, I don’t. I naturally cheer for the underdog when one of my teams isn’t playing. I also support the validity and purity of spots, and even though I questioned the Pats integrity, and wondered whether or not those tapes still had some type of impact, as a sports fan, I wanted to witness something special. They made it hard though, if the team was ‘clean’ I would have been rooting for the Pats. I was torn, because we don’t really know how much impact exists from their cheating.
The story has been completely under reported. We’ve spent countless hours, hell, days, discussing this matter, but no one knows what was on the tapes. In a world of 24/7, non-stop, in your face, sports coverage how does this happen? No one can make an educated, logical decision on the matter because of this. I don’t know if Goddell did this by design, he destoryed the tapes, so my natural inclination is that this was all his plan. If there was nothing that could be potentially damaging to the league, he would have released them. I think what he found was bad, real bad, but who knows for sure? So I speculate, that’s all anyone can do. The only people that know for sure aren’t talking.
Ket, the Giants beat the Patriots.
ket 02.04.08 at 12:34 am
@ Nick I almost cannot believe it. The underdog destroyed the virgin of Patriots’ winning streak. Season ended sadly.
Sooze 02.04.08 at 5:30 am
I think Rupert feels the way I do - that when a person (me) wants a team (the Pats) to lose that badly, they believe the other team (the Giants… even though they beat my Pack) can pull off a victory. It’s not really like the Giants “pulled anything off” though. New England has been playing subpar (for them) since they beat the Ravens in the last minute during Week 13 MNF. Anyway, the halftime show ruled and the second half was more exciting than the first… now here comes baseball season!!!
Isaac 02.04.08 at 6:07 am
Im with Rupert….my hatred for the Patriots grew as every game passed by…and what many people failed to realize was that, you can only play average for so long before you run into a team that has an outstanding game….
As good as the Pats were this year, they were extremely lucky……and finally, when they were “outcoached” and “outplayed”, they lost
Nick Underhill 02.04.08 at 7:45 am
Ahh, I see now. I misunderstood. I definately can understand one’s disdain for the Pats, they don’t make it easy for the casual fan to support them. At the same time, I appreciate their body of work, the same way I hate criminals, but admire Jesse James for being able to elude the police for so long. If that makes any sense at all…
@ Sue- Yes, here comes baseball! Finally! But first, a quick stop in the field of 65, the greatest spectacle in sport.
Bryan Clark 02.04.08 at 5:54 pm
I feel a little unfulfilled at the outcome. It would have been great to witness that perfect season that our parents saw with the ‘72 Dolphins… However, the better team doesn’t always win. And I don’t think anyone would argue with the fact that the Patriots were the better team.
It all boils down to match-ups. And as I told a friend of mine when the Patriots went to NY for the week 17 contest… if any team can beat the Patriots it’s the Giants. It’s tough to account for their front 4 when you are a team that likes to throw the ball downfield.
Well, using this as a guide, I placed a bet with the Giants (with the spread actually), for the Super Bowl. Now don’t get me wrong, I didn’t think the Giants would win… but with a 12 point spread, I would have been dumb not to take the Giants and the points…
So even though I’m a bit richer, I still hate that I didn’t get to see perfection.
Nick Underhill 02.04.08 at 6:54 pm
I also took the twelve… I was tentative, because Vegas doesn’t play to lose, and it seemed like they were sucking people with that huge number, but after watching these two teams go head up at the end of the season, no way was it going to be a twelve point game. Like it was said above me, the Pats peaked too early, but straight up, no way would I have went against them. It’s easy for people to say now that they knew the G-Men were going to win all along, but I don’t think anyone that picked them felt entirely comfortable.