Opinion: A Patriots Appreciation
A Super Bowl Loss Helps Put Previous Wins in Perspective
While it's been a bit of a heart wrenching time, I've finally come to the conclusion that while it would have been happier with a win, the loss only shows to demonstrate how difficult it is to win the NFL Championship and how remarkable the Patriots' previous wins have been.
Super Bowl XXXVI was the most incredible game I've ever seen. With the game tied at 17 and a minute-thirty left, Tom Brady in his first year as a starter maintained the composure and made the decisions necessary to complete the game winning drive. Anything could have gone wrong: Troy Brown doesn't make that catch and get out of bounds, Jermaine Wiggens fumbles on the last completion before Vinatieri's kick.
Super Bowl XXXVIII was supposed to have been a Patriots walkover and instead turned into a shootout. Had only a play here or there gone differently, the game could have gone differently. We forget that Donovan McNabb's final pass of Super Bowl XXXIX was an interception to Rodney Harrison. What happens if Harrison doesn't pick off that pass?
We may have found out in Super Bowl XLII. Asante Samuel had the opportunity to make a pick, but didn't Eli Manning was almost sacked, but wasn't. He wiggled free, heaved up a pass, and David Tyree made one of the greatest catches in Super Bowl history. So many improbable things had to have happened, and they did. This was the Patriots game to lose, and they did. The Giants players made the plays they needed to win.
Any host of things could have gone wrong for the Patriots in any of those games - truly in any one of the games leading up to those Super Bowls - but they didn't. Everything went right - the "tuck," the last second Vinatieri kicks. This time, the luck ran out. This time, the plays weren't made when they had to be, this time a different team emerged victorious.
The lesson I've taken away from the Giants' Super Bowl victory over my beloved Patriots is one of sadness, for sure, but one of humility and one of appreciation for the season they had and the victories I've seen on the biggest stages. It's easy to lose, but so hard to win.
Published by Mo Morrissey
Mo has a lifetime of experience as a suffering Red Sox fan, but is a general jack of all trades. View profile
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4 Comments
Post a CommentAn interesting perspective. The only time I was really in a place for a first-person observation like this was in '99, when the Falcons got trashed by John Elway and I was in elementary school.
My only question is does Tyree's catch replace Franco Harris's as the Immaculate Reception?
Great job. We've had it good as Pats fans.
Good points all around. Any play in football can decide the fate of a game, and this past Super Bowl is no different. With a break here or there, many other football games, not just the Super Bowl, could have had different outcomes. That's football.