PERFECT is FUN, EVEN in NEW ENGLAND

Who would not want to be a true New England Patriots football fan these days? As I wrote on November 8th of this season, the Patriots finished the regular season being perfect. They already have a playoff win under their belts by beating a very good Jacksonville team last week, and now we are on the eve of yet another AFC Championship game, this time against the San Diego Chargers. Before this game is played tomorrow, I thought I'd share a few common thoughts of truly devoted Pat fans. Are you convinced yet? Do you believe this is the best team ever assembled? What is it they they have to do to convince you? Oh yeah, win that silly Super Bowl thing, right? Alright, alright, I guess we'll finish up that game, and then we'll talk again. But before they do, here are a few more thoughts.

First, as an avid fan, this perfect season wasn't as fun as it should be. Games got moved on almost a weekly basis so all of America could see our team. While that doesn't seem like a big deal to most people, and we should be "flattered" that everyone wanted to see, it cost me some serious problems. I work nights, and it cost me watching several entire games that I normally would have been able to see. Not whining, mind you, but that sucked for a true fan. I had to rely on word of mouth, and and maybe a co-worker getting an update on a cell phone, but I missed watching my boys.Not to mention the thousand of fans who had to make last minute changes in their plans to go to the games. How many had to give up their tickets because they couldn't go at the new time? Oh well, at least the rest of the world got to see how good our team was. Who cares about the rest of you though, we already knew.

Then we had the National media suddenly realizing how good Tom Brady and Coach Bill are. Really? Huh, we didn't know that for the past several years. Wasn't that Tom Brady throwing to nobody anyone ever really knew last year, in the AFC Championship game? I think so. For years we endured all of the Payton Manning hoopla, not to mention his 5,000 commercials. Manning, who had a few guys by the name of Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, and oh yeah, Edgar in James on his side this whole time. Funny, put talent around a good Quarterback, and he gets better. Who would have thunk? And Coach Bill? Same Coach, just shining through with all of the attention his team has garnered this season. I guarantee the rest of the football world that nothing has changed inside his locker room. They are focused every week, and they are hungry for more. Maybe the league should give him back his half a million dollars with his Coach of the year award. That would only be right.

So here come the San Diego Chargers, fresh off a tough, well deserved win of a very good Colts team in Indy. Obviously, they are a confident group, and that's OK. But I don't think they were paying much attention to all the late National games our Pats played this season. Talking trash San Diego? Are you kidding me? I'm not sure, but maybe,just maybe, you should have been a bit more cautious. Without ripping you, we'll find out tomorrow how much that affected the Patriot Players. Coach Bill can't control every emotion, after all. Enjoy the game world, I can't wait to see if Tom Brady is really that good!! Sigh.