Embrace the Hate, Patriots Nation

Having grown up in Massachusetts and watching three Super Bowl victories for my Pats, it was easy. Life was easy, life was different. Down here in Virginia, it's like being the lone wolf in a way. For two weeks all I heard was jokes about balls. Improperly inflated balls, to be exact.

First reports came out that I heard were the Monday after the AFC championship game, that the Patriots played the Indianapolis Colts and won 45-7 with 11 of 12 game balls underinflated. The idea was that middle linebacker DeQwell Jackson, after intercepting Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, brought the football to the Colts sideline claiming it felt light.

Normally, if this were the actual situation, any other team would just move on and go on with a normal two weeks prior to the Super Bowl. However, because of Spygate in 2007, where the Patriots were caught using an improper camera filming defensive signals on the Jets sideline, the cheating talks began.

I first heard about it and thought, who cares. It doesn't matter, they're going to the Super Bowl. Some people on ESPN such as Michael Wilbon claimed if found guilty they should be vacated from the big game. But the non stop coverage ensued.

What bothered me about it was all of the actual demonstrations and coverage people to just say their piece. And you know why this is? The Patriots are the Yankees of football. The Steelers of the 70's, the Cowboys of the 90's, whatever you want to say. People want to find a reason to doubt the success.

To the credit of Eric Mangini, the former Jets and prior to that Patriots coach who reportedly told NFL officials about the illegal filming, the Patriots were caught doing something illegal. It was also found during a season that happened in 2007/08... a season that I don't remember... something about the Giants and a helmet catch. Whatever if I don't remember it didn't happen.

There IS at least something there that was caught, proven, and punished (Patriots lost a 1st round draft pick). However, if the above, original report of Deflategate even had been true, there could never be any real proof outside of video of Tom Brady or Bill Belichick deflating some footballs in a dark ally somewhere in the depths of Patriots Place. Not found by the way. Number one thought I had, temperature drop, there's leather inside of footballs, boom. It's like the wheels on your car. Just no buzzer when it happens.

While that may not account for 1 psi of a difference, it seemed like a rational thought that nobody talked about. After what I can only imagine was the most extensive and rigorous of investigations, only one football was deflated. The reason it was deflated you ask? An NFL official, who has been fired, had a ball boy put it into the game because he was selling footballs that were supposed to be saved for a charity event. Yeah, great investigating, and more importantly to me, great journalism. Both sarcasm.

As someone who grew up a Drew Bledsoe fan, like my Dad, it's been a rocky road so to speak even with the three Super Bowl wins. My father and I always had a little bitterness when it comes to Brady. We remember that Bledsoe saved the Patriots franchise, when there was all the talk about moving from Foxboro, before Robert Kraft. What we really remember about him though, was the AFC Championship game in 2002. Brady goes down with an ankle injury, in Pittsburgh against a defense that was ranked #1 overall in that regular season in yards allowed per game (258.6). They were also third in points allowed per game (13.2).

Bledsoe, who had been replaced by Brady after the second game of the year due to a collapsed lung, from a ridiculous hit by Mo Lewis. Here check that out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNzd9Xd0who

I digress, Bledsoe came back in that AFC Championship game and went 10-21 for 102 yards and a spectacular touchdown to David Patten at the end of the first half, leading the Brady-less Patriots to a 24-17 win. To be fair, before Brady went down late in the second quarter, he had gone 12-18 with 115 yards, but we're talking about a Bledsoe that hadn't played since week 2 and this was for a chance to play in, at the time, their third Super Bowl (0-2, at the time).

Bledsoe threw a touchdown on his first play of the game, a 15-yard strike to David Patten in the corner of the end zone.

Since then, it's been all Brady. Bledsoe went to the Bills, amongst other teams later on, and Brady won three out of four Super Bowls.

Don't get me wrong, I fully understand how good Brady has been (with Belichick, who I say has been an even bigger component to the success in New England), but until this Super Bowl victory, there was always a little bitterness and a slight thought he wasn't as good as he used to be, especially decision making wise with the football. And I generally think his long ball sucks. But, the dude wins. And that's where this blog is going.

Until this win, in the face of all the (false) Deflategate allegations, it was almost frustrating to be a Pats fan. Last champions in 2005, had the winning in the big game stopped? 0-2 following the Dynasty. Free agents and draft picks just not working. Lawrence Maroney, Bethel Johnson, Roosevelt Colvin (not his fault it didn't work to it's potential, he got hurt, but he goes on here because he was paid pretty well for production that didn't match the pay), Chad Jackson, Brandon Merriweather (who I was personally not a fan of), just a host of poor decisions on players. I mean, literally, Reche Caldwell led the Pats in receiving one year. Troy Brown, a Patriots Hall of Fame wide receiver played cornerback for a few series throughout some games! He did great, but that wasn't even his first position! Some of the decisions this franchise made were looking rough. And then, the talk of the downfall of Brady began. Quick link to my man Trent Dilfer after the Patriots lost to Kansas City, several weeks prior to the 2015 Super Bowl.

Brady hit by Tamba Hali during the Patriots' 41-14 loss to Kansas City on Monday Night Football.

But, as it was, the Patriots went on to finish 12-4 in the regular season (10-2 after those comments) and win the Super Bowl. And yeah, those balls were properly inflated.

Now everyone wants to talk about the decision to throw the football from the 1 yard line or whatever it was on Seattle's part. Well, Pete Carroll was supposed to deliver New England a championship in the 90's, and he finally did. Thanks Pete.

And it's not like Brady didn't throw for 328 yards and four touchdowns or anything. Edelman only had 9 catches for 109 yards and a touchdown, and Gronk only had 6 for 68 and a touch. Amendola was everything Pats fans have been WISHING he could be, and Brandon LaFell was also spectacular. Jamie Collins and Rob Ninkovich spied Russell Wilson to perfection, first and second on the team in tackles respectively with 8 and 6 (total tackles). In the end, football is a game of inches. And whether anyone wants to say all they had to do was run it with "Beast Mode" Marshawn Lynch (who, cough, probably would have scored) Seattle would be champions again. But, as it turns out, they didn't get those last 36 inches.

And it doesn't matter, I watched a helmet catch. Wow, I can't believe I remembered that I don't remember anything else from that game... anyway, I remember a drop on such an easy catch, my grandmother could have caught it even with her walker. Damn it Wes, and they even play the Eye of the Tiger in the video. C'mon, man.

I mean, how. Just, HOW! AND THERE WAS HOLDING ON THE PLAY! JFKDSJFSDLFJDSL!!

Now, it's everyone else's turn to once again watch the Patriots at the top of their game. And with that, and all the talks of cheating, it's so nice to watch my team on top. Winning is the best remedy, and since Belichick has joined New England, nobody has done it more. I watched the game with my parents, and no Patriots-haters. And there was no other way I would have rather watched a win. It's the second I've witnessed with my dad (he was actually at the first two Super Bowl wins in New Orleans and Houston), and now all of us in Patriots Nation can just embrace the hate. And for the people who still call them cheaters, just think, Alex Rodriguez is at spring training right now. Yeah. How's that sitting?

Gronk like football. Gronk catch ball. Gronk run far. Gronk spike ball. Gronk champion.

Coming up, expect something on the current state of the Bruins, and at some point, I'll share my opinions on the Pacquiao/Mayweather fight that will surely disappoint to a level of epic proportion. Just saying.

Biased as always, MJ