There is, however, one small drawback to being a Patriots fan. We are totally incapable of being the underdog in any situation. On the surface, that might sound like a good thing. But sometimes, it can be a real drag. We maintain our "top dog persona" even when we don't win. It's ridiculous. We just lost the Super Bowl again, and yet we're still the team to beat. No matter what we do, win or lose, there's a popular notion that the AFC and the entire NFL still goes through us. People fixate on us. Opposing teams are obsessed with us. Every enemy has already circled us on their schedules before the season begins. We take everybody's best punches.
The perception is that the Patriots are the king, and, therefore, the Patriots are the team to dethrone. I don't like this perception. It's unwarranted. Do we have the king's crown right now? We haven't won the Super Bowl since 2004, so how come everything goes through us? Why doesn't it go through the Saints or the Packers or the Steelers or the Giants?
In any "David vs. Goliath" scenario, we can never have the meaningful advantages that come with being "David." The Giants have beaten us in two straight Super Bowls because they had an "us versus the world" mentality. That's a mentality that only a David-type team can have. As long as the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era exists, we can never experience that mentality.
I recently watched an ESPN video titled "Can the Patriots Run The Table?" In talking-up the Patriots, Skip Bayless predicts us being nearly perfect in the regular season and ultimately winning the Super Bowl. I also read this preview piece on CBSsports.com, which predicts the Patriots battling their way to a 16-0 record this season. It's a wonderful read, chock-full of terrific insight and razor-sharp analysis.
The same CBS preview piece has the Saints going 9-7, the Steelers going 10-6, the Cowboys and Eagles going 11-5, the Jets and Bills going 7-9, the 49ers going 9-7, the Packers going 14-2 and the Giants going 13-3. All of these teams get to fly under the radar and sneak-attack everybody else. Meanwhile, the Patriots are going 16-0?
Well, that's just dandy. What are we supposed to do with such a "perfect" team? The only place for us to go is down! We only have two options: Achieve what we're supposed to achieve because we're so good, or drastically underperform and fall flat of expectations. This is a crummy spot to be in.
This "Goliath perception" does not help the Patriots win championships, but it certainly helps us perform beautifully in the regular season. We dominate at will. But then we hit the postseason and we break. For once, it would be nice if we could be a wallflower and just blend in. Take some of this heat off. Go with the flow. Fly under that radar and experience the air on a different level. Sneak up on teams and blindside them. Be the underdog.
I can't deal with another amazing regular season without a Lombardi trophy. I miss the feeling of Brady lifting that trophy. So win or lose, I still have my NFL betting money ready for the Patriots. I think this is really their season to stand out.
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