Monday, January 17, 2011

Not a fan of the favorite role

After yesterday's tough loss to the hated Jets it reaffirmed my distaste for being the favorite. I hated the undefeated 2007-2008 Patriots season. Every week there was everything to lose and nothing to gain. This postseason was much the same. People all had us in the Super Bowl. Furthermore,  playoff football is a one game elimination sport. The best team doesn't always win. It is about who is playing the best on that day.

With that being said, on paper the Jets are a better team than the Patriots. Overall they have better players than New England. They have more proven receivers and running backs. They have better corners, linebackers, and pass rushers.  People always say in Belichick and Brady we trust, and I agree that they are the best coaching/QB duo of all time and have not lost faith in them. At the same time they surely aren't unbeatable. The Jets are what the Patriots used to be. A team with something to prove. The difference is the Jets like to talk smack and create controversy but that's for another blog.  I'm hoping that next year the Jets will be the team everyone is going for and that the Patriots can get back to the underdog role they played so well earlier in the decade.

Before the season I thought this was a rebuilding year. We had a very young defense, Welker was coming off injury, and the O-line had question marks. On paper this was a 9 or10 win team. We flat out overachieved because of the great play by our rookies, most notably McCourtey, Gronkowski, and Hernandez. Danny Woodhead and BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Law Firm for short, were outstanding.  Brady had a season for the ages and Belichick showed he still has plenty left in the tank. We dealt with the Randy Moss issue and as usual came out on top. There is a lot to look forward to for next year especially with the 157 picks we have in the draft.

I hope we are in the Jets position next year. I hope we are the underdog going into New York. This is when the Patriots are at their best.  I'm not going to start complaining and being bitter about this loss. I'm fortunate enough to have a team that is good enough to make the playoffs. Think of being a Browns or Lions fan. At the same time it's not always great being the hunted. On day's like this I think back to 2002 Super Bowl win against the Rams and get nostalgic. Anyway, it's Celtics season now. Time to move on. Life's too short to let a sports game get you down.