I went to my first game in Foxboro on opening day in 1985. My beloved Patriots played the Green Bay Packers, and I was lucky enough to get down on the field with my father and meet some of the players. I remember being completely awe struck by the likes of Irving Fryar and Mosi Tatupu.
I was so happy to be there watching the Patriots defeat the Packers 26-20 that when the final seconds on the clock expired, I refused to leave and my father was forced to drag me out of the stadium.
I proceeded to watch every single second of every game of that season, which sadly ended in decimation at the hands of the Super Bowl shuffling Chicago Bears.
Despite the one-sided Super Bowl XX result, I figured the road to the Super Bowl would be traveled frequently by the Patriots. I thought Andre Tippet and the boys would bring home a Super Bowl to New England. Let’s just say that I was sadly mistaken.
It took the Pats 11 years to make it back to the Super Bowl. They lost the big game to Packers in 1996, before making it to the promise land with a rousing victory over the Rams in 2001. This year the Pats are competing for their third Lombardi trophy in three years.
The Patriots began this season in great disarray due to the shocking exit of team captain and fan favorite Lawyer Milloy. The season’s first week brought the team to Buffalo and the unfriendly confines of Rich Stadium. The images of Bledsoe’s pin-point accuracy and Milloy celebrating all over the field throughout a 31 – 0 blow out did not sit well with fans and the relentless Boston media. Many people were questioning the move to unload Milloy, and the wound was salted by the fact that Bledsoe’s arm had come back to haunt the Patriots. I felt these critics were jumping to conclusions, but nonetheless there was great reason to be concerned.
The Patriots not only recovered composed one of the most magical seasons in NFL history, winning fourteen straight games on the road to the Super Bowl. Instrumental in this process was the resiliency of not only the team and coaching staff, but also the Foxboro faithful, who endured rain, snow and arctic temperatures as the Pats made their run to the Super Bowl. I was fortunate enough to attend the highly anticipated and much ballyhooed game versus the Miami Dolphins in week 14.
I believe the Dolphins game was the turning point in the season. As the game played out and the resourceful fans, who did not sit for one second of the game, put beautiful use to the heavy snow, tossing it into the air like celebratory confetti, I realized the team would not lose another game all season. This might sound arrogant, biased and subjective, but it should, because I’m a Patriots fan and they will not lose.
The Patriots won’t lose because they possess such great chemistry. There are no stars, simply modest hard working teammates. The team is coached by a genius with two weeks to have the Carolina Panthers foremost on his elaborate mind. If Jake Delhomme and the rest of the Panthers wanted a fair shot at winning this game, they would have pleaded with the NFL to eliminate the bye week leading up to the Super Bowl. One cannot expect to give “The Genius” two weeks of preparation, then expect to stand a chance of defeating him. Bill Belicheck’s game plan promises to be disciplined, tactful and precise.
The game, however, will be close and does feature two teams with very similar styles of play. These teams are not the Cowboys and 49ers of the 90’s. Both the Patriots and the Panthers feature little flash or glamour. The game plan for both teams is structured and calculated. Panther’s coach John Fox has managed to absolutely revitalize the Carolina Panthers organization and they are a tough team. I point this out because I am aware of the strong challenge that Carolina poses. Unfortunately, they will be defeated due to the deciding factor: Tom Brady. Brady plays the quarterback position with a tranquility that has not been seen since Joe Montana.
The final reason I believe the Patriots are destined to win has to do with a chance conversation I had with a complete stranger the last time I was in North Carolina. I was walking in a store and a woman stopped me and exclaimed, “Son, where you from?”
I was a little taken aback, so I paused and eventually asked, “You mean where do I live or where I was raised?” She said, “I asked you where you were from?” Realizing I wasn’t getting anywhere with her, I responded, “I was born in New Hampshire, but I grew up in Maine.” She snapped back with “I knew you was from New England because y’all move too fast!” I laughed and moved by her. I predict that woman will be saying the same thing as our Patriots move by her Panthers on their way to a second Super Bowl victory in three years. Go Patriots!
Andrew Sparda can be contacted at [email protected]