This is not just another game. It’s not another Super Bowl or another ring. In New England, it is so much more. Every time the Patriots win, it feels as good as the first time. Although I was young when Brady led the Patriots to his first Super Bowl, I remember the excitement and the joy as if it were yesterday. My five year old self remembers my father and brother in shock and overjoyed with emotion. I remember going to school and the win being the only thing anyone could talk about. At such a young age, I was introduced to the beginning of a culture that would only grow to be bigger and better than any other sports dynasty, ever.
I’ve grown up spoiled, in terms of sports (although my father would argue that I’m just spoiled, period). Boston, in my lifetime, has experienced three Red Sox World Series Wins, a Bruins Stanley Cup win, a Celtics NBA Championship, and, of course, four Super Bowl wins (and 6 appearances). Other cities cannot say that they have had the chance to experience nine championship parades. It is something that separates Boston sports from the rest of the country. We are the city of champions. We are a city full of passionate and dedicated fans. Fans full of emotion with no age distinction.
Grown adults and young children, alike, cry over big victories. All in attendance cheer loudly and chirp the opposing team, while those watching from home all yell at the TV like anyone important can hear what they are saying. The passion for the Patriots and Boston, in general, runs blood deep. Fans watch every week with the same anticipation, sitting on the edge of their seats even if the Patriots are predicted to win with a more than likely margin.
When the next Super Bowl victory came around, and then the next and the next, these feelings did not change. No one felt complacent; “oh yeah just another Super Bowl, no big deal.”
Everyone, instead, reacts “ANOTHER RING!” The excitement surrounding every win, whether a division win, Super Bowl win, or even just another win over rivals like the Giants feels like it is the very first time.
So Patriots fans go into today with overwhelming excitement. Bars will be packed, homes will be full of food, and people will be dressed in any Patriots merchandise they own. They will be hoping and praying that our boys bring us to victory like they have many times before. All of New England will be antsy, anticipating seeing TB12 hold up another Lombardi Trophy. Hoping that they see Bill Belichick smirk (because that’s when you know he’s happy) and Robert Kraft walk on stage in his infamous Nike Air Force One’s.
It isn’t another game. In no way are Patriots fans going into today cocky or with any preconceived notions. We have walked out of Super Bowls with results that we did not expect, so we do not plan to jinx ourselves. We have confidence in our team, in this team, to go out onto that field with 110% of everything they have. We trust that Brady is going to lead us the way he has all season as he avenges Goodell, going from a four game suspension to a Super Bowl appearance. We know that McDaniel’s will call plays to overwhelm the Falcon’s defense while Patricia shuts down Matty Ice. Every part of this Patriots team will do it’s job and no one in New England doubts this.
Today, we aim for one more. One for the thumb. The next one. Today, the Patriots will “Do Their Job.” They will run onto that field to finish this mission they have had all season. To avenge Goodell and the league. To prove wrong all the doubters. To dominate the NFL, again. Today, the Patriots aspire to further establish their place in history as the greatest franchise that professional football has ever seen.
