myguideNewEngland

Patriot’s pursuit of perfection

December 28th, 2007

We all strive for perfection in our lives, but rarely ever attain it. Perfection in reality is just a dream. So, on Saturday night at the Meadowlands the New England Patriot’s will try to do the impossible, make their dreams a reality. It all comes down to this one game, will the Patriot’s let perfection slip through their fingertips, or will they join the 1972 Miami Dolphins as the only team in NFL history to go undefeated in the regular season? Only time will tell, but if I were a betting man I’d drop some money on the Patriot’s.

The mere fact that I’m writing about the Patriot’s going undefeated seems absurd to me! As a lifelong resident of Boston, I’ve spent the past 26 years of my life watching many dismal Patriot teams fall by the wayside. We were the laughing stock of the NFL, even when we went to the SuperBowl in 1985 nobody thought we had a chance to beat the Bears. And they were right, the Bears demolished us as we were laughed out of the stadium in New Orleans. From the locker room sexual harassment allegations during Victor Kiam’s reign as owner, to another painful SuperBowl loss in New Orlean’s against the Packer’s in ‘96, nothing ever seemed to go right for the Patriot’s.

All that changed one Fall afternoon in 2001, Drew Bledsoe was still the QB for the Patriot’s until he was hit so hard he almost died. In stepped Tom Brady to replace him, and the Patriot’s have never looked back since. Tom Brady led the Patriot’s to 3 SuperBowl victories, and has set his sights on number 4. To think that he has won 3 SuperBowl titles in 7 seasons is amazing. And when all is said and done for the 2007 season, if they don’t win number 4, the perfect season will mean nothing.

This weekend’s game is meaningful, it’s what every young athlete dreams of, the chance to be the hero. And it’s what every sports fan lives for, the chance to say that their team has done something that no other team has done, and quite likely that no other team will ever do again. So, as you’re sitting in front of the TV eating appetizers and drinking beers soak up all the glory of this moment. Because, as Robert Frost once wrote “nothing gold can stay”.

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