After a season of writing for just about anything except the Patriots and reading so many articles on the other teams in the division I’m making the effort to return coverage of the Patriots to our blog. The first thing I would like to address is the term “Arrogant Pat’s Fan”, because it bothers me and I find it to be inaccurate in general. I have certainly seen Patriot fans defend their team and its players when necessary to do so and arrogant criticism does tend to provoke an arrogant response. Yet I have also seen Patriot fans join in the discussion of the wildcard possibilities of the other teams. I saw Patriots fans showing nothing but respect for where those teams were in the standings and how they could clinch that 6th spot this year. Perhaps the problem is it’s been so long since people saw an “arrogant” Patriots fan around here they don’t know what one what would sound like. I am sure there are arrogant Patriots fans; I see that all the other teams have arrogant fans so I know what one would sound like and I know where to find them.
Buffalo, New York is where arrogance meets ignorance every single year. Before they even finish their current losing season or make a single roster move they start pretending and posturing. It starts with the injured players returning or the latest coaching and/or quarterback change that will fix everything. The fans of Buffalo are forever convinced they are one move away from greatness, not just a winning record or a playoff appearance, but outright greatness. Lately it’s been the unstoppable defense and their pass rush and sack abilities I think that maybe the latest annual 6-10 team from Buffalo may have led the league in sacks. Nothing like a defensive end with a franchise quarterbacks salary to get some good numbers there. It’s too bad the other teams quarterback keeps throwing over the pass rush and scoring points but that’s where the ignorance part comes in. Noisy fans clamoring over winning battles but always losing the war. The real problem in Buffalo is the owner, the owner’s representative, or whatever mystery force makes the final decisions in Buffalo. Nothing will happen there until it changes and the Bills will looking up to the Patriots as long as the stars are in the sky.
Down in Miami there’s a different kind of confusion going on. Picture a bunch of guys wanting to play chess that can’t decide what table they will play on, how many pieces, which type of pieces, and who should determine the table and pieces. From their point of view the problem is never the pieces or players it’s those choosing which table, which pieces, and how to use them. Every few years they figure out one table, one chessboard, eight pawns, one king, one queen, and two of everything else. Next they see the resources to get these things and declare themselves future winners because they can show up with the right items. We got cap space, we got draft picks, some players already, and a stadium, victory is at hand! Unfortunately they seem to assemble some combination of bad players, good coach, bad GM or good GM, right players, wrong coach, or something that doesn’t work. The plan in Miami is too just randomly keep changing things until something works by accident and take credit for it. Deep down Dolphin fans are smart enough to know nothing is really going to change this year so they talk about winning the division in two years. This works because a quick start lets them proclaim this is their year and a slow finish means they’re just going into year two and need a new table, chessboard, etc…
Having won as many games as a blind kid flipping a coin 16 times would win this year the fans are fired up and ready to go. The word Miami must mean perpetual mediocrity but it’s fun watching their fans think otherwise. Oddly enough Miami has the most potential in the losers circle but are a long way from being like the Patriots or any other well managed NFL team.
Next up are the New York Jets who have never had a losing season. This is because they are from New York where 7-9 is better than 9-7 in some other place not as big as New York. The Jets are run by Rex Ryan who holds a record as a Head Coach very close to .500, this would not be good anywhere else but he’s in New York so it’s good. Rex was at his best when the team could outspend everyone else in the uncapped year of 2010 and then bankrupt the team’s future keeping that team together in 2011. Rex didn’t do that Tannebaum did, but Rex had the players the money bought didn’t he. Back to back championship losses are all the Rex could accomplish with all that money. The New York Jets are winning the 8 coin tosses the blind kid in Miami loses but their 8-8 is better because the kid is blind. If you can’t understand that it’s because you’re not from New York are you? If you’re not from New York you probably don’t understand the Jets also won this year because they went 8-8 with lousy players and were expected to do worse. They really need shirts with “We don’t suck that Bad” on them to remind everyone of this. You should be getting the message about now. There is no need to say arrogant New Yorkers the arrogant part is included in New Yorkers.
So there we have it. True arrogance is found in the chirping of those twits annually projecting the Patriots upcoming downfall just to hear their own noise. Their chatter never changes from year to year. Brady is getting old, so and so is injured, our draft was terrific, we have a franchise QB now and signed the best free agents available, the new coach understands football. The problem Patriots fans have is the chirping has yet to be backed up with action. Someday a team in the division team will sweep the Patriots, win the division, and unleash arrogance on a global scale. All that’s asked by Patriot fans is that your win first and then please celebrate and boast until you’re arrogant heart is content. It’s a very simple concept to grasp. Win first talk later.
As for Patriot fans they are not going to apologize for winning, or for having Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and Robert Kraft. They are going to enjoy winning seasons and playoff appearances whenever they happen the same as fans of your team would. So give the “arrogant” tag a rest and win first talk later as the Patriots have done.
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