New England fans revel in sweet victory

By Jakob Hosmer
Assistant Sports Editor

Boston fans needed this. We needed it bad. For most of us, it hasn't even sunk in, yet; --some of us are still trying to get over the fact that we've made it to the AFC Championship game,-- but for the first time in the team's 42-year history, the New England Patriots have brought the Lombardi trophy home to Massachusetts.

Maybe one of the reasons this hasn't sunk in, yet, is because it was such an unlikely season for this momentous event to occur. Starting off with a record this season of 0-2, then losing their starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe to a chest injury, nobody would have realistically planned on the Patriots being the champions of Super Bowl XXXVI. And speaking of losing star players, let's not forget all the trouble before the season even started with Pats star receiver Terry Glenn, who would end up sitting the entire season out.

But that's one of the things that makes this particular victory so sweet for New England fans. The Patriots clawed their way up from what seemed early on to be a lost season, clinched a first round bye in the playoffs and home field advantage against the potent Raiders, shocked the Steelers in Pittsburgh, and then did the unthinkable by winning the Super Bowl against one of the best offensive teams in the history of football. All of this without huge name superstars.

The Rams were favored to win the Big Game by fourteen points, and for good reason. Heading their killer offense were Kurt Warner at quarterback and Marshall Faulk at running back. Kurt Warner has been one of the most respected quarterbacks in pro football this season, his fourth in the NFL, throwing for over 4,800 yards, according to the Sports Illustrated website (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/players/4541/). As the site points out, Faulk has been a presence in the NFL ever since he started playing in 1994, rushing for well over 1,000 yards in seven of his eight seasons, including 1,382 yards this season. His quick moves are reminiscent of a recently retired legend, Barry Sanders.

The Patriots, on the other hand, lacked the superstars. Granted, they have their names that stick out: Tom Brady went on to be the youngest quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl. Last season, which was his rookie year, he threw only three pass attempts, according to the ESPN website (http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs01/columns/pasquarelli_len/1322633.html). Although he had an impressive season for someone who had to take the place of Bledsoe, he certainly didn't have the respect that Warner did. The Patriots running game was led by Antowain Smith, this being his first season with the Patriots and just his second season in which he rushed for over 1,000 yards, according to the Sports Illustrated website.

But they got the job done. Smith pounded 92 yards out against the Rams defense in the Super Bowl, visibly giving every effort he could to give his team extra inches down the field. Although Brady didn't do anything very wrong, one could say he didn't have any momentous accomplishments until the final drive of the game, which set up the game winning field goal by Adam Vinatieri.

In the end, more good than bad can be said about the Pats' offense; they must have been doing something right to end the 2001 season as the world champions of football. But the story for the Pats this season, and certainly in the final game down in New Orleans, was their defense.

Made up of veteran players such as Ty Law, Otis Smith, Willie McGinest, Brian Cox, and Teddy Bruschi, the Pats offense contained the Rams legendary offense for most of the game. Three turnovers were converted to 17 points, including Ty Law's interception, which he returned for a touchdown. Anyone watching the game could see that it was not a fluke interception, but was forced when Warner was being brought down by New England's aggressive defensive line.

That's what made it so much better. Although Brady got MVP, we all know it was truly a team effort in getting to where they ended up, and they ended up on top of everybody. The introduction couldn't have been more fitting: introduced as a team, no superstars, no heroes, just one team wanting to win. It was as if to say "we don't want to waste time with individual names… we're ready to play."

But why do we think here in New England that we're so special for winning just one championship? One reason is because we've been disappointed by our teams so many times, only to stick with them no matter what. A victory on this scale is something we've all been dreaming about for years, especially since it's something we've never seen from the Patriots.

Watching the game, some of us were wondering who might be the next Bill Buckner (the man who let the ball and a game six World Series win roll through his legs in 1986): would it be McGinest with his defensive holding penalty that called back Tebuckey Jones' fumble return for a touchdown, or would Vinatieri miss what could be a game winning field goal?

As it would turn out, other than the penalty McGinest played an epic game; with three tackles and a sack, he was key in keeping the pressure on St. Louis' offense the whole game. And Vinatieri proved himself once again with the season-winning 48-yard field goal, just as he proved himself in the snow against the Raiders with a game-tying and a game-winning kick in overtime just two weeks ago.

We've been thirsty for a championship in New England for far too long. The Bruins haven't won the Stanley Cup since 1972; the Celtics won the NBA Championship back in '86. Our beloved Red Sox have been breaking our hearts since 1918. The Pats have never before won the Super Bowl, not in their 42-year history. This season, the last one to be played in the old Foxboro stadium, was finally it. The third try, all three of New England's Super Bowls played in the same stadium no less, and we've come away with a victory.

Is this it? Is this the beginning of something wonderful, the gasp of fresh air after years of stale defeat and disappointment? Well, any true Boston sports fan will tell you not to get your hopes up, yet, but both the Celtics and the Bruins appear to be on their way to their respective playoffs. That, and the Red Sox are under new ownership this year. Obviously, it's too early to even speculate on other Boston championships this year, but one can't help but think that a Super Bowl win could spark something dangerous; an infectious taste of victory may be just what's needed at Fenway and the Fleet Center.

It's something indescribable, and certainly irreplaceable. You just have to be a true Boston fan to know the feeling of a win like this; we've gone through years of disappointment, but we remain loyal to our teams, not just loyal… intensely loyal. Take the Red Sox for probably the best example.

Most Boston fans weren't alive to remember the last time we won a World Series; in fact, it's turned into something almost mythical: all the talk of a Curse of the Bambino, the almost unbearably painful memories of Buckner in '86, and the uncountable number of players we've traded away over the years only to watch them become superstars. But none of that really matters. As much as we may verbally express our disappointment and letdowns, we will still stick by our teams.

The Red Sox could win one game all year, and we'll still tell anyone else that we rule. And let the Yankees have their twenty-whatever championships since 1918. The Yankees, to Boston fans, will still always suck. For the amount of frustration, as much as we curse the decisions and bonehead plays that sometimes occur from coaches, owners, and players alike, we will always stick by our teams, and that's why there are no fans like Boston fans. Of course this applies to all our teams, not just the Sox or the Pats.

After all the years of disappointment, all the hard times, a sports fan born and bred in New England will still always have the idea for their teams that "this is the year." They don't give up hope, and keep the faith.

In the end, however, we all have to remember that a game is still a game, not to mention a game played by professional athletes making obscene amounts of money. But sports bring us a change from what can sometimes be stressful daily lives, and they can serve as a metaphor.

One shouldn't look into things too deeply; that's when they get confusing. But if we can bring something good out of it, a metaphor for life if you will, then that is something we should do. The idea of staying loyal to your home team no matter what should apply to us as a people, as a nation, with the real "home teams" that we stay loyal to being the fundamental and most sacred aspects of our lives: family, friends, beliefs, and the journey to find ourselves as individuals and to better those around us. Life will be disappointing; life will be frustrating; and unfortunately, yes, life will sometimes be tragic, as we all know, especially after recent events.

But to not give up no matter what, to remain loyal to what we believe in and to always try to stay true to ourselves and those we love, that is what really matters. We all need to keep the faith and to not give up hope.

Back to Guidon index