Everybody Cheats...Even the Colts

[fezzik]

These elements weren't necessary to make your point, but...it just looks like you had an emotional response when you felt like your team was vindicated...nothing wrong with that, but there's no need to pretend like your post was anything but caustic and abrasive.

Arguably...even classless.

I'll give you that, my post was certainly abrasive because I let my emotions show. Also, I'm not above admitting that I could have gone about this differently. However, you can't argue that quite a few Patriots fans around here, and elsewhere, seem to look for any reason to deflect blame when it comes to their team's actions. That was the basis for what I was trying to convey before my emotions took over and turned this thing into a crap-flinging contest. I think Patriots fans should be able to enjoy their dynasty. Unfortunately, it seems that the Pats are almost as well known for what the team doesn't do right. While I do think the media is doing its best to make the Pats out to be villains, the Pats themselves, along with a defensive fanbase, are making it all too easy. It's just unfortunate that the team, as great as it is, has been overshadowed by controversy, finger-pointing and abrasiveness.

I agree that a lot of them deflect blame...it's probably more of a knee-jerk reaction to defend your team than anything else...like if my wife was in a subjective argument with a third party I would always support her and have her back (even if I disagreed with part of what she was saying...I would tell her my opinion later in private, but...she knows she always has my support).

I would have used a football analogy, but I'm a Dolphin fan and they have left me pretty apathetic this year...at least I have my fantasy team, because my real team is hard to watch.

It's difficult to say at this point what the Patriots legacy will be, but I think their accomplishments will outweigh the negatives...and they will be seen as one of the most dominant franchises of this era.

Emotion and passion for your favorite team are good things...

[dweenmachine]

They can't deny that their own team is one of the least likeable teams in the league and that their coach is one of the biggest jerks in pro sports. 20 years from now and the Patriots will still be remembered for the things they couldn't win on the football field.

I am a Steelers fan and I can tell you 20 years from now I will think that Tom Brady is one of the greatest QB's of all time, Bill Belichek (sp?) is one of the greatest coaches of all time, and the Patriots of 2000-2010 were the best team of the decade hands down.

I think people love to try to knock the top dogs (not DDD specifically, in general) down a few notches and will nitpick any way they can.

I think spygate is overated and I also think it is ridiculous to call Bill Belicheck classless. The guy wears a hooded sweatshirt and people make a huge deal of it. That's high school stuff.

If you want to call someone classless I would say Eric Mangini is your guy. It's fine when he did it but he turned snitch when he left the organization. That would get you shanked in some places

Couldn't have said it better myself... didn't Mangini go against the "code" of NFL coaches and go after Pats players and staff too soon or something like that? I remember reading/hearing that somewhere, that you're not supposed to go after your former team's staff or players for like a year or something.

Anyway, as many in this thread have said, this year's Pats will probably go down as the best team ever. I've been a fan all of my life, and I remember when season ticket holders would go to games with paper bags over their heads when it wasn't a cliche.

The Pats cheated, got caught, and are now even bigger targets of scrutiny as a result. Plus the fact that they're 9-0 kinda puts you under the microscope too huh? Don't let a bunch of annoying fans (no matter what team they cheer for) speak for an entire fanbase... that's just dumb. I didn't realize how hated the Patriots were until a couple of weeks ago. This is because I live in the bubble known as the Boston area, so the media is obviously biased here. I thought that the Pats had a reputation of being the team to emulate. I think most fans still believe that. Controversy aside, if I were a player, I'd want to play on a team like the Patriots...

[RocketsDWM]

Group Hug.

[Dr. Duran Duran]

Group Hug.

Brothers don't shake hands. Brothers gotta hug!!!

[steelerfan513]

They can't deny that their own team is one of the least likeable teams in the league and that their coach is one of the biggest jerks in pro sports. 20 years from now and the Patriots will still be remembered for the things they couldn't win on the football field.

I am a Steelers fan and I can tell you 20 years from now I will think that Tom Brady is one of the greatest QB's of all time, Bill Belichek (sp?) is one of the greatest coaches of all time, and the Patriots of 2000-2010 were the best team of the decade hands down.

I think people love to try to knock the top dogs (not DDD specifically, in general) down a few notches and will nitpick any way they can.

I think spygate is overated and I also think it is ridiculous to call Bill Belicheck classless. The guy wears a hooded sweatshirt and people make a huge deal of it. That's high school stuff.

If you want to call someone classless I would say Eric Mangini is your guy. It's fine when he did it but he turned snitch when he left the organization. That would get you shanked in some places

Couldn't have said it better myself... didn't Mangini go against the "code" of NFL coaches and go after Pats players and staff too soon or something like that?

Because the Patriots have every right to criticize teams for going against unwritten rules, like running up the score.

I'm not at all saying that the Patriots don't have the right to do what they do, but if they're going to leave Tom Brady in to throw long passes and do QB sneaks in the 4th quarter of blowouts, they have no right to talk about other coaches violating unwritten codes.