FanPost

What do you admire most about the World Champion New England Patriots? **with updated Poll**

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It's that time of year where football fans look forward to the start of another NFL Season. It's also that time of year when we fans reflect on the past season and wonder how the Patriots did it yet again. Yep, the Patriots are once again starting the season as the defensing super bowl champs. Something that we've all become accustomed to over the past decade and a half. But it wasn't always that way.

The Pats, then called the Boston Patriots, came into the league (the AFL) the very same year that our favorite team the Broncos came into the league. And it just so happens that the very first AFL game was a match played between the Pats and Broncos. Well that first match would go down in the history books as a 13-10 victory for the Club from Denver it was far from exciting.

While the Broncos struggled mightily during the AFL years often finishing last in their division, Boston would go onto finish in the top half of their division many times and make it all the way to the 1963 championship. A game where they would ultimately lose in embarrassing fashion 51-10 to the Chargers from San Diego. Then in 1970 the AFL would merge with the NFL and the team would change their name to New England. That was also the year that things would change again for the boys in Red, white and Blue.

The Patriots would go on a 15 year road trip to mediocrity and bottom dwelling. Often finishing in the middle of their division or worse and rarely making it to the NFL tournament. Despite this losing streak, they had arguably the best logo in the league along with the all American name and colors representing the heritage and fighting spirit of our great nation. At the end of this stretch, the team would bolster it's roster, win some games and find themselves in Super Bowl XX where they would face the great Bears defense and arguably the greatest Running Back in league history. Of course those odds were too tall for the Patriots and they would lose the X-rated SB in embarrassing fashion 46 to10. But, at least the team was heading in the right direction and had cured their losing ways, right? Wrong.

New England would go on another road trip to mediocrity and bottom dwelling. This trip would last for a decade and would find the Patriots at the end of their division nearly every season and rarely in the playoffs. Unfortunately in 1993 the team would change their kick-ass logo to the Seahawk like logo we know today. But in that same year the team would acquire the Head Coach that would finally turn the team around for good. He was the kind of Head Coach that liked to buy the groceries and do the cooking. He was a hard nosed, no-nonsense guy that had a lot of success as the top dog for the Giants. Bill Parcells was in the house and things were finally looking up in bean town.

Parcells would bring a tough defensive minded game plan to the team but he would also draft the first franchise QB in the Patriots history. Drew Bledsoe was the real deal and along with HOFers Martin and Tippett the team was a contender. After a 6-10 season in 1995, the Parcells lead Patriots would accidently end up in Super Bowl XXXI thanks to a lackadaisical Denver Broncos team and one tough to figure out young QB named Marc Brunell. The Patriots would once again come up short in the big game thanks to Bret Favre and the Green Bay Packers. This time the loss was not embarrassing and the Patriots were legit contenders. Oddly enough, it would be Bill's last year as the Head Coach and GM of the revamped New England team.

Owner Robert craft wanted more control of the team so the grocery man Bill Parcells was sent packing. Owner Bob Kraft hired an energetic little fella who also knew a thing or two about defensive schemes. Despite being handed a team stacked with HoFer's, pro bowlers and all pros Pete could never regain the level of play that Coach Parcells did so Pete was fired after the 1999 season.

Cue the music Trogdor. Cue the Imperial March. Dunn Dunn Dunn Dunn Tadun Dunn Dunn Tadunnnn. That's right. The hooded one was on his approach, the evil empire was about to take hold of the league and the football world would never ever be the same. Dunnn Dunn Dunnn Dunn Tadun Dunnnn Tadun. Robert Kraft would start the Y2K off with a bang.

Well, more of a POP then a bang. Despite being handed the same stacked team that Coach Carroll was handed. New Head Coach, and Parcells disciple, Bill Bellichick of recent Cleveland Browns failure was hired. He did not fare better then his predecessor. In fact considering his roster, he stunk it up with a 5-11 record. Robert Kraft was not happy about the results considering the fact that Bill inherited names like Bledsoe, Faulk, Brown, McGinist, Bruschi, Law, Slade, Milloy, Johnson and Vinatieri. But Bob got over it and decided, much to the chagrin of the rest of the league, to keep old Bill around.

Well the start of the Millennium would prove to be the start of something very, very special in Foxboro Mass. because the New England Patriots would not only get over the proverbial bump they would win the Super Bowl and do it against all odds. However, in just the second game of that 2001 season the Patriots would lose a dog fight to their division rivals the J.E.T.S.. But that is not all that New England would lose that day, they would also lose their team captain, their starting quarter-back, their franchise quarter-back and fan favorite Drew Bledsoe. He was not just hurt he was injured and would be forced to miss most of the season.

Enter Tom Brady, the after thought, the skinny fat kid from the university of Michigan by way of California. The 6th round pick in Bill Belichick's very first draft as the Patriot's HC/GM. While Brady would not win that game against the Jets. He and the Pat's power-house defense would embarrass Peyton Manning and the high flying Colts the next week in what would be the first in a long line of marquee matchups between the two great signal callers. Much like that colts game, the padawan was not spectacular for the remainder of the season but he was smart and steady. More importantly, the Pro Bowl Rookie QB would gain confidence as the season went on and his play and his leadership would keep the veteran Drew Bledsoe on the bench most of the season and somewhat surprisingly even during the Super Bowl against the high flying Rams.

During super bowl XXXVI, it was Belichick's defense and kicker Adam Vinatieri that would lead the Patriots to their first championship in franchise history not Tom Brady but he was as steady and smart as he had to be in that game that changed the course of a professional sports league.

During Belichick's tenure he has gained a reputation for being a man of few words. A GM that is not afraid to fire players, to trade players a year before the rest of the league would dare to do so. Belichick has created a team first culture like none other in the league. The GM has the ability to draft, acquire and play football players, regardless of color, strength or size. Bill has shown the ability to turn careers around for the troubled players of the league once they have joined the Patriots way.

As a Franchise, since 1960, the Pats have been to the championship 10 times and won their division on 19 different occasions. In just the 17 years since Bill and Brady have been working together, they have won nearly 30 playoff games, 5 Super Bowls, 7 conference championships, played in 9 conference championships, won their division an unprecedented 14 times and only missed the playoffs three times. Simply amazing numbers and accomplishments in a salary cap driven league, a league set up for parity.

But Coach Belichick and Tom Brady for all of their glory and victories have not been without their share of controversery and questionmarks. The team, it's front office and coaching staff have also been at the forefront of scandal and deceit since the hooded one took power. Sometimes it's tough to separate the good from the bad, the allegations from the facts when it comes to Belichick, Brady and the Patriots. So as we start another NFL season where not only is the team from New England the defending champs but they are also favored to win their division for the 20th time as well as favored to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl for the 10th time, we are forced to recognize the teams accomplishments as well as their missteps.

So as football fans, besides their ability to skirt the rules, what is it that you admire most about the Defending Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots?

**I was having trouble with the poll on the first post so I was unable to add the "skirt the rules" option. I'm sure a very popular option in these parts**

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This is a Fan-Created Comment on MileHighReport.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff of MHR.