The last 16 years have been surreal as a Patriots. I have mentioned a few times on FanCom that when I was a kid growing up the Patriots were the laughingstock of the NFL. On Sundays, I was unable to watch my team due to blackout restrictions. The team struggled to sellout the dump that was Old Foxboro Stadium. I swear high school stadiums in other parts of the country were better than Foxboro Stadium. 

Momentum started to shift after a horrific 1992 season when NE finished with the worst record in the NFL. Somehow, this joke of a franchise was able to convince 2x Super Bowl wining Coach, Bill Parcells to take the reins. From there, he entertained trading the 1st overall pick, pondered selecting ND QB Rick Mirer but eventually settled on drafting a QB with a cannon arm named Drew Bledsoe. In 1994, the Patriots would return to the playoffs but eventually lose to former Parcells prodigee Bill Belichick and his Cleveland Browns. Eventually in 1996, the Patriots would make it to their first Super Bowl since they were destroyed by the Chicago Bears and their all-world defense. Parcells and the Patriots went through a bitter divorce. To this day, some Patriots fans don’t want to see him elected to the Patriots Hall of Fame because how things ended in New England. The Pete Carroll years were tough. They went from a Super Bowl contender to not qualifying for the playoffs in short order. That’s when Robert Kraft made arguably the greatest business decision. During the 1996, Belichick served as Parcells Assisant Head Coach on the Patriots Super Bowl Team. At the time of Parcells’ exit, it was believed that Kraft had interest in hiring Belichick but didn’t because he was a tight confidant with the Tuna. Robert Kraft wouldn’t let Bill get away a second time. The local newspapers destroyed Kraft for the hire. Noting Belichick’s tenure in Cleveland even going so far to call Belichick “duplicitous pond scum”. During Belichick’s 1st Draft he selected a QB in the 6th Round with the 199th pick named Tom Brady. During that 5-11 campaign, Brady stuck on the roster as the 4th QB. Can you imagine that? In today’s NFL a team is lucky to have 2 QB’s. We all know what happened the next season. The start of a modern day sports dynasty. The Patriots went from lovable underdogs to the most despised team in sports. I get it. People get tired of the seeing the same thing and honestly I don’t fault them. As I woke up though, I wanted to express my gratefulness for this epic run somewhere. I figured FanCom was the perfect place. The run will eventually end and fans across the country will be happy. It’s part of life. Everything is cyclical. I just want to say it’s been an amazing ride and I don’t take these moments for granted. That’s why I want to be in Minnesota so bad because you don’t know when you will witness the last rodeo. For the other 31 fanbases, if you are feeling down or you feel like your team will never get over the hump, think of me. I couldn’t watch my team when I was a kid growing up. I had to listen on the radio. Stay the course and stay positive. Every fan is rewarded for their love and passion. Being a fan isn’t easy but when things fall into place there is nothing like it. I don’t take this success for granted. I know it’s rare and that’s why I am truly grateful for what the New England Patriots have become.