FanPost

How this Houston boy became a Patriots fan.


I grew up in Houston, and although as a kid I dallied in Cowboys' fandom, I became a full-blown Luv Ya Blue Oilers fan in their salad days of the '70s (which unfortunately consisted of playing second fiddle to the Steelers). However after owner Bud Adams fired head coach Bum Phillips, the taste soured--even more so as the team descended slowly into the mire of mediocrity. I tried but never could believe in the run & shoot offense of the Jack Pardee, due to its innate weakness in the red zone. And no tight ends??? Gimme a break....

This troubled love affair ended altogether when the Oilers left Houston and became the Tennessee Titans. I had a brief fling with the Cowboys again under Jimmy Johnson--but then that huge Hall of Fame dumbass Jerry Jones had to go and fire him, so that was that. For years I was an NFL fan without a team, picking teams to favor from year-to-year. I decided one year that I would root for either Dan Marino or John Elway to win the Super Bowl--out of pity, of course. Then I found out while watching a Dolphins game that Dan Marino didn't like playing in the rain. Well, I decided then and there "screw him", because in my opinion ANY weather is football weather. That was fortunately the year that Denver beat Green Bay for their first Super Bowl victory. It was a great game that was won in the trenches, and I loved watching the vaunted Packers defensive line sucking wind! But I was no Denver fan after that--still a football fan without a team.

In August 2001 I moved from Texas to Maine for my current job, and of course I got bombarded with Patriots news. I had never taken much note of the Patriots except when they were playing the Oilers in years past. My main impression of the Patriots in the 1996 Super Bowl was that Drew Bledsoe seemed to be the kind of quarterback I dislike--those who have great statistics but don't win big games--and also that he looked like he was scared shitless of his own coach, Bill Parcells. So I didn't care much when Bledsoe went down with an injury. But when Tom Brady took over and they started to win games playing small ball (which is how he began winning, if you recall), I took some notice. I became increasingly excited as they got into the playoffs and continued to win. I remember avidly listening to the AFC Championship game with the Steelers on the radio, while driving home from a day of skiing at Sugarloaf with my family. By the time the Super Bowl came I was pretty revved up, although not yet a died-in-the-wool fan.

As we all know, the Patriots went into the Super Bowl as a Cinderella team, a prohibitive favorite against a preening St. Louis Rams team that had the gall to bill themselves "The Greatest Show on Turf". The Rams were introduced first, and all those Hall of Fame wannabes bounced onto the field with their individual introductions and ovations. Once that fanfare was finally over, the announcer said, "Ladies and gentleman, the New England Patriots!"--the entire team ran out onto the field together.

THAT was the moment I became a diehard Patriots fan. It was never clearer who the good guys were, and of course the good guys won. I remember talking to a friend in Texas after the game, and he said the wrong team won. I told him "Bullshit!", and history has proven me right. As a football fan I have been blessed with the Greatest Football Dynasty Ever, and I will never forget who gave me that gift.

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