I’m Not a Patriot…
…no, not in that sense. With the upcoming Super Bowl matching up the New England Patriots against the New York Giants I ask you this: Who could possibly hate the New England Patriots right now more than Oakland Raider fans?
Say what you want about this season’s Patriots, I won’t dismiss the accomplishments of the players, they’ve played their asses off. However it’s all been tainted by the Spygate incident that was exposed earlier this year. After hearing all the details of the Patriots cheating and how far back it goes it puts an asterisk on all their seasons back even to the infamous Snow Bowl.
Hey, I try not to hate on good teams but the past few seasons the Raiders have stunk and it’s the kind of stench that you can only achieve with a piss-poor management performance from top-to-bottom in the Raider organization. In times of famine it’s natural to remember the “good years” and nothing puts salt in the wounds of faithful Raider fans like the phrase “Snow Bowl”. That AFC Championship the Raiders lost in spectacular fashion and if you recall the game the Raiders had a number of chances to claim victory. Even then you had what felt like divine intervention with the now infamous tuck-rule which was followed by one of the most unbelievable kicks in NFL history with Adam Vinatieri kicking an overtime field goal in what had to be 4 inches of snow. So why does this hurt so much?
Maybe it’s a right of passage for Raider fans. Older Raider fans recall the Immaculate Reception against the Steelers as one of the most painful moments in professional football. My generation may well remember the Snow Bowl as the modern day equivalent. What make acceptance of being a fan of a team on the receiving end two bad games in history is the fact the Raiders do hold three NFL Championships which stands in stark contract to my struggling Chicago Cubs who seem to be on the receiving end of bad luck too but who have never won the World Series. But I digress…
As I look back on the Snow Bowl and factor in that the coaches for the Patriots may very well have cheated that fateful game I can’t help but be a bit bitter. Then factor in the Randy Moss, the guy was a dud for the Raiders which, admittedly, wasn’t all his fault but the fact he clearly didn’t give 100% for the Raiders and tries to wear the “leader” hat is a joke. The guy, while arguably one of the most talented receivers in NFL history, is also one of the biggest under achievers. Yes, despite all the accomplishments in his career he could have been even better had he given 100% in each and every game he played with the Vikings and the Raiders.
So I conclude this rant by simply saying while I could care less about the Giants, I hate the New England Patriots and a loss Sunday would give me tremendous satisfaction as it would prevent another Super Bowl trophy and it leaves the 1972 Dolphin’s where they belong, rightly on top as the only prefect team in NFL history.