The craziest thing happened Sunday night. I found myself rooting for the Patriots to win the Super Bowl.
As a fan of the constantly up-and-coming New York Giants (I’ve been telling myself they’re still one year away for about three years), I went into Super Bowl Sunday as though it was just another game. I had no horse in the race, so who cares who wins, right?
But as the game started, I had a funny feeling. It’s like the time I got food poisoning, only I wasn’t about to throw up. No, I slowly began to root for a team that I hadn’t rooted for since middle school. It was around that time that I hit sports puberty and grew out of my Patriots fanboy stage. I grew up and put all my support behind the New York Giants.
That’s why I couldn’t understand the feelings I was experiencing as I sat with my family watching the Patriots on Sunday night. With every Rams punt, incomplete pass or stuffed running attempt, I grew slightly more excited. When Stephon Gilmore picked off that pass from Jared Goff with under three minutes to play, all but sealing the Patriots’ victory, I nearly cheered. And when Greg Zuerlein missed that field goal in the final moments of the game, I was clapping, but I did crack a smile.
By the time I left work on Sunday night, I was already feeling queasy. How could I have betrayed my Giants? How could I have cheered for those disgusting cheaters known as the New England Patriots? I tossed and turned throughout the night (thankfully my 10-month-old daughter Quinn also didn’t want to sleep so she kept me company), trying to find the answer. Why was I so glad to see the Patriots win?
Finally, around 3 a.m. it hit me.
The Patriots’ dynasty has officially ended.
Much like the saying, “you hate something until it’s gone,” goes, the Patriots have given me a reason to watch playoff football for nearly 20 years despite not being a fan of the team. Twice, my Giants got a chance to play the Patriots in the Super Bowl (in what us G-Men fans refer to as “the good old days”), while seven other times in that span have the Patriots played for the Super Bowl. We all need a villain to root against, and the Patriots have provided that for all the non-Patriot fans throughout the country for two decades. Sunday night’s victory all but sealed the fate of the New England dynasty as being finished, and perhaps us “haters” really didn’t know just how much we loved having the Patriots around to hate on.
I know, I know, everyone has been saying that the dynasty is dead for the past few years, including after last year’s Super Bowl when the Patriots lost to the Eagles. This year was different, however, and the signs of the dying dynasty were all over the game on Sunday night.
Take Tom Brady. Sure, he has looked like an elite quarterback in the weeks and games leading up to the Super Bowl, but on the biggest stage, Brady was far from his best. The glue and tape behind this glorious run — the freaking GOAT — was 21-of-35 for 262 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. Those are Marcus Mariota bad numbers. One year ago, Brady threw for 505 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions against Philadelphia. Even though the Pats lost, their Hall of Fame QB was still playing at an elite level. And if you can’t admit that several of Brady’s throws in Sunday’s Super Bowl win were not downright awful, then you are in denial.
Brady didn’t win the Most Valuable Player award on Sunday, which is another tell-tale sign that his days are numbered, and he was the winning quarterback during what was the lowest-scoring Super Bowl of all time. That means that a Trent Dilfer-led team — hell, an Eli Manning-led team — scored more points than Brady’s offense did on Sunday. Sure, I would still take Brady over most every other quarterback in the league to lead my team next season, but the days of him single-handedly winning a team a Super Bowl are over.
As if his age and last night’s performance isn’t enough, how about the fact that Brady is about to lose his binky. For years, Rob Gronkowski has been the man who Brady can sling the ball to when he needs a few tough yards, or needs someone to make a play. He did it Sunday night in the Super Bowl when Gronk laid out to haul in a pass to set up the game’s only touchdown. While nothing has been officially announced as of yet, Gronkowski is going to retire after this season. He was asked about retirement during his press conference following the game and he said he would take “one or two weeks” to decide his future, but if that’s all the time he needs, my guess is he already knew that if he won, he was done.
Another sign of the times was Bill Belichick running around after the game smiling and cracking jokes with reporters. While anyone in their right mind would be jubilant after winning a Super Bowl, Belichick seemed extra happy, especially for someone who never shows emotion. It was almost the kind of emotion one might show when they know they are about to go out on top.
There are other players to worry about as well. The defense is also going to feel the loss of safety Devin McCourty, who is probably going to join Gronkowski and Belichick in retirement. Plus, Patrick Chung’s arm was in a sling at the end of last night, and who knows what will happen with him. And what if Julian Edelman’s PED guy decides to retire? What then?
How about the team that the Patriots beat? The Los Angeles Rams? Fans in that city hardly care about either of their local NFL teams. They’re more concerned about the future of Anthony Davis than they were with the Rams being in the Super Bowl. The Patriots did plenty of things to lose the game to a team that no one was really rooting for. People were just rooting for the Patriots to lose.
So yes, the dynasty ended just after 10 p.m. on Sunday night when Tom Brady and the New England Patriots won their sixth and final Super Bowl. Next year’s championship game will feature the Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Giants, while the Patriots will finish second in the AFC East and miss the playoffs entirely.
Now that I think about it, maybe I was dreaming at 3 a.m.
The Patriots dynasty is dead? Well, at least until next year.
Jason Butynski is a bitter fan of the New York Giants, Greenfield native and Recorder Sports Editor. His email address is jbutynski@recorder.com.