And Thus, the Healing Process Begins

Less than 72 hours after Tom Brady and the Pats saw their once promising season cut far too short, Patriot fans are left wondering how to cope with such a tragic loss.

[Note to the reader: The following article was written by Brendan Hurley, a close friend and fellow die-hard Patriots fan from Lynn, MA. I find that in times of tragedy, whether it be in life or in sports, it always helps to surround yourself with people who are hurting just as bad as you are. This blog is all about giving a voice to the Boston Sports Fan and it is my hope that Brendan's article helps us band together even more, uniting us in what is sure to be a long and immensely difficult healing process.]

First off, I'd like to thank Boston's Headband for giving me the opportunity to write a guest column on their blog. Much of what you are about to read was also mentioned in Josh's most recent article, but a lot of the points need to be brought up again, so bear with me...

The Patriots, who many thought were in a rebuilding year this season, exceeded even the most optimistic of fans expectations, finishing the regular season at 14-2 with the highest scoring offense in the league and the best turnover differential in history. Quarterback Tom Brady had an incredible season, throwing 36 touchdowns to just 4 interceptions and breaking the record for most consecutive passes thrown without an interception. Undrafted running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis went from the bottom of the depth chart to starting running back and eclipsed 1,000 yards, becoming the first Patriot to do so since Corey Dillon in 2004. Unknown Danny Woodhead stepped right in when the beloved Kevin Faulk went down and the Pats didn't seem to miss a beat. 

The ultra-talented but venerable wide receiver Randy Moss was traded in the first quarter of the season  and everyone, including myself, was baffled. Why let go of, in my opinion, one of the most physically talented wide receivers of all time? Was this Belichick's way of throwing in the towel, not thinking the Pats had a shot to win it all this year? It was hard to argue with that logic. Although the Patriots were winning, their defense was showing its youth and inexperience, taking the term "bend but don't break" to the extreme. 

But then something magical happened. 

Fan favorite Deion Branch returned, and although it took a few games, suddenly the Patriots were back to being an offensive juggernaut. Watching Brady throw to Branch, you would have never thought he had been gone for the past four seasons. And the defense was improving, too. Rookie cornerback Devin McCourty showed all the critics why Belichick drafted him in the first round, shutting down many of the receivers he covered and playing at a Pro Bowl level. 

The Patriots were rolling. 

They weren't just beating many of the best teams in the league, they were demolishing them. They went undefeated at home for the second straight year and finished with the best record in the NFL, meaning the Super Bowl went through Foxboro. What was even more comforting than knowing they got to play at home the rest of the way was the fact that they had beaten every remaining playoff contender. The Jets? Check. The Colts? Check. Pittsburgh, Chicago, Green Bay? Check, check check. If you listened to WEEI or read columns by guys like Jerry Callahan, the Patriots were a lock to head to Dallas. They were firing on all cylinders and no one would be able to stop them. 

But then, something strange happened. 

The Patriots, who turned the ball over just 10 times during the regular season, began to do just that against the Jets Sunday night. Tom Brady made a throw that you don't see Tom Brady make, sailing a screen pass over his receiver's head and into the waiting arms of a Jets linebacker. This is when I got a bad feeling in my gut, thinking "the perfect storm is here." Then everything became unhinged. The team known for taking care of the ball started making uncharacteristic mistakes. Tight end Alge Crumpler dropped a touchdown in the end zone. Danny Woodhead fumbled. Later in the game, the normally sure handed Wes Welker dropped what could have been a touchdown. Special teams ace Patrick Chung botched an attempted fake punt, giving the Jets the ball back with tremendous field position. The offensive line got pushed around, allowing Brady to be sacked 5 times, hit and hurried numerous times, and at one point, hit in his right arm so hard I was half expecting to see it detached from his shoulder and laying alone on the turf. 

Everyone was to blame for the performance, all the way down to offensive coordinator Bill O' Brien. Beginning late in the third quarter and into the fourth, the Pats had the ball for over 8 straight minutes. It was the kind of methodical drive that New England was known for.

Except for one thing: the Patriots were losing. 

And not just losing, but losing by two touchdowns. Why did they eat up so much time off the lock, often handing the ball off when they needed two scores just to tie the game? Belichick seemed just as perplexed, as cameras showed him on the sidelines speaking to O' Brien and mouthing what appeared to be "Throw the ball!"

And, finally, at the end of the game Branch dropped a fourth down pass that would have extended the drive. 

And just like that, the season was over. No more walkthroughs, no more film sessions, no more practices, no more games. The Patriots 2010 season was over, having been knocked out of the players in the first round by one of their most hated opponents, the Jets. 

What's worse? The Jets told everyone it was going to happen. 

And thus, the healing process begins. People may laugh at this statement. "Healing Process? It's just a game! There are more important things in life!"Sure there are, but when a team you've read about, listened to and watched for a whole half year fails to live up to the potential that had grown for them, it doesnt't seem like anything else is important. The warm feeling of disappointment in your heart still feels the same. 

So how long will this take to get over? Probably not as long as Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS, maybe not as long as he 2006 AFC Championship loss, and definitely not as long as Super Bowl XLII, but it will still take a while. Speaking of that last game, of which I often refer to as "The Game That Shall Not Be Spoken Of," I still haven't gotten over that and I'm not sure I ever will. Like Leonardo DiCaprio in Shutter Island, it was an event so tragic that I've tried to block it out of my memory as if it never happened. I'm trying to do the game with this game. 


People often say that football can teach you a lot about life. After Sunday's game, I felt like it didn't just teach us about things in life, but about the concept of life itself. How everything can be going along just like normal, just as expected, but in the blink of an eye, it can all be over.