I’ll Never Let Go, Tom Brady: My Love Affair with the ’01 Patriots

I vividly remember the moment anytime the glorious scent of donuts strikes my nose.

I was in college and my friends and I were putting the finishing touches on a modest pregame spread to celebrate what appeared to be a mismatched Super Bowl.

The New England Patriots were playing the St. Louis Rams in the Superdome, and I couldn’t be less invested in either team. But it was the Super Bowl…and I would watch because of a strong moral obligation.

To hedge against the impending blowout, my friends and I compiled a conventional selection of game day foods with one notable exception…donuts.

Predictably, none of us minded that a friend, inexperienced with game-day cuisine, had provided one dozen deliciously glazed and glistening donuts. Sitting between wings and chips, they weren’t bad.

Just different.

We maneuvered around my cramped dorm room as the festivities began to subside and the business of player introductions loomed about. This was always my favorite part of the Super Bowl because it was one of the only times where I was able to discern genuine emotion and nervousness from the players.

The magnitude of the game was written on each individual face.

But the emotion was even more evident in light of the events of September 11th. While the usual pomp and circumstance of the game was on full display, the notion of a unified patriotism was clearly evident through all the pregame performers.

For me, the atmosphere was vaguely reminiscent to Super Bowl XXV in 1991 after Whitney Houston’s performance of the Star Spangled Banner. The stadium was full of emotion with the Gulf War weighing heavily on most American minds.

I was glad to be watching the Super Bowl and feeling proud of my country just months after finding myself in a Spanish class where our teacher inexplicably communicated to us in indecipherable Spanish that the World Trade Center was being attacked.

Released from class early, we wandered around campus oblivious to the developments but aware that something was amiss.

Even though the teams disinterested me, the merging of all these feelings, along with one of the teams being named the “Patriots,” was more than enough to gain a small notion of intrigue and persuasive rooting interest in the game.

The player introductions began, which meant the Rams would be trotting out the key components of the “Greatest Show on Turf.” One-by-one, the most impressive offense assembled in my lifetime was introduced.

When the time came for the Patriots to be introduced, something odd happened.

Instead of hearing the individual names of the offense or defense, the entire team pooled out onto the field, each individual forming one large and cohesive unit.

It was at that moment that I became a fan of the New England Patriots.

Whether it was a testament to the underdog status, the fervor of patriotism, or the team entrance onto the field, I’ll never be able to honestly say what most contributed to my conversion. But as a lifelong believer in the importance of teamwork and the solidarity of camaraderie, the Patriots’ approach spoke to me.

Their offensive strategy was as provocative as an episode of The Golden Girls, and it stood in stark contrast to the track-meet style of the Ram’s offense—but it was blue-collar and deliberate.

And it worked.

In fact, their entire roster could have been described as blue-collar and deliberate. Instead of focusing on big name free agents with equally large price tags, the Patriots plundered through other team’s scrap heaps to make shrewd signing after shrewd signing.

Cast-aways and also-rans were reborn as Patriots, mirroring the composition of our nascent nation’s militias that fought against red-coated and blue-blooded cousins from across the pond.

And though it may seem silly to put so much meaning into a game when there was a much larger undertaking going on throughout our country, the team, their name, and the mantra of the night all converged into something bigger and more profound than a sport’s championship.

Through the entirety of the game, my interest and investment in the Patriots grew rapidly. The ups-and-downs of the game gnawed at me. While I had begun the night disinterested and impartial, as the seconds ticked away I needed the Patriots to win.

There was a bigger symbolism that had to be served.

The Patriots’ vanquishing of the Rams in overtime was the subtle gesture of symbolism I needed. The nature of the upset recalled the original essence of our country and the sturdy foundation of stubbornness that it was built upon.

Even though our courtship was brief, the ’01-’02 Patriots are my favorite all-time team. I continue to root for the Patriots, not just because of the meaning I’ve attached to that night, but because (Spygate aside) they continue to be a franchise that stands apart from all the others.

Kind of like those donuts.

The Mother of All Interviews: 20 Questions With Cortland Finnegan

One of the key cogs in last year’s suffocating Titan defense was cornerback Cortland Finnegan. After emerging from the depths of the 2006 draft, Finnegan has provided the Titans with a playmaking, shutdown corner and, after the most recent season, he can add “Pro-Bowler” to the long list of adjectives that describe him.

With the losses of defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, the Titans will rely even more heavily on Finnegan to emerge as a leader of the unit.

To better understand Finnegan, I’ve submitted a list of 20 questions designed to peek into the core of his soul:

1. You obviously haven’t taken the typical path to becoming a Pro-Bowler. Who was most instrumental in helping you get to where you are today?

2. What is the most underappreciated aspect of your game?

3. If a movie was to be made about your life, what actor do you believe should be  cast as you?

4. Your musical exploits for singing “Let’s Get It On” at a Karaoke Benefit for Leukemia have been uploaded to YouTube. What song would you perform at a tryout for American Idol?

5. Hypothetical #1: Let us assume that the Finnegan name will be passed on to a healthy baby boy. Being predisposed to football excellence, he pursues a career in the NFL. Would you rather him be the best kicker in the game or an average cornerback?

6. In the picture attached to this article, what exactly are you looking at? Be honest.

7. Who wins in a thumb war between you and Keith Bulluck?

8. If you could intercept any quarterback from all-time, who would you most like to victimize?

9. What are your plans for life after football?

10. Hypothetical #2: Aliens have launched an aggressive assault on planet earth with the intent to eradicate all human life. Through a miraculous chain of events, we have diplomatically convinced them to resolve our differences over control of the plant through a two-on-two basketball game to 21.  Through various methods of selection, you have been selected as one of the earthly representatives and given the authority to pick your teammate, with the only caveat being that you must pick one of the actors/actresses from the ensemble hit TV show, Friends. Whom would you choose and why?

11. Why did you choose #31?

12. What player have you styled your game most after?

13. What was your backup plan if football hadn’t worked?

14. Name one thing you would do differently in your football career from high school until now.

15. Hypothetical #3: In 5 years, time travel will not only be possible, but it will be commercialized. As such, you are invited to participate in the Laser Tag Championship of All-Time (Sponsored by Budweiser and featured on ESPN 6). Spanning recorded history, name the 3 people you would select for your team and why.

16. Which wide receiver gives you the most trouble and why?

17. If you were a wrestler, what would your ring name be?

18. You and Derrick Mason had a memorable scuffle last season. Which vengeance scenario against him would be more desirable: A throttling hit where he fumbles and a teammate takes the fumble back for a touchdown or stepping in front of him for a long and lusty interception return for a touchdown?

19. What is your favorite defensive formation to play out of?

20. Hypothetical # 4: If, in the near future, your entrance into any restaurant, business, party, etc. could be prefaced by introduction music, what song would you choose and why?

Tennessee Titans Tackle a Revitalized AFC South

In years past, the AFC South was defined by the Colts and the expansive gap between them and the other teams. In 2009 though, this dynamic shifted as the Titans ran away with the division crown after unforeseen stumbles by the Colts and Jaguars.

After personnel purges and roster reconciliations, the battle for the division title is as wide open.

Below, we examine the teams vying to topple the Titans in ’09.

Jacksonville Jaguars

After their playoff run in 2008, many expected the Jaguars to make the leap and contend for a Super Bowl in ’09. But things unraveled quickly following the arrest of Matt Jones and the tragic shooting of Richard Collier.

Their misery continued with numerous injuries along the offensive line compromising the Jaguars’ running attack. This, in turn, put undue pressure on a receiving group incapable of carrying the offense.

The signing of Torry Holt should be an effective salve to this problem, however. Though he is on the downward slope of his career, Holt is still capable of commanding defensive attention and his professionalism should rub off on the likes of Williamson, Jarett Dillard, and Mike Walker.

Jacksonville addressed the shallow depth on their offensive line with the selections of Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton in this year’s draft, which should solidify the Achilles’ heel of last year.

How Does This Affect the Titans?

While the Jaguars seem to have the receiving threat they’ve been missing since Jimmy Smith, their defense is a unit in transition.

Derrick Harvey, Reggie Hayward, and Quentin Groves will be the keys at defensive end and their ability to collapse the pocket will be the biggest variable in the defensive scheme.

Houston Texans

The Houston Texans march into ’09 with the same high expectations as in year’s past, but with an owner tired of waiting for results.

Steve Slaton’s emergence as a top-level running back finally gives the offense the kind of diversification needed opposite Andre Johnson.

The offensive line has been a study in patience but with the addition of Duane Brown through the draft, the Texans should be able to competently protect their quarterback for the first time since their inception.

With all that being said, the season’s prospects begin and end with Matt Schaub’s health. With Sage Rosenfels’ departure to Minnesota, the Texans now list Dan Orlovsky (cue stepping out of the back of the end zone joke) as the primary backup. The sound you just heard was a collective shudder throughout Houston.

The Texans are hoping that Brian Cushing will enable the defense to take the leap out of the NFL’s defensive ranking basement. His inclusion with DeMeco Ryans and Mario Williams should help form a solid front seven.

How Does This Affect the Titans?

The Texans continue a gradual improvement, but there is no evidence that they will be making a division championship-size leap this year. The offensive line’s ability to protect Schaub will largely determine how far the Texans can go.

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts enter ’09 in uncharted territory. With the losses of Marvin Harrison and Tony Dungy this offseason, the face of the franchise has changed, but its essence continues to be Peyton Manning.

After stumbling to a 3-3 start, the Colts rallied to finish with a 12-4 mark riding squarely on the back of their quarterback. The rest of the league shouldn’t hold their breath for another stumble out of the gate as the Colts have retooled and reloaded their offense through the draft.

With the departure of Dominic Rhodes, the draft yielded running back Donald Brown as the newest member of the backfield. Given Joseph Addai’s season-long slump (and savage murdering of many fantasy teams), Brown could see significant playing time if he’s a quick study on blitz pickups.

The selection of Austin Collie could provide the Colts with a much-needed infusion of talent. Should he sync with Manning early, the slot position could be his for the taking.

The defense returns mostly intact under new defensive coordinator Larry Coyer and should closely resemble the same scheme and execution of previous seasons.

Just as Manning drives the offense, Bob Sanders is equally critical to the performance of the defense. His ability to stay healthy and thus maintain his reign of terror throughout the secondary will determine how effective the defense can be in stopping the run.

How Does This Affect the Titans?

Without question, the Colts will be the most serious challenger to the Titans’ hopes of repeating as division champions. Should they be found wanting in their quest to unseat the Titans, it will be because of an inability to stop that which is Tennessee’s bread and butter; the running game (with LenDale obviously representing the butter component).

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