Fan Pulse: Fourth-best season earns banner in Foxborough

By Neal Coolong  |   Monday, August 18, 2008  |  Comments( 3 )

New England Patriots
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It didn't end the way they wanted, but the Patriots are going to commemorate their perfect regular season and AFC championship anyway.

Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe writes that Patriots owner Bob Kraft and team president Jonathon Kraft awarded the players of last season's 16-0 regular-season team and Super Bowl runner-up with a ring at a private ceremony Aug. 11.

According to Reiss, on one side of the ring, it reads "16-0 -- perfect season." On the other, it reads "18-1, AFC Championship." There was also a banner unveiled at Gillette Stadium during that private ceremony.

It seems to be a shrewdly calculated move by the Krafts and head coach Bill Belichick, who said, "It was a very special and historic year, and I want them to look back with pride when they look at the ring and remember the week-to-week approach."

Posters PatsFans.com, a fan forum, seem to generally agree with the reward bestowed on the players. One fan is quick to point out a possible double-entendre in the motivation behind the banner and ring.

"kind of cheesy. if anything I am sure it will eat at the players and will serve as motivation."

It's also a nice opportunity to vent some bitterness.

"It makes an important point. An inferior team beat us on a flukey play, but without question, 18-1 leaves NO DOUBT who the best team in the NFL was last year. There is no Lombardi, but I don't gather anyone has illusions that the Giants were even a great team in 2007, let alone the best."

No rational-minded fan is going to deny an undefeated regular season, championship or not, is quite an achievement. From the Patriots' perspective, it seems the Krafts and Belichick are choosing to reinforce positively, not negatively, the rewards that come with excellent preparation and execution week in and week out. Not every fan agrees with this, and that's justified to an extent. But if the Patriots want to establish the right mindset to defend their AFC title - let alone even sniffing another undefeated season - showing their players they appreciate what went into their historic season seems like a wise move.

Or, as one fan suggests, it's just driving the knife deeper into the still open wound.

("The ring and banner are) bush league. Maybe the rings could have a helmet with two hands crossed where the neck would be."

That's the vented exhaust from a team that has largely dominated the past six seasons. One fan calls out her own, and takes the approach from the bigger picture.

"We have some ungreatful fans in this forum. They didn't win the Super Bowl so EVERYTHING ELSE THAT THEY ACCOMPLISHED IS NOTHING. The Patriots accomplished something very special last year. I remember when we couldn't win more than 2 games much less 18 games. Let them celebrate it. They should be proud of it. They didn't close the deal. If you want to hold that agains them, that's your right as a fan. This fan is proud of her team. They made some history last year. Think about that for a second. I remember when our team was the doormat of the NFL. All we did was LOSE. Now they are making history and breaking records."
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About Neal Coolong

Neal Coolong is a freelance sports writer with contributions to Scout.com, AOL and Steelers Live. He lives with his fiance in St. Paul, Minn., and saves every dime (that she knows about) for their wedding next June. He's already made the prediction that the Steelers 2007 draft class will be one...
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