Sports Insider by Frank Coppola: Patriots need to follow in the footsteps of the 2004 Red Sox

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July 25, 2008

Patriots need to follow in the footsteps of the 2004 Red Sox

When the New England Patriots reported to training camp on Thursday, I couldn't help but think of the 2004 Red Sox.

When the Sox finally won the World Series that year, it erased 86 years of misery, including the infamous Grady Little/Pedro Martinez collapse in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS. For Boston fans tortured by the flight of Aaron Boone's home run off Tim Wakefield in the Bronx, all it took was one year for that bad memory to disappear.

Here's hoping that Patriot Nation will be as fortunate in 2008, because the memory of the shocking Super Bowl loss to the Giants still lingers like punch to the gut. That's what happens when you blow a chance to become the first team in history to go 19-0, a chance to cement legacies as the greatest dynasty, quarterback and coach the NFL has ever seen.

Gone because of Eli Manning's inexplicable escape and Hail Mary to David Tyree. Gone because of Manning's touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final seconds of the game. Gone because the Patriots couldn't get one more defensive stop after Tom Brady appeared to rescue them from certain defeat with a TD pass to Randy Moss late in the fourth quarter.

Yes, the Celtics' championship run helped to soften that blow. But the memories of that fateful night in February won't go away for many Patriot fans. Not until the team brings home another Super Bowl trophy. Only then will we look back and be able to appreciate the greatness of the 2007 Patriots. The 16-0 regular season. The 50 touchdown passes from Brady. The record-setting season of Moss.

The 2004 Red Sox made it possible for fans to watch the ball go through Buckner's legs without immediately losing their lunch. When Boston won it all, the battle scars from years like 1978 and 1986 and 2003 were worn with pride, making us appreciate the World Series victory even more.

Well, now Patriot fans have their Buckner moment to overcome. I still can't look at footage of the Giants holding the Super Bowl trophy without wanting to throw things at my television. Had the Patriots gone 14-2 or 13-3 last season instead of 16-0 and on the cusp of football immortality, it would be much easier to take.

As the team opened training camp on Thursday, the players gave predictable answers about their thoughts on last season's Super Bowl loss. How they can't change the outcome of that game, so they're focused on the ones in front of them. And that's the right mental approach to take.

It's also easier said than done. If fans are having such a hard time letting go, just imagine how the players feel. You don't think that loss gnawed at Brady every day during the offseason? Not even Gisele could make a competitor like Brady forget. There's a reason why Super Bowl losers generally fall apart the next season and tend to miss the playoffs. And none of the previous 41 Super Bowl losers entered the game with an 18-0 record.

I'm not saying the Patriots are going to miss the playoffs; there's too much talent on that roster, even with the losses of Asante Samuel, Rosevelt Colvin, Donte Stallworth and Randall Gay. But getting back to the big game is going to be an uphill battle like none they've seen before.

Bill Belichick did a fantastic job in getting the Patriots to ignore the Spygate distractions last season and focus on the task at hand. Now he's got another mammoth challenge on his hands: Getting his players to forget the most crushing loss of their lifetimes and gear up for another long, grueling season on the gridiron.

Good luck, Bill. You might need it.

Posted by Frank Coppola at July 25, 2008 01:38 PM

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