Last night was a tough night for all of us. We lost a dear friend. This thread is a tribute to one who died late last night so we could live to see another Sunday. Over almost 40 years this friend has been with me. From an ice cold Shea Stadium in 1969 when the Chiefs took our Championship away to a hosed down field of mud in Miami, to Cleveland, Oakland and Pittsburgh he has been with me. He took out Al Toon, Joe Namath, Joe Klecko, Philbin, Curtis, and untold others and he was surely kicking and screaming through the long NE night. I wish you could have gone quietly in your sleep old friend, but not you not last night. You still had some fight in you and went out all in, fist shaking punching and clawing and drawing every last breath before succumbing while all around you held our collective breath. Many of you are in denial that he actually passed last night. I understand it?s always tough to lose a friend especially one who never let you down. This thread should be a tribute to him. Please post your memories of him here so we will never forget him. I accept that you have moved on to a better place, I hope Gillette Stadium is as good to you as Shea and the Meadowlands were. Treat the Pats in death like you treated us in life. So long SOJ may you rest in peace.
I can't believe all the negativity today. That was a great game both teams put it all out there big plays, little plays down to the wire and we prevailed. That's what football is all about that's why I love the game and have been sucked into it for all these years.
It's a shame most fans don't see things this way. No wonder it's so frustrating for them. They see a game like the one last night where everythng is on the line and we come out kicking ass and scoring first and often and then they don't expect a guy like Belichick to pull out all the stops and do everything within his power to get back into it? Talk about adjustments? They're the ultimate chameleon. I totally expected those wounded animals to do whatever they had to do to get back in. But still, we prevailed, and that's the bottom line.
Winston - I deeply fear that this may be a soap opera death. Everyone thinks he is dead and then through the miracle of plastic surgery he comes back as a different actor to declare...."My name isn't Rock Hillingsworth....I'm SOJ". Cue ominous music.
We need to drive several silver stakes into its heart. The first silver stake would be a win over the Tennessee Titans.
I couldn't have said it better myself . . . Favre said it best last night right after the game: "this kind of game is why I came back"
Outstanding post Winston!!! Unfortunately this week will not be about what your wrote, but it will be about the Patriots hanging in there against all odds. How come when the Patriots win - no matter who the play or what the circumstances are -the story line is about how great a team they are and how much adversity the overcame to win. The fact of the matter is that the Patriots (except for last year) basically beat teams on a consistent basis by a spread of 3-7 pts. These weren't blow-outs, these weren't dominating victories, but they did win. And it didn't matter if the opposing team's QB was out or that team's offensive line sucked, they were all considered GREAT Patriot* wins. This is all just nonsense. Did anyone say this about the Patriots beating the Jets when Pennington and Fiedler were out for the year? Or when CuMart went down? Or the litany of numerous other catastrophic Jet injuries decimated the team? Nope, no one cared at all. But now its supposed to matter because the Patriots are on the receiving end? Sorry, that dog don't hunt. If they decide to stick around, I hope now all these post-2001 Patriots fans really understand what it is like to watch a team not play with an all-world QB, not play with the benefit of videotape, not play with all your great players because of injury, and finally get flagged for penalties. That is what the fans of every other NFL team have had to go through each and every week. Now that it has happened to the Patriots, only then do they start whining. The fact of the matter is that the Patriot dynasty is over. The Jets or the SOJ didn't do that last night - it was over two years ago when Peyton Manning and the Colts came back against them in the AFC Championship game. Unfortunately, the media and their fans have recognized this yet. All in good time, all in good time...
RIP SOJ. I remember him at the Denver playoff game - I can picture the look on his face when it all fell apart. Again.
If you can't enjoy a game like last night, especially the outcome it is time to hang up the remote control and find another passion. Good bye old friend, may your afterlife be as miserable as you have made me over the last 30 years.
