Friday, January 25, 2008

The Hit Heard Around New England

Sunday September 23 2001

Third and ten with 5:01 left in game 2 of the 2001 NFL season, New England Patriots vs New York Jets.Drew Bledsoe takes the snap, rolls right,runs for eight yards and then WHAM.Mo Lewis, formerly of the New York Jets, delivers a blow to Drew Bledsoe's midsection right in front of New England's bench.

Drew Bledsoe, who was initially drafted as the face of the franchise in 1996, suffered an internal organ injury that sidelined him for a few weeks.However, as NFL fans across the country have found out, that would be the last of Drew starting games in a Patriots uniform. He did make 1 final appearance when he came in to the AFC Championship game vs the Pittsburg Steelers later that year leading the team to Victory. Assuring them of a Super Bowl match-up against the mighty St. Louis Rams, known as the "Greatest Show on Turf". As we know now, this would be the last time Drew would wear the red, white and blue of the New England Patriots.

The Patriots ended up punting the ball the play after Bledsoe got injured, but when the Patriots return to the field, in comes the back up quarterback, #12 Tom Brady. At this point, Patriot fans don't realize what's to come from this untested, 2nd year 6th round pick quarterback from Michigan. Although he had proven his worth at Michgan, the 6'5" quarterback slipped deep in to the 2000 NFL draft. Soon enough the fan's of New England would look back and in a sense, be thankful Mo Lewis would forever alter the destiny of the New England Patriots with that hit on Bledsoe. Don't get me wrong, Pats fans weren't wishing harm to anyone, they'd be thankful to him for opening the doors for Tom.

Here we are in 2008 and ever since that incident, the New England Patriots have become a perennial powerhouse. After the "hit heard around New England" in game 2 of the 2001 season, in which the Patriots lost 10-3, Tom Brady has been one of the most consistent quarterbacks in the NFL. He's lead the Patriots to 3 Super Bowl titles, being awarded Super Bowl MVP in 2 of them.This year they became the only team to have an undefeated, regular 16 game season record.The Patriots have a chance to join the 72' Miami Dolphins by achieving a perfect record by winning all playoff games and the Super Bowl. That would make them 19-0 and a top choice for the label as the greatest team ever.

However, the domination of New England has not come solely from Tom Brady. The man who has made the hoodie with the cut-off sleeves so famous, Bill Belichick. He's a defensive specialist and a preacher of the "just do your job" mentality. Not a very outspoken person when it comes to football, but he prides himself on doing the small things right. Belichick continues mix the perfect blend of youth and veteran players to carry out his distinctive scheme. In previous years,Belichick's defense has been the back bone of their winning ways. Together Brady and Belichick are 86-23 in the regular season,10-2 in the playoffs, and they have won all 3 Super Bowls they appeared in. If the Patriots win Super Bowl 42, that will be their 4th Super Bowl title in 7 years.

What the Patriots have accomplished since 2001 is remarkable. But as we have learned in history, every empire must fall. It's only a matter if time and the clock keeps on ticking. The day will come when the once dominant New England Patriots, find themselves on the other side of the spectrum looking up. My only advice I have for my fellow Patriot fans is "Enjoy it while it lasts because there will be a time when we are talking about old Patriot glory days as if it was a lifetime ago".

3 comments:

Marc said...

Mo Lewis is ultimately responsible for the Patriots' success? Had he not delivered the monstrous hit, Brady may have never taken over the QB slot and history would be altered eternally. There are two sides to this story.

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Anonymous said...

Good First Post Matt. Keep up the good work, i am really interested to see some of your other posts. Mo Lewis is the reason Tom Brady is popular. Definitely didn't know that.

Marc said...

Yes, this blog is very informative.

As Nate said, keep the posts rolling.