New England Patriots Tribute

Football is a big part of our lives because my husband and the majority of his family are super fans; New England Patriots super fans specifically. You may think I'm exaggerating by saying they are super fans but I assure you I am not. His dad even created a very intricate football dice/board game called Roll Bowl, which my husband is currently designing new boards for. Half of what we own is emblazoned with the Patriots logo,  and you don't want to be anywhere near this house when the Patriots lose. You may think we're bandwagoners considering how awesome the Patriots currently are, but his family is all born and raised New Englanders and I just sort of married into it. They have been fans through the good, bad, and the ugly. And if you know anything about the Patriots history, there was plenty of bad and ugly.

I didn't care for football before meeting my husband, or any sport for that matter. However, it really grew on me and I now understand and enjoy the games. I have favorite players, past and present who I cheer for and consider to be my football boyfriends. I love watching the games, especially with the husband because he goes nuts! Yelling, fist pumping, clapping and cheering all over the living room. Our TV is permanently on ESPN and one of our favorite things to do together is watch Sportsnation with Michelle Beadle and Colin Cowherd. He breathes football.

Meet Gronk

What I love most about football now though is seeing my husband share it with our son. He doesn't understand much yet at 4 months, but he is always decked out in baby Patriots gear and has memorabilia all over his room. Yesterday he got his first Build-a-bear who is now donning a Patriots uniform and is affectionately named Gronk. I can't wait for the days that they spend their Sunday afternoons playing Roll Bowl and rooting for their team, jumping all over our living room screaming like madmen.

A fan right from the start

So as a tribute to the NE Patriots and in honor of their trip to Superbowl XLVI this Sunday, here are 5 reasons (though not the only reasons) I love the NE Patriots:

5. Uniforms - I'm a girl, and I like to look at pretty things and before I knew anything about the NFL and it's teams and players, I used to choose winners by their uniforms. What else was I supposed to go off of? And the Patriots have the nicest uniforms in the league! I love the colors, and I love all the uniforms; home, away, throwback, they're all awesome! I love wearing their jerseys to support the team AND because they look damn good. Go ahead and laugh, but you know no one looks good in aqua, not even the Miami Dolphins. And only hip hop dancers can pull off shiny gold pants, sorry San Fran fans. But good ole' red, white and blue is always in fashion. Hello, patriotism!
4. They're Classy - People have given the Patriots a lot of shit for racking up a ton of points against mediocre teams and say that it's poor sportsmanship or whatever crap makes them feel better about their team getting destroyed. I don't know what's wrong with that, but apparently people think they should limit their talent as to not embarrass their opponent. Whatever, I thought that was the point of the game. However I find Patriots players and their organization as a whole to be one of the classiest teams in the NFL. They rarely talk shit about their opponents, even though a good chunk of the league spews nothing but venom their way; especially directed at Belichick and Brady. They take it in stride, and they let their actions speak for themselves. I dig that because nothing looks dumber then writing checks you can't cash.
3. Bill Belichick  - People love to hate him but he is a football genius. Look at his team, look at his stats, look at his rings. The man knows what he's doing. And as my husband loves to say, he's got the biggest balls in the league. He takes chances at the right times, he rehabilitates loser players that have talent but no one wants because of their arrogance or whatever else and they generally become better players (and people) because they want to play for the Patriots. His team is disciplined and it shows on the field. He designs such balanced teams (okay maybe not this year, the defense is pretty rough) that they don't have to solely rely on their quarterback or one receiver or one rusher. If only he'd update his wardrobe a little, I'd like him more.
2. Robert Kraft - I think Robert Kraft seems like one of the kindest, most genuine people. I love how he promotes volunteerism whenever he can and how involved he and his team are. He seems to have a great personal relationship with his coaches and team, and you can tell the players truly respect him, and his community respects him. And hearing him speak about his late wife, Myra, puts tears in my eyes. What a great guy.
1. Hot Players! -  Tedy Bruschi (handsome and loves to knock people out? Awesome), Rob Gronkowski, Tom Brady, Wes Welker, Mike Vrabel, Aaron Hernandez...my list of football boyfriends continues to grow. Belichick, you have excellent taste in men.

Thank you, NE Patriots for bringing so much joy to our lives and for being awesome. No matter the outcome this weekend, we will remain some of your biggest fans. Let's kick some Giant ass this weekend!
Go Pats!