Monday, February 4, 2008

New England the Day After

Since maybe week 6 of the NFL season (right around when the Red Sox won the World Series) we've experienced a blur of analysis, hype and confidence regarding the New England Patriots. The past two weeks especially were non-stop leading up to the Super Bowl. Plans were being made for a Duck Boat Victory Parade in Boston on Tuesday with concern about the streets being clogged and people not being able to get to the polls to vote on Super Tuesday. The Boston Globe was pre-selling a book titled 19-0: The Historic Championship Season of New England's Unbeatable Patriots. Radio talk stations, newspapers, TV sports commentary, web discussion forums - all were non-stop about how dominant the Patriots would be in the game......

The aftermath..... I think there are a few lessons here for my kids and myself:
Overconfidence - Whether the Patriots players were guilty of it or not - many writers, broadcasters and fans were. Not good. If you start to believe hype it's eventually going to get you.

Preparation - The Giants were better prepared and played a better game.

Ignoring the Hype - Not listening to the majority - Giants once again.

Not Quiting and Believing in Yourself - of course the Giants!

And, with regards to the Patriots team - losing with dignity and respect for themselves and the other team. From what I have seen there have been no temper tantrums by the players or coaches and only praise for the Giants and the way they played the game.

I listened to a great interview with Patriots owner Robert Kraft, last week on WEEI radio. One particular quote sticks in my head and I'll likely remember it and be using it for a long time "With every crisis comes opportunity if it is managed right".

Is losing a football game a crisis in today's world? It's certainly not for me or the people I'm in contact with every day. It probably is for Robert Kraft and the Patriots organization though. Are the best lessons still to come in New England? Time will tell.

I'll get back to writing about technology tomorrow.

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1 comment:

  1. AnonymousFebruary 4, 2008 at 10:55 AM

    I was a Giants fan until the after show interview. I saw how the Patriots handled themselves after such a defeat. From Tom Brady to Rodney Harrison, they were very congratulatory regarding the Giants. Unfortunately, I could not say the same for the Giants who won and WHINE! Good grief! You won! Eli Manning's comment about how his team was the better team could have been stated differently, we all know that, you won the championship but atleast be gracious about it. I recently learned from a Pats fan about senator Specter and the New York Times allegations two days prior to the superbowl. I feel sorry that such things could happen while two teams are trying to stay focused on their game!

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