A Foxborough Faithful

“You’re such a bandwagon,” “Who will you root for when Brady leaves,” “Why would you do that to yourself,” these are the jeers that I hear whenever it is discovered that I am an avid New England Patriots fan. Being from the St. Louis area I’ve only met a handful of other Patriots fans, but those that I do meet and I have a stark difference that in some people’s eyes truly cements my status as a “bandwagon fan”. I never have, nor my family lived in the New England area or supported the Patriots organization. I find it perplexing that the region that I was born in signifies what team that I must represent with unwavering support, regardless of their mismanagement and betrayals. I hope that through this post I’ll be able to shed light on what has led my love for football into the welcoming arms of the Patriots organization. 

Living in St. Louis is one of the greatest outcomes that could have ever happened to me. When you see a proud St. Louisan proclaiming that this area is sports heaven, to us there is no debate about it. With the legendary Cardinals, reigning Stanly Cup Champion Blues, and an MLS team coming soon, there is a great deal of pride that is flowing within ourselves. Although not that long ago we were in the midst of one of ugliest divorces that the sport of football has seen when the Rams left St. Louis in its dust to return to Los Angeles. That complete betrayal of a team that we loved and supported, regardless of how many pitiful seasons they strung in a row, hurt bad. The Rams were apart of St. Louis culture, some fans continued to fly 1999 Championship flags, I still have my Nick Foles jersey that got after he was freshly acquired just to see him be benched in the 13th game of the season. 

Once Stan Kroenke ripped the Rams out of the loving hands of St. Louis it left a gaping hole that we weren’t sure of how to fill it. From 2015 to 2020 there was no clear team that would fill the void for the hole that was left. Some fans continued to show support the Rams after the move, but the vast majority of former Rams fans developed a deep resentment for the organization, myself included. We couldn’t understand why the decision was made or why it was handled in the way that it was. The relocation of the Rams is still felt by this community to this day. I still see people with Rams tire covers that now have a bright red X burnt through them, to the home opener of, the seemingly dispanded, XFL Battlehawks. During tailgates, there were pinatas of Stan Kroenke that were smashed, plenty of signs about the Rams, and consistent thunderous chants of “Kroenke sucks”. 

Besides the obvious disdain towards the Rams organization those who refused to continue to root for the Rams were found at a crossroads, pick a new team or watch football as a sport rather than being tied down to a singular team. This is where I found myself, unsure of where to go or who to give my support to. I had become a fan version of a free agent who was eager to sign with an organization that was run well and had a bright future. I began a process of thinking which team had a great history, solid organization, entertaining team to watch, and had a cool looking jersey. Obvious contenders were the Vikings (my dad’s favorite childhood team), Texans (I had family that previously lived in Houston), and the New England Patriots (had really cool jerseys). Once the playoffs of 2015 began two out of my three potential teams had played in the Wildcard round of the playoffs. The Texan would take on the Chiefs and the Vikings the Seahawks. 

January 9th, 2016 was a difficult day for the Texans, a 30-0 massacre was difficult to watch. Yeah, they had the best defensive end in the league in JJ Watt but as a team, they struggled. Their offense was run by a carousel of quarterbacks that I had bearly heard the names off. They were out. 

The next day the Vikings would play the Seahawks in Minnesota. I kept an open mind to the Vikings going into the game because there were plenty of signs that pointed me to them as my new team. My father growing up loved the Vikings, dubbed The Purple People Eaters they were a phenomenal team with a rich history of winning in the regular season. It was glaringly obvious to me that playoff success for the Vikings was a long and heartbreaking story. On that day January 10th, 2016 I watched as Blair Walsch shanked a 27-yard game-winning field goal, that kick hurt to watch and like the Viking's playoff hopes, they were out of my contention. 

The New England Patriots were the team that I was left watching. The year prior during my family’s Super Bowl tradition, we watched as Malcolm Butler sealed Super Bowl 49 for the Patriots, so right away they were a good team. January 27th, 2016 was a super close one-score game that the Patriots had sealed. The intensity that Tom Brady and that team showed along with their game calling was beyond fascinating to watch. The last Patriot game during the 2015 playoffs was against the future champion Denver Broncos. The game would inevitably result in a loss but how the team professionally showed themselves after the loss was all that I needed to seal myself as a brand new New England Patriot fan. 

In the years that would follow I would get teased for being a bandwagon fan because I had no formal ties to the team, but I didn’t care. The Patriots would go onto win two more titles since my dedication to the Patriots began, with one coming over the Los Angeles Rams. I was more than happy with my team even after age began to show itself. Wide receiver troubles, Brady had an expiring contract, and an aging Belichek worried me. The 2020 offseason would come as the darkest moment during my time as a Patriot fan. Brady left for Tampa Bay possibly ending one of the greatest dynasties in sports history. 

Through those uncertainties, I have a great deal of hope and excitement for the future of this team. I’ve never seen the Patriots without the leadership of Tom but I believe that we are in the hands of the greatest head coach of all-time in Bill Belichek, he was the man that drafted Brady after all. Whether our next starting quarterback is Stidham, Newton, Herbert, or someone else I wholeheartedly believe that this team will continue to play at a high level for a very very long time but even if they don’t you can expect me to continue to show my unwavering support for a team that has a forever place in my heart. 

If you read through this whole post I want to say thank you. This one was long but I’m proud of the result. If there are any questions, comments, or concerns please reach out to me. Again thank you so much for reading along and have a great rest of your day!!

- Joe