Will the Patriots go down in history?

http://assets.espn.go.com/i/columnists/Hruby_Patrick_55.jpg (http://x.go.com/cgi/x.pl?goto=http://search.espn.go.com/keyword/search?searchString=patrick_hruby&name=SEARCH_m_archive&srvc=sz) By Patrick Hruby
Page 2

Updated: December 26, 2007, 1:14 PM

Forget about the victories, the records, the ongoing quest for perfection. 19-0. Can they do it? As the New England Patriots make their case for historical greatness, one question looms larger still.

Namely, can the Pats become one of the most hated teams of all time?

After all, winning is easy. Just outscore your opponents. Voila! But provoking soul-searing ire? Inspiring frenzied loathing from all sides? Getting millions to tune in for the sole purpose of cheering your prayed-for potential demise?

The Patriots haven't made many friends this season. And that's without mentioning the Baltimore Ravens. But where does New England rank in terms of epochal sports abhorrence? Page 2 breaks it down.
ESPN Page 2 - Hruby: Are the Patriots really hateable? (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=hruby/071226&sportCat=nfl)

:hoops:

What's to hate. A great team with a Michigan man at QB?

And why just Pats? Or any successful team for that matter. Look at the Yankees, buying all the players, same could be said for the Red Wings, although the latter effectively ended with the salary cap in place.

sorry as a long time suffering lions fan i always latch on to a second team... and since brady took over from loser boy (can't even remember his name lol) i have rooted for the patriots and can't find any reason to hate them.

oh dear they got caught doing something every other team in the league does to some degree.... ok thats in the past whats the excuse for this year all you haters who questioned past victories?

there a team that is a team first, in the mold of the spurs and the pistons, no one player gets to hold the team hostage for dollars. there a joy to watch and if the media wouldn't stir up this hostility it wouldn't exist to the extent it does.

With a bad boy coach...
I'm in love...
Til Boston fan rubs our nose in it for 10 years like Dolphin fan.

The Patriots are the only team I actually like in BosMass. Don't like the Bruins, Red Sox, Celtics or UCONN lady Huskies

Love the Patriots. They do things the right way. Film at 11:00 pm........

Ditto. Nothing to hate. The media is trying to stay relevant, as usual.

The media jumped down his throat because of a little thing called spygate. Now the Media vote him as coach of the year. They could have easily gone with Green Bay's coach who has gone 4-12 to 8-8 to 13-3 in the last three seasons. Offense up to 4th and defense up to 6th in the league this past season. EVERYBODY except Buddah expected the Patriots to do well this season. Only I picked the Packers to win our division. With such high expectations for the Patriots, it coulda been easy to look the other way in voting for the Coach of the Year. The media just likes to come sucking around to any relevant story and 16-0 is more relevant............

What is there to hate? New England is what a team should be all about. Just win. I don't care that they run the score up on teams. I wished the Pistons would do that. That is what a team on a mission does. Seek and destroy. No mercy for the weak.

i beileve they will be
although they mine as well go 19-0 just to shut don shula up
i wished the dolphins would've gone 0-16 tho

What is there to hate? New England is what a team should be all about. Just win. I don't care that they run the score up on teams. I wished the Pistons would do that. That is what a team on a mission does. Seek and destroy. No mercy for the weak.

Amen brutha!!!