You want to know how to do your job? We're off to Beantown to find out. Or the
Hub of the Universe; or just the Hub; or the Bean.
We're off to the Greater Boston area okay?
But first I gotta to stop at Dunkies
and get a large regular. I need to calm down.
So you've been dating this person for a very long time and you think they're the
one. But you know if you marry into their family, you'll have to become a Patriots
fan, and you have no clue what they mean when they say the "tuck rule" or Brady, let
alone the concept of football.
No sweat, for my name is Jeff Loehrke and here's what
you need to know and how to be a New England Patriots fan.
Located 21 miles
southwest of Boston in Foxborough, MA, the New England Patriots
play in the American Football Conference or AFC of the National Football League (NFL).
Their division is the East Division that they share with three other teams.
Their colors are navy blue, red, silver and white.
Oh I get it!
The Patriots nickname and team colors represent Boston's rich history when it
comes to the American Revolution. Because the Patriot name was given to
revolutionaries fighting for the birth of America and the team's colors
represent the U.S. flag!
Ha! I see what you did there.
The Patriots accolades are legendary:
5 Super Bowl victories out of 10 appearances;
10 AFC Conference championships;
20 Divisional championships
and 25 playoff appearances! Are you serious?
They also have 7 retired uniform numbers
and currently have 4 members in the Football Hall of Fame.
Fun Fact: the team was originally known as the Boston
Patriots when in 1959, they became the eighth and final franchise of the
American Football League.
When the NFL and AFL merged in 1970, the franchise
chose to move to a new location in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Because of the relocation,
then owner Billy Sullivan wanted a new name for the team. He chose
to name them, the Bay State Patriots.
However when the name was abbreviated to
B.S. Patriots in the newspapers,
clearly there had to be a change from further embarrassment.
They've been New England Patriots ever since.
All sports fans like to talk about their favorite players or coaches
and I'm sure you've heard some very interesting names
spoken around your soon-to-be in-laws.
Rest assured, I got four dudes for you to remember that will help get you
into any conversation around Patriots fans.
On offense, there's no one better in the franchise's history than #12 Tom Brady.
The quarterback from Michigan University, Tom was drafted #199 in
the 6th round of the 2000 draft, which is ridiculous after you hear these stats.
5-time Super Bowl Champion, 4-time Super Bowl MVP, 13-time Pro Bowler,
4th in all-time career passing yards and has appeared in more playoff games
than any player at any position.
He is arguably the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT) in the
NFL and he was drafted in the 6th round.
Easily a future Hall of Famer and
a legendary figure to not only the franchise but to the entire NFL.
On the Defensive side of the ball, we got #56, Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett.
Drafted #41 in the 2nd round of the 1982 draft, Tippett played his whole
11-year career with the Pats.
The Iowa Alum was a 5-time Pro Browler,
the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1985
and holds a Patriots record of a 100 career sacks.
Tippett was arguably a key component for
the Patriots to make their 1st Super Bowl appearance in franchise history in
'85 and is one of the four Patriots who's in the Hall of Fame.
For special teams,
the Pats again scored gold in signing an undrafted free agent from
South Dakota State, #4 place kicker, Adam Vinatieri.
This guy was the star in
helping the Pats win their 1st Super Bowl ever, but more on that later.
A 4-time Super Bowl champion, 3 with the Pats, 3-time Pro Bowler and
having the NFL record of the most postseason field goals in a career with 56,
Vinatieri made place-kicking look easy and holds a special spot in
Patriots fandom, even if he does currently play for the Indianapolis Colts.
Finally, for head coaches, it's a no-brainer. Known nationally as "Hoodie"
or the guy that wears sweatshirts with cutoff sleeves,
Bill Belichick has achieved legendary status
when head coaching is debated in the NFL.
Shula, Landry, even Lombardi doesn't come close to what good ole Bill has accomplished.
5-time Super Bowl champion with an NFL record of the only head coach to be
in 8 Super Bowls and the only head coach to win 3 Super Bowls in a 4 year span.
With a record of 278 to 129, Belichick has been the Pats head coach
since 2000 and is still kicking. Easily a future Hall of Famer and arguably the
G.O.A.T. when it comes to coaching as well.
Brady, Belichick, Vinatieri, Tippett. Mention any one of those names with your
future in-laws you'll be accepted into the family in no time. Now that we got
you some names memorized, let's get you set with some memorable plays that etched
their spot in Patriots lore. It's what I like to call, Snapshots.
Snapshots are memorable moments in sports
that are summarized by catchy phrases to easily
commemorate the play at hand.
Every sports team has them so which one should
you know as a Patriots fan?
There's quite a few to highlight but in today's lesson
we'll focus on "The Kick".
On February 3rd, 2002, the Pats were playing the 14 point
favored St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl 36.
It was the Patriots 3rd Super Bowl appearance
after losing in '85 and '97.
The Rams tied the game at 17 with 1:21 remaining.
With the ball on their own 17-yard line and no timeouts,
the Patriots chose to not play for overtime.
With Tom Brady at the helm
the offense successfully drove the ball down to the Rams 30-yard line with 7 seconds
on the clock.
Kicker Adam Vinatieri, sound familiar,
nailed the 48-yard field goal as time expired making the first time in Super
Bowl history that a game was won by a score on the final play.
Winning one Super Bowl is tough but winning multiple times in a short span can create a huge
target on your back. It's safe to say that a lot of football fans dislike the
Pats and that's fine. Patriots fans can take it, we know we have the GOAT.
However there's one team that we rather never, ever have to experience the
embarrassment in losing too and that is our rival, the New York Jets.
No surprise there right? Boston and New York disliking each other yet again.
Both teams play in the AFC East and have been in the same division since the two teams
first season in 1960 for the American Football League.
Patriots have been playing them at least twice
a year ever since. The current all-time record
is 63-54-1, in favor of the Patriots but let's be honest, was that even a question
on who had the better record?
Geographically the Jets are the closest team near the Patriots too
so fans can easily flock to their opponents stadium
making the game more exciting to watch.
To make the rivalry even more tasteful,
listen to this coaching carousel.
Hall of Fame head coach Bill Parcells coached
the Pats to Super Bowl 31 in '97 and lost to Green Bay. That same year he
went on to become the Jets head coach and his assistant head coach followed him
from the Pats, who was none other than Bill Belichick. After three seasons
Parcells retired and the Jets hired Belichick to replace him as head coach.
Yeah, that lasted only a day because Belichick resigned from the Jets
position and after 23 days of negotiating legal terms with the NFL,
Bill accepted the vacant head coaching position with the Patriots.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Can you imagine Belichick wearing green
and white holding up those Super Bowl trophies?
For the Meadowland faithful?? Haha, no!
Nope! Sounds like a nightmare to me.
(shivers)
Anyways let's recap.
The Patriots play in the AFC East Division;
they have 10 Super Bowl appearances with five victories;
they have the GOAT in Tom Brady and you dislike the New York Jets.
You're clearly making the right decision in becoming a Patriots fan.
The facts speak for themselves.
So wear your Patriots jersey proud the next time you're around your future
in-laws and make sure not to stain it while tailgating, because that delicious
clam chowder or that tasty lobster roll sandwich doesn't belong on it.
That's sacred!
But more importantly, raise your cold glass of Sam Adams in the air and
cheers! For your welcomed here in Patriot Nation.
(Gasp)
I forgot to tell you about the Tuck Rule and what it meant!
Ahh, just Google it.
Hey guys thanks for watching today's Lurks Lessons episode.
Please subscribe to my channel and also leave some
comments on what other cool things Patriots fans need to know, like where's
the best spot to tailgate before a game? What to do after the game, or what to eat
at the stadium? Also leave some suggestions of what other cool fan bases
I need to showcase next.
Alright, we'll see you guys next time.