The Patriots Are Out

Tom Brady leaves after the loss to the Titans (photo found on Wall Street Journal)

The Patriots are done.

I'm not going to deny that I was rooting for the Tennessee Titans last night, yet I didn't feel the glee that many did when the game ended.

Maybe it was just low-hanging fruit but even my social media was tame.

Other than a snarky Dave Portnoy tweet (wait. Snark? Sarcasm? You don't say), I didn't note much.

I posted one thing of any sarcasm in my own right: "Oh Twitter is fun tonight. There's some salt to be found out there."

And there was. My talons were out and ready to strike before that one, but I took a deep breath, and resumed reading things.

I think someone wrote something about "Tom Brady is the GOAT and anyone who disagrees is an idiot." That's when I stopped myself.

There were some sore losers.

By the way, I'm an idiot.

There's no doubt that it was a pleasure to watch Patriots fans feel pain today -- the same pain I feel upwards of four times per year when my team gets eliminated from something, with the Yankees and Steelers bringing me the most grief.

Some years, I snap back at the gloaters (yes, that's the wrong move). Last night, I interacted with just one Pats fan who said something that opened the door for me to share a laugh with. We quickly did, I congratulated him, told him they'd be back, and that was it.

I have a hard time thinking the Patriots are "done." Yes, I realize Tom Brady is a free agent and there could be a host of changes, but just knowing what kind of competitors these people are -- these villains -- makes me think that they'll be back.

Besides, my team is at home watching also. Now, I'm OK with that because it's good for my blood pressure but obviously I'd rather the Steelers be in the playoffs. It wasn't meant to be.

But there's more. I can remember celebrating the decline of the Dallas Cowboys in the moments following The Catch in 1982. That was the beginning of a decade of obnoxious, wine and cheese San Francisco 49ers fans.

They're another lot who plays the "Our QB is the GOAT" card.

Then came "The Greatest Show on Turf," aka, the St. Louis Rams (oh yeah, remember those days?). Again, a fairly obnoxious group who won one ring and were on the verge of a second before a late drive by an upstart team won a Super Bowl.

Yes. The Patriots.

So, it's also a case of be careful what you wish for, I guess.

Anyway, I'm glad they're out and we can enjoy a Pats-less Super Bowl. I'm glad that Belichick got "out-Belichicked" by one of his pupils.

I'm glad I got to sit back and watch the world flip out.

Most of all, I'm glad I didn't get sucked in to any nonsense.