The 2016 Revenge Tour is most special part of Patriots history to me. The reason is because of what it represents. Perseverance. Confidence. Don’t let someone else’s beliefs/hatred overcome you. When the time comes, you give it your all with everything you got. My favorite memory in Patriots history kicked off with Max Kellerman badmouthing and doubting Tom Brady’s ability. Then it was further ignited with a stupid punishment and Brady suspension without any actual evidence that he did anything to deflate footballs. This whole saga seemed like it was a smear campaign against Brady, the greatest player in NFL history. When I saw him walk out of the tunnel against Cleveland for his first game after reluctantly accepting his suspension, you could tell that Psycho Tom emerged. He defied Kellerman’s “off-the-cliff” theory with an MVP caliber performance for 12 games. That offense seemed nearly unstoppable. The defense was astounding. It seemed like destiny that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell would hand us that Lombardi Trophy and for Patriots fans to deservingly boo him endlessly. But first, the team had to go out and earn the trophy and the right to call themselves (and ourselves as fans) champions. Despite facing an overwhelming deficit, 28-3, in Super Bowl LI, the Pats did come back to win, 34-28 in overtime. How did they do it? Through perseverance… by remaining confident that they could win. By not letting the doubters overcome us all. And in the most crucial moments – Danny Amendola, Dont’a Hightower, Julian Edelman, James White, and of course, Brady – delivered with everything they had.
Do you have a Patriots Memory you want to share? Submit your memory below and you could be featured in our exhibit!
