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A Word from The Writer:

The Monday Analysis  - Special Edition - 23 September 2005

Win Together, Lose Together: Patriots Show Fortitude as a Team even in a Loss

No one likes to lose.

Bill Belichick and Tom Brady seem to despise losses more than anyone else, and the attitude resonates throughout the Patriots locker room. No one ever points fingers or makes excuses or blames the other guy. Bad calls or not, the officials are left out of the loss equation, and much of the time, you'll notice the players accuse themselves as a team for not doing a good job, rarely saying the other team is just better, or they played better on that day. The Patriots might throw a bone in, saying they were out played, out coached, etc, etc. But that just frosting. In truth, the Patriots go into every game believing they can win, know what to do to win, and all that is left is to execute for the win. When they come up short and lose, it is lack of execution and smart play that is the reason for the loss. They break down the game film and hand it to you on a platter. See, they say, here are the reasons why we lost.

And even in those rare losses, the Patriots stand together as one, not just in solidarity, but in sloppy play. The game against Carolina shows very few highlights and lots of poor play - totally. Right from the coaches to the players, nothing went right on Sunday. That being said, one can take from that game that it is better to lose as One then to lose here and there.

The Patriots pride themselves as a Team who wins as One. That being said, when there is a loss, you can never look at just one thing that caused the loss. It is usually many reasons for the loss. Many.

If it was just one thing here or there that gave a Patriots team a loss in the past, we'd be here all day. But there never is. A bad penalty or giving up a big play has never been the single reason for a loss for this team. Instead, it is always a laundry list of items. If the Patriots did have a bad play during a game, it never amounted to much in the end, because in the end, the Patriots always found a way to win. Someone would make a play, sometimes a big play, and the rest of the team would follow suit on that line of attack.

But in losses, nothing goes right from top to the bottom. Communication on the offense is just as bad as communication on the defense. Special Teams can't control field position any better than the running game can control the clock. The Defensive Backs miss opportunities for turnovers as much as the receivers miss opportunities for first downs. It is never one single thing, just One Team.

Traditionally, a Tom Brady-led Patriots team bounces quickly after a bad loss, and going into Pittsburgh this week is no different. At this site, the Patriots have taken away the Steelers' chances to go to two Super Bowls in the past three years. Two. Think of the magnitude of that stat. Had the Steelers pulled out AFC Championship games at home against New England, Steelers fans would be screaming Dynasty, Dynasty, not Patriots Nation. Think about those turn of events, think about the twists of life, because that is what runs through the Steel Curtain these days. They think of those two big games the Patriots took right away from the Steelers. Blowouts in their own house.

Heinz Field will be rockin' on Sunday at 4:15 PM against a Patriots team not used to losing back-to-back losses, a Patriots team who is coming off a bad loss form another team they took a big game away from, this one a whole Super Bowl. No one in the Patriots locker room is interested in another loss. They hurt too much, sting too much. There is too much pride in losing.

Traditionally, Tom Brady bounces back from bad losses. Traditionally, a Bill Belichick-led Patriots team is furious after a sharp loss. Traditionally, the Patriots are frothing at the mouth the week after a loss, looking for a win. Expect no different on Sunday.

The Steelers are ready for the challenge. They are 2-0 against weak teams. And they want to test just how good they are this season. A win over New England will give them a pretty good idea. A loss will give them a pretty good idea, too.

As for the Patriots, Bill Belichick is always interested how his team bounces back from a brutal loss, and it seems that every season there is one loss that is the brutal focus. In 2005, the Carolina is the brutal focus and Pittsburgh is the bounce-back game.

ejh

23 September 2005