I remember watching the 2001 season Superbowl (so in early 2002.) It was still freshly post-9/11. I remember that it was the Patriots who were playing in it and Tom Brady came up as a back-up QB who was a 6th round draft pick. And he was from the Bay Area – a local boy (his high school is a couple blocks from our office!) Cinderella story. I remember being SO happy a team named the Patriots were there with such a story and screaming at every play and score and knew they were going to win the Super Bowl. It was just right. It was exactly what should have happened that year.
This was pre-fantasy football for me. so I was pretty much only a 49ers and Bucs fan. I thought Joe Montana was the only quarterback in the world :) So for me to care at all about a different team was a big deal.
I was never really a Patriots fan before or after that. Not really a fan of Belichick. And I way prefer Peyton Manning or Drew Brees. BUT, this year Brees was taken in the draft and Peyton is out with injury (hopefully not career-ending). So I took Brady.
10 years later I will root for Brady again. Still debating buying his jersey for the FF year. But I do still request he cut his dang hair. :)
