Belichick’s Patriots give everyone more reasons to love (or hate) them

Everyone who was ready to watch the Patriots get their comeuppance Thursday night came away disappointed.

And yes we mean everyone.

There was literally nothing positive to take away from the game if you didn’t want to see the Patriots win, which they did 27-0 despite starting a rookie third-string quarterback with only three days to prepare.

This was another reminder Bill Belichick is playing a different game than everyone else, and yeah, you can take that to mean more than one thing.

On one side there are the haters, who have plenty of motivation for wanting to see the team fail.

They win too much.

They’re joyless and drab much of the time.

And quite frankly they seem to be involved in a lot of things that at least look shady.

Then of course there are their fans.

But there are reasons to admire the New England dynasty, too.

For one thing, Belichick is a mad genius.

If you love football, you have to respect how many different ways he can win.

Has anyone ever embodied the Bum Phillips quote, “He can take his’n and beat your’n, or he can take your’n and beat his’n,” than Belichick?

He’s also a football nerd who respects the tradition of the game.

Admittedly that might have only narrow appeal, but it’s something — and they always offer something for everyone.

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