Ali and Frazier. Chris and Martina. Bird and Magic.
Brady and Belichick.
This is getting fun from afar, isn’t it?
It’s easy to say what’s most fun, too. It’s not Tom Brady, at 43, winning in Tampa Bay, as Benjamin-Button-admirable as that is.
It’s Bill Belichick losing in New England. And losing. And losing yet again for a third straight Sunday.
The only missing element from the Patriots’ wonderful downfall is the TV networks’ shots of owner Bob Kraft. For two decades we were subjected to his high-fives. What, we’re not allowed to see him numb?
Rome wasn’t built in a day, but proof it burned in one keeps coming every Sunday for the Patriots. That March day Brady left town ended the dynasty. Brady’s replacement, Cam Newton, was benched in Sunday’s 33-6 loss to San Francisco.
That was the biggest margin in a home Patriots loss since Bill Belichick arrived in 2000. They have a three-game losing streak for the first time since 2002. Want some more feel-good news?
They won’t win a game the rest of the year.
I’m exaggerating. They play the New York Jets twice. So they’re bound to win one.
Hey, we kid because we finally can. There are years of pent-up lines and jealousy, but none tell the story like these lines:
Brady: 18 touchdowns, four interceptions.
Patriots quarterbacks: Three touchdowns, 11 interceptions.
That’s how it’s playing out this year. We tried to warn them, too, didn’t we? We kept warning them, too, all these years. Even as we aged and lost hair or hearing (better to ignore the bleating about, “The Patriots Way” and “Trust in Bill”), we told them what was coming.
Finally, we’re right. We told them to enjoy the fun while it lasted (and lasted). We warned them what happened when Dolphins legend Dan Marino left the huddle for good.
Pain. Misery. Lots of losing, firings and bad football. Twenty-two quarterbacks later, the Dolphins finally have found Marino’s replacement. Maybe. Possibly. Tua Tagovailoa hasn’t played a whole game yet, but that’s kind of hope necklace fans wear even before his first start next Sunday.
During the 49ers’ rout in New England, a Boston TV broadcaster, Mike Lynch, asked on Twitter: “When was the last time you saw a Patriots defense get run over so consistently?
Upton Bell answered: “Miami. 1971. I was the GM.”
It’s true. Bell was then the Patriots’ general manager. The Dolphins ran for 215 yards on them. These 49ers only ran for 197 Sunday. So see? It can get worse, Patriots fans.
