[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 6 (Monday, February 4, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S282-S283]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                THE TRIUMPH OF THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

 Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, today I salute the New England 
Patriots for their amazing win in Super Bowl XXXVI. We are so proud of 
our Patriots for bringing home this championship and for the manner in 
which they achieved it: through determination, class and teamwork. Some 
followers of the Pats through their startling season have deemed New 
England a team of destiny. I agree with that characterization if one 
defines team of destiny as a collection of individuals who worked 
together as an efficient, loyal combination in the face of adversity 
and doubt.
  From Fort Kent, ME, to Waterbury, CT, from Williamstown to Wellfleet, 
New England sports fans have hungered for a sports title since 1986. 
Few would have guessed that it would be the Patriots who would end this 
drought by bringing home their first championship. Although blessed 
with four decades of star players such as Gino Cappelletti, Jim Nance 
and Babe Parilli in the 1960s; Sam (Bam) Cunningham, Russ Francis, and 
Jim Plunkett in the 1970s; John Hannah, Mike Haynes, and Stanley Morgan 
in

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the 1980s; and Irving Fryar, Curtis Martin, and Chris Slade in the 
1990s, the Patriots had never won the big game.
  Thanks to the dedicated ownership of longtime season ticket holder 
and local philanthropist Bob Kraft and his family, however, the 
Patriots became a better, stronger franchise both off and on the field. 
Faced with an untenable stadium situation, Kraft, using his own money, 
eventually built a wonder in CMGI Field, which will open this fall as 
the new home of the new world champions. Forced to replace the 
legendary coach Bill Parcells, Kraft eventually hired Bill Belichick, a 
low-key mastermind who has justly earned a reputation for devising pro 
football's most devious defensive schemes.
  Still, in spite of Coach Belichick and his team of heady assistants 
coordinated by Romeo Crennel and Charlie Weis, few expected the 
Patriots, 5-11 last season, to even contend for pro football's ultimate 
prize. Indeed, the Pats stumbled to an 0-2 start, lost franchise 
quarterback Bledsoe, and appeared, behind unheralded Tom Brady, a sixth 
round draft choice who had begun 2001 as a third-string quarterback who 
had thrown but three passes as a rookie, about to fall to 1-4 against 
San Diego. But Brady led a remarkable comeback to overcome San Diego 
and its Massachusetts quarterback Doug Flutie of Natick and Boston 
College.
  This turnaround heralded a season in which the Patriots would 
overcome obstacles in step-by-step fashion. After falling to the St. 
Louis Rams 24-17 in Foxboro, the Pats refused to lose again, reeling 
off six regular season and three playoff wins in shockingly methodical 
succession. Rather than serving as a distraction, a healthy Bledsoe 
served as a rallying point for Belichick to demonstrate his 
decisiveness, Brady to show his skills, and Bledsoe to reveal his 
class.
  Haunted by the phantom roughing-the-passer call against Sugar Bear 
Hamilton in a 1976 playoff and the paralyzing of Darryl Stingley in a 
1978 exhibition, the Patriots overcame their old AFL foe the Oakland 
Raiders at Foxboro Stadium's final contest. Truly a win for the ages 
and the region, the overtime thriller took place in several inches of 
snow and ended in the Pats' favor thanks to the clutch receiving of 
East Boston's Jermaine Wiggins and the boot of Adam Vinatieri, pro 
football's best pressure kicker whose playoff beard had begun to 
resemble that of former Boston Bruins great Raymond Bourque. As the 
clock neared midnight on that snowy Saturday, the Patriots celebrated 
their 16-13 sudden-death comeback with long snapper Lonie Paxton making 
snow angels in the end zone.
  In spite of these heroics, critics downplayed the Pats' chances 
against the number-one-ranked defense of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 
Heinz Field, their fine new facility. The all-around special play of 
the overlooked but record-setting receiver and returner Troy Brown put 
the Patriots on the scoreboard first, but then disaster seemed to 
strike in the form of an ankle injury to Brady. Fortunately, Bledsoe, 
although inactive for more than four months, came off the bench to 
spark the Patriots to an upset that returned them to the Super Bowl in 
New Orleans for the third time.
  Backed by Bledsoe and Brady, the strongest QB combination that the 
NFL had seen since the Rams rotated Norm Van Brocklin and Bob 
Waterfield in the late 1940s and early 1950s, the Patriots nevertheless 
found themselves an overwhelming underdog to lose by double digits to 
the record-setting St. Louis Rams and their offensive machine. But Tedy 
Bruschi, Ty Law, and Lawyer Milloy led a hard-hitting defense. Brady, 
David Patten, and Antowain Smith controlled the ball on offense, and 
the Patriots led their fine and worthy opponent for most of the game. 
When the Rams tied the score with 90 seconds to go, other teams might 
have lost their composure and the game. But not this club.
  The Patriots played with poise, relying on the youthful Brady to 
sling the short passes that put the Pats in position for another heart 
stopping kick by Vinatieri. For the first time in Super Bowl history, a 
game ended with a winning offensive play, a field goal. While worth 
just three points, this kick meant so much more, a Super Bowl win for 
the players, coaches, owners, and fans of the Patriots, and a reminder 
of the timeless value of believing in yourselves and your teammates.
  Mr. President, I commend the champion Patriots and the runner-up Rams 
for their achievements.

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