[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 486-488]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  CONGRATULATING THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS FOR WINNING SUPER BOWL XXXVI

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed 
to S. Res. 202 submitted earlier today by Senators Kennedy, Kerry, and 
Reed.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 202) congratulating the New England 
     Patriots for winning Super Bowl XXXVI.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, yesterday, the New England Patriots 
pulled off a thrilling 20-17 victory over

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the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. The victory is the first world 
championship for the Patriots, and it could not have come at a more 
poignant time for our country.
  Since September 11, the courageous acts of countless Americans have 
set a new standard for the Nation. Indeed, a new American spirit has 
been forged. That sprit is characterized by sacrifice, humility, and a 
refusal to quit in the face of adversity. At a time when our entire 
country is banding together and facing down indivualism, the Patriots 
set a wonderful example, showing us all what is possible when we work 
together, believe in each other, and sacrifice for the greater good.
  That example came from the top, and it came from the start of the 
season. Choosing to be introduced before the game as a team, not as 
individuals, the Patriots set the tone for their victory. Coach Bill 
Belichick stressed teamwork, saying that only by working together could 
the Patriots overcome their opponent, the best team in the NFL's 
regular season, the St. Louis Rams.
  The coach put his faith in second year quarterback Tom Brady, the 
youngest quarterback ever to win a Super Bowl, and the eventual MVP of 
the game. At the same time, Drew Bledsoe, team captain and the 
consummate team player, cheered him--and the entire team--from the 
sideline.
  But this was not a game won by a star quarterback alone, it was a 
team effort. No one player rose above the rest--but together, they 
excelled and defied long odds. The defense, a no-name bunch forced to 
depend on each other, stifled the high-octane Rams offense. It was this 
defense, led by Ty Law, Teddy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, and rookie Richard 
Seymour, that got the Patriots ahead early in the game.
  The second half saw a Rams comback, and a lesser team could have 
fallen under such dire circumstances. But these Patriots once again 
banded together, for one final drive. With the game tied, momentum on 
the side of the Rams, and overtime seemingly inevitable, the Patriots 
showed their true spirit, using running back Kevin Faulk, receiver Troy 
Brown, and intelligent play from Brady to drive from inside their own 
20 yard line to give kicker Adam Vinatieri a chance to win the game 
with only 7 seconds left on the clock. As his kick sailed through the 
uprights, the Patriots completed their unthinkable task: they defeated 
the Rams, and won their world championship.
  All of us in Massachusetts, and indeed all who live in New England, 
are proud of the Patriots and their extraordinary season. They finished 
the season with 9 straight victories, a feat that could only be 
accomplished by a team using all 53 players on its roster. The Patriots 
had to win two tough playoff games to make the Super Bowl. And even 
after these improbable victories over the Oakland Raiders and 
Pittsburgh Steelers, they were big underdogs to the Rams yesterday. 
Unfazed by these odds, the Patriots won again, defying their critics 
and naysayers.
  Eight years ago Bob Kraft bought the Patriots, and today he will 
bring the Lombardi trophy home to fans who have been waiting for 42 
years. Congratulations.
  The Rams also deserve credit, as they had a spectacular season and 
played a wonderful game. They are certainly an impressive team.
  The Patriots' hard work and dedication encapsulates the new spirit in 
America. I urge the Senate to approve this well-deserved resolution, 
which I will offer today.
  In Boston, April 15 is Patriots' Day--a day when we celebrate the 
brave men and women who fought for our Nation's independence. But, for 
generations of New England sports fans--from Bangor to Boston--
yesterday will always be our Patriots' Day.
  Today, the New England Patriots are the true patriots all over the 
land. Their perseverance, teamwork, and devotion represent the best of 
America, and I'm proud to call them not only my home team, but also 
world champions.
 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 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.

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  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.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution 
and preamble be agreed to en bloc, the motion to reconsider be laid on 
the table, and that any statements relating thereto be printed in the 
Record, with no intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 202) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  (The resolution, with its preamble, is printed in today's Record 
under ``Submitted Resolutions.'')

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