In New England, when Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady went down with a season-ending knee injury this past Sunday, you could hear the collective moan go up from Rhode Island to Maine.
But I understand that in the rest of the country, where rooting against the Patriots come as naturally as rooting against the Germans in a WWII movie, Brady's ligament-tearing turn on the turf was met with cheers.
Poor form rest of America. That's Philadelphia fan stuff, right there.
However, in the midst of the turmoil and hand-wringing, there seems to be little attention being paid to the fact that Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is truly great at two things.
1) He knows how to film opposing coaches.
2) He knows how to turn any sort of slight into turbo-charged motivation for his team.
For years during the ascent of the Patriots dynasty (yes, it's a dynasty), Belichick somehow convinced his team that they weren't getting enough respect. Even when they were favored, he talked about the opposition as if they were some sort of modern hybrid of the '85 Bears and the '94 Niners.
When they had everything but an elite receiver, the entire team rallied around the disrespected receiving corps. When the Pats were stacked everywhere except at cornerback, where they were starting guys like Hank Poteat and Earthwind Moreland, the rest of the defense stepped up so quarterbacks had no time to throw.
Of course, the task of convincing his team that they were the underdog got much harder for Belichick as they become more dominant. One might even argue that by going undefeated in the regular season a year ago, the Patriots robbed Belichick of his greatest motivational weapon, which is why they couldn't match the intensity of the Giants in the Super Bowl.
I dunno for sure.
But what I do know is that Brady's injury has turned the Patriots from prohibitive Super Bowl favorites to "bubble playoff team" in many people's estimation.
Now I'm not even hinting at the possibility that the Patriots will be a better team with Matt Cassel calling the plays instead of Tom Brady. They won't be. They can't be.
But I will argue that every single veteran on that team feels like they have something to prove because they have to feel like their contribution to the Patriots' success this century is being minimized or even forgotten. I'll also bet every dollar I have wrapped up in the house I'm trying to sell that the Patriots head coach is feeding that fire like it were a hungry baby at the Gerber factory.
One more factor, and that's the Matt Cassel story. Think about how many people would've given up their dream of being a big-time quarterback after ending up at USC behind Carson Palmer, the eventual Heisman Trophy Winner. Then consider how many individuals would've had the resilience to stick with it after his chance to start at USC and showcase his skills was deferred again by the slimmest margin when Matt Leinart won the position and also ended up with a Heisman Trophy. And finally, how many of those true few, who had persevered through all that, would still remain undaunted when drafted by a NFL franchise featuring one of the most dominant and durable quarterbacks in the history of the league.
Realizing that Mr. Cassel has some quality that kept him moving forward despite all that... do you think he might be "ready" for this opportunity?
Seriously. If Tom Brady famously had a chip about being taken in the 6th round, couldn't Cassel be sporting a mission of his own?
I really have no idea what Cassel will do with his big chance. It's very possible he will come in and look like a guy who hasn't started a game under center since 1999 and the Jets will vanquish the Patriots, announcing to the world that the Ivan-Drago-esque Patriots are just a man, capable of bleeding.
But maybe... just maybe... Cassel is ready for his moment in the spotlight, and he'll be efficient, poised, and do just enough for the Patriots to win on the road in the Meadowlands, upstage Brett Favre and the Jet Favres. Maybe he'll be better than Brady... not the Brady we watched last year, but the Brady we saw in 2001, who didn't throw a TD until his third start and finished the year with 18 scores and 14 games. Maybe he'll prove Bill Belichick right for seeing something special in him and sticking with him all these years.
And if that happens, there's one thing I know. Another moan will go up... and this one will be coming from Patriot-hating nation, from sea to shining sea.