I can't believe it.  One of the worse times of the year is almost over and, looking back, I am shocked at how fast it has gone.  February.  Yes, February has the Super Bowl,  and although I really enjoyed watching a still healing New Orleans grab a championship against another team I admire, it didn’t have my Dolphins, sorry, our Dolphins.  And after the big game, what is there?  Nothing.  The silence is almost deafening for football fans in February.  Fan sites go from fever pitch in the playoffs, to a smaller group who like to speculate on other teams once their own team is eliminated, to the die hard core that we see now.  People like myself and you, if you are reading this near the time of posting, who will dig for any little tidbit or rumor no matter how insignificant it may seem so that we can talk about the sport we love.  Just so we know it is still there.

I really wanted to be in the playoffs again.  In reality, we probably would not go deep with this team barring some series of small miracles, but I wanted to dream for a week like I did last year like many of you wanted.

There's a saying with young teams in all sports, "You have to learn to lose before you learn to win."

I think our team is a prime example of that right now.  And it's probably part of the reason so many teams take a step back in the second year.  It is also probably part of the reason that this is all so frustrating to watch.  Blown leads, blown opportunities, comebacks after a half or 3 quarters of inconsistency, only to be snuffed in the dying moments of the game.  That's a team that can compete, but is learning from its losses,  so it can learn to win. 

Of course, we still need to add talent, especially at safety, Linebacker (inside and out) probably nose tackle, and of course a true number 1 wide receiver has been a hot topic all year.  But look how close each week this team has come. All while being injured at QB, CB, NT and RB times 2.   We have the talent to compete with anybody in the NFL.  Just ask Indy and New Orleans.  But we need to learn to win.  That comes with keeping up the intensity for 4 full quarters and delivering consistently on both sides of the ball.  Houston beat us today, but look at how they let us back in the game.  Same as Tennessee, up and down all season.  Yes, just like us...learning to win.  We still have holes like any team, but at least we have some depth now to fill in with injuries.  Remember a few short years ago when a no name guy would be forced into action and all we learned was why he belonged on the bench?  Now when an injury occurs, more often than not, young guys, or older backups come in and deliver.  Henne, Wake, Smith and Davis have a lot to learn, but the future looks bright when you see how they have played with limited experience.  This is a growing year and I think we have had plenty of growth as a team.  We played meaningful games to the end of December with a bunch of backups in some of the most key positions. 

The media marveled at how the "almighty" patriots did that  last year and we did same thing in the second year of a rebuild.

Don't get me wrong, I think it will come.  But today's game proved that point to me.  We had a game that we could have easily put out of reach before the dreaded fourth quarter even began, but we kept on fumbling and bumbling enough to let the Jags stay in the ballgame until the final play.  We did this earlier in the year a few times, and now we did it again.  The bright side is that our offense clicked early and our defense certainly shut it down in the second half.  We had guys step up to make plays when desperately needed.  Fourth down stops, tackles for losses, passes defended in critical situations, the list goes on.  But for nearly each positive there was, well, a turnover.  There is a saying in sports, "You have to learn to lose before you learn to win."  We are still learning to win and we have not yet learned how to put a foot on the throat of the opponent when we have them down.  We have lost because of this (Buffalo), and we will probably lose because of it again, whether it is this year or next.  But how can you not like a team that has one unit step up and win the game when the other unit does not get it done.  I think we are definitely heading in the right direction with many of the type of players you want.  Winners.  Guys that step up when you need them to.  We will get there despite the fact that today proved we are still climbing the hill.
Maybe it will take some more tough losses like Buffalo and New Orleans before our guys learn that you need to keep up that intensity when you have an opponent down, but not out.  You do not let them climb back into the game because momentum swings kill. 
But hey, if we sneak out with a win and can still learn from that, well that's cool too!

Has anyone noticed how human the patriots have looked since having to give up cheating?  Oh, and maybe, just maybe, like any other sports team on the planet, they are suffering the world's largest hangover since the world's largest choke happened 2 years ago in the Superbowl. 

They always seemed to make plays at the most important moments.  Always seemed to have a receiver get open, a defender in the right place, a guy making a clutch play was the norm.  Well, maybe we now know why that happened.  Maybe it was not great preparation, at least not in the traditional and legal sense.  This supposed juggernaut has just dropped back to back games and once again, choked in the 4th.  In fact, the fourth quarter is as much a nemesis for them as it is for us.  They are becoming known for it.  If the spygate taping didn't really benefit them, as their defenders often say, why is this happening all of a sudden?  A team that was once "great" is now just pretty good and competitive.

Ah, competitive...the way the game was meant to be.  Everyone playing on a level field so to speak.

I know, we deserve as a fan base to dream the dream a little longer.  Earlier in the year I wanted us to stay in the race until at least November.  When I got that wish,  it became December.  The more we get the more we want.  It's human nature, at least for sports fans.  Well, next week we have a big game that can keep us mathematically in the playoff hunt (if not realistically).  A win there means we are relevant in December.  A win there also means I will continue to ask for more. 

But what if none of that happens?  How well were we supposed to do this year?  Historically, teams do take a step back in the second year of an overhaul, as the novelty of the new coach and administration wears off and reality sets in.  This was supposed to happen.  And yes, this has been an overhaul.  Look at how many new faces we cheer for this year compared to 2 years ago?  Smith, Davis, Polite, Grove, Long,  Smiley, Bess, Merling,  Starks,  Wake,  Langford and now Henne to Hartline is one of the surprising new combinations that makes me wonder if we are watching the beginning of something fairly routine in the future.  Many of the names that are making plays for us are not as consistent as we'd like, but remember, that's partly because many of our playmakers are either rookies, or second year players.  They are out there, whether it's due to injury or just that they have played their way onto the field.  Either way, it is proof that this front office has successfully turned over the roster and you have to feel that we are growing a neucleus that will be competitive as more pieces are added.

Like I said, this was supposed to happen.  But it's extra tough in our case because "supposed to" went out the window when we won 11 and a playoff birth last year.