"Welcome Their Hatred"

The one thing that makes the New England Patriots the best team in the NFL is the same thing that makes them one of the most hated. And it is that they don't care what other people think of them. Tom Brady doesn't care. Bill Belichick doesn't care. LeGarrette Blount doesn't care. Julien Edelman doesn't care. Bob Kraft...ok, well  Kraft has to care a little. The one thing they all care about is winning football games. That's all folks.

Their focus is what makes them great. It's like they are a race horse wearing blinders, oblivious to everything else around them. In today's age when society is enamored with little whiteboard sayings like "do your job" or "ignore the noise," the Patriots live it. They act on it. The outside noise doesn't affect them. Just like the 2004 Red Sox, aka "The Idiots," truly "believed" they could rally from 0-3 to comeback and beat the Yankees. There was no Twitter back in 2004 to put up catchy "believe" phrases. It was organic. They truly believed and had faith and the Patriots have been no different for the last 17 years.

But in the world we live in today, the media and fans want athletes and coaches to talk. They want that sound-byte from the superstar athletes. It's what gets athletes in trouble. It is what got Colin Kaepernick in trouble earlier this season. Some people thought it was great Kaepernick was standing up for his beliefs but below the surface of the water it was hurting the team. Kaepernick had to spend precious time defending why he refused to stand for the National Anthem when he could have used some of that time to be watching film, improving on footwork or talking with his offensive line.

This kind of stuff does not happen in New England. It is a distraction and the Patriots are all about minimizing distractions. The closest distraction came in week 10 when they lost a 31-24 game to the NFC's Seattle Seahawks. In the week leading up to the game, the only thing the media wanted to talk about was Belichick, Brady and Kraft's friendship with President-Elect Donald Trump.

Belichick briefly addressed it. In his weekly radio interview with Kirk and Callahan the previous week, Brady ended the interview with a tease about announcing who he voted for. Both instances undoubtedly had an affect on their game preparation even if they won't admit it.

The following week after a convincing, 30-17 win over Brady's childhood team, the San Francisco 49ers, everyone tuned in Monday morning to hear if Brady would truly reveal his vote. But in true Brady fashion he said he had put the election behind him and wanted to move on.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion and belief but there is no need to voice it. The impact you have is based on what you do not on what you say. The Patriots have embraced this philosophy and everyone outside of New England hates it.

Fans of other teams and commentators hate Belichick's short press conference and mistake his lack of emotion for arrogance. It's not. It's just taking time away from what he should be doing: preparing his team for the upcoming week's game or preparing for the off-season or the Draft.

Brady is a tad bit different. Reporters love his personality in press conferences and interviews. He's easy to talk to but he's just like Belichick. When you really analyze what he said, he gave you nothing. He's a smooth talker.

People may hate the Patriots for the "Patriot Way" but they wouldn't have it any other way. In the words of former President Franklin D. Roosevelt "they are unanimous in their hate for me - and I welcome their hatred."