Intervju med fans: New England Patriots
Turen i vår intervjuserie har kommit till amerikanen Michael Norton som är bosatt i det lilla samhället Standish ett par timmars bilresa från storstaden Boston. För att behålla den äkta känslan i intervjun så publiceras den på engelska.
Please tell the readers how you started to support New England.
My support for the New England Patriots started when I would watch football with my dad and grandfather. I was kind of young but I remember that we had Drew Bledsoe as our quarterback. He was awful and had no pocket presence whatsoever. I watched the Super Bowl in 1997 when the Patriots squared off against the Packers and of course the Patriots lost. But as I got older they were still my team. Then we got Tom Brady and the rest is history. I also think I am a Patriots fan because I live in the New England area, in the state of Maine! It's so far up there many people do not even know where Maine is and can’t locate it on a map!
Who are your all-time favourite players?
Some of my favorite Patriots players would be Randy Moss, Rodney Harrison, The Gronk and of course TB12. I'm really starting to like Brandin Cooks. He’s had a great season so far with many decent catches and touchdowns! When Randy Moss wore the Patriot uniform we seemed unstoppable until we lost the Super Bowl XLII, which ended our perfect season. He was a good player but had a big mouth which is probably why the Patriots cut him. Rodney Harrison was a great defensive player and I was there for his last game watching from the stands freezing my toes and ass off. That was when Tom Brady was out for the season and we had Matt Cassel for quarterback. Unfortunately it was Harrison's last game as he was injured and retired after that season. Gronk has been reasonably healthy this year and he's my favorite just because he's so large and he is a challenge to takedown. I always like when he spikes the ball. Me Gronk, me smash, me hit people hard, me get touchdown!
Tom Brady turns 41 next year and has been around for a while now. What's your thoughts about him and how will you feel the day he choose to retire?
Tom Brady, I predict will play as long as he can. I believe he will play until the age of 45 and will have dazzling gray hair. Brady is very stubborn. I believe the only way he will stop playing is if he gets injured or Gisele will threaten to divorce him. He may be nice in the media but he is stubborn as hell. There are certain games when we are way ahead and the right thing to do would be to take Brady out but he is too damn stubborn and refuses to let the backup QB’s get a chance! He gets hit so many times but refuses to quit which is why I like him. He isn't thinking about retirement but when he does retire he will still have that spark to keep winning. He will probably become a pro at chess or something!
Patriots are as usual playing like a machine even if they had a rough start. Is there anything that can stop them from cruising to a new title?
There is nothing that can stop the New England Patriots for another title except maybe a team with perfect defense, a team that makes no mistakes (those Eagles are looking quite scary) and a team that doesn’t choke with a 25 point lead! You could suspend Brady more than four games and we could still win. The New England Patriot machine works as long as Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are there churning out the gears. We might also need Julian Edelman around just to make more miracle catches to help us win every Super Bowl from now until the year 2035!
