When I think about all the places my life has gone in the last ten years, there’s one constant. And that would be Tom Brady and the New England Patriots making my Sundays happy (for the most part).

I’m not going to lie, a decade ago, I started this website primarily as a medium to boast about the New England Patriots winning Super Bowl 36. That was it. Little did I know at the time that Tom Brady and the team would go on a bender, winning two more Super Bowls, racking up an undefeated regular season, and become one of the most successful – and detested (because that’s what winning a lot does to a franchise) teams in the entire NFL. The Patriots have become what the San Francisco 49ers were in the 80s. What the Steelers and Cowboys were in the 70s. This has been their decade and, as a fan, I’ve been happier than a pig in shit.

So you can see how I feel a bit sentimental that the Patriots are returning to the Super Bowl on the tenth anniversary of their first championship ever. I still consider that cold night in February 2002 to be one of the best of my life. Unmatched, even in the ten years and three Super Bowl berths since.

I don’t know what the outcome of next Sunday’s super rematch versus the New York Giants will be. I think the Patriots can win, but then again, I’m hopelessly optimistic. I think they can win the Super Bowl every year. What I can say is I am bursting open with thankfulness to the team, Tom Brady, Robert Kraft, and Bill Belichick. For just a few months each year, I forget about life’s bullshit. I’m able to put life’s problems on the back burner and enjoy my favorite thing in the whole world: football. And I’m able to watch a competitive team.

So, we’re entering the countdown to Super Bowl 46. Pray for me that my head doesn’t explode before kick off.