A long period of self-imposed silence might be lifting

Three months ago, the Patriots lost the Super Bowl.

On Thursday night they began drafting new players for the upcoming season. In the past couple weeks we’ve received the schedule for the 2012 season, paid for our season tickets and watched closely as the team began signing free agents.

A lot of time has gone by since the Super Bowl, and a lot has happened in the football world,  but I am still not able to discuss the loss.

I’m still not able to discuss or even think about the Super Bowl loss in 2007.

I’m almost able to talk about the loss in the 1996 Super Bowl. In that game, Green Bay’s Desmond Howard opened the second half by returning the kickoff for a touchdown, ending any hope of a Patriots victory.

When that happened, I removed my shoe from my left foot and threw it through my friend’s wall. I still can’t believe I did it. It happened so fast that there was absolutely no thought involved at all. One second I was sitting on the couch, watching the game, and the next, my shoe was sticking out of the drywall, about five feet off the floor.

The room went perfectly silent for a moment. No one said a word. Every eye turned to me. Then my friend stood up, examined the damage and said, “That’s the perfect spot for our wedding photo. Just the right height and everything.” 

He and his wife, who was not quite as forgiving as my friend, eventually moved out of that house, but for the next five years, their wedding photo hung in front of the hole that my shoe left in their wall.

I think I’m ready to talk about that Super Bowl loss now in case you’ve been waiting.