Super Bowl Loser Curse Strikes Again

OK, by now, most people will have heard that Tom Brady appears to be lost for the season due to an ACL injury he sustained in week 1 against KC.  My condolences go out to Tom and his team, since no one likes to see a player get hurt, especially not one of Tom Brady's stature.  Yes, Tom was the first QB picked in most fantasy leagues this fall.  Yes, the Patsies were primed for another run at the Super Bowl and greatness.  Yes, numerous columnists wrote this summer how no one should expect the Patsies to fall victim to the Super Bowl loser curse.

Wait, what's that you say?  There's another curse on top of the Billy Goat curse, the SI cover jinx curse, and the Madden cover curse?*

* We will, of course, be holding our breath this entire season for Brett Favre, this year's EA Sports Madden NFL 2009 cover boy. 

Yes, yes there is.  Going back at least to the 2000 season, when the Titans lost to the Rams in the Super Bowl and then had a big drop-off the next season, every Super Bowl loser has had a tough time bouncing back from the loss.  The '01 Giants had several rough years before finally climbing back into prominence through the wildcard last year.  The '02 Rams have been shells of their former selves for the past five years and will probably continue that skid this year.  The '03 Raiders have, well, been the Raiders for the past four years.  The '04 Panthers have done OK, but have struggled to make it back to the playoffs.  The '05 Eagles also struggled in the year following their Super Bowl run.  The '06 Seahawks continue to win their Division, but how hard is that, really?  The '07 Bears completely fell apart on defense last year and notably cut or allowed to depart via free agency their top QB, RB, and WR from last year.  

Now, much of what people love about the NFL is its parity.  When a team like the Browns can bounce from 4-12 one season to a stunning 10-6 the next, really, anything can happen from season to season.  One good player from the April draft can add to a key free agent signing and a new coach...  ...and take the Saints from 3-13 in 2005 to 10-6 in 2006.  One lucky bounce, one fumble recovery, or one onside kick recovery can get an entire team of players believing in themselves and change the entire season.  That's the beauty of the NFL.

On the flip side, players do get hurt.  They get older, slightly slower, and lose a step.  Again, key players can depart via free agency, and it becomes harder and harder to field a competitive team year after year.  Gone are the days of the Broncos, Vikings, and Bills being able to get scramble back up to the peak of the NFL season, the Super Bowl, after each crushing defeat the previous year.  The difference from other Super Bowl losers is that the Patriots have shown they know how to refresh their roster and keep finding talented players that no one else wants (Corey Dillon, anyone?).  They've been to the Super Bowl four times this decade, and last year was their first loss in those four trips. 

What remains to be seen is how well Matt Cassel will perform this year.  Yes, he was able to connect with Randy Moss and guide the Patsies to a week 1 defeat of the Chiefs.  Randy Moss will become his new bestest friend, I think.  There is still a ton of talent on the New England roster.  They still sit atop the AFC East, but with the aforementioned Favre now competing in their Division, the road to the Super Bowl becomes much, much harder than it was before, no disrespect intended towards Chad Pennington.  As noted above, Farve is competing against his own curse, so it should be interesting to see which curse strikes hardest this season. 

Any votes for the Billy Goat curse?