Tom Brady lost a regular season game today. The last time he lost a regular season game was December 10, 2006. Wow. Things could be worse… the Detroit Lions haven’t won a game since December 23, 2006. WOW!

We have been spoiled rotten when it comes to Patriots’ victories. And when a loss comes – especially in a game that we wanted so badly – it hurts worse than your average team’s run-of-the-mill loss.

I think today’s loss to the Jets hit my dad much harder than me. I’m pretty cool with it, to be honest. And I think I should avoid any taunting from my office’s resident Bills fan because I made sure not to taunt last week. Of course, if he does taunt, then he’s just an asshole and bad karma will fall him. But I think that’s unlikely.

The Patriots downfall today? Not being able to capitalize on all their scoring opportunities in the first half. With the game still in their grasp, the Jets were able to come out into the second half and chill. It doesn’t help that the Patriots seem to be missing a true leader on defense. It was almost a given the Jerod Mayo was taking over the role but with him out, who will step in? I’d expect a little more out of Adalius Thomas and Ty Warren. C’mon guys. Lead!

Overall, I think a humbling loss like this one might prove beneficial. Maybe.

In a shocking twist of events, yesterday afternoon my dad asked me to make him a Facebook profile. I’m not quite sure where he learned of the wonders of Facebook, but I obliged and in 15 minutes *abracadabra* my dad had his very first social networking profile.

Worst of all, I think he already has more friends than me. ‘Doh!

My dad and I have been in the process of converting my little sister into a psycho-Patriots fanatic like us for a few years now and I think our evil plot is beginning to stick. Little Sis now comes over every Sunday to watch the games. Of course, she has her Sidekick glued to her hand for most of the game but progress is progress.

We began this arduous conversion a few years back during the Super Bowl years when my dad had me take the youngin’ to a Deion Branch autograph signing. When a woman asked us who Deion Branch was, Little Sis replied, “YOU DON’T KNOW WHO DEION BRANCH IS?!” It was the most attitude I had ever seen out of the eight-year-old.

She now accompanies us to all Patriots Training Camps and she will also be with us when we FINALLY visit The Hall.

And best of all, now that she’s over on Sundays my dad has begun explaining the game of football to her. Why does a player run one way… why is that guy doing that… et cetera and so forth.

Hey, I was around her age when I started watching. Who knows, maybe she’ll even surpass me in complete New England Patriots Obsession or “NEPO” as I like to call it.

After watching yesterday’s Patriots-Raiders game, I have come to the conclusion that the entire Oakland squad has quit on the season and just wants to get it over with and fast.

The Patriots’ playoff chances would have gotten a lot better if only Buffalo didn’t blow chunks all over Giants Stadium. I understand the concept of “Playing to win” but with slightly more than a minute left and a running attack that had been successful all game… AND a goofy loser at QB, why on Earth would you attempt a pass?!?! Reminds me of that Patriots-Steelers game in the playoffs in 1997 when the Patriots fumbled and the Steelers eventually got the game-winning field goal. And I only remember that because my dad cried, literally cried, for like an hour after the loss.

There have been few Patriots games I have watched with my dad in which he becomes so enraged, he storms out of the room. This afternoon was one of them as the Patriots imploded against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

If you could find one positive in today’s putrid performance it’s that I will (hopefully) no longer have to listen to the “Trade Tom Brady” crap. Cassel looked terrible. I’m thinking next year he should seek out a team that plays in a dome because he looked absolutely miserable in the rain. He looked like he reverted as the game went on. He also wasn’t getting any help from Randy Moss and then when Wes Welker took a whopper hit and left the game I knew a comeback was pretty much impossible.

Kickoff/Punt coverage continued to suck but the defense played as I expected so I wasn’t too disappointed.

This one stung my dad much more than me. He left the room a few minutes into the third quarter. Matt Slater’s muffed punt sent him into hysterics and Cassel’s first fumble was more than he could handle. For the sake of our TV, I’m glad he left the room because he had already thrown everything soft within his vicinity at it. All that was left to throw was remote controls and ashtrays. When he came back long after the game was over, he couldn’t even handle my recount. When I told him Wes Welker left the game, he freaked out again and ran back into his room.

But hey, at least the Jets lost.

My boss yelled at me the other day because I put “Happy Veterans Day” in the paper. No, he’s not against veterans, he didn’t like using “happy.” I think he’s got Memorial Day, which is more solemn, confused with Veterans Day which, I think, is a celebration of those who served.

Anyway, on Veterans Day, I like to make sure I thank every veteran I see for making sacrifices for me, you, and us. And, wouldn’t you know it, I don’t have to go far to find a veteran as my dad is a veteran of both the Air Force and the Marine Corps. And he is PROUD of his service.

That was a photo of my dad in the Marines, stationed in Puerto Rico. The photo was dated March 29, 1980 and I must note that it is an official press photograph for the Department of the Navy. $5 if you can find my dad. And yes, if I wasn’t one-year-old at the time, I probably would’ve been all about Mr. Shirtless on the end. Hubba hubba. (I just realized that guy is probably my dad’s age now, grooooooooooooooooooss!)

My dad was drafted when he was 18-years-old in 1971 but since he was still in high school, it was delayed. Upon graduation, he decided to enlist in the Air Force as a M.P. Unfortunately, there were no available openings for M.P., so he decided to specialize in Jet Engine Mechanics.

My dad was honorably discharged in, I don’t know the year, and a few years later enlisted in the Marines when the Corps needed jet mechanics. I think he was a member of the Marines for four or five years. I probably should have asked him all this stuff before I decided to write about him, but whatever.

To all veterans and active duty members of the military, THANK YOU!