Bob Lobel: Born on Christmas Eve

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

I would not play in a meaningless game, and they don't come any more meaningless than Sunday in Buffalo.

I would not play Edelman, I would not play Gronk, and of course, I would not play Tom Brady. There are also maybe some other guys you know of that will take the day off. I don't think we have to have that argument about how much these guys are paid, they should take a rest on Sunday.

On another note, when you're born on Christmas Eve, like I was back when the world was flat, everybody thinks it's a disadvantage, but quite the opposite.



Point number one: People always remember to get you presents. Your birthday is on Christmas, and nobody forgets that.

Plus you do feel a certain sense of entitlement being born on Christmas Eve. Wow! Plus being an only child, double wow! And when your family celebrates Christmas you're right there in the middle of the joy, and your birthday started it all.

Hey, that's not so bad after all.

So, what I want for Christmas, and of course my birthday, is simply a healthy Edelman, Gronkowski and Brady. Is that so much to ask? I would do it like a meaningless preseason game and have them play one snap or drive, then sit down the rest of the day.

For a guy like Julian Edelman, that he'll get three weeks off, after missing the Jets, plus the Bills and the bye. Gronk could use some rest as well, though I could make a case for playing Brady a half then sitting out.

Patriots fans, of course, are very hard to read. They probably think, or at least feel, like they've been in the championship game every year and, for all intents and purposes, their record is 3 and 200.

If Belichick sits his starters Sunday, then they go to Arizona and lose the big game, his record drops to 3-3, making he and Brady just .500 in Super Bowls and losers of the last three.

But, if they do beat Seattle, or whoever comes out of the NFC, that's the stuff that legends are made of. If they face the Seahawks, it would probably be the best team the Pats have ever faced on Super Sunday, but getting that fourth Super Bowl win would be something magical (putting them in the class of the 70s Steelers and 80s 49ers).

So even if we make it, Patriots fans will say "hey, that's what we do, we've got to win this year."

But hey, hopefully so far you've been gifted a Merry Christmas and will have a happy New Year. And especially enjoy it if you're also having a happy birthday.