HOUSTON _ Can't stand the Patriots? Then you're missing a great show.
That's what Hall of Fame wide receiver and NFL Network analyst Michael Irvin said Thursday about the legions of fans around the country who are Patriots haters and believe that the only reason they are so good is because they cheat.
"I think we're doing ourselves a misjustice if we walk around and try to tab them as cheaters," Irvin said. "We're missing a great journey. We're blessed enough to be living in a time when they're doing what they're doing."
So why all the animosity toward them? "Because they win so much," Irvin said. "Nobody loves you when you win."
The Patriots have been involved in a number of scandals over the years, but Irvin said that only proves how good they really are.
"Let's be real, we talk about these things like Spygate and Deflategate and all those things, but nothing has changed," he said. "All of the so-called corrections, no more Spygate and no more Deflategate, and they're still here. They're still here. It has no merit to try to say that they cheated their way here when they're still here. And they're not going away. ... This is like an annual game for them.
"Are they hating the Patriots or are they showing that they have some hate in their heart from where they are? That's the way I see it."
