Why are we here?

WEEK 17
Patriots 38, Dolphins 7: Why am I here? That's what the Globe's Shaughnessy said I'd be asking myself as I stood with my friends in the parking lot of Gillette yesterday as a light rain fell on the top our tent.

A game that meant nothing in the standings for either team was deemed meaningless. So why not just stay home? The sun started breaking through the clouds as Shep took the chicken off the grill. The group next to us started up a roaring fire pit (somewhat uncomfortably close to their large propane tank) and rolled out a flatscreen TV on the back of their pickup. Someone was blasting Zeppelin in the distance.

WEEK 17: A happy home.

"Why are we here?" me, Shep, Matt, and Bergs all said laughing as we raised our drinks to what we hoped would be a great ending to a ridiculously fun regular season. There were so many reasons. The food, the drinks, the football talk, the scene, the friends ... oh, and the game. Why were we there? Easy. We're football fans and our team plays the game of football about as entertainingly as it can be played. As they did yesterday in the regular season finale to finish at 14-2, best in the AFC.

We got to our seats with cocktails in hand and quickly shed our rain layers. It was sweatshirt weather on January 2. A great treat considering a week ago the area was getting buried in almost two feet of snow. I put my jacket on my seat and thought that come the playoff game in two weeks I most likely would be adding layers instead of shedding them. At least I hoped so.

There was little doubt that many of the starters would play in the game. That's Belichick's way. But I was glad to hear Welker would not be one of them. In last year's final game -- also with nothing at stake -- he blew out his knee when he tried to avoid a tackle. It was a freak injury. One that he is still recovering from. Belichick wisely had him sit this one out (along with Branch and Hernandez). But Brady was playing.

I watched highlights of some of the meaningful games played yesterday and saw teams, that had to win, play some very sloppy, mediocre football. In contrast, the Pats, who could have taken the day off, came out looking as sharp as they had been all season. In the first five minutes players who have come up big all year combined to put the Pats up quickly. Rookie corner Devin McCourty -- Pro Bowler -- made a great pick at midfield and set Brady and the offense up. Woodhead took a direct snap and ran for 19 yards down to the Dolphin 21. Brady then hit Gronk -- another impact rookie -- for a 12-yard touchdown pass. The weather was great, the drinks were cold, and the Pats were on their game -- again. Why are we here?

Early in the second quarter -- with the Pats D on the field and the team ahead by two touchdowns -- Brady and his backup Brian Hoyer sat side-by-side on the bench going over some notes. Clearly Hoyer was coming in. "Brady's telling him he better not screw up," Matt said. "or Belichick will make him go back in." How right he was. Brady came off the field after a first-down play and Hoyer came in. Hoyer looked really bad on his first two passes and Brady put his helmet back on as the coach waved him back in. Belichick sent Hoyer -- and the whole team -- yet another message. Always be ready. Hoyer wasn't.

Brady went on to play the rest of the half and started the third quarter. When he came out of the game for good the Pats were ahead 31-0 and the soon-to-be league MVP finished the year with 36 touchdown passes and only four picks. Since the loss in Cleveland, Brady has played the best football of his career. It's fun to watch. BenJarvis broke 1,000 yards rushing. Julian Edelman made some big plays -- including a great punt return for a touchdown. Even Hoyer got a second chance and looked much better. It was a convincing way to head into the playoffs.

The victory completed the second straight 8-0 regular season at Gillette. We've been fortunate to enjoy some great seasons of tailgating since getting our tickets 17 years ago. But 2010 ranks at the top. Maybe that's because of the way the Pats were crushed at home in the playoffs last year. The team could have gone in either direction after that game. Even the most optimistic of people (me) didn't see it turning this far in the positive direction. But Belichick, Brady, and Wilfork (he's now as irreplaceable as the other two) led the way through great roads wins at Pittsburgh, Miami, San Diego, and Chicago and home wins against Minnesota, Baltimore, Indy, and the Jets. As we packed up the post-game tailgate, we started making plans for another home playoff game. Hopefully with a second one to follow.

"Why are we here?" we shouted as we got in our cars for the ride home.