The sport of politics. The politics of sport.

The New England Patriots looked for almost the entire 2007-08 season like they could do no wrong. Then, in a case of the worst timing imaginable, they had their worst game of the season during Super Bowl XLII.

Many of us out here in fanville questioned the play-calling of the Pats’ coaches and were mystified by the mediocre performance of the offensive line (which did a lousy job of protecting Brady) and the Patriots defense, which while largely effective didn’t make the biggest plays when it counted the most: during the last minute-and-a-half of the game.

We at Red Zone Politics are not X and O wonks, so we don’t even try to give advice on the nuts and bolts of on-the-field strategy. We’re more interested in attitude management and how teams can get themselves into a winning groove when they’ve gotten stuck in a rut.

With this in mind, RZP counsels the Patriots coaches and players to look no further than their victorious opponent, the New York Giants, and the Manning borthers, for clues into how to regain their balance after having reached for the highest high only to crash down to earth. The key words here are change, perseverance, hope and — perhaps most importantly — letting go of control a bit. In other words, not caring too much about outcomes but just letting the players play the game — surprises and all.

1. Tom Coughlin: Be willing to change your attitude and your game plan. Coughlin, under siege by fans and the sports press in New York for his apparent inability to foster a winning locker room, underwent some kind of psychic change that allowed him to foster a partnership with his players that altered the team’s destiny.

2. Peyton Manning: Keep hope alive, no matter what they say about you. Manning labored for season after season under the impression he “couldn’t win the Big One,” before finally shutting up his naysayers with a Super Bowl victory last year. The Patriots lost this Super Bowl as a team — there were no scapegoats because it was a team failure. So the team can be equated to Peyton Manning, who carried the burden of being the most talented quarterback in the NFL for years before he could make it to a Super Bowl, much less win one. As Manning overcame his lack of confidence and composure at crunch time, so the entire Patriots team must believe that destiny has not robbed them of glory, but merely postponed it.

3. Eli Manning: Have something to prove — and act as if you have nothing to lose.

4. Lawrence Tynes: Let your kicker do what kickers are supposed to do, even if they haven’t had a great game. Coughlin sent Tynes out after two missed (long) field goals against the Green Bay Packers, and he won the game for the Giants. Belichick’s decision to not let Stephen Gostkowski kick a 49-yard field goal on 4th and 13 — and to go for a (failed) pass into the end zone — was counterproductive. It may also ultimately have cost them the game.

It’s great to have high standards for oneself. But if we set that bar too high and fail to measure up, that failure can wound our pride so deeply it can be debilitating. As Green Bay QB Brett Favre has shown us all, having fun playing the game may just be the most important quality to nurture in players. When we take ourselves too seriously — no matter what profession we’re in — we set ourselves up for a fall.

We hope the Patriots in 2008-09 have as much fun as possible. They’ve earned it.

Yours Truly, A.F. Cook