The road to the Super Bowl: Style edition
With their 18-0 record, the Patriots seemed nearly invincible this season, bludgeoning their opponents in the early games and cobbling together victories in the latter. On the style front, however, they weren't always so winning. Tom Brady's impeccable suits aside, the team definitely dropped the (sartorial) ball a few times, whether it was the return of Bill Belichick's gray hoodie, or Randy Moss's inexplicable Superman jammies. Here's a look at the good, the bad, and the baby. Roll highlights. - COURTNEY HOLLANDS AND HAYLEY KAUFMAN
8/28/07 With the new season came new hope that Belichick would abandon his grungy cut-off sweatshirts for classier duds. Not so. How many more innocent sweats will die for his fashion crimes? Coach, for the last time: You are not Eddie Vedder circa 1991. False start.
8/29/07 Brady and girlfriend Gisele Bundchen grabbed lunch at Boston Public during the preseason, sporting a look that left local style watchers scratching their heads. Was there no brush available at chez Brady? Did Gisele buy that skirt at
9/10/07 VMan magazine dubs Brady its "Most Wanted," but frankly the mag's wet T-shirt shot is more Chippendales dancer than brooding iron man. Say cheese, Tom. Unsportsmanlike conduct.
9/27/07 For his public debut in September, Brady's son, John Edward Thomas Moynahan, had everything a one-month-old could wish for: a paparazzi-ready location, a perch on mom Bridget Moynahan's shoulder, and a pressed burp cloth monogrammed with his initials. Well, almost all his initials: Notice the "T" for Tom has gone missing. Roughing the passer.
11/01/07 Cornerback Ellis Hobbs III doesn't mind sharing the style spotlight with Brady. "I think everybody deep down inside has a little someone who wants to be noticed. Mine's just a little bigger," Hobbs III said after learning he was picked as one of the Globe's 25 Most Stylish Bostonians. Touchdown.
12/07 Brady's 2000 NFL tryout video resurfaces, revealing the future QB in all his pasty glory. Shirtless, shoeless, clad only in gray shorts, he could be the guy in the cube next to you doing data entry. And Brady's hair without product? Dwight on "The Office" has a better 'do. Sack.
12/28/07 Is that a Louis Vuitton mini manpack? Really? On the field, running back Laurence Maroney bulldozes his way through the meatiest defenses. Off the field, he carries a bag usually favored by spoiled gossip girls who need a place to stow their Seventeen magazines and nail polish. Fumble.
12/28/07 On his way to Logan Airport, Brady looks like he just stepped off London's Saville Row. Sweater vest, pocket square, intentional scruffiness - yes, Tom has officially arrived as a style icon. Cheerio! First down.
1/8/08 While her main squeeze was hurtling game-winning passes, Gisele hit Rio's catwalks in this pupa-like dress/tunic/garbage bag and tartan knee-high boots. Time out.
1/13/08 Moss looked like a cross between King Smurf and a choir boy for Funk- adelic in this red and blue faux pas at a postgame press conference. OK, Randy. We get it. You're a big deal wide receiver. But please, please, look in the mirror before you appear on national television. Tripping.
1/22/08 Wes Welker wants you to get enough calcium. But you might not guess it from his skeevy Got Milk? ad. No thanks. We'll take multivitamins instead. Out of bounds.
1/21/08 Sure, Brady's boot was the big concern. But what about that horrendous hoodie-sunglass combo? And the floral controversy that ensued? Defensive holding.
1/27/08 We love a man who can pull off a hat. Linebacker Junior Seau rocks his fedoras, bowlers, and captains' toppers. At the Pats sendoff rally last Sunday, the fashion plate was all class in his porkpie, yellow tie, and infectious grin. Touchdown and two-point conversion.
Sunday The one accessory that goes with every outfit? The Lombardi Trophy, of course. Go Pats. 