Stockholm Syndrome is a commonly known psychological phenomenon in which a captive attaches themselves to their captor in a hostage situation.  First noticed in the five-day hostage incident during the Norrmalmstorg robbery in Sweden, the complex is characterized by hostage(s) empathizing, or even defending, their keepers, according to MedicineNet.com.

For the last decade, the New England Patriots have held the AFC East captive. With Bill Belichick’s omniscient guidance, Tom Brady’s dazzling play and a seemingly unending stream of quality draft selections, the Patriots have managed to retain their position atop their division and the NFL at-large with relative ease.

As a passionate New York Jets fan, I should have relished in the Patriots’ results in the last two games. Two weeks, two late-game field goal opportunities, and the Pats found themselves on the wrong side of both of them.

Entering Week 4, my beloved Jets sit atop the AFC East for the first time in my recent memory, and yet it feels … unsatisfying.

Maybe it’s the three-plus years I’ve spent in Boston attending Northeastern, maybe it’s the influence of the countless Pats fans I call close friends, maybe it’s the fact that I’m in the Patriots television market and simply can’t get away from their games on Sunday, but the Jets/Pats rivalry raging inside me doesn’t have the same vigor it used to.

I was overjoyed in 2008 when Bernard Pollard lunged at Tom Brady’s legs, tearing his ACL. When I look back now, I see a talented player whom I have respect for missing an entire season during the prime of his career. I used to hate Brady, Belichick and the rest of the Super Bowl ring-sporting cast. I was incomprehensibly bothered by Brady’s competitive fire, his screaming on the sidelines, the UGG Boot ads and his GQ style. Now, I respect him. Even worse, I love the passion he shows on the field, his no-nonsense, all-business approach and the surgeon-like precision he uses to dissect defenses.

In 2009, the Jets beat the Patriots at Giants Stadium. As soon as the clock hit 00:00, I ran down the halls of my freshman dorm screaming in excitement, being sure to taunt every New Englander I saw along the way. Three years later, I just don’t see myself doing that again.

What began as outright animosity eventually became begrudging respect, followed finally by my current state of weird appreciation for the Patriots and their way of doing things.

Don’t get me wrong, the New York Jets are my team. That will never change. Hopefully once the Brady/Belichick era is over the spell will be broken and I can return to hating the Patriots like a normal, pigskin-fearing fan in my position would. For the time being I’ll just have to remind myself that their dominance has an expiration date, that I will be free of their shackles someday, and return to the loving embrace of Gang Green.

But damn is Tom Brady attractive.

– Dylan Lewis can be reached at [email protected]