Patriot Fatigue is a national affliction.

Outside of New England Zach Brown Jersey , we’ve all become a bit nauseated at the sight of these guys in the Super Bowl year after monotonous year, a numbing, inevitable exercise that’s transformed America’s greatest sporting event into nothing more a quaint backyard game hosted by Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.

Since there is no known cure, the hardcore football faithful might want to mimic those who tune in Sunday for nothing more than the commercials and Justin Timberlake’s halftime show – and tune out before the end of the game, thereby avoiding any chance of coming down with another Patriots’ celebration.

At this point, it would probably be more appropriate to award the NFL champion a bronzed hoodie rather than the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

But true fans, please – if only for a moment – appreciate what is happening here.

This is undoubtedly the greatest dynasty in NFL history, a team that long ago raced past Lombardi’s Packers and Pittsburgh’s Steel Curtain and Montana’s 49ers. No one has come close to maintaining such a level of excellence for the better part of two decades, so it seems downright reasonable to proclaim, without a hint of hesitation, that we’ll never see their likes again.

Don’t limit it to football, either.

The Patriots very well could be the greatest dynasty of them all, in any sport. Sure, we’ll get objections from the New York Yankees and the Boston Celtics and the Montreal Canadiens, but many of their titles came in a totally different era, before expansion and free-agency and salary caps and longer playoff grinds, all of which were supposed to ensure more parity.

Those rules apply to everyone else.

Not the Patriots.

”I think everyone in the league sort of envies their success to some extent, and rightfully so,” said Philadelphia Eagles coach Doug Pederson, whose team will try to take down the Patriots this time around. ”They’ve been there, done that many times Shareef Miller Jersey , and that’s something that every other team would love to have.”

Those who focus solely on this Groundhog Day-like moment miss the bigger picture.

It all began way back in 2001, just days after the horror of 9/11, when Brady took over as quarterback for longtime starter Drew Bledsoe, who went down with an injury after signing a 10-year contract extension.

With their unheralded, sixth-round draft pick leading the way, the Patriots went on to capture the first of what has grown to five Super Bowl titles.

But, in a sense, those crowns are merely the toppers on an enormous cake.

More impressive in our eyes are the 17 straight winning seasons, only one with fewer than 10 victories. More impressive are the 15 AFC East championships, including the current run of nine in a row. More impressive are the 12 appearances – and eight triumphs – in the AFC championship game. More impressive is staying on top with an ever-changing cast of characters, accumulated through all manner of signings, trades and late-round draft picks.

Ever changing, that is, except for Belichick’s singularly focused coaching genius and the 40-year-old Brady’s age-defying excellence on the field.

For those looking for a respite, don’t count on it anytime soon. Even that scathing ESPN article, which alleged a major rift between Belichick and Brady (and was quickly denied by all), sounded a bit like wishful thinking.

Asked if he’s thought about how long he wants to coach, Belichick gave a typical response.

”My focus is on Sunday,” the 65-year-old droned. ”That’s my window right now.”

Brady was downright defiant about his desire to keep playing.

”Why does everyone want me to retire so bad?” he said. ”I don’t get it. I’m having fun. The team’s doing good. I know I’m a little bit older than most of the other guys, but I’m really enjoying it.”

Of course, there are those that will say the Patriots cheated their way to the top Devin Bush Jersey , and there’s no denying they claimed a virtual monopoly on ”gates” with accusations of spying on opponents and deflating footballs.

And, sure, they’ve carried themselves with all the smugness of a team that knows it’s better than everyone else. For instance, their most recent championship rings came with 283 diamonds, a karated commemoration of New England’s historic comeback from a 28-3 deficit in last year’s Super Bowl.

Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, whose team was on the wrong end of that comeback, was not amused by the not-so-subtle jab. In August, he confronted his New England counterpart, Robert Kraft.

”I said to Robert, `You didn’t have to do the 28-3 in the ring,”’ Blank said in a New York Times Magazine article chronicling the 2016 season. ”It kind of (ticked) me off.”

The Falcons won’t get a chance at revenge. Not this year, at least.

They were eliminated on the second weekend of the playoffs by the Eagles.

The Patriots, to no one’s surprise, are back again.

Yeah, it’s getting a little old.

But, before you flip the channel Sunday, take a moment to savor the greatness.

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Paul Newberry is a sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at pnewberry(at)ap.org or at Houston Astros catcher Brian McCann finally got to a point that something had to be done to try to fix his troublesome right knee.

McCann had arthroscopic surgery Tuesday after going on the disabled list for the second time this season, and the third time in less than a year, because of knee discomfort.

Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow told MLB.com and the Houston Chronicle during a 5-3 win at Texas that the team was optimistic that the surgery would resolve the issue that kept recurring. While not specific about the procedure or a timetable, the GM said he’d expect McCann back in September to get ready for October.

Manager A.J. Hinch said before the Astros’ 5-3 win at Texas that he and McCann had a long conversation about the knee problems when the team played in Tampa last weekend.

”It’s just continually the same issue over and over with his right knee,” Hinch said. ”One of the options is surgery http://www.steelersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-diontae-johnson-jersey , and he went back to Houston to take care of it.”

Catcher Tim Federowicz, who made two starts earlier this season when McCann was on the DL, was promoted from Triple-A Fresno.

Max Stassi was the Astros’ starting catcher Tuesday night against the Rangers. Hinch said Stassi would get the bulk of the catching during McCann’s absence.

But Stassi never got behind the plate against the Rangers. He was hit by a pitch on his right (throwing) wrist while batting in the first inning. He stayed in the game to run, but Federowicz went to catch when the Astros took the field.

X-rays were negative, but Stassi has a bruised wrist and was considered day to day.

Shortstop Carlos Correa, who has been out since June 26 because of lower back soreness, also was back in Houston. He is eligible to come off the DL as early as Friday, though Hinch wasn’t sure if Correa would be ready to play then.

”He’s been reporting to Minute Maid (Park) every day and working with our people there,” Hinch said. ”The good news is that everything has been a step forward. The uncertainty is still we haven’t done any baseball activities yet, so we don’t know how that’s going to impact his timeline until we get home.”

McCann missed nine games during his first DL stint this season before being activated June 8, the last time Houston played at the Rangers.

He was also on the DL for 11 days last August because of right knee soreness before the Astros went on to win their first World Series title. McCann played in all seven World Series games.

His latest DL move was retroactive to Monday, a day off for Houston.

McCann has hit .206 with five homers and 17 RBIs in 50 games this season. He was in a 1-for-26 slump before going on the DL for the first time this season on May 29. He hit .171 (7-of-41) with one homer and three RBIs in his 13 games in June after returning from the DL.

Stassi has hit .255 with seven homers and 22 RBIs in 49 games for the Astros. Federowicz hit .328 with six homers and 22 RBIs in 38 games at Fresno.

”I have a lot of confidence in Stassi and Fed, both with major league time,” Hinch said. ”They’re comfortable, they know our pitchers, they know our program, our preparation, all things that make me feel really good about going into each particular game.”

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