Many NFL fans find joy in Patriots’ misfortune

Ever savored the sight of a high-end sports car parked by the side of the road in mechanical distress?

Know the delight of seeing the smugness fade when someone of “do you know who I am” arrogance is put in their place?

Then you understand the growing glee around the NFL today at the emerging drama surrounding the New England Patriots and the embarrassment of the public airing of their discord.

The Germans have a wonderful term for this perverse giddiness, “schadenfreude,” which has been defined as experiencing joy in the misfortune of another.

And, as the playoffs open today, there is much warmth in even the permafrost regions of the NFL over the internecine squabbles of the Patriots.

When a franchise has won five Super Bowls and is the betting favorite to capture another one this year, it comes with the territory. And when it involves the three most recognizable personalities in that string of triumphs — quarterback Tom Brady, head coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft — well, that’s practically a trifecta for those wishing them ill.

Fans of teams that can’t beat the Patriots are hoping this soap opera provides the next best thing: the self-demolition of the Belichick dynasty.

They are beseeching the grid gods to let this be the ruination of the Patriots that Deflategate and Spygate were not.

How delicious would it be for an organization that has preached and practiced unity to be undone by disunity?

Whether this is a big enough distraction to provide that in either the short or intermediate term remains to be seen, of course, but that’s how a large segment wants — and prays — to see it play out.

We’re told by ESPN reporting and other outlets that Brady has a fervent wish to play on as the Patriots’ starting quarterback until he qualifies for AARP membership or Medicare. But that vision, it is reported, was threatened by the continued presence of youth in the form of understudy Jimmy Garoppolo.

So Brady is said to have demanded Kraft’s backing of the plan that sent Garoppolo packing. A wholly believable saga given the curious bargain basement price, a second-round draft pick, that the Patriots asked for and got after turning down more lucrative offers.

And Kraft, who fawns on Brady as an adopted son, the story goes, ordered Belichick to comply despite the coach’s protestations.

Mix in the Rasputin-like character of Alex Guerrero, Brady’s trainer and business partner, and the drama deepens. Guerrero treated more than a dozen other Patriots, which brought him into conflict with the team’s training staff and the coach. That resulted in Belichick-ordered banishment from the sidelines and team flights further stirring the pot.

Nor is it just Patriots foes that see an impending demise of the New England reign in all this. The Boston Sports Journal has reported that some players have taken to referring to Guerrero as “Yoko” — a comparison with the woman some blamed for the breakup of the Beatles.

Through it all, somehow the Patriots have managed to claim a ninth consecutive AFC East title and Brady, except for that Miami episode, has remained almost unbeatable.

Whether this could ever turn the Patriots organization into the Cleveland Browns remain to be seen. But it might be a good idea to put the celebration on hold for a while.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.