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Patriots fans say three isn't enough

BOSTON - New England's third Super Bowl win in four years capped one of the most dominant runs in NFL history, and delirious Patriots fans made it clear they want more.

Nearly one million people celebrated the Patriots' 24-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday with a parade through Boston on Tuesday. Many stood on trash cans, snow banks, newspaper boxes and trees to watch the Super Bowl champions ride by while red, white and blue confetti showered them.

Some fans held signs that read, "Next Stop: Detroit," the site of next year's Super Bowl, to let the Patriots know that they're not tired of all the winning.

"They're hard workers, they do their jobs," said Dave Jones, 48, a garage door installer from Lowell. "How can that get old?"

To show he wasn't satisfied, tight end Daniel Graham held up three fingers to the crowd, then extended a fourth, nodded and said, "Going for No. 4." Receiver David Givens started an impromptu chant of "Dynasty."

"Deja vu, man," said quarterback Tom Brady after the parade. "You never get sick of the winning. You never get sick of the fans. I tell you, it's a great place to play."

The parade of World War II-era amphibious duck boats, like the ones the Red Sox rode in their championship celebration last fall, rolled through downtown Boston less than 48 hours after the Patriots beat Philadelphia 24-21 on Sunday.

Team owner Robert Kraft, vice chairman Jonathan Kraft and player personnel director Scott Pioli led the "rolling rally," holding high three silver Lombardi trophies as fans leaned out of nearby buildings to get a look. Bill Belichick stood in his trademark gray sweatshirt in the lead boat, smiling and waving as fans hailed him as a "genius" and signs compared him to Leonardo DaVinci and Albert Einstein.

A few boats behind, Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch filmed the scene. Brady fielded a few prom invitations and reduced groups of girls to screaming incoherence with a smile and a wave. His girlfriend, actress Bridget Moynahan, snapped photos of the crowd.

Some players flapped their arms, ridiculing the touchdown celebration of Eagles receiver Terrell Owens. Defensive end Richard Seymour held up his fist for fans to admire one of his Super Bowl rings. Players up and down the 1½ mile route tossed autographed footballs and jerseys into the crowd and basked in the adulation.

"It took me nine years to get my first championship and now they're coming every year," said receiver-defensive back Troy Brown after the parade ended. "I could get used to this."

Police estimated a crowd of just less than one million, lower than last year's estimate of 1.5 million, and not everyone was Patriots-mad.

"This is like a reason to skip school, pretty much. I don't really like football," said 16-year-old Anastasia Exarchos of Shrewsbury.

Her friend Peter Wahlgren, 17, also of Shrewsbury said things weren't quite as intense as the first win.

"It's a different feeling," he said. "It was more expected." He added, "It's still amazing for me."

But Givens said he felt more excitement this year.

"The dynasty thing brings a new expectation," he said. "It's a great feeling for us."

The Patriots have won 32 of their last 34 games, including playoffs, dating to the start of a 21-game win streak in the 2003 season. Belichick has passed former Green Bay coach Vince Lombardi for the best playoff record, at 10-1. And no team has won three consecutive Super Bowls, something the Patriots can accomplish next year.

"It's exciting," Uri Ahn, 36, of Bedford, N.H., said. "It's something you might not see again. It's history. It's a true new dynasty."

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