Boston.com commenters circle around it, but I think commenter Gen Hendry over at Fast Company nails the conceptual problem with the redesign of the Patriots helmet that has been proposed by a prominent graphic designer:
[T]hey're not just "The Patriots." They're "The New England Patriots." Up here, being a patriot isn't about wearing a flag pin and isn't proved by wrapping oneself in the stars and stripes. The "patriots" in our team's name *are* the Minute Men and the founding fathers.