I Still Love You New England Patriots
18-1 is nothing to sneeze at. Nobody did that this year. Not even the New York Giants. The New England Patriots are still the first dynasty of the 21st century. Anyone who disagrees can kiss my asterisk.
They are the best team this year. They are probably the best team in NFL history. The New York Giants only won because the Patriots got too many penalties. The Giants also faked a bunch of injuries to delay the game in the 4th quarter.
February 4th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
Chris,
With all due respect, your analysis of the game is poor. The Giant’s defense put them in position to break the game with one key score in the 4th quarter. The Giants faked injuries? Maybe or maybe not. Most/all teams are skilled with clock management, including grey areas. The Patriouts have mastered the same skills regarding clock management… and I won’t even mention the video-taping scandal.
18-1 is nothing to sneeze at. SF had a similar (or the same?) record in the 1984 season… the difference… they won the game that makes you a champion. There’s no doubt the Patriots stand-out for the decade… but any team claimed to be the best in NFL history would have found a way to win last night. The Giants didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard.
Did you lose a bet on the game? Or was it some other bet? If you lost, you must pay.
Nothing personal about my analysis of your analysis… just sports.
TRP
February 4th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
LOL. OK Tom, you’re probably right. But I can’t claim to be unbiased. The Giant’s defense really stopped Brady’s bunch. How, I don’t know. But the fact that the Giants suffered two injuries in as many plays in the 4th quarter, just as New England got into the red zone is suspect.
I think the whole videotaping thing got blown out of proportion. The NFL said that the Patriots got no competitive advantage from it.
And yeah, I probably should pay. Someday
Well, like they say…any given Sunday.
My prediction: Next year 19-0! Can’t wait
February 5th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
Well Chris, I have to say I can certainly empathize with where you’re coming from. I’m not a Pats fan in the slightest, but there were a few shady antics throughout the game, one of them being the penalty called on the Giants for having an extra man on the field for the punt at one point during the game. Although TECHNICALLY what happened was a penalty on the part of the Giants, the guy taking the snap knew that that player was headed off the field and called for the snap anyway. That penalty could have been avoided as there was plenty of time on the play clock to allow him to get off the field. Didn’t change the outcome of the game, but ’shady’ behavior could be perceived on both sides. All in all, the game was played precisely how a Super Bowl should have been played. Having played football in high school, some of the most exciting games played were those that were low-scoring games and the points on the board either way were few and far between. As for the patriots being a dynasty despite their loss at the SB, I’d have to disagree. if the Pats got to where they did through heart and hard slog alone, I might then agree with your position on them still being a dynasty, but the Pats, much like the NY Yankees, was a purchased team that is expected to win, there’s little to no surprise to what they would accomplish. the pre-game antics with Brady’s ankle cast and the mystery of whether or not he was going to play for the SB was a clear indicator that the team (coach included) felt they had the SB in their back pocket already. Wrong attitude. As in the regular season, just with less success, the Giants were set out to kill a dynasty, which they did. Again, I’m not a Giants fan by any means, but the way Eli Manning and his team essentially kept Brady off his usual rhythem and dismantled the rest of the offense’s plans was nothing short of brilliant. It’s truly sad that Belichick couldn’t bear to stay on the field for the final second of the game, basically conceding the win and attempting to deny the Giants seeing the final second through was simply piss poor sportsmanship. Tom Brady and Randy Moss were set to play in the Pro Bowl……….. Right up until they didn’t win the SB. I’ll take nothing away from the fact that they are both OUTSTANDING players, but being selected to play in the PB is an honor for any player and for them to turn that down shows that attitude is a direct reflection of leadership. As for the ’spygate’ nonsense,you may think that it has been blown out of proportion, but apparently Arlen Specter doesn’t think so. I think Belichick’s intent was to benefit from those tapes, but I certainly don’t think that it warrants a congressional interference’ Slap his wrist, select a suitable punishment and be done with it. No matter who you were rooting for, it was a hell of a game, played the way that a Super Bowl ought to have been played.
February 13th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
Well, in Belichik’s defense, he had already gone onto the field and congratulated the other coach. Probably just wanted to beat the traffic.
I also heard that Brady and Moss were both injured, which is why they didn’t play the Pro-Bowl. Which makes sense. He obviously was not completely healed at the Super Bowl. He had already played in a Pro-Bowl anyhow. Just as well, I couldn’t bear to watch anyway.
But I got to disagree with the Pats being a purchased team. They have salary cap in the NFL. Players have actually taken pay cuts to play for the Patriots, because they want to play for a winning team.
Plus I’m not sure “bootgate” was about toying with anyone. I don’t think anyone thought the Super Bowl was in their pocket. Belichik’s style is 180 degrees from that. If I had to find a reason, it had to be exhaustion. They had nothing to gain when they already had home field advantage. They should have rested their starters. At least against the Giants.
But hey, a year from now, I’ll be celebrating 19-0 and it will be a moot point!
April 6th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
It is one of things I can never understand … how people can think that way. It’s so illogical that it can only be based upon moronity.
April 9th, 2008 at 6:25 am
Fortunately it amuses as before…………….I’m trying to keep away from reading posts like this. It is totally meaningless. Ain’t it shame to post rubbish like this?