That was then: Celebrating what was

E5 Yaz

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And to add to that they have finished in first place 18 straight seasons. 2002 and 2008 they tied for first but lost the division on a tiebreaker(11-5 in 08 without Brady) Pretty good, pretty, pretty good!!
You don't finish "in first place" if you lose the tiebreaker. You just have the same record as the division winner
 

InstaFace

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Housekeeping, you want me to fluff pillows?
Only if you wear the French maid outfit.

Speaking of the subservient, the Jets have extra motivation to lose on sunday because they're in line for a top pick, potentially #1. If that ain't celebrating what is, I don't know, uh, what is.
 

kelpapa

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Saw this on reddit earlier today. Since 2010, four teams have not played in the wild card round of the playoffs.

Browns, bucs, bears and... the Patriots
 

Seels

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The Pats finished 4th in offense, making it the 9th year in a row they've had a top four offense.

They also finished with a +111 point differential, making it the 13th year in a row they've had above +100 (and 15 of 16 with 2005 being the exception).

It's their 16th year with 10+ wins.

This also puts Brady just 22 touch downs behind Manning, which barring something unforeseen, he'll pass next year. He'll pass Manning in pro football references AV and weighted AV as soon as those stats update for the year. He'll probably pass Manning in yards around week 6-7 of next year.

Brady is 21 wins ahead of Favre/Manning for 2nd place. 4th place is Brees who is 51 wins behind....so Brady is probably going to finish his career so far ahead of anyone it's going to be like Cy Young's win record.

Montana has 16 playoff wins, Manning has 14. Brady has 27. 4 more playoff wins puts him ahead of both the other guys argued for GOAT combined.
 

DJnVa

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5th in league in point differential and only Ravens, Texans, Titans, Jags, Cowboys, and Bears allowed fewer points.
 

PedroKsBambino

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Saw this on reddit earlier today. Since 2010, four teams have not played in the wild card round of the playoffs.

Browns, bucs, bears and... the Patriots
So, as of next weekend it will be just Browns, Bucs, and Pats.
 

NortheasternPJ

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The Pats finished 4th in offense, making it the 9th year in a row they've had a top four offense.

They also finished with a +111 point differential, making it the 13th year in a row they've had above +100 (and 15 of 16 with 2005 being the exception).

It's their 16th year with 10+ wins.

This also puts Brady just 22 touch downs behind Manning, which barring something unforeseen, he'll pass next year. He'll pass Manning in pro football references AV and weighted AV as soon as those stats update for the year. He'll probably pass Manning in yards around week 6-7 of next year.

Brady is 21 wins ahead of Favre/Manning for 2nd place. 4th place is Brees who is 51 wins behind....so Brady is probably going to finish his career so far ahead of anyone it's going to be like Cy Young's win record.

Montana has 16 playoff wins, Manning has 14. Brady has 27. 4 more playoff wins puts him ahead of both the other guys argued for GOAT combined.
27 wins pretty much all in the Divisional Round or later too. Not many wild card tomato cans to make it even more impressive.
 

OurF'ingCity

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This also puts Brady just 22 touch downs behind Manning, which barring something unforeseen, he'll pass next year. He'll pass Manning in pro football references AV and weighted AV as soon as those stats update for the year. He'll probably pass Manning in yards around week 6-7 of next year.
Remember when Brady vs. Manning was considered a legitimate debate?
 

BaseballJones

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Remember when Brady vs. Manning was considered a legitimate debate?
I'm still wondering how the NFL concluded so quickly that nothing happened when HGH was shipped to his house, while he was recovering from serious neck surgery, which led to Peyton having a record-setting season, which, when discovered, led to Peyton's lawyers sending men at night to go rifling through his files at the Guyer institute, and sent guys to the home of Charlie Sly's parents impersonating police detectives (later explaining that they were P.I.s).

Nothing to see here.
 

PC Drunken Friar

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I'm still wondering how the NFL concluded so quickly that nothing happened when HGH was shipped to his house, while he was recovering from serious neck surgery, which led to Peyton having a record-setting season, which, when discovered, led to Peyton's lawyers sending men at night to go rifling through his files at the Guyer institute, and sent guys to the home of Charlie Sly's parents impersonating police detectives (later explaining that they were P.I.s).

Nothing to see here.
To be fair...I'd be very surprised is Brady was 100% clean.
 

BaseballJones

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To be fair...I'd be very surprised is Brady was 100% clean.
Not to derail the thread but you might be right...but frigging HGH was shipped to Peyton's house - confirmed - at a time when he's recovering from neck surgery. A guy (Charlie Sly) who is proven to have helped other athletes use PEDs was involved in the Peyton situation and said he got this for Peyton. Peyton's guys go to "talk to" Sly's parents and rifle through files at the Guyer Institute. Peyton miraculously recovers from career-threatening injury and goes on to post record-breaking numbers.

Peyton's only defense was: "These were for my wife and it's none of your business." And that was that.

If this exact situation had happened and it was Tom Brady and not Peyton Manning....we all know that there's NO WAY Brady skates, and NO WAY he gets a clean response from the media.

Ok, enough of that....
 

BaseballJones

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Let's compare the Patriots vs. the best team in the NFL each year, by regular season record. So this is not just Pats vs. the field...it's Pats vs. the very best team in the field. Obviously the Pats' record will be worse, but this will be interesting.....

2001: NE 11-5, StL 14-2 (-3)
2002: NE 9-7, Phi, GB, TB 12-4 (-3)
2003: NE 14-2, KC 13-3 (+1)
2004: NE 14-2, Pit 15-1 (-1)
2005: NE 10-6, Ind 14-2 (-4)
2006: NE 12-4, SD 14-2 (-2)
2007: NE 16-0, Ind, Dal, GB 13-3 (+3)
2008: NE 11-5, Ten 13-3 (-2)
2009: NE 10-6, Ind 14-2 (-4)
2010: NE 14-2, Atl 13-3 (+1)
2011: NE 13-3, GB 15-1 (-2)
2012: NE 12-4, Den, Atl 13-3 (-1)
2013: NE 12-4, Den, Sea 13-3 (-1)
2014: NE 12-4, Den, Dal, GB, Sea 12-4 (0)
2015: NE 12-4, Car 15-1 (-3)
2016: NE 14-2, Dal 13-3 (+1)
2017: NE 13-3, Phi, Min, Pit 13-3 (0)
2018: NE 11-5, NO, LAR 13-3 (-2)

TOTALS:
- New England: 220-68 (.764)
- Field's Best: 242-46 (.840)

So over 18 seasons cumulatively, the Patriots are just 22 games behind each year's best team in the field. When you think about it, that's absolutely astonishing.
 

DJnVa

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Let's compare the Patriots vs. the best team in the NFL each year, by regular season record. So this is not just Pats vs. the field...it's Pats vs. the very best team in the field. Obviously the Pats' record will be worse, but this will be interesting.....

2001: NE 11-5, StL 14-2 (-3)
2002: NE 9-7, Phi, GB, TB 12-4 (-3)
2003: NE 14-2, KC 13-3 (+1)
2004: NE 14-2, Pit 15-1 (-1)
2005: NE 10-6, Ind 14-2 (-4)
2006: NE 12-4, SD 14-2 (-2)
2007: NE 16-0, Ind, Dal, GB 13-3 (+3)
2008: NE 11-5, Ten 13-3 (-2)
2009: NE 10-6, Ind 14-2 (-4)
2010: NE 14-2, Atl 13-3 (+1)
2011: NE 13-3, GB 15-1 (-2)
2012: NE 12-4, Den, Atl 13-3 (-1)
2013: NE 12-4, Den, Sea 13-3 (-1)
2014: NE 12-4, Den, Dal, GB, Sea 12-4 (0)
2015: NE 12-4, Car 15-1 (-3)
2016: NE 14-2, Dal 13-3 (+1)
2017: NE 13-3, Phi, Min, Pit 13-3 (0)
2018: NE 11-5, NO, LAR 13-3 (-2)

TOTALS:
- New England: 220-68 (.764)
- Field's Best: 242-46 (.840)

So over 18 seasons cumulatively, the Patriots are just 22 games behind each year's best team in the field. When you think about it, that's absolutely astonishing.

They've only been the clear top team 4 times in 18 years?????????????????????? Unacceptable.
 

E5 Yaz

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Patriots CB Stephon Gilmore was named first-team All-Pro today, as the 50 voters paired Gilmore with the Bears' Kyle Fuller as the two best cornerbacks in the NFL this season.
 

koufax32

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Remember when we were arguing about how to dump him at the start of last year?
Good times.
 

jaytftwofive

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Speaking of bad years I remember the Clive Rush year and a half. Anybody old enough to remember that? 1969 and half of 1970. Mike Holovak was fired in 68 so Sullivan hired the Jets assistant offensive guru who orchestrated the Jets upset of the Colts in Super Bowl III. He was one of the final two candidates for the Pats head coaching job along with a young Colts assistant coach. At his first press conference he picked up the microphone and was jolted by a short and hit the floor. Quite an omen. They finished 4-10 in 69 playing home games at B.C.'s alumni field then he quit halfway through the 1970 season after a nervous breakdown.( Finished 2-12)They played home games at Harvard Stadium in 70. Rumor had it he had drinking problems. Kind of made sense because my family and I at the time lived in the same town he lived in (Wellesley). He ran a red light with his big Buick Electra 225 with Mass. License plate RUSH and nearly hit my mom driving in her car. He did go on to coach a title team at the Merchant Marine Academy but died of a heart attack in the summer of 1980 at only 49. Oh that Colts assistant that Sullivan passed on......his name was Chuck Noll. And he got hired by another team, lol. So I guess we have nothing to complain about today I would say. I did love some of those Fairbanks team in the 70's Especially 74 and 76.
 
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Dick Drago

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The ‘74 team was so exciting—but killed, absolutely demolished by injuries halfway through the season. But Mack Herron and Cunningham in the backfield—just so fun to watch.

And ‘76 was such a rebirth—the drafts were really amazing and the loss of Fairbanks really ended that run.

There are some old games on YouTube from back then which I geeked out and watched. It reminds me of how great Russ Francis was—if we think Gronkowski gets mugged—guys tried to basically tackle him every play. He was really fast and a great blocker.

I loved Grogan, especially in his post-Eason years. But as great as he was running and made amazing throws—he was raw and threw so many ridiculous interceptions. It’s difficult to look back, the game is so different—but their ground game was one of the best ever, maybe more of a “game manager” QB those years would have taken them further.
 

Al Zarilla

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The ‘74 team was so exciting—but killed, absolutely demolished by injuries halfway through the season. But Mack Herron and Cunningham in the backfield—just so fun to watch.

And ‘76 was such a rebirth—the drafts were really amazing and the loss of Fairbanks really ended that run.

There are some old games on YouTube from back then which I geeked out and watched. It reminds me of how great Russ Francis was—if we think Gronkowski gets mugged—guys tried to basically tackle him every play. He was really fast and a great blocker.

I loved Grogan, especially in his post-Eason years. But as great as he was running and made amazing throws—he was raw and threw so many ridiculous interceptions. It’s difficult to look back, the game is so different—but their ground game was one of the best ever, maybe more of a “game manager” QB those years would have taken them further.
About Grogan, I remember someone saying he thought that he could throw the ball through a DBs chest to get it to his receiver, thinking his arm was that strong. Kind of a right handed Steve Young except he didn’t get to play on as many great teams and, yeah, the interceptions.
 

jaytftwofive

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The ‘74 team was so exciting—but killed, absolutely demolished by injuries halfway through the season. But Mack Herron and Cunningham in the backfield—just so fun to watch.

And ‘76 was such a rebirth—the drafts were really amazing and the loss of Fairbanks really ended that run.

There are some old games on YouTube from back then which I geeked out and watched. It reminds me of how great Russ Francis was—if we think Gronkowski gets mugged—guys tried to basically tackle him every play. He was really fast and a great blocker.

I loved Grogan, especially in his post-Eason years. But as great as he was running and made amazing throws—he was raw and threw so many ridiculous interceptions. It’s difficult to look back, the game is so different—but their ground game was one of the best ever, maybe more of a “game manager” QB those years would have taken them further.
One of the best games of 74 was in late October when they beat the the Vikings in a close come from behind win. I think they were 6-1 or 6-2.
 

jaytftwofive

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The ‘74 team was so exciting—but killed, absolutely demolished by injuries halfway through the season. But Mack Herron and Cunningham in the backfield—just so fun to watch.

And ‘76 was such a rebirth—the drafts were really amazing and the loss of Fairbanks really ended that run.

There are some old games on YouTube from back then which I geeked out and watched. It reminds me of how great Russ Francis was—if we think Gronkowski gets mugged—guys tried to basically tackle him every play. He was really fast and a great blocker.

I loved Grogan, especially in his post-Eason years. But as great as he was running and made amazing throws—he was raw and threw so many ridiculous interceptions. It’s difficult to look back, the game is so different—but their ground game was one of the best ever, maybe more of a “game manager” QB those years would have taken them further.
Loved Francis but it was so annoying when Cosell would call him "All world Russ Francis"
 

snowmanny

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One of the best games of 74 was in late October when they beat the the Vikings in a close come from behind win. I think they were 6-1 or 6-2.
That's the game in which Bob Windsor got his knee (and his career) destroyed in the closing seconds while fighting to get into the end zone for the game winning score. Absolutely one of the most heroic moments in Boston sports history.


From Will McDonoughs's game article (sorry, not linkable):
With six seconds left and the clock moving, Bob Windsor clutched the ball to his chest at the Minnesota Vikings two yard line.

But he needed that two more yards.If he didn't get it the Patriots would absorb the most frustrating loss in their history. If he did, they had perhaps their greatest win - ever.

However the Vikings - leading 14-10 after a climactic drive of their own to go ahead just a minute before -didn't want to give up those two yards.

They hit him. At first one, then two more. On the first blow, Windsor's right knee was torn apart, his ligaments shredded. The pain was excruciating. But he twisted, and pushed, and finally he lunged backward into the end zone to deliver a thrilling, spine-tingling 17-14 victory that had seemed impossible just moments before.
Too bad the Pats bookended that game with fuck ups against the Bills.
 

jaytftwofive

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Even 71 was a much improved year that first year in Foxboro. 6-8 and victories over Raiders, Colts and Dolphins. It looked like a very good future for Plunkett and Pats. But then ugh 3-11 in 72 and 5-9 in 73. I liked the Fairbanks hiring though.
 

mwonow

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That's the game in which Bob Windsor got his knee (and his career) destroyed in the closing seconds while fighting to get into the end zone for the game winning score. Absolutely one of the most heroic moments in Boston sports history.


From Will McDonoughs's game article (sorry, not linkable):


Too bad the Pats bookended that game with fuck ups against the Bills.
I remember that game - Windsor was definitely a hero.
 

Dick Drago

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Yeah—Vikings had just scored. I think that’s the TD where tarkenton fires the ball at Ron Bolton. Pats knocked off Dolphins, Rams, Vikings, 3 of the best teams in the league. Good run ‘till all the injuries hit.
 

dynomite

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During the interminable bye week, I decided to go back and relive a few of the classic Patriots playoff games during odd times and off hours.

What continues to amaze me is how many of their quintessential wins were nail biters that came down to a few plays, a few inches, a bounce of a ball in one direction or another. I know you could say that about many games and teams, but I often compare the Pats to the Super Bowl champions of my youth, when the idea of making a Super Bowl and having your team's logo in one end zone and the whole country watching you play was a miraculous accomplishment.

Take the '89 49ers, who won the Divisional Round by 28 points, the NFC Championship by 27 points, and the Super Bowl by 45 points (!). Or the '85 Bears, for whom it was 21 points, 24 points, and (ugh) 36 points. Or the '84 Raiders, who won by 28, 16, and 29.

By contrast I think about the '01 Patriots winning by 3 points in overtime in the snow, then by a TD in Pittsburgh, and then on a last-second FG against the Rams. Any one of those games could have turned out differently if any one of dozens of plays had turned out differently.

We always reference the Tuck Rule, but have you re-watched the Snow Bowl recently? With 2:30 left and the Pats down by 3, Oakland had a 2nd and 3 at their 42. With only 2 timeouts left, if the Pats give up a 1st down here they (at best) get the ball back with a minute left and no timeouts.

Instead, Tebucky Jones comes up to stop Charlie Garner just short on 2nd down, and then on 3rd and 1 the defense stops Zack Crockett a foot shy.

Amazing.
 

InstaFace

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We always reference the Tuck Rule, but have you re-watched the Snow Bowl recently? With 2:30 left and the Pats down by 3, Oakland had a 2nd and 3 at their 42. With only 2 timeouts left, if the Pats give up a 1st down here they (at best) get the ball back with a minute left and no timeouts.

Instead, Tebucky Jones comes up to stop Charlie Garner just short on 2nd down, and then on 3rd and 1 the defense stops Zack Crockett a foot shy.

Amazing.
If it were Belichick on the other side line, or an average NFL coach in 2018, do you think they go for it on 4th and a foot there? Considering kicks were netting like 25 yards that day...
 

dynomite

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If it were Belichick on the other side line, or an average NFL coach in 2018, do you think they go for it on 4th and a foot there? Considering kicks were netting like 25 yards that day...
I was thinking about that. It's possible, and we've seen Belichick do things like that, but ultimately I don't think so.

If you rewind to that moment, Gruden is deciding whether to punt to a rookie (basically) QB playing in his first playoff game (isn't that insane), in conditions and footing where any FG kick is iffy. It seems responsible to punt it to the ~25 and make him drive 50 yards to get into FG range.
 

tims4wins

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I was thinking about that. It's possible, and we've seen Belichick do things like that, but ultimately I don't think so.

If you rewind to that moment, Gruden is deciding whether to punt to a rookie (basically) QB playing in his first playoff game (isn't that insane), in conditions and footing where any FG kick is iffy. It seems responsible to punt it to the ~25 and make him drive 50 yards to get into FG range.
Yeah I agree with this