I think something about Brady leading the team out of the locker room.What McVay and the assistant say about Brady in warmups? I couldn’t tell.
1) I can't believe that Fox went for 2 down 5 with 12:48 left in the fourth quarter. I know everyone already knows this, but each team in that game scored 4 TDs and a FG and the Patriots were 3 points better just because Fox was a moron about chasing points.Rewatching on NFLN the end of SB 39 PAts - Carolina.
One thing I noticed about Brady after watching the 2006 SD game was how much he did that leg kick thing before hiking the ball in obvious passing situations. He doesn’t seem to do it much anymore.Randomness while watching parts of the 2003 Colts-Patriots regular season classic:
- This is just a fun game to watch. Peyton, Wayne, Harrison were all great.
- A bunch of random Patriots factored into this game in a big way:
- Dedric Ward with a beautiful route for a 31-yard touchdown (his only as a Patriot)
- Mike Cloud running for two short touchdowns on four carries (it was crazy how much we needed Corey Dillon in that era)
- Bethel Johnson with his finest regular season game with two huge kick returns, one for a TD
- This Bud Light commercial, which is probably the only Bud Light commercial I've ever enjoyed
- The goal line stop on second down at the end of the game is arguably more impressive than Willie's fourth down stop. Ted Washington seals a huge hole in the gap, then Bruschi along with Eugene Wilson and Matt Chatham (on goal line defense on a legendary defensive team in the biggest moment of a crucial game???? wow) combine to push Edge James back.
- Most importantly to me, is watching HOW MUCH BETTER 41 YEAR OLD TOM BRADY IS compared to his 26 year old self. He showed a strong arm a few times in this one and played alright for the most part, but there are so many times that he threw an absolutely horrible pass right to the Colts defender, and a few other times when the Colts dropped an easy pick. There are so many dreadful throws that we haven't seen him make in the last five years, and allowed the Colts to come back from 31-10 to tie it up. They won this game despite Brady, not because of him. And it just makes it that much more amazing that Brady at 41 is SO MUCH BETTER than what he was back then.
This reinforces how terrible Ray Lewis is (no surprise to the families of Jacinth Baker and Richard Lollar). He went out of his way to take a moment to use Ed Reed's HOF induction—already itself off-topic—as a way to talk about how good Ray Lewis was.
Seriously, my Dad needs a new flag - again!You know what? The worst part about this is that all the “5X championships” gear is now worthless. Thanks a lot, Patriots.
The friend with whom I share my season tickets said that same thing throughout the season after the win over the Falcons. "Why would they limit themselves by printing up all this 5X stuff?" My response at the time was to say it was pretty ballsy to assume that we'd be talking about more than 5 so soon. 2 trips to the Superbowl later, my more realistic response is; "Of COURSE they sold all that stuuf, now they get to sell it all again!"You know what? The worst part about this is that all the “5X championships” gear is now worthless. Thanks a lot, Patriots.
Joe Montana had a worse winning % in the playoffs than the Pats do against 1 seedsYah, but that is slightly under their winning percentage against everyone else... </felger>
Without looking it up, I can't remember the 4th #1 seed they've beaten on the road after Pitt twice and KC. Must be SD in 2006?Here’s a good one: while the Pats have only played 8 road playoff games beginning in 2001, 6 of those 8 games came against the 1 seed. And the Pats are 4-2 in those 6 games. That is unreal. .667 on the road against the best team in the conference.
But they only win titles because of the tomato can AFC East.
Correct. 14-2.Without looking it up, I can't remember the 4th #1 seed they've beaten on the road after Pitt twice and KC. Must be SD in 2006?
Believe you have a couple errors here. vs AFC 1/2 should be 5-3. Total vs #1 should be 7-3. Total vs. #2 should be 3-1.The Breakdown
Total vs. AFC #1: 4-2
Total vs. NFC #1: 3-1
Total vs. AFC #2: 1-1
Total vs. NFC #2: 2-0
Total vs. AFC #1 or #2: 6-2
Total vs. NFC #1 or #2: 5-1
Total vs. #1 seeds: 5-3
Total vs. #2 seeds: 5-1
Thanks. Made the changes.Believe you have a couple errors here. vs AFC 1/2 should be 5-3. Total vs #1 should be 7-3. Total vs. #2 should be 3-1.
This made me giggle more than anything elseJust wanted to say they named this place Blinded By the Lombardi's 3 Super Bowls ago.
I've always thought Brady's playoff record is all the more impressive because so few of those wins came against 5 or 6 seeds The counter argument to the above is that by playing in the AFC east, the schedule puts them in a great position to get a bye every year and that equals rest. That coupled with an 'easier' regular season allows them to be considerably more fresh and gives them an advantage that is borne out of schedule imbalance.To add to this, here are the #1 or #2 seeds the Patriots have played in the NFL playoffs since 2001 (the seasons listed are the NFL seasons, not the actual calendar years the games were played in; as the 2001 playoffs were actually played in 2002...just for clarification):
2001
- at #1 Pit - won 24-17
- vs #1 StL - won 20-17
2004
- at #1 Pit - won 41-27
- vs #1 Phi - won 24-21
2005
- at #2 Den - lost 27-13
2006
- at #1 SD - won 24-21
2011
- vs #2 Bal - won 23-20
2013
- at #1 Den - lost 26-16
2014
- vs #1 Sea - won 28-24
2015
- at #1 Den - lost 20-18
2016
- vs #2 Atl - won 34-28
2017
- vs #1 Phi - lost 41-33
2018
- at #1 KC - won 37-31
- vs #2 LAR - won 13-3
The Breakdown
Total vs. AFC #1: 4-2
Total vs. NFC #1: 3-1
Total vs. AFC #2: 1-1
Total vs. NFC #2: 2-0
Total vs. AFC #1 or #2: 5-3
Total vs. NFC #1 or #2: 5-1
Total vs. #1 seeds: 7-3
Total vs. #2 seeds: 3-1
TOTAL VS. #1 or #2 seeds: 10-4 (.714)
TOTAL HOME VS. #1 or #2 seeds: 1-0
TOTAL ROAD VS. #1 or #2 seeds: 4-3
TOTAL NEUTRAL VS. #1 or #2 seeds: 5-1
(It's interesting how few times the Patriots have played a home game against a #2 seed....)
*Thanks @tims4wins for correcting my math!
Of course, the "AFC least" myth has been shattered numerous times, by numerous people. It's certainly not been the *best* division in football during this time, but it's been far from the worst. It's basically been...a league-average division (minus NE).I've always thought Brady's playoff record is all the more impressive because so few of those wins came against 5 or 6 seeds The counter argument to the above is that by playing in the AFC east, the schedule puts them in a great position to get a bye every year and that equals rest. That coupled with an 'easier' regular season allows them to be considerably more fresh and gives them an advantage that is borne out of schedule imbalance.
My counter counter is less objective and deals with the Pats success making the division worse and worse over time because the other teams have so much turnover in coaching, front office and personnel. I could say the same thing about Nick Saban's impact on the SEC West. Alabama has really separated themselves from the rest of the pack over there.
I've wondered about this. I've been reading SoSH since, I think, 2002. But for the life of me I have no recall of looking at anything related to football until apparently sometime in 2005.Just wanted to say they named this place Blinded By the Lombardi's 3 Super Bowls ago.
TOM FLICK"S FLOCKI've wondered about this. I've been reading SoSH since, I think, 2002. But for the life of me I have no recall of looking at anything related to football until apparently sometime in 2005.
What was it called beforehand?
https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/patriots/bill-belichicks-masterstoke-patriots-getting-them-move-past-anger-malcolm-butler-situationIt’s ironic that the man who preceded Belichick, Pete Carroll, went about things very differently in Seattle after SB49. Everybody got to add their two cents on what the decision to throw instead of run cost them personally. Everybody got to hear explanation after explanation for why it happened.
Everybody got to pull out any other grudge they’d been holding prior to (again, ironically) Malcolm Butler’s interception and slap that on the table, too.
The sniping and bitterness never went away because it was allowed to get traction.
With the Patriots, it was Belichick the father taking the question, “Why?” from the family and saying, “Because I said so.”
And that was that.
This highlights again a unique aspect of the Patriots dynasty that will be hard for another team to replicate. The ability to get buy-in from a team even when there is unresolved bitterness.
The ability to not just take a loss but take a preventable loss in the biggest game when players and coaches had the opportunity to reach the goal they’d worked for all season or their entire football loves.
Take it. Process it. Pocket it. Then start again.
No wonder I never read it....TOM FLICK"S FLOCK
Curran, on how Belichick got them past Malcolm Butler's benching is a glorious read. I loved this in particular:
https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/patriots/bill-belichicks-masterstoke-patriots-getting-them-move-past-anger-malcolm-butler-situation
3 Super Bowl TROPHIES ago... at least 4 Super Bowls ago.Just wanted to say they named this place Blinded By the Lombardi's 3 Super Bowls ago.
Which, of course, Felger and Mazz killed him over and used as evidence that he had lost his edge and didn’t care as much as he used to.Shades of BB putting to bed the Miami debacle by saying "Look, no one died." He minimized that game and had them all move on.
Zeke Mowatt's ZipperI've wondered about this. I've been reading SoSH since, I think, 2002. But for the life of me I have no recall of looking at anything related to football until apparently sometime in 2005.
What was it called beforehand?
Non-baseball sports were all combined and the forum has been BBTL since they were given their own forums.I've wondered about this. I've been reading SoSH since, I think, 2002. But for the life of me I have no recall of looking at anything related to football until apparently sometime in 2005.
What was it called beforehand?
And the BBtL name is from a Ron Borges quote from around 2004 saying that fans were too blinded by the Lombardis to see everything Belichick was doing wrong with the team.Non-baseball sports were all combined and the forum has been BBTL since they were given their own forums.
This made me laugh so hard I shit a little.And the BBtL name is from a Ron Borges quote from around 2004 saying that fans were too blinded by the Lombardis to see everything Belichick was doing wrong with the team.
And there are guys like Cannon, Gronk, and Edelman who have been on the team for 5 SBsNew England PatriotsVerified account @Patriots 38m38 minutes ago
There are 21 players in NFL history who have made 5 or more #SuperBowl appearances. 8 are current or former New England #Patriots.
Not to mention Troy Brown, who was with the team but inactive for SB31 and SB46.And there are guys like Cannon, Gronk, and Edelman who have been on the team for 5 SBs