That was then: Celebrating what was

The Social Chair

Member
SoSH Member
Feb 17, 2010
6,082
I thought it was pretty dull. The online weekly Belichick breakdown is better.

America's Game is pretty good. I could do without Edleman though.
 

Mystic Merlin

Member
SoSH Member
Sep 21, 2007
46,767
Hartford, CT
I thought it was pretty dull. The online weekly Belichick breakdown is better.

America's Game is pretty good. I could do without Edleman though.
Moar McCourty Twins. Seeing them celebrate, with Jason literally eating shit for almost a decade in TEN and CLE and getting a taste of winning with his twin brother, was cool shit.
 

nattysez

Member
SoSH Member
Sep 30, 2010
8,429
Looks like the NFL Network is in no hurry to add the new America's Game to the available GamePass content. If anyone comes across a link to either DYJ or AG, please let me know.
 

McBride11

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
22,109
Durham, NC
Well seems dueling threading between here and SBL LIII thread for the specials. If this isn't first world problems I am not sure what is.

But currently re watching SB LI. Top 3 nite in my life, possibly #1 given game and what followed (not married and no kids) - Falcons killing Pats 28-3, but hey at least still 4:15 left in the 3rd.
 

SeoulSoxFan

I Want to Hit the World with Rocket Punch
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jun 27, 2006
22,089
A Scud Away from Hell
I didn't know BB let so much of the offense be handled by McD (and I assume to BO'B when he was here).

BB's coaching tree always gets a beating compared to, say, Andy Reid's but I think it's really starting to bear fruit the last few years.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,372
I didn't know BB let so much of the offense be handled by McD (and I assume to BO'B when he was here).

BB's coaching tree always gets a beating compared to, say, Andy Reid's but I think it's really starting to bear fruit the last few years.
I love how BB says that he gives some input, but that the offense is Josh's, and when they disagree, Josh is usually the one who's right. BB can come off as an arrogant SOB in front of the media, but whenever there's an actual interview with him where he *talks*, or when people actually examine him in depth, he sure seems to be...humble.
 

nayrbrey

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 20, 2005
2,414
Driving somewhere most likely
Man both were great shows. One thing that stuck with me is from DYJ3 is the BB/JM conversation from years ago ( QB #16 in background? Edit- it was Cassell so 2005-2008 timeframe ) where BB states he’d rather have less time on the clock and more time outs than more time without the timeouts.
 
Last edited:

Time to Mo Vaughn

RIP Dernell
SoSH Member
Mar 24, 2008
7,202
I love how BB says that he gives some input, but that the offense is Josh's, and when they disagree, Josh is usually the one who's right. BB can come off as an arrogant SOB in front of the media, but whenever there's an actual interview with him where he *talks*, or when people actually examine him in depth, he sure seems to be...humble.
What this really shows are fantastic management skills. I highly doubt that Josh is "right" most of the time they disagree, but putting that out to the public is the absolute best way to show support of an employee. When you win you want to say "Josh came up with a great game plan on offense and the assistant coaches, Tom, Julian, Sony and the rest of the players executed it perfectly," and when you lose "I didn't put my team in the best position to be successful". Every employee ever will be dying to work for you.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,372
What this really shows are fantastic management skills. I highly doubt that Josh is "right" most of the time they disagree, but putting that out to the public is the absolute best way to show support of an employee. When you win you want to say "Josh came up with a great game plan on offense and the assistant coaches, Tom, Julian, Sony and the rest of the players executed it perfectly," and when you lose "I didn't put my team in the best position to be successful". Every employee ever will be dying to work for you.
Yep, 100%. Deflect praise, absorb blame. Good leaders do that, and people love working for bosses that do that.
 

johnmd20

mad dog
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 30, 2003
61,996
New York City
So, the "since 1980" part of the tweet is sort of disingenuous
Not really. The Steelers have won only twice since 1980. So since the 1980 season, even if the Steelers were raising banners since 1955, they have will have attended more in New England than they have for themselves. It would have been better if it said 1981, though, because the Steelers won the Super Bowl in January of 1981 and would have had the banner raising ceremony in September of 1981.
 

E5 Yaz

Transcends message boarding
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Apr 25, 2002
90,014
Oregon
Not really. The Steelers have won only twice since 1980. So since the 1980 season, even if the Steelers were raising banners since 1955, they have will have attended more in New England than they have for themselves. It would have been better if it said 1981, though, because the Steelers won the Super Bowl in January of 1981 and would have had the banner raising ceremony in September of 1981.
The initial point is about raising banners for the opening game. Most people thought that only really started in the 200s; before then, i'd gather, it was raised (if at all) in the offseason without a ceremony. That makes brining it back to the 1980, when such ceremonies didn't exist, disingenuous to say

As was pointed out, it would still be funny if dated accurately
 

johnmd20

mad dog
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 30, 2003
61,996
New York City
The initial point is about raising banners for the opening game. Most people thought that only really started in the 200s; before then, i'd gather, it was raised (if at all) in the offseason without a ceremony. That makes brining it back to the 1980, when such ceremonies didn't exist, disingenuous to say

As was pointed out, it would still be funny if dated accurately
Point being, the Steelers have won only 2 Super Bowls since the 1980 season. Not exactly a stunning level of achievement for this model franchise and crown jewel of the NFL.
 

InstaFace

The Ultimate One
SoSH Member
Sep 27, 2016
21,753
Pittsburgh, PA
Point being, the Steelers have won only 2 Super Bowls since the 1980 season. Not exactly a stunning level of achievement for this model franchise and crown jewel of the NFL.
NFL titles since the 1980 season (38 seasons, 1981-2018):

Patriots 6
49ers 5
Giants 4
Cowboys 3
Washington 3
Broncos 3
Steelers 2
Packers 2
Ravens 2
All 23 other teams: 8 (RAI '83, CHI '85, STL '99, TB '02, IND '06, NO '09, SEA '13, PHI '17)
 

johnmd20

mad dog
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 30, 2003
61,996
New York City
I'll tell ya, the Giants are such an awesome outlier on that list. A couple of plays go against them in 3 of their SB winning seasons, in multiple games, and they don't win.
 

GoDa

New Member
Sep 25, 2017
962
From 2005-2010 the Patriots only made the AFC Championship game twice... went to the Super Bowl once... and lost.

Dark days.
 

Harry Hooper

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jan 4, 2002
34,367

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,372
From 2005-2010 the Patriots only made the AFC Championship game twice... went to the Super Bowl once... and lost.

Dark days.
Indeed. I mean, they only went...

10-6 (1st)
12-4 (1st)
16-0 (1st)
11-5 (2nd)
10-6 (1st)
14-2 (1st)
73-23 (.760)

...over those six seasons. But yeah, dark days indeed.

(I know you were being funny and sarcastic, and I'm just playing off it...)
 

Old Fart Tree

the maven of meat
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jan 10, 2001
14,024
Boulder, CO
Jeez, that pick play WAS more egregious than I remember it being. Jesus. Granted, KC has a legitimate beef about the phantom roughing the passer call, but that pick play was equally bad, IMHO.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,372
Jeez, that pick play WAS more egregious than I remember it being. Jesus. Granted, KC has a legitimate beef about the phantom roughing the passer call, but that pick play was equally bad, IMHO.
Four egregious missed calls against KC in that game:

(1) On the Dorsett TD, the DB hit/hugged him well before the pass got there. Didn't end up mattering because Dorsett caught it. And maybe the ref would have thrown it had he not caught it, but all we saw was no flag being thrown.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5w9L1_rS2M


(2) On the "phantom" roughing call that benefitted the Patriots...just watch where the ball goes. Edelman is being mugged. No flag. So ok, there shouldn't really have been roughing the passer but there SHOULD have been DPI.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVIp-N6LhI4


(3) The pick play. A good four yards downfield. Belichick's reaction:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ax6H-qaC1d0


(4) Gronk being held/mugged running a sideline route. Even Romo was like, uh, wow, that was pretty bad. Can't get an isolated clip of it but it was egregious.


So frankly, I am sick and tired of fans saying things like "The Pats get all the calls". It's simply not true. Do they get SOME calls? Of course. You play enough big games like they have and they're gonna get some calls. They're also NOT going to get some calls.
 

BigSoxFan

Member
SoSH Member
May 31, 2007
47,084
Four egregious missed calls against KC in that game:

(1) On the Dorsett TD, the DB hit/hugged him well before the pass got there. Didn't end up mattering because Dorsett caught it. And maybe the ref would have thrown it had he not caught it, but all we saw was no flag being thrown.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5w9L1_rS2M


(2) On the "phantom" roughing call that benefitted the Patriots...just watch where the ball goes. Edelman is being mugged. No flag. So ok, there shouldn't really have been roughing the passer but there SHOULD have been DPI.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVIp-N6LhI4


(3) The pick play. A good four yards downfield. Belichick's reaction:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ax6H-qaC1d0


(4) Gronk being held/mugged running a sideline route. Even Romo was like, uh, wow, that was pretty bad. Can't get an isolated clip of it but it was egregious.


So frankly, I am sick and tired of fans saying things like "The Pats get all the calls". It's simply not true. Do they get SOME calls? Of course. You play enough big games like they have and they're gonna get some calls. They're also NOT going to get some calls.
I mean, we basically lost a perfect season because one of the most blatant holds you’ll ever see wasn’t called. Agreed that it’s tiring to hear but I kind of like it. It’s like how teams psyche themselves out before the opening tip at Cameron Indoor.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,372
I mean, we basically lost a perfect season because one of the most blatant holds you’ll ever see wasn’t called. Agreed that it’s tiring to hear but I kind of like it. It’s like how teams psyche themselves out before the opening tip at Cameron Indoor.
Yep the Pats were being held by no less than three Giants' linemen on that play.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHTTfx0GPDY


And then remember this one against Carolina?

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vng4fR8O17I


But yeah the Pats get ALL the calls....
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,372
I'm kind of amazed at a couple of things: (1) that they let these ex-Pats just come hang around the locker room, and (2) that Bledsoe/Brady/BB are all on such good terms. I mean, let's think about that for a moment. Belichick traded Bledsoe away to make room for Brady, just after signing Bledsoe to a huge contract. To a rival. Bledsoe could NOT have been happy with BB, TB, or the Pats. And yet all that is water under the bridge and he seems to love TB and BB and the Pats. That's the sign of mature people of course, but it is pretty amazing how often these guys that get cut or traded away by BB come back to the fold somehow having nothing but good things to say. Maybe that's normal across the board but to me it's pretty remarkable.
 

Jimbodandy

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 31, 2006
11,403
around the way
I'm kind of amazed at a couple of things: (1) that they let these ex-Pats just come hang around the locker room, and (2) that Bledsoe/Brady/BB are all on such good terms. I mean, let's think about that for a moment. Belichick traded Bledsoe away to make room for Brady, just after signing Bledsoe to a huge contract. To a rival. Bledsoe could NOT have been happy with BB, TB, or the Pats. And yet all that is water under the bridge and he seems to love TB and BB and the Pats. That's the sign of mature people of course, but it is pretty amazing how often these guys that get cut or traded away by BB come back to the fold somehow having nothing but good things to say. Maybe that's normal across the board but to me it's pretty remarkable.
Bledsoe deserves a ton of credit for how he handled the situation at the time, let alone after 18 years of maturity. There were a ton of reports and clips of him helping Brady do the job that Brady took from him. Sure, money in the bank helps with that. But it still must have been a blow to his ego to be benched, then traded to a rival. I have a lot of respect for the guy.
 

Hendu for Kutch

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 7, 2006
6,920
Nashua, NH
Bledsoe deserves a ton of credit for how he handled the situation at the time, let alone after 18 years of maturity. There were a ton of reports and clips of him helping Brady do the job that Brady took from him. Sure, money in the bank helps with that. But it still must have been a blow to his ego to be benched, then traded to a rival. I have a lot of respect for the guy.
In addition to Bledsoe's general good-naturedness, it probably takes the sting out of it that the guy they chose over him turned out to be the GOAT. I could see there being more acrimony on Bledsoe's part if they jettisoned him for someone who ended up being a flash in the pan, but hard to do anything but say "Wow, good choice guys" in this case.
 

TheRooster

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 3, 2001
2,483
I think a lot of guys in Bledsoe's situation would instead think "if they had just left me in place it would have been ME wining the first 3 Super Bowls..." Since he has not expressed anything like that, it is yet another sign of his class and maturity.
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
SoSH Member
Dec 16, 2010
53,837
Also, Bledsoe owns a winery and his Director of Winemaking's name is Josh McDaniels. I find that trippy.
 

Old Fart Tree

the maven of meat
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jan 10, 2001
14,024
Boulder, CO
I was just thinking about this the other day, how gracefully Bledsoe handled that. A lot of guys would have sour grapes, or thought "Man, *I* could have been the one winning three super bowls with that defense". Sure, having a ton of cash in the bank, having contributed in the AFCCG that year, and having watched Brady to go on to become the GOAT all help, but still; that can't have been easy. I've always respected the hell out of Bledsoe for handling that with grace, and from learning from the Mo Vaughn/Roger Clemens departures and taking out a full page ad thanking the fans that was at once touching, funny, and thoughtful.

Bledsoe is a big part of this franchise turning from a fucking joke to what it is today, and he'll never buy a beer in a bar I'm in.
 

NortheasternPJ

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 16, 2004
19,271
I was just thinking about this the other day, how gracefully Bledsoe handled that. A lot of guys would have sour grapes, or thought "Man, *I* could have been the one winning three super bowls with that defense". Sure, having a ton of cash in the bank, having contributed in the AFCCG that year, and having watched Brady to go on to become the GOAT all help, but still; that can't have been easy. I've always respected the hell out of Bledsoe for handling that with grace, and from learning from the Mo Vaughn/Roger Clemens departures and taking out a full page ad thanking the fans that was at once touching, funny, and thoughtful.

Bledsoe is a big part of this franchise turning from a fucking joke to what it is today, and he'll never buy a beer in a bar I'm in.
I bought a Bledsoe Bills jersey when he left. I was 11 when Drew was drafted and loved Drew since. Seems like a great guy, he was fantastic for the Pats and exited in a classy way. He could have tried to blow up that 2001 seasons and from reports it was really really hard on him, but I love Drew.
 

BornToRun

Member
SoSH Member
Jun 4, 2011
17,312
I bought a Bledsoe Bills jersey when he left. I was 11 when Drew was drafted and loved Drew since. Seems like a great guy, he was fantastic for the Pats and exited in a classy way. He could have tried to blow up that 2001 seasons and from reports it was really really hard on him, but I love Drew.
I think the fact that it was so hard on him is what makes it so impressive. I’ve seen interviews from that year and from after retirement and you could tell it killed him to lose the starting job but he sucked it up and did his best to be a great teammate.

“Fuck that. Go out there and sling it.”
 

Kliq

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 31, 2013
22,667
I thought it was hilarious when BB goes "We got a new member of the family" and expected it to be Brown, but instead it was KVN's child.
 

Kliq

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 31, 2013
22,667
Speaking of Bledsoe, NFL Throwback, which is one of the very best channels on YouTube, posted this excellent shoot-out from 1994 between Bledsoe and Marino:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrQb2xmtbBk


Things that stand out:

- The Patriot's secondary is like, unconsciously bad. Zombie, post-surgery Marino just destroys them.
- Bledsoe hangs in there with Marino for most of the game, if he could have only just cut down on those pesky interceptions (he threw 27 of them in 1994).
- Before basically every team adopted the west coast offense, these guys were just slinging the ball all over the place. It's awesome to watch.
- The field is atrocious, the dirt infield is thick, caked mud and appears to have made running the ball impossible.
- The officials are also terrible. There is a lot of complaining about the rules today, but these guys here are clowns.
- Willie McGinnest starts a fight in the third quarter.
- Ben Coates is a total beast and has a game that mirrors the best of Gronk that we would see 20 years later. Bruce Armstrong is also awesome, in a less obvious way.