Try to wrap your minds around leading the League with 9.
I am old enough to remember the bad times, and the ridiculous times when the franchise was a borderline joke.
Nothing like this transformation has happened in any professional sport in my lifetime, certainly to this extent. And it is hands down THE most difficult sport in which to sustain excellence.
I am old enough to remember the bad times, and the ridiculous times when the franchise was a borderline joke.
Nothing like this transformation has happened in any professional sport in my lifetime, certainly to this extent. And it is hands down THE most difficult sport in which to sustain excellence.
If you were talking to a group of NFC fans and said "remember that time you guys played the Patriots in the Super Bowl?", fully half of the them would say "Yep."
They have now matched up with 8 of the 16 teams (really 15, nobody gets to match up with the Lions).
They have now matched up with 8 of the 16 teams (really 15, nobody gets to match up with the Lions).
I remember feeling awful when they lost that tough Monday night match up in Miami late in 1985. They've been in 1 out of every three SBs since.
+10000. With one quibble: they weren't borderline.
FWIW, I'm still convinced one of the reasons so many NFL fans hate the Pats is because the Pats were always supposed to be the clown circus of the NFL. They now will have appeared in 43.75% of the last 16 Super Bowls. Quite a few of the records being set by Brady and Belichick will likely stand for a very, very long time.
So people remember, or learn:
1. Pats had some very talented teams in the 70s -- and a terrific front office. But those teams underachieved -- and one year got screwed. And the Sullivans Sullivaned -- so you had Fairbanks fiasco and losing HOF players to the Raiders because owners were cheap. Oh, and google Michael Jackson concert tour sometime.
2. Some good teams in 80s, overshadowed by Bears' demolition in SB.
3. Dreadful teams into the 90s -- Victor Kiam anyone?
4. Oh, and Bob Kraft and Bill Parcells got stupid at the same time and pulled the plug on something that was getting good.
Enjoy everyone.
1. Pats had some very talented teams in the 70s -- and a terrific front office. But those teams underachieved -- and one year got screwed. And the Sullivans Sullivaned -- so you had Fairbanks fiasco and losing HOF players to the Raiders because owners were cheap. Oh, and google Michael Jackson concert tour sometime.
2. Some good teams in 80s, overshadowed by Bears' demolition in SB.
3. Dreadful teams into the 90s -- Victor Kiam anyone?
4. Oh, and Bob Kraft and Bill Parcells got stupid at the same time and pulled the plug on something that was getting good.
Enjoy everyone.
When you go to 11 of 16 conference championships, it's really hard to be the best team with separation from the others. The extra wear and tear, lower draft picks, coaches and free agent players with options. You can't be the it team year after year. That's something that takes the kind of energy that causes a team to burn bright but burn fast. That's what's so amazing to me. The it team changes from year to year, or maybe even sticks around for a few years. Colts, Seahawks, 49ers, Rams, Broncos, Steelers, Jets even. Now the Falcons. And sometimes, teams gel and explode at the right time of the year like the Giants.
And sometimes these teams are better even than the Pats, and hell, that may be the Falcons this year. But the sheer number of very high quality opponents that have come and gone or come and gone and come back is to me what's so impressive. So many great players. So many tough schemes and such variety in the way those teams could beat other teams. That the Pats are the contstant and can be in there in the mix -- and win 7 of those 11 conference games and pick off some championships along the way -- when so much of the league is made to prevent it is just amazing.
And sometimes these teams are better even than the Pats, and hell, that may be the Falcons this year. But the sheer number of very high quality opponents that have come and gone or come and gone and come back is to me what's so impressive. So many great players. So many tough schemes and such variety in the way those teams could beat other teams. That the Pats are the contstant and can be in there in the mix -- and win 7 of those 11 conference games and pick off some championships along the way -- when so much of the league is made to prevent it is just amazing.
This is a pretty amazing statement, and brings back that feeling of what it had been like so long of being on that other side and just hoping to get to the Super Bowl, even once. I was born in the early '70s and started following in the early '80s as a kid, but was always in envy of really any team that could get to and win a Super Bowl. The loss to the Bears was crushing, but I always somehow felt that "at some point in life, it would be great to just once win the Super Bowl" (given that the entire country treated the event as a national holiday). And that feeling was satisfied with the win over the Rams.
But, to so many people, this pre-Belichick/Brady period seems almost like an alternate universe to what they have known their entire lives as being the norm. An entire generation is entering driver's ed to get a license and has never lived in a time where the Patriots have not been legitimate contenders (almost assuming that football season for the Patriots automatically extended into January and sometimes February). Someone previously brought up the fact that they have not played a meaningless game since December 2000....so these people may actually drive a car and have basically never even seen a Patriots game with nothing at stake. Any team with a successful run of 3-4 years is very good, but putting it in this perspective of a generation is just incredible. Thank you team.
Definitely, the Pats crashed the party where only the legendary franchises were invited. Even worse, they refuse to leave. The hate is strong since the desire to see the old established order restored is so great.
I read this as:
QB 01
BRADY T.
MICHIGAN
GOAT
211
And thought 'how did they know?'
(And then i put my glasses on.)
For the record, Belichick and Shula have both been to the same (record) number of SBs as head coach - 6. Belichick now passes him with 7.
Belichick is tied with Chuck Noll for the most number of SB wins, with 4. Let's hope he passes him too.
So the sweatshirt says (in very small letters) "They don't want the D" above "Patriots".
What does the cap say above "Job"?
Here's another one to try on for size.
Few people would argue that the Dallas Cowboys are one of the top 4 teams of the Superbowl era (maybe top 5 if you're a hater). But since Superbowl XXX (Jan '96) the Cowboys have failed to make it to a single NFC Championship Game. The Patriots, admittedly, have never played in an NFCCG either in that span, but in my opinion that's due in large part to them playing in the AFC.
In these past 21 seasons here is a comparison between the Patriots and 'America's Team' (with one stat still to be determined for the Patriots...):
Regular Season Record
NE: 239-91 (133-35 home, 106-62 away)
Dal: 175-161 (100-68 home, 75-93 away)
HTH: NE 5-1 (3-0 Foxboro, 1-1 Irving, 1-0 Arlington)
Seasons with...
perfect season: NE 1 / Dal 0
14+ wins: NE 5 / Dal 0
13+ wins: NE 6 / Dal 2
12+ wins: NE 11 / Dal 3
11+ wins: NE 14 / Dal 4
10+ wins: NE 17 / Dal 7
winning record: NE 19 / Dal 10
8-8 or better: NE 20 / Dal 14
losing seasons: NE 1 ('00: 5-11) / Dal 7 ('97, '04 & '10: 6-10, '00, '01 & '02: 5-11, '15: 4-12)
Division Ranking
NE: 1st x 16, 2nd x 2, 4th x 1, 5th x 2
Dal: 1st x 6, 2nd x 4, 3rd x 6, 4th x 4, 5th x 1
Playoff Appearances/Seeds
NE: 16app: #1 x 6, #2 x 6, #3 x 2, #4 x 2, no app as WC, DNP x 5
Dal: 9app: #1 x 2, #3 x 4, #5 x 2, #6 x 1, DNP x 12
Wild Card Round
NE: bye x 12, Home 3-1, Away 0-0, O/A: 3-1
Dal: bye x 2, Home 3-1, Away 0-3, O/A: 3-4
Division Round
NE: Home 11-1, Away 1-2, O/A: 12-3
Dal: Home 0-2, Away: 0-3, O/A: 0-5
Conference Championships
NE: Home 6-1, Away 2-3, O/A: 8-4
Dal: n/a
Superbowl
NE: 4-2*
Dal: n/a
Total Playoffs
NE: 27-10*
Dal: 3-9
*pending SB LI
Few people would argue that the Dallas Cowboys are one of the top 4 teams of the Superbowl era (maybe top 5 if you're a hater). But since Superbowl XXX (Jan '96) the Cowboys have failed to make it to a single NFC Championship Game. The Patriots, admittedly, have never played in an NFCCG either in that span, but in my opinion that's due in large part to them playing in the AFC.
In these past 21 seasons here is a comparison between the Patriots and 'America's Team' (with one stat still to be determined for the Patriots...):
Regular Season Record
NE: 239-91 (133-35 home, 106-62 away)
Dal: 175-161 (100-68 home, 75-93 away)
HTH: NE 5-1 (3-0 Foxboro, 1-1 Irving, 1-0 Arlington)
Seasons with...
perfect season: NE 1 / Dal 0
14+ wins: NE 5 / Dal 0
13+ wins: NE 6 / Dal 2
12+ wins: NE 11 / Dal 3
11+ wins: NE 14 / Dal 4
10+ wins: NE 17 / Dal 7
winning record: NE 19 / Dal 10
8-8 or better: NE 20 / Dal 14
losing seasons: NE 1 ('00: 5-11) / Dal 7 ('97, '04 & '10: 6-10, '00, '01 & '02: 5-11, '15: 4-12)
Division Ranking
NE: 1st x 16, 2nd x 2, 4th x 1, 5th x 2
Dal: 1st x 6, 2nd x 4, 3rd x 6, 4th x 4, 5th x 1
Playoff Appearances/Seeds
NE: 16app: #1 x 6, #2 x 6, #3 x 2, #4 x 2, no app as WC, DNP x 5
Dal: 9app: #1 x 2, #3 x 4, #5 x 2, #6 x 1, DNP x 12
Wild Card Round
NE: bye x 12, Home 3-1, Away 0-0, O/A: 3-1
Dal: bye x 2, Home 3-1, Away 0-3, O/A: 3-4
Division Round
NE: Home 11-1, Away 1-2, O/A: 12-3
Dal: Home 0-2, Away: 0-3, O/A: 0-5
Conference Championships
NE: Home 6-1, Away 2-3, O/A: 8-4
Dal: n/a
Superbowl
NE: 4-2*
Dal: n/a
Total Playoffs
NE: 27-10*
Dal: 3-9
*pending SB LI
It doesn't really appear to say "Do Your" above it if that's what you're thinking.
The image of - is that Blount? - wearing it in the picture above, pretty clearly has 3 distinct words above "Job". If it were two blurry words with the first one noticeably shorter, it wouldn't have been a question. Given that he may have some sort of custom version of the hat, I thought it worth asking.
"No one cares who gets the ball," tight end Martellus Bennett said. "You may not get any passes, I don't give a s---. I just want to win."
***
Brady had so much fun throwing for 384 yards and three touchdowns that he had to be reminded after the game of his second touchdown toss to Hogan, a one-time afterthought in Buffalo who finished this season tied for the NFL lead in yards per catch.
"Oh, the flea flicker," Brady said. "How could I forget that? It was just a great call. They were a little winded, I thought."
That 34-yard touchdown -- which came in response to Pittsburgh's first touchdown -- neatly summarizes the difference in these coaching staffs. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels knew Steelers safety Mike Mitchell gets overaggressive in run defense, and he bit hard on the play. He knew the Pittsburgh defense was sucking wind due to New England's hurry-up approach.
Mitchell, meanwhile, told reporters that the flea flicker wasn't part of the team's film study this week. That's despite the Patriots using the same play against Baltimore in December. That's despite the Patriots famously using a similar flea flicker to expose Tomlin's secondary way back in 2007, during his first season as Steelers head coach. It's hard to imagine the Patriots' staff failing to coach their players up to that possibility.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000778219/article/patriots-bill-belichick-outcoaches-mike-tomlin-yet-again
***
Brady had so much fun throwing for 384 yards and three touchdowns that he had to be reminded after the game of his second touchdown toss to Hogan, a one-time afterthought in Buffalo who finished this season tied for the NFL lead in yards per catch.
"Oh, the flea flicker," Brady said. "How could I forget that? It was just a great call. They were a little winded, I thought."
That 34-yard touchdown -- which came in response to Pittsburgh's first touchdown -- neatly summarizes the difference in these coaching staffs. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels knew Steelers safety Mike Mitchell gets overaggressive in run defense, and he bit hard on the play. He knew the Pittsburgh defense was sucking wind due to New England's hurry-up approach.
Mitchell, meanwhile, told reporters that the flea flicker wasn't part of the team's film study this week. That's despite the Patriots using the same play against Baltimore in December. That's despite the Patriots famously using a similar flea flicker to expose Tomlin's secondary way back in 2007, during his first season as Steelers head coach. It's hard to imagine the Patriots' staff failing to coach their players up to that possibility.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000778219/article/patriots-bill-belichick-outcoaches-mike-tomlin-yet-again
More zingers from that article:
"The Patriots were 9 of 12 on third down through the first three quarters because Brady knew the Steelers' zone defense better than the Steelers did."
"Giving Brady the same looks repeatedly over 60 minutes is asking for a slow death."
"Failing to adapt is not a criticism you hear often of Belichick, who had his cake and ate up the Steelers' offensive game plan."
One takeaway from the article that I somehow missed was that Hogan was tied for the lead in yards per catch this year. I was so blinded by Gronks 20+ YPC when he played that I somehow didn't catch the Hogan was leading the league. That's nuts.
Player gets signed by a New England team after his previous team was ready to give up on him. Puts up great stats and winds up as a star performer in getting the team a chance at a ring. Where have I heard this story before?
When the Pats play in the Super Bowl, I typically like to take the day after off. It's just easier after a long night of being wound up so tight, and if they win I love to soak up all the coverage the next day. But since I never know whether I need to take the day off until 2 weeks before and I want to make sure I've got the time, I always take it off early and cancel it later if it's not needed. It's just become standard operating procedure at this point.
I graduated from college and joined the workforce in 2000. It dawned on me that my annual habit of doing this is not normal and is not a shared experience with other fan bases. I just sorta took it for granted. Every friggin' year, there's a great chance they'll be playing in February. Even when they aren't, we don't know it until late January.
I graduated from college and joined the workforce in 2000. It dawned on me that my annual habit of doing this is not normal and is not a shared experience with other fan bases. I just sorta took it for granted. Every friggin' year, there's a great chance they'll be playing in February. Even when they aren't, we don't know it until late January.
Pittsburgh came into the AFCCG the #2-rated team in Weighted DVOA, edging Atlanta, with a better weighted Defensive DVOA than the Pats.
Here is the win-probability chart for the game:
The -10.2% is for the completion to Jesse Jamesfor a TD to the 1-yard line. They still had more than a prayer then. Things... solidified from that point on.
Here is the win-probability chart for the game:
The -10.2% is for the completion to Jesse James
Joe Thomas @joethomas73 10h10 hours ago
As much as I'd like to see my buddy @alexmack55 win a super bowl, I would sure love to see @nflcommish have to hand a SB trophy to Brady!
As much as I'd like to see my buddy @alexmack55 win a super bowl, I would sure love to see @nflcommish have to hand a SB trophy to Brady!
It sounds like a good idea. I was so wound up about the Patriots today I was pretty useless at work. I'll have to make it up, I know. Ugh.
I can't say I really like the original song, but the lyrics in this were well done.
David Ortiz? Mark Recchi? Antowain Smith? David Patten? Mike Vrabel? Rodney Harrison? Junior Seau? Donte Stallworth? Rob Ninkovich? Andre Carter? Jonas Gray? Brandon LaFell? Patrick Chung? Bill Mueller? Koji Uehara?
It's been a great millenium.
(originally was thinking Moss, Welker, Garnett, and a bunch more but those were trades)
Same here, and it's really like that for all of the playoffs (maybe not taking off work, but making sure weekends are clear). I always make sure to look forward and see what dates the wild card/divisional/championship weekends fall on, because there is rarely a chance we won't be in it. Only twice in the past 16 years have I not had to worry about scheduling something for January weekends.
My first son was born during the bye week, which means I never have to worry about missing a playoff game for his birthday activities. One of the true clutch performances of the Brady era on his and my wife's part.
Awesome. My son was born in mid-October 2013 so I was on paternity leave for the World Series that year. The downside is that the sleep deprivation messed with my memory so much that I only remember bits and pieces of what happened (including the ultimate result, of course).
Ha my daughter was born right around the end of game 3 - the one with the obstruction call ending. I think she was born minutes before it happened but I told everyone she was born right after it was over, so once she was born they never lost again.
That's some next level planning there!
My sons were born the day after the game that shall not be named. They are a gift in many ways, not least of which was helping me move past that shit sandwich.
Their birthday is 2/5 this year. I was in charge of organizing their Laser Tag birthday party with their friends. It is happening on 2/4.
Normally they are a 1/5 because dad has trouble coming up with fun things to do. But this year, THIS YEAR, somebody recommended laser tag, so they will at least be a 2/5, but they are confident they can get it to a 2/4.