That was then: Celebrating what was

weeba

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“I had never hit the market before, but I knew where I wanted to be,” he said last Sunday, standing in front of his locker minutes after the Patriots won the AFC championship at Gillette Stadium. “If I didn’t have an opportunity to play somewhere I could win, I would have retired. I would have played this year for five dollars—I just wanted to be here.
 

E5 Yaz

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And Klemko sort of glosses over it, and Watson pouts about it, but he ACTUALLY DOES HAND OUT MARKET VALUE CONTRACTS, YOU DICKS - just only for the players that actually deserve them. Yeah, you have to go somewhere else to find someone dumb enough to pay you Ben. Lol boo hoo.
Even at that, Klemko can't resist a dig:

The final and most exclusive group is made up of players whom the Patriots end up paying market value. They are the standout players—Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, Devin McCourty—who are believed to buy into the so-called Patriot Way and are integral to the team’s success at the time of their re-signing.
 

Mystic Merlin

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Klemko is tired from punching cab drivers, cut him some slack.

Also, it might be high time for a referendum on the 'coaching/personnel tree' as a valid way of evaluating a coach or GM.
 

joe dokes

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“With players, there’s a tremendous amount of intimidation because of how the media portrays the team as the evil empire,” says one agent. “But once they meet them, they freaking love [Belichick]. They’re blown away by his personality and how much he knows about the player and his skillset.”
I wonder if Klemko realizes that this is an indictment of the job that he and his are doing?
 

naclone

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Just standing in line at a bagel place in queens wearing my Pats knit cap. Jets fan in line behind me taps me on the shoulder and asks, "be honest with me - are guys getting sick of winning yet?"

I said, "nah - it still feels pretty great. Not quite the same as in 2001, but it's still way better than losing."

"yeah, that's what i figured."
 

BuellMiller

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Absolutely. Before 2014, the narrative was that it's been X years since Brady won a SB. From a narrative standpoint, he would have been better off spreading out his first 3 SB wins to, say, 2001, 2004, 2007 instead of 3 in 4 years.
We all would have been better off, too.
 

DJnVa

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Fuck Klemko for picking Hernandez when giving 3 players that the Patriots think embody the Patriot Way.
 

bradmahn

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Moss, Seymour, Wilfork, Gostkowski, Brady, Mankins, Rosevelt Colvin, Adalius Thomas...
 

mwonow

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From a recent BB presser:

Q: Has that schedule of preparation evolved over the years as you get more familiar with the process leading up to the Super Bowl?

BB: Yeah, we've done it a couple of different ways. We've traveled on different days. Now it's a little different schedule down there than what it was. We've had one week Super Bowls. I think each one is a little bit different and each team is a little bit different, so what's right for this team may or may not have been right for some other team. There's not like a set grid that we just match up to. We try to do what's best for the particular situation - the team we're playing, what areas we need to emphasize maybe more in this game than possibly another game like this where just the emphasis points are different.

Q: With two weeks to prepare, is your game planning any different? Is it more of a working document?

BB: I'd say it's the same as a normal week. It's just spaced out a little bit more. Instead of seven days, call it 10 - like we weren't on Monday where we would normally be on a Monday because we didn't know who we were going to play [until Sunday]. Normally, we know who the next opponent is so all the work is done on that team, so when we open the book on Monday morning, it's all there. [You're just] adding in the game they just played the day before, let's call it, right. In this case it wasn't, so we had to get all the information on Atlanta and that took a while to compile all of that, so once that's done, it's done. We have a couple days at the end of the week in Houston that are a little different than our normal two days before the game, so we kind of get squeezed on one end or the other. Let's call it 10 days in the middle instead of six or whatever, nine instead of six. It's just six but spread out. We have to travel and there are some other obligations that just kind of cut into a normal preparation time, but we have more time to do it. What was tough was the one-week game because then you have all of that crammed into a normal week of preparation. When that happened, I was involved in that in 1990 when we played Buffalo, I was with the Giants, but we had played them in December. Then of course in 2001 we had played the Rams in the middle of the season so it helped that short week in terms of - from a coaching preparation standpoint.

Not to over-emphasize the obvious, but...how great is it to have a coach who can compare the many different ways to prep for the SB?
 

SMU_Sox

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Boston-area major teams: 14th finals since 2001, 9 titles. Atlanta all-time? One title, the 1995 Braves.
Small/short anecdote but my girlfriend and her family are from Atlanta and also root for UGA (always the little brother to either Bama or another SEC team). Went to UGA's game vs GT this November and saw them lose 28-27 after leading 27-14 in the 4th. The Falcons fans in her family (and it's a big family) act like Boston fans pre-2004. Lots of hope and love for this Falcon's team but a feeling of an inevitable loss to the Pats this Sunday. I keep hearing "we'll find a way to lose" even though the Falcons have been nothing short of dominant in their post-season run and they are only 3 point dogs with a fantastic offense.
 

tims4wins

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Russell Wilson has 8 playoff wins in his first 5 years. Brady had 9. So he's the one to keep an eye on. Rodgers and Ben are too old now.
 

E5 Yaz

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It may depend on what playoff expansion looks like, but given the level of sustained team success that Brady's total has required, it could be a long time before it's threatened.
Which we should add, speaks to why Brady's record is so far ahead of Montana or Bradshaw
 

tims4wins

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Which we should add, speaks to why Brady's record is so far ahead of Montana or Bradshaw
Not really with Montana. 5 teams made the playoffs instead of 6. SF had byes most years anyway, just like the Pats. They played 3 games to win the Super Bowl most years, just like the Pats. Considering Brady has only played in the Wild Card round 3 times (2-1 record), this is not a factor.
 

loshjott

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Which we should add, speaks to why Brady's record is so far ahead of Montana or Bradshaw
Brady has never benefited from playoff expansion for that record because he's never yet played in 4 postseason games in one season. Neither, of course did Bradshaw or Montana. Rodgers, Flacco, and Ben all did once. Wilson hasn't yet. Peyton did once, and of course Eli did twice.

EDIT: And Brady never entered the playoffs as a wild card team.
 

johnmd20

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Nobody is breaking Brady's postseason win record, no matter what they do with expansion, unless there is another Belichick out there, ready to take control of a team.
 

kenneycb

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I guess if you want you could make the argument that more playoff teams leads to a greater potential for upsets and weaker round 2 matchups. I wouldn't and have only half-fleshed it out, but I bet someone will be making that argument.
 

tims4wins

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More than anything (aside from awesomeness) it is longevity. Bradshaw played in the NFL 14 seasons. Brady is in his 17th. In seasons 15-17 Brady has 6 playoff wins (and counting).

Montana played 15 seasons. He only won 2 playoff game after his 12th season. Brady has 8 such wins.
 

BaseballJones

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Russell Wilson has 8 playoff wins in his first 5 years. Brady had 9. So he's the one to keep an eye on. Rodgers and Ben are too old now.
Seattle would have to essentially keep winning like this for 12 more seasons for Wilson to get to where Brady is. No way that happens.
 

BaseballJones

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It is highly unlikely anyone breaks it, but of the guys in the league, he is the only one with even a smidge of a chance
Yeah, you're probably right. But Brady is likely to put up a handful of more playoff wins assuming he stays healthy over another 3-4 years. He might get to 30 before he's done.

That's crazy. In order to break it, you'd have to have about a 20+ year career, be REALLY good that whole time, *and* be on really good teams that whole time. The odds of that are....vanishingly small.
 

johnmd20

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I can't see Brady playing another 4 years. It's nearly impossible to believe he can continue to sling it at 43 years old. This year was impressive, but every year is going to get harder and harder and when the cliff comes, it's going to be steep.

He could get to 30, of course, with a win this week and a couple more runs. But that seems unlikely.
 

dcmissle

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As noted in the SB thread, enjoy this week. don't wish it to pass too quickly. The nuggets continue to fall from the table, this from PFT -

NFL history would look a whole lot different if Patriots owner Robert Kraft had listened to former Browns owner Art Modell.

Kraft tells Peter King of TheMMQB.com that Modell, who had hired Belichick in 1991 and fired him after the 1995 season, believed that Belichick would be a disaster in New England and told Kraft not to hire him.

“He said if I did it, I’d be making the biggest mistake of my life,” Kraft said.

In fairness to the late Modell, he remembered their conversation a little differently: In 2007, Modell said that what he had warned Kraft was simply that Belichick could be abrasive personally, not that he couldn’t coach.

“You’re not getting Prince Charming,” Modell recalled telling Kraft when asked about it in 2007, “but give him some leeway and he’ll deliver for you.”

What is beyond dispute is that Modell tired of Belichick and fired him after a 5-11 season in 1995, even though Belichick won a playoff game in 1994 — still the last playoff game the Browns won.
 

NortheasternPJ

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I can't see Brady playing another 4 years. It's nearly impossible to believe he can continue to sling it at 43 years old. This year was impressive, but every year is going to get harder and harder and when the cliff comes, it's going to be steep.

He could get to 30, of course, with a win this week and a couple more runs. But that seems unlikely.
I used to be in this camp, but he's been as good, if not better, than he's been in a long time. He's 39 years old and seems to have more drive and discipline than ever. I think he's got a few good years left, probably 3-5. I really don't see him falling off a cliff, but the end is near. His goal is to be as healthy as possible, win as much and push the TB12 approach and continue to gain wealth off of the diet and lifestyle etc. He's not a 39 year old Favre.
 

Chainsaw318

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This isn't celebrating, as much as odd. .

Heard on one of the morning radio shows today that the franchise has been in 8 Super Bowl games and scored 0 pts in the first quarter of each of those games.

I haven't looked this up yet to be sure, but nothing in my memory contradicts it.

So, 4-4 in games when you go at least 12 minutes without scoring at the start is not a bad turnout, I would think.
 

Mystic Merlin

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I hear you, but at this point I don't have much confidence in predicting his retirement age given his level of play and unyielding dedication. I honestly wouldn't be surprised to see him retire at any point after next season, be it '18, '19, '20 or '21. He's not going to be playing quarterback at age 50, but hell if I - or he - knows when his body will be done. He's a pretty exceptional case.
 

dcmissle

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E5 Yaz

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This isn't celebrating, as much as odd. .

Heard on one of the morning radio shows today that the franchise has been in 8 Super Bowl games and scored 0 pts in the first quarter of each of those games.

I haven't looked this up yet to be sure, but nothing in my memory contradicts it.
The Patriots kicked a field goal in the first quarter of Super Bowl XX against the Bears
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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This isn't celebrating, as much as odd. .

Heard on one of the morning radio shows today that the franchise has been in 8 Super Bowl games and scored 0 pts in the first quarter of each of those games.

I haven't looked this up yet to be sure, but nothing in my memory contradicts it.

So, 4-4 in games when you go at least 12 minutes without scoring at the start is not a bad turnout, I would think.
Patriots scored 1 minute and 14 seconds into the very first Super Bowl that they ever played in. It was downhill from there for a while.
 

PedroKsBambino

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“You’re not getting Prince Charming,” Modell recalled telling Kraft when asked about it in 2007, “but give him some leeway and he’ll deliver for you.”
Given how Modell booted Belichick, the last part of this does not seem all that likely to be what Modell said in 2000, though I understand why he wanted to have said it by 2007
 

Hoya81

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Modell also fired Paul Brown. Way to go, Art.
Modell's ownership of the the Browns/Ravens was astoundingly poor in retrospect. He ran Jim and Paul Brown out of town. He was paying little to no zero in Cleveland and was still losing gobs of money, despite having a rabid fan base and the Indians as a tenant.
He was also forced to sell the team to Biscotti essentially for mismanagement, even with the sweetheart deal he got from Maryland.