That was then: Celebrating what was

SemperFidelisSox

SemperFidelisSox

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May 25, 2008
31,347
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The legacy of the Brady/Belichick Era is secure. Nothing can tarnish it. The greatest NFL dynasty and quarterback/coach duo of all time. 1st ballot HOFErs, the GOAT, etc.

That being said, is this game kind of semi-important? A second straight Super Bowl loss, a 5-4 record for Brady/Belichick, and and an alll time 6th Super Bowl loss for the franchise. Losing two straight Super Bowls to Nick Foles and Jarrod Goff is a bit of stain, and a 5-4 record in the big game is slightly better than .500. I don’t know, I’m rambling. This loss wouldn’t hurt like XLII or last year, but it’s a little Buffalo Bill-ish.
 
BigSoxFan

BigSoxFan

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May 31, 2007
47,217
SemperFidelisSox said:
The legacy of the Brady/Belichick Era is secure. Nothing can tarnish it. The greatest NFL dynasty and quarterback/coach duo of all time. 1st ballot HOFErs, the GOAT, etc.

That being said, is this game kind of semi-important? A second straight Super Bowl loss, a 5-4 record for Brady/Belichick, and and an alll time 6th Super Bowl loss for the franchise. Losing two straight Super Bowls to Nick Foles and Jarrod Goff is a bit of stain, and a 5-4 record in the big game is slightly better than .500. I don’t know, I’m rambling. This loss wouldn’t hurt like XLII or last year, but it’s a little Buffalo Bill-ish.
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I kind of see where you’re going with this. Brady and BB’s GOAT status is secure but another SB loss would be a bummer and would mean that they went 2-4 in their last 6 SBs with the 2 wins requiring Brady to basically play out of his mind to save the W. 6-3 just sounds so much better than 5-4. I know, first world problems. This is what happens when you start your career out with 3 of 4.

If Brady loses, he will have the most wins AND losses for a SB QB (well, tied with Kelly). Wouldn’t tarnish his reputation one iota but I’d prefer he not join Kelly.

As for legacy, LeBron is only 3-6 in NBA Finals so going 5-4 doesn’t seem that bad in comparison and probably is about right when every SB you’ve played has come down to 1 possession. These things always go both ways but I’m sure Brady is annoyed at being a helmet catch, a Welker drop, and a strip sack away from being 8-0 in SBs.

With all that said, screw going 5-4. Destroy the Rams and get that 6th ring.
 
Papelbon's Poutine

Papelbon's Poutine

Homeland Security
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Dec 4, 2005
19,615
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Mystic Merlin said:
You can rewatch the game on YouTube.

There were so many chances they DIDNT exploit (fucked up a great design on the onside kick, missed XP, settled for a FG on a first and goal on the first possession of the fourth quarter), that it makes a 25 point comeback all the more amazing.
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I agree with your overall point and will admit I got pretty drunk that game, but how do you ‘fuck up an onside kick’? It was like an 11% chance before the rule change even.
 
BostonWolverine

BostonWolverine

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Dec 6, 2017
109
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The fact that being undefeated in championship games is considered a good thing is one of the dumbest things in sports. Using that logic it's better to get knocked out in an earlier round or miss the playoffs entirely. It's just plain stupidity
 
Adrian's Dome

Adrian's Dome

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4,424
BostonWolverine said:
The fact that being undefeated in championship games is considered a good thing is one of the dumbest things in sports. Using that logic it's better to get knocked out in an earlier round or miss the playoffs entirely. It's just plain stupidity
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Especially in Montana's case, where people continually cite being undefeated in the Super Bowl while completely ignoring his most brutal losses in the NFCCG as if those somehow don't mean anything.
 
m0ckduck

m0ckduck

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Jul 20, 2005
1,748
BostonWolverine said:
The fact that being undefeated in championship games is considered a good thing is one of the dumbest things in sports. Using that logic it's better to get knocked out in an earlier round or miss the playoffs entirely. It's just plain stupidity
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Big time.

To play devil's advocate: I kind of get the idea (that repeatedly losing in SB is worse than not having played one) when we're talking about someone who won yet at the highest level. In that case, a bad record in big games (be it SB, NBA finals, World Series, whatever) supports the narrative that the player lacks poise on the biggest stage, which — arguably— is more damning than not having made it to the biggest stage in the first place.

But it's ridiculous when evaluating someone like Brady, who's performance-under-pressure isn't up for debate. It amounts to saying the losing in last year's AFCCG to Jax would have somehow been a better accomplishment than putting up 500 yards passing in a losing SB effort.
 
InstaFace

InstaFace

The Ultimate One
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Sep 27, 2016
22,145
Pittsburgh, PA
dcmissle said:
Kudos to the folks quoted at the back end of this article, some local, some national, some surprising, some not.

https://www.boston.com/sports/new-england-patriots/2019/01/27/what-experts-thought-of-patriots-hiring-bill-belichick-2000
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From that walk of shame:

Steve Buckley, Boston Herald: “It’s not just that the Browns fell apart during Belichick’s last year on the shores of Lake Erie; it’s that Belichick, during that last season, developed a bunker mentality and allowed few people, if anyone, to get close to him. Making with the ha-ha-ha with a bunch of sportswriters during those midweek pressers is not going to make Belichick a better coach. Nor will it make the Patriots a better team. But if Belichick can learn to chill a little, to laugh at himself, to see the world as something more than a great big ol’ football field, the betting here is that he’ll sleep better at night. And if he sleeps better at night, he’ll be better equipped for the day-to-day rigors of coaching a National Football League team.”
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He quite agrees, Steve! Never has a football coach taken so closely to heart the opinion of a sportswriter.
 
BlackJack

BlackJack

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Oct 11, 2007
3,457
Steve Buckley had one part right:

Making with the ha-ha-ha with a bunch of sportswriters during those midweek pressers is not going to make Belichick a better coach. Nor will it make the Patriots a better team.
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Edit: Too slow!
 
Ale Xander

Ale Xander

Hamilton
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Oct 31, 2013
73,114
A shame that Mitchell isn't with us anymore. Home game for him would have been great, and we could use a tall, deep, threat with no more Gordon.
 
brandonchristensen

brandonchristensen

Loves Aaron Judge
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Feb 4, 2012
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brandonchristensen

brandonchristensen

Loves Aaron Judge
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Feb 4, 2012
38,515
I haven't watched last years SB...I'm going to watch it today. At least, skim through.

This spoiler hides last year's Super Bowl. I had forgotten we came back from 15-3. I remember nothing of this game.
 
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Ralphwiggum

Ralphwiggum

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Jun 27, 2012
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I obsessively watch DVR'd Super Bowls, NFL films highlights, turning points, etc. for all of the winning Super Bowls. The losing ones cease to exist the moment the game is over, they are never to be spoken of or viewed again.

This is the Celebrating What Is thread, get that garbage out of here.

Edit: I didn't mean that to be overly harsh, more funny. Yeoman's work by @brandonchristensen on the rest of the videos in this thread, thanks for sharing.
 
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Al Zarilla

Al Zarilla

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Dec 8, 2005
59,268
San Andreas Fault
Brandon, you’re bringing back many of my “forever” videos I lost in my switch to DirecTV last year. Thanks a million!

Edit, what Wiggum said too (ba fangul to the lost games vids). But, to each his own.
 
johnmd20

johnmd20

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Dec 30, 2003
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Sam Ray Not said:
Paine / 538 check in on the state of the dynasty.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/theres-really-never-been-an-nfl-dynasty-like-the-patriots/
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The 9 year dynasty chart is the best. The Pats, in this 18 year run, have 2 of the 4 best 9 year dynasties in the history of football. But it's with the same coach and QB in both 9 year chunks.

Celebrating what is, indeed. We ain't seen nothing like this and the only thing close was the Niners, and they didn't have to deal with a salary cap. And I think there was some rule breaking going on there, too.
 
Seels

Seels

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Jul 20, 2005
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There’s a YouTube hype video for this Super Bowl — the story of New England. It’s a doozy. Clear some time to watch this one

 
Deathofthebambino

Deathofthebambino

Drive Carefully
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Apr 12, 2005
42,057
Seels said:
There’s a YouTube hype video for this Super Bowl — the story of New England. It’s a doozy. Clear some time to watch this one

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That should be required viewing for every New England sports fan. Fucking awesome. Worth every second.
 
8slim

8slim

has trust issues
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Nov 6, 2001
24,903
Unreal America
I was welling up 1 minute into that video.

Meanwhile, a family member gave me a copy of "From Darkness to Dynasty: The First 40 Years of the New England Patriots" for Christmas. Its a great read and drives home just how remarkable these past 18 years have been. As a guy in his mid-40s who watched some truly atrocious Patriot football in my youth, I'll never take a week like this for granted.
 
mwonow

mwonow

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Sep 4, 2005
7,124
54thMA said:
I just did.

Time to go to the hospital.

At least I'll be able to kill a few more hours.
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Sorry to hear about the hospital thing. Painkillers might numb some of time between now and kickoff, but remember, they're no substitute for booze during the game itself!
 
54thMA

54thMA

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Aug 15, 2012
10,166
Westwood MA
mwonow said:
Sorry to hear about the hospital thing. Painkillers might numb some of time between now and kickoff, but remember, they're no substitute for booze during the game itself!
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My comment was in jest, but thanks for the well wishes...………...but I really did feel like hitting something, that video is tremendous...…………..and don't worry, the adult beverages will be flowing all game long. Super Bowls are never stress free events with the Patriots.
 
Ale Xander

Ale Xander

Hamilton
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Oct 31, 2013
73,114
Scrolling on NFLN:

(paraphrasing)

Tom Brady plays in a Super Bowl a higher percentage of the time than Terry Bradshaw completing a pass or Michael Jordan making a shot (FG).
 
dbn

dbn

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Feb 10, 2007
7,785
La Mancha.
Been busy and not on SoSH much lately so sorry if this has been covered. I was wondering how many playoff games TB12 has started so I looked it up. Come Sunday, it will be 40. FORTY. Obviously most of all time. Two and a half regular-seasons worth of playoff games started.

Second place for a QB is P. Manning... at 27.
 
Dollar

Dollar

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May 5, 2006
11,089
Patriots Twitter just posted this video reliving the 2001 season. I just started watching but it seems to be great. I've watched many videos of that season, and this has some great footage I've never seen before along with interviews with a lot of the guys.

 
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