Mike'd Up: The Mike Francesa Show

ifmanis5

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Mike melted down when the Mets blew it vs. the Phillies today:
https://www.mediaite.com/sports/sports-radio-host-mike-francesa-erupts-on-the-ny-mets-for-blowing-a-late-game-lead-fire-all-of-them/
“FIRE ALL OF ‘EM! DON’T EVEN BRING ‘EM BACK TO NEW YORK!” Francesa exclaimed. “Let the bus go the other way!”

“Bullpen’s shot, team’s shot, management’s shot, the pitching strategist-whoever knows what he does in the first place,” he continued. “Take the bus, instead of them going north on the turnpike, send them south and let the ’69 Mets suit up!”

“I can’t even believe it! You can’t lose this game,” Francesa continued. “They stink so bad you can’t even make it up!”
 

shawnrbu

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Mike’s bad year continues. He said it was comical to think KD would pick the Nets over the Knicks. Mike still thinks MSG is a huge drawing card to attract free agents for the Knicks.
 

dcmissle

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Mike’s bad year continues. He said it was comical to think KD would pick the Nets over the Knicks. Mike still thinks MSG is a huge drawing card to attract free agents for the Knicks.
He is getting fucking destroyed in his own Twitter account.

https://mobile.twitter.com/MikeFrancesa/status/1145440421650292738
And he can’t “fake news” his way out of this by disavowing his own confident predictions. The Knicks are too big in NY — as is the tsunami of players to Brooklyn.

They will not buy it, even in Staten Island. He’s going to have to eat the shit sandwich on this one.
 

nattysez

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Dolan was reportedly afraid of offering KD the max due to his injury, so Mike wasn't technically wrong.
 

dcmissle

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Agree with Mike in his defense of Andrew Luck. Also enjoying the hell out of Mike bringing it to the next levels on Twitter. I don’t know about radio, but Mike is losing his shit on this issue on social media. That’s a twofer.
 

bankshot1

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The real #s will probably get buried, just like the app is getting buried. But maybe somebody with an axe to grind...

I suspect it was a loss leader for Mike's ego until Mike's backers told him "enough".
 

ifmanis5

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Mike is mad that Russo said he was surprised that Mike went back on WFAN after retiring: https://nypost.com/2019/09/04/the-mike-francesa-chris-russo-relationship-ruptured-again/

“I think that caused a little rupture,” Russo said. “I kind of, maybe I hinted that I wouldn’t have done that. So I questioned it — lightly, but I questioned it — and I think that caused probably a little disharmony between the two of us. We haven’t spoken in a year, year and a half.”
 

Montana Fan

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Over 300 isn't so bad. Almost 500, like the Cowboys got? That's pretty bad
First half was over 300. I post occasionally on a Giants board and took a look at the win prediction thread yesterday. The lowest prediction, if everything falls apart was 6-10. I posted that 4-12 is about as good as it will be for them. Gonna be an ugly season for them. O-line still sucks.
 

snowmanny

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It’s way more impressive to be like Montana and Walsh and lose to the Giants twice in the NFC playoffs. That’s what a great coach and a great quarterback would do.
 

tims4wins

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It’s way more impressive to be like Montana and Walsh and lose to the Giants twice in the NFC playoffs. That’s what a great coach and a great quarterback would do.
Definitely. Always good to lose a playoff game 49-3. Waaaaaaay better than losing two Super Bowls in the last minute.
 

YTF

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snowmanny

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It would take a genius defensive coordinator to beat that duo.

Ed: in the playoffs. Twice. Giving up only 16 points total.
 

Mystic Merlin

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Yep, being undefeated in Super Bowls is fundamentally significant to Mike. The Patriots could have FIFTEEN Super Bowl wins, and Mike would still take Montana/Walsh if the Pats has one Super Bowl loss.
 

BaseballJones

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It’s way more impressive to be like Montana and Walsh and lose to the Giants twice in the NFC playoffs. That’s what a great coach and a great quarterback would do.
To be fair, the AFC was the JV conference during the 80s. The NFC had some all-time great powerhouse teams while the AFC was second-rate. That's why so many of those Super Bowls were total blowouts. So it's not at all surprising that the 49ers would have a harder time than the BB/TB Pats getting to the SB, but once they got there, have a better winning percentage.
 

snowmanny

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Sort of like the Steelers of the ‘70’s, who had the Raiders. I am trying to figure out how the break the Montana/Walsh - Bradshaw/Noll tie.

Also, are you really sure the 1981 and 1988 49ers were much better than a bunch of AFC teams?

And the AFC has been better than the NFC during the B/B run anyway, which kind of kills your point. Who are the Peyton, Roethlisberger, Mahomes (ed: even Rivers, Luck) that Montana had to beat? The second best QB in the conference was on his bench waiting to take his job.
 

MuzzyField

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Sort of like the Steelers of the ‘70’s, who had the Raiders. I am trying to figure out how the break the Montana/Walsh - Bradshaw/Noll tie.

Also, are you really sure the 1981 and 1988 49ers were much better than a bunch of AFC teams?

And the AFC has been better than the NFC during the B/B run anyway, which kind of kills your point. Who are the Peyton, Roethlisberger, Mahomes (ed: even Rivers, Luck) that Montana had to beat? The second best QB in the conference was on his bench waiting to take his job.
It wasn't just the Raiders. Don't forget the Oilers!
 

BaseballJones

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Sort of like the Steelers of the ‘70’s, who had the Raiders. I am trying to figure out how the break the Montana/Walsh - Bradshaw/Noll tie.

Also, are you really sure the 1981 and 1988 49ers were much better than a bunch of AFC teams?

And the AFC has been better than the NFC during the B/B run anyway, which kind of kills your point. Who are the Peyton, Roethlisberger, Mahomes (ed: even Rivers, Luck) that Montana had to beat? The second best QB in the conference was on his bench waiting to take his job.
The Redskins from 82-87 went 66-22 (.750), went to three NFCCGs, and won two SBs. They won their two SBs by a combined 42 points.
The Bears from 84-88 went 62-17 (.784), went to 3 NFCCGs, won one SB, and may have had the best team of all time in 85-86. They won their SB by 36 points.
The Giants from 85-90 went 65-30 (.684), with the one bad (6-9) strike year in there, went to two NFCCGs, won two SBs, one over John Elway and the other over the Bills who were about to go to four straight SBs.
The Cowboys at the start of the Montana era were at the tail end of a phenomenal run, and in 80-83 were still great, going 44-11 (.800), going to three straight NFCCGs.

Those Bears, Giants, Redskins teams...these were some of the greatest powerhouses ever to play the game. Those stretches by those franchises were right in the midst of the Montana era. At the end of the 80s, the Eagles under Ryan, with Reggie White and Randall Cunningham, were just emerging as well.

The Super Bowls in the 80s were mainly NFC blowouts of weaker AFC teams. It actually extended well into the 90s.

XVI Jan. 24, 1982 Silverdome (Pontiac, Mich.) San Francisco 26, Cincinnati 21
XVII Jan. 30, 1983 Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.) Washington 27, Miami 17
XVIII Jan. 22, 1984 Tampa (Fla.) Stadium Los Angeles Raiders 38, Washington 9
XIX Jan. 20, 1985 Stanford (Calif.) Stadium San Francisco 38, Miami 16
XX Jan. 26, 1986 Superdome (New Orleans) Chicago 46, New England 10
XXI Jan. 25, 1987 Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.) New York Giants 39, Denver 20
XXII Jan. 31, 1988 Jack Murphy Stadium (San Diego) Washington 42, Denver 10
XXIII Jan. 22, 1989 Joe Robbie Stadium (Miami) San Francisco 20, Cincinnati 16
XXIV Jan. 28, 1990 Superdome (New Orleans) San Francisco 55, Denver 10
XXV Jan. 27, 1991 Tampa (Fla.) Stadium New York Giants 20, Buffalo 19
XXVI Jan. 26, 1992 Metrodome (Minneapolis) Washington 37, Buffalo 24
XXVII Jan. 31, 1993 Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.) Dallas 52, Buffalo 17
XXVIII Jan. 30, 1994 Georgia Dome (Atlanta) Dallas 30, Buffalo 13
XXIX Jan. 29, 1995 Joe Robbie Stadium (Miami) San Francisco 49, San Diego 26
XXX Jan. 28, 1996 Sun Devil Stadium (Tempe, Ariz.) Dallas 27, Pittsburgh 17
XXXI Jan. 26, 1997 Superdome (New Orleans) Green Bay 35, New England 21


Margins of victory for the NFC: 5, 10, 29, 22, 36, 19, 32, 4, 45, 1, 13, 35, 17, 23, 10, 14. I mean, the best the NFC had to offer during those years was so much better than the AFC's best. I mean look at Denver. Three trips to the SB in four years. All-time great QB in Elway. Got blown out in all three of their SB matchups (-19, -32, -45). Then came Buffalo, who went to four straight (yes this was now the 90s but it was on the same theme) SBs. All-time great QB in Kelly. Dominant AFC power. Lost the SB to the Giants by one and then got crushed three straight.

The balance between the AFC and NFC has been much more even during the TB/BB era than it was in the Walsh/Montana era. I'd certainly give the edge to the AFC over the NFC during this time on the whole, but it's much closer than it was in the 80s into the 90s.

So no, I don't think it "kills my point" at all. Montana's road to the SB was harder than Brady's, which is likely why he lost more on the way to the SB, but the NFC was better than the AFC by a lot which is likely why he was undefeated in his four SB tries. I stand by that and have seen no reason to change my view.


EDIT: The one AFC win there was the Raiders over the Redskins. Otherwise the NFC won 15 out of 16 SBs, most by large margins.
 
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Omar's Wacky Neighbor

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It’s way more impressive to be like Montana and Walsh and lose to the Giants twice in the NFC playoffs. That’s what a great coach and a great quarterback would do.
Yep, being undefeated in Super Bowls is fundamentally significant to Mike. The Patriots could have FIFTEEN Super Bowl wins, and Mike would still take Montana/Walsh if the Pats has one Super Bowl loss.
It is mind numbing how he can excuse first or second round losses or missing the playoffs altogether, "but when you get to the Big Game, and The Game is on the line, that's what matters. That's where the REAL winners shine through."
 
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BaseballJones

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It is mind numbing how he can excuse first or second round losses or missing the playoffs altogether, "but when you get to the Big Game, and The Game is on the line, that's what matters. That's where the REAL winners shine through."
Brady with BB:
- Regular season with BB: 209-60 (.777)
- Playoff record with BB: 30-10 (.750)
- Conf. Championships with BB: 9-4 (.692)
- SBs with BB: 6-3 (.667)

Montana with Walsh:
- Regular season with Walsh: 75-36 (.676)
- Playoff record with Walsh: 10-4 (.714)
- Conf. Championships with Walsh: 3-1 (.750)
- SBs with Walsh: 3-0 (1.000)

For some unknown reason, Francesa would rather have Montana's record with Walsh over Brady's record with Belichick.
 

tims4wins

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I love the comment that those games "changed the face of football". Since the XLVI, the Pats have been to 4 Super Bowls and won 3. The Giants have made the playoffs once and haven't won a playoff game. If the Pats hadn't won another title, then yes, those games would have prevented BB and TB12 from becoming the GOATs. But unfortunately for Francesca, 2014-2018 also happened.
 

Omar's Wacky Neighbor

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Leaving in a bit to the studio :)
I've posted this before: early 2005 (?), my wife had a full day with Mike and Ro on a very personal level. Mike finds out I'm from Boston, and HE brought up to my wife how he has nothing against Belichick. My wife had to ask me why he would even bring that up out of the blue.

Mike hasn't had a good Ernie Adams rant in a while, has he? "He doesn't even have a job title, no name on the door! No one knows what he even does there!!"
 

BaseballJones

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I love the comment that those games "changed the face of football". Since the XLVI, the Pats have been to 4 Super Bowls and won 3. The Giants have made the playoffs once and haven't won a playoff game. If the Pats hadn't won another title, then yes, those games would have prevented BB and TB12 from becoming the GOATs. But unfortunately for Francesca, 2014-2018 also happened.
Ha exactly. The Giants really kind of put an end to the Pats' dynastic run....

Until they then proceeded to go to 4 SBs in 5 years, winning 3 of them.
 

bankshot1

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And as a tack-on to the Eli debate, if Eli gets in with a .500 record but with the weight of two SBs wins over one of the Pats, what's the argument against, Jim Plunkett's (72-72 regular season 8-2 post-season, 2 SB wins,) and the only AFC QB to defeat the vastly superior NFC teams of the 80s?
 

tims4wins

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And as a tack-on to the Eli debate, if Eli gets in with a .500 record but with the weight of two SBs over one of the Pats, what's the argument against, Jim Plunkett's (72-72 regular season 8-2 post-season,) and the only AFC QB to defeat the vastly superior NFC teams of the 80s?
Longevity and counting stats. 116-116 is 88 more games played and 44 more wins.
 

bankshot1

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Its a moving target, Jurgenson is in with a losing record, and fewer games than Plunkett and no rings, , Namath is in with fewer wins and a losing record, but one memorable win.

Given the abuse Plunkett suffered in NE, (I'm serious) its amazing he played as long as he did (retiring at 40), but he was the only AFC QB to manage SB wins against the dominant 80s NFC. .
 

Spacemans Bong

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Sort of like the Steelers of the ‘70’s, who had the Raiders. I am trying to figure out how the break the Montana/Walsh - Bradshaw/Noll tie.

Also, are you really sure the 1981 and 1988 49ers were much better than a bunch of AFC teams?

And the AFC has been better than the NFC during the B/B run anyway, which kind of kills your point. Who are the Peyton, Roethlisberger, Mahomes (ed: even Rivers, Luck) that Montana had to beat? The second best QB in the conference was on his bench waiting to take his job.
I've long since given up the ghost on Brady vs Montana but this aggression can not stand, man. The 1988 49ers weren't better than a bunch of AFC teams, which is why it's the closest Super Bowl those 49er teams were in, but the 1981 49ers went 13-3 and beat the best team in the AFC - Cincinnati, the only team in the AFC to win 12 games - 21-3 in Cincinnati and were up 20-0 in the Super Bowl before trying to run out the clock.

And I take your point about quarterbacks (although prime Phil Simms was no chopped liver) but raise you with the coaches: Bill Parcells (and Belichick) and Joe Gibbs. Throw in Landry for 1981 too. Who is the best coach of an AFC rival Tom Brady's had to face? Bill Cowher?