The Super Bowl Thread

Rudy's Curve

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One way to look at it is that it took 6 of Jones's seasons to get this far. Do they get this far sooner with all those draft picks and not-Jones?
They had a 17-0 lead and 24-14 at half at home in the NFC Championship in his second year and failed to close it out. By the way, Jones went 11-182-2 on 13 targets in that game. I'm going to go with "no."
 

Super Nomario

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That said, if the relevant acronym in baseball is TINSTAAPP, I think in football there's no such thing as a prospect, full stop. How much of scouting and drafting is science, and how much of it is a complete lottery? If you really think Julio is a sure thing and exactly what your offense needs, and compare that to a likely haul of one good player, one borderline starter, one backup and two busts...well, what do you choose then? Is one likely great player worth that in a trade? It's a fascinating discussion, and there's not necessarily a right answer - but of course you do have to pick the right guy for this to be a debate at all. Herschel Walker was ultimately a good player, not a great player; that makes Dallas' trade for him foolish.
But if TINSTAAPP, that extends to Jones, too - especially at the level he's at. The deal was probably worth it because Jones is arguably the best WR in the game; if he was merely very good, it probably would not have been worth it. The Bills' similar trade for Sammy Watkins is a cautionary tale.

That said, I have come around to the idea that team-building, first and foremost, starts with having a vision. Based on War Room, Dimitroff clearly placed premium value on having a stud WR and made it happen, and that was a key piece of the league's best offense this season. Belichick clearly doesn't agree - the Patriots are the only team in the NFL not to use a first on a WR since 2000 - but there's more than one way to skin a cat.
 

dcmissle

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Rodney Harrison would have that photo enlarged and plastered all over the locker room, halls, etc.

On the flip side, I don't know if extra emotion helps a WR as much as it does a defensive player or even an OL. What was Forrest Whitaker's character's name in Fast Times?
Probably does not matter much, but if it does, try some Meshawn -- recognizing it does not come from Atlanta:

According to Johnson, the guys Brady is working with right now aren’t likely “good enough” to make it on other teams’ 53-man rosters.

“When you see guys that fail and play for other teams at the receiver position, they can go to New England and excel and everybody goes, ‘Oh my God, Oh my God, these receivers are top of the game.’ Well, they couldn’t excel with other teams because of the system,” he said in a radio appearance with 92.9 The Fan in Atlanta (h/t
Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com). “If they were on other teams right now, they probably wouldn’t be on the 53-man roster.”

Elaborating on this theme, Johnson pointed to Brady and the team’s precision-based offense.

“It is the system and it is Tom Brady. As long as they are precise and are doing everything they are supposed to do, which is the reason they are there for the Patriots, because they don’t make the mistakes, that is why they excel. You get a high caliber wide receiver with the Patriots, typically they probably aren’t going to do what they are supposed to do. They are going to freelance a little bit because they have that luxury to do that because of their ability.”

This is both a tremendous show of respect to Brady and somewhat of a disrespectful view towards the receivers he plays with.

Not make the 53-man roster ... a bit harsh.
 

NortheasternPJ

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Probably does not matter much, but if it does, try some Meshawn -- recognizing it does not come from Atlanta:

According to Johnson, the guys Brady is working with right now aren’t likely “good enough” to make it on other teams’ 53-man rosters.

“When you see guys that fail and play for other teams at the receiver position, they can go to New England and excel and everybody goes, ‘Oh my God, Oh my God, these receivers are top of the game.’ Well, they couldn’t excel with other teams because of the system,” he said in a radio appearance with 92.9 The Fan in Atlanta (h/t
Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com). “If they were on other teams right now, they probably wouldn’t be on the 53-man roster.”

Elaborating on this theme, Johnson pointed to Brady and the team’s precision-based offense.

“It is the system and it is Tom Brady. As long as they are precise and are doing everything they are supposed to do, which is the reason they are there for the Patriots, because they don’t make the mistakes, that is why they excel. You get a high caliber wide receiver with the Patriots, typically they probably aren’t going to do what they are supposed to do. They are going to freelance a little bit because they have that luxury to do that because of their ability.”

This is both a tremendous show of respect to Brady and somewhat of a disrespectful view towards the receivers he plays with.

Not make the 53-man roster ... a bit harsh.
Such a shame that the Patriots receivers run the plays called to perfection rather than being diva wide receivers who do what they want.

Imagine if someone of the talent of Keyshawn or Ocho could execute the routes that Welker, Edelman, Malcom Mitchell etc. can run instead of relying on pure talent?
 

Marciano490

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It's a dumb argument because there are a ton of WRs with tremendous ability who are also precise route runners, but it is a diva position and full of people who freelance. It's also pretty common in sport for people with better talent to have worse technique or less desire/need to hone fundamentals. Anyone but Mayweather gets KTFO boxing like he does. On the other hand, precise route running as an NFL receiver is a talent requiring a lot of athleticism, speeds, agility and reaction time.
 

Leather

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They had a 17-0 lead and 24-14 at half at home in the NFC Championship in his second year and failed to close it out. By the way, Jones went 11-182-2 on 13 targets in that game. I'm going to go with "no."
How does this prove anything? Maybe those draft picks would have been used to markedly improve the defense.
 

Rudy's Curve

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How does this prove anything? Maybe those draft picks would have been used to markedly improve the defense.
Jones practically built the lead by himself. He's also on his way to being a first ballot HOFer that's averaged 96 yards a game for his career and over 100 each of the last four years. The Browns may have fucked up the return, but it's taking a huge leap of faith to think the Falcons would have been better if they didn't do it.
 

Leather

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Jones practically built the lead by himself. He's also on his way to being a first ballot HOFer that's averaged 96 yards a game for his career and over 100 each of the last four years. The Browns may have fucked up the return, but it's taking a huge leap of faith to think the Falcons would have been better if they didn't do it.
You are probably right, but Jones stats in a losing effort are 100% irrelevant to the question asked.
 

Reggie's Racquet

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It's a dumb argument because there are a ton of WRs with tremendous ability who are also precise route runners, but it is a diva position and full of people who freelance. It's also pretty common in sport for people with better talent to have worse technique or less desire/need to hone fundamentals. Anyone but Mayweather gets KTFO boxing like he does. On the other hand, precise route running as an NFL receiver is a talent requiring a lot of athleticism, speeds, agility and reaction time.
Jerry Rice.
 

DaveRoberts'Shoes

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OR 12
DRS--what fibula injury do you get from Devonta Freeman falling on you if you're Alex Mack with a previous fibula fx?
Apparently an ankle sprain that you recover from by the time you land in Houston, as he walked off without a boot
That's like eight bucks.
 

Gambler7

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Looking for tickets now...anyone have verification on what end zone and side of the field the Patriots will be on?
 

PaulinMyrBch

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Looking for tickets now...anyone have verification on what end zone and side of the field the Patriots will be on?
I don't know which side for sure but Falcons are the home team so I would assume that means they take the side the Texans normally do. Which is the side where lower deck numbers 101-111.

Edit: Ale Xander has StubHub showing it the other way around with Pats on that numbered side. So I'd go with StubHub. I trusted it a few weeks ago. They had the sides correct for the Natty.
 
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dbn

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I don't know which side for sure but Falcons are the home team so I would assume that means they take the side the Texans normally do. Which is the side where lower deck numbers 101-111.
Does anyone know how it's decided who is the home team? Coin flip? Alternation? Who won the MLB All-Star game?
 

Blue Monkey

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Lol... I wonder if it's a round trip ticket?

I'm sure they were at least able redeem the air miles. They are probably diamond medallion members.
 
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Valek123

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This....game....is....never....going....to....get....here....

On the plus side, new receiver coming for dish network to get new TV hooked up to better signal, "non-football" room w/ food tv ready to go, and upstairs "kids go away" TV is all set up with Netflix ready to rock.

Now where is that Superbowl recipe thread? Found it in P&G...
 
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dcmissle

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There is a big football desert after this -- even if you're into the fluff of the Combine, and the draft, they are a ways away, then 7 months before games that count.

Enjoy this week. Savor it. To me it's like the week leading up to Christmas.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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There is a big football desert after this -- even if you're into the fluff of the Combine, and the draft, they are a ways away, then 7 months before games that count.

Enjoy this week. Savor it. To me it's like the week leading up to Christmas.
For my employer it's like five straight Christmas mornings of coal and/or socks when expecting—at the very least—the new video game you really wanted.

Sorry, Jed's boss, leave a message and he'll get back to you next week. Unless things go well, in which case it may take him another week to work his way through all the videos.
 
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singaporesoxfan

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There is a big football desert after this -- even if you're into the fluff of the Combine, and the draft, they are a ways away, then 7 months before games that count.

Enjoy this week. Savor it. To me it's like the week leading up to Christmas.
So that flight tracker is our equivalent of NORAD tracking Santa?
 

dcmissle

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Yup. Exactly right.

NORAD > my 6 yr-old =

FT > me.

What I cannot take is the endless radio and tv charter from now thru the game, include 6-hr pre-game shows. I come here instead.
 

E5 Yaz

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Yup. Exactly right.

NORAD > my 6 yr-old =

FT > me.

What I cannot take is the endless radio and tv charter from now thru the game, include 6-hr pre-game shows. I come here instead.
My wife asked today why so many people are talking about Tom Brady's father. I said because they need to fill space
 

edmunddantes

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The one thing you can say for deflategate: it helped to fill the dead air, and it seemed like it made the two weeks go by faster. At least for me. As there were new things everyday to keep the flow going.
 

johnmd20

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The one thing you can say for deflategate: it helped to fill the dead air, and it seemed like it made the two weeks go by faster. At least for me. As there were new things everyday to keep the flow going.
DFG made this past weekend two years ago incredibly interesting. You had Brady speaking about how it wasn't ISIS. You had Belichick talking about being Mona Lisa Vito. It was a huge time suck that really did move the days faster, from a sporting standpoint. Not sure I prefer the news that broke this past weekend, of course, but it's nice not to have a scandal surrounding this week. Yet.
 

JokersWildJIMED

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My wife asked today why so many people are talking about Tom Brady's father. I said because they need to fill space
Screaming A was on ESPN this morning going on about how much of a distraction Tom's father was for the team and how it was going to negatively affect them all week. He then transitioned into a Deflategate discussion and finished by saying that before Deflategate the Pats always had the fewest fumbles and since Deflategate they are right up there leading the league, dropping the ball like crazy.
Not sure if he was trying to rile up what few NE fans actually watch that garbage, but if he was, it worked.
 

tims4wins

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Screaming A was on ESPN this morning going on about how much of a distraction Tom's father was for the team and how it was going to negatively affect them all week. He then transitioned into a Deflategate discussion and finished by saying that before Deflategate the Pats always had the fewest fumbles and since Deflategate they are right up there leading the league, dropping the ball like crazy.
Not sure if he was trying to rile up what few NE fans actually watch that garbage, but if he was, it worked.
That's hilarious considering nearly all their fumbles come on special teams which are the K balls.
 

ifmanis5

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SAS already picked the Falcons to win.
Also, Donovan McNabb said on their show this morning that the Pats will DOUBLE Sanu and keep Butler on Jones one on one. SAS and Max looked at him like he was crazy.
 

kenneycb

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For my employer it's like five straight Christmas mornings of coal and/or socks when expecting—at the very least—the new video game you really wanted.

Sorry, Jed's boss, leave a message and he'll get back to you next week. Unless things go well, in which case it may take him another week to work his way through all the videos.
So you're saying you got Lee Carvallo's Putting Challenge?