2016 NFL Playoffs

[Kramerica Industries]

7 minutes ago, McCarthy said:

 

This is more of the Falcons coaches panicking in a big spot. 

 

Is it any coincidence that Tom Coughlin is the only guy to beat Bellichick in a Super Bowl? He didn't coach scared in 07 or 11 despite having the worse team. Everyone else got straight outcoached and/or intimidated into bad decisions or overthinking: Martz, Fox, Reid, Carroll, Quinn all lost the coaching battle to Bill Bellichick. Carroll's OC calling a pass from first and a foot. The Falcons coaches could've locked that game up 10 times if they'd just calmed down for a second. 

 

To steal a tennis term - unforced errors. Seen it happen time and time again. Beating Belichick is hard enough as it is. Once you start fighting the Aura of Belichick, you're cooked. 

[JWhiz96]

1 hour ago, Pharos04 said:

Unless you're a fan of the Chargers where your team literally got ripped away from you, you still have something to look forward to in September.  June or July will roll around and the ol' war drums will start beating again and you'll be back watching again.

I'm a football diehard so yes, I will be back at it again. Even if the Evil Empire is my team's kryptonite.

Quote

Cause someday it will be over and this will just be an era in the history.

I pray to God that this day comes soon.

[2001mark]

2 hours ago, Ice_Cap said:

The Pats can only play who you put in front of them. It's not their fault that the rest of the AFC East can't compete. It's the fault of the Bills, Dolphins, and Jets. All three teams have proven that upper management is unable to build a competitive football team. That's not Tom Brady's fault. That's not Bill Belichick's fault. It's not Robert Kraft's fault. 

It's Terry Pegula, Stephen Ross, and Woody Johnson's fault. They've failed utterly to put together teams capable of not only beating the Patriots. They've failed utterly at consistently putting together teams that are good enough to beat even the middling teams of the AFC. 

Yep.  Had any one of those 3 teams built & played like the Coughlin-Eli Giants, maybe they could've manned up.  The Jets defeated them in the playoffs with Sanchize, so that's not nothing I guess.  Besides, they play them twice- just because of BB & Brady, doesn't mean they have to quit from your mythical guaranteed losses & not aim for 14-2 yes?

Ppl with that attitude blaming others for their own woes is weaksauce.

[2001mark]

1 hour ago, Kramerica Industries said:

 

To steal a tennis term - unforced errors. Seen it happen time and time again. Beating Belichick is hard enough as it is. Once you start fighting the Aura of Belichick, you're cooked. 

The Patriots comeback didn't have such an error combined with the Falcons' death by a bunch of small cuts, which in hindsight had 1 or a couple gone their way instead, the outcome would be different.

Then again, Blount's fumble & Brady's pick 6 were pretty irregular.  I still say it's more Patriot's earned victory than Falcons total collapse.  Those 2 Patriots errors were during drives they were otherwise in full control yes?  So add to the 2nd half drives, they were controlling the full game I guess more than given credit for.  My only bright side to the first half was watching BB milk the clock beginning at the 4 minute mark - he knew the Falcons would receive 2nd half kickoff, so he let their offense stay off the field for that friggin' long to cool off.

 

To the bliss is fleeting discussion, I'm very well aware this is magic in a bottle.  My fav players remain Ty Law & Drew Bledsoe because bringing the team back from a laughingstock still feels nearer (& more fun) to me than this dynasty.  Hell, my fav 2 weeks as a fan still was probably laughing (at school) how they got into the SB v GB because really the Patriots were still playing video game football & it was great fun being rewarded.  In a sea of Cowboys, 49ers, Steelers, Dolphins, Bills, etc fans around me that age, being a Parcells-Bledsoe Patriots fan was a LOT of fun.  I was younger then of course + the team still wasn't being taken seriously - having nothing to lose was freeing.

[infrared41]

So after reading a couple days worth of Patriots bashing, Patriots hating, and Patriots fatigue, I'd like to ask a question. 

 

Next year, would you rather see a Super Bowl between, any AFC team other than the one you root for and, say,  Carolina? Or would you rather see a Super Bowl between New England and and any NFC team in which the the NFC team beats New England by 28? Keep in mind, AFC fans, the team in the Super Bowl cannot be the one you root for. 

 

Just curious. 

 

[OnWis97]

7 minutes ago, infrared41 said:

So after reading a couple days worth of Patriots bashing, Patriots hating, and Patriots fatigue, I'd like to ask a question. 

 

Next year, would you rather see a Super Bowl between, any AFC team other than the one you root for and, say,  Carolina? Or would you rather see a Super Bowl between New England and and any NFC team in which the the NFC team beats New England by 28? Keep in mind, AFC fans, the team in the Super Bowl cannot be the one you root for. 

 

Just curious. 

 

Let's take the Vikings off the table for me because 1) that would bias me and 2) reality.

 

I'd rather see a Pats-free game.  The two-weeks leading up to it would be so much more tolerable for Kansas City / Carolina than for Pats/anyone.

 

And I don't hate the Pats, so I don't think the beatdown would give me much joy...it's the fatigue, so I really want them to lose early or miss the playoffs (LOL).

[Sport]

24 minutes ago, infrared41 said:

So after reading a couple days worth of Patriots bashing, Patriots hating, and Patriots fatigue, I'd like to ask a question. 

 

Next year, would you rather see a Super Bowl between, any AFC team other than the one you root for and, say,  Carolina? Or would you rather see a Super Bowl between New England and and any NFC team in which the the NFC team beats New England by 28? Keep in mind, AFC fans, the team in the Super Bowl cannot be the one you root for. 

 

Just curious. 

 

 

Any AFC team other than the Patriots would open up the possibility for the Steelers or Ravens and my team will never play in the super bowl anyways. I learned from this AFCCG that I hate them more than I hate the Patriots. So I guess I'll take the guaranteed Patriots beat down by a randomly picked NFC team.  

[FinsUp1214]

The first option is risky where it means the Steelers are a possibility, but if another team jumps in, I'd take that. There isn't a single team in the NFC that I have any dislike towards (yes, that even includes the Seahawks, Packers, and Cowboys), so if say the Chiefs or Raiders or whomever else other than New England or Pittsburgh got in, I'd be guaranteed a Super Bowl that I could just kick back and enjoy without any side to take. I find that thought much more enjoyable honestly than a Pats smashing, as there's no "shoot what if they come back" stress involved there. 

 

And even "the others" like Denver or Baltimore would be 100% fine with me (I'm a Colts fan, which I guess would qualify in the same class, but I don't expect much from them over the next couple of seasons). They haven't been in the mix nearly enough to fatigue me at all.

 

Otherwise if "any other AFC team" HAD to be Pittsburgh, I'll take a Pats beat down instead. 

[kroywen]

1 hour ago, infrared41 said:

So after reading a couple days worth of Patriots bashing, Patriots hating, and Patriots fatigue, I'd like to ask a question. 

 

Next year, would you rather see a Super Bowl between, any AFC team other than the one you root for and, say,  Carolina? Or would you rather see a Super Bowl between New England and and any NFC team in which the the NFC team beats New England by 28? Keep in mind, AFC fans, the team in the Super Bowl cannot be the one you root for. 

 

Just curious. 

 

I really don't want to sit through another 2 weeks of Pats inevitability, even if the end result winds up being a pleasant surprise. And especially after this year, I'd spend all game waiting for the other shoe to drop, and the Pats to come back.

 

Virtually any AFC team other than Denver and New England would provide some much-needed fresh blood. Even the Steelers would be a welcome change at this point.

[infrared41]

Let me do a better job of phrasing the question.

Your team isn't in the Super Bowl. Neither is your arch rival. Which would you rather see:

a.) a Super Bowl involving anyone other than the Pats

b.) a Super Bowl in which it's guaranteed that an NFC team dismantles the Patriots? 

 

I'm taking B because I want to have a rooting interest. The Broncos - Panthers Super Bowl bored me to death because I honestly didn't care who won. Point being, a lot of us may be suffering from Patriots fatigue, but there's no denying that having them in the Super Bowl gave us something to root for.

[Jimmy!]

7 minutes ago, infrared41 said:

Let me do a better job of phrasing the question.

Your team isn't in the Super Bowl. Neither is your arch rival. Which would you rather see:

a.) a Super Bowl involving anyone other than the Pats

b.) a Super Bowl in which it's guaranteed that an NFC team dismantles the Patriots? 

 

I'm taking B because I want to have a rooting interest. The Broncos - Panthers Super Bowl bored me to death because I honestly didn't care who won. Point being, a lot of us may be suffering from Patriots fatigue, but there's no denying that having them in the Super Bowl gave us something to root for.

Because to many, they're villains, and that's what makes it interesting to me.  I watched SB50 because, in my eyes, Cam was the villain and I wanted to see him get denied. 

 

I'd pick B.  With A, there's a chance it could end being like SB 29.  At the time, I didn't favor one team over the other.  If you have no dog in the fight, why watch the fight?

[bosrs1]

47 minutes ago, infrared41 said:

Let me do a better job of phrasing the question.

Your team isn't in the Super Bowl. Neither is your arch rival. Which would you rather see:

a.) a Super Bowl involving anyone other than the Pats

b.) a Super Bowl in which it's guaranteed that an NFC team dismantles the Patriots? 

 

I'm taking B because I want to have a rooting interest. The Broncos - Panthers Super Bowl bored me to death because I honestly didn't care who won. Point being, a lot of us may be suffering from Patriots fatigue, but there's no denying that having them in the Super Bowl gave us something to root for.

 

As a Pats fan, I'd take B. As we can always try the whole 4th quarter comeback thing again after we've been dismantled for 3 quarters by the NFC team...

 

 

[HedleyLamarr]

My team isn't in, nor is my rival.

 

Give me A.  I can live with not having to choose a side to watch the Super Bowl.  B guarantees that it isn't a competitive game.  B means that the Super Bowl party goes away from watching every play and it dies before the game ends.  A at least gives me the possibility of a close game, which is what I want since I don't really have any angst towards the Patriots.

[infrared41]

6 minutes ago, HedleyLamarr said:

My team isn't in, nor is my rival.

 

Give me A.  I can live with not having to choose a side to watch the Super Bowl.  B guarantees that it isn't a competitive game.  B means that the Super Bowl party goes away from watching every play and it dies before the game ends.  A at least gives me the possibility of a close game, which is what I want since I don't really have any angst towards the Patriots.

 

You're lucky. The actual game was basically background noise at just about every Super Bowl party I've ever been to. I decided I'd rather watch the game, so I stopped going to Super Bowl parties after Super Bowl XXXIII. To me, Super Bowl parties are basically the sports version of New Year's Eve parties. 

[HedleyLamarr]

10 minutes ago, infrared41 said:

 

You're lucky. The actual game was basically background noise at just about every Super Bowl party I've ever been to. I decided I'd rather watch the game, so I stopped going to Super Bowl parties after Super Bowl XXXIII. To me, Super Bowl parties are basically the sports version of New Year's Eve parties. 

I guess it's all in how you set things up.  The couple times we've hosted recently, we had the foresight to have two TV's going in adjacent rooms.  The main room had the surround sound and most of the guys hung out there, while the smaller room was the more relaxed setting for those that wanted to watch but also socialize.  Our's was like a mesh of New Year's and Thanksgiving....full spread, cornhole game and a couple balls to throw around, the Squares game, plenty of drinks.

[infrared41]

9 minutes ago, HedleyLamarr said:

I guess it's all in how you set things up.  The couple times we've hosted recently, we had the foresight to have two TV's going in adjacent rooms.  The main room had the surround sound and most of the guys hung out there, while the smaller room was the more relaxed setting for those that wanted to watch but also socialize.  Our's was like a mesh of New Year's and Thanksgiving....full spread, cornhole game and a couple balls to throw around, the Squares game, plenty of drinks.

 

That sounds really good. I'd go to one of your Super Bowl parties. But only if Mings isn't there. (sorry, but I couldn't pass up the Mings joke.)

[Brass]

Respect to @HedleyLamarr It sounds like he had the best time of his life despite seeing his favorite team lose. That's what sports should be; an entire experience.

 

Earlier this year, I went to the Browns/Patriots game in Cleveland where Brady came back. It was packed full of Patriots commuter fans (it was an extended weekend due to Columbus Day) and a good amount of Browns fans. I admire the diehard Browns fans because, let's be honest, they know there is a good chance their team will lose. I got to talking to a guy sitting next to me, and he explained that he's gone to every game for 15+ years because it's an experience. The tailgate, the family of friends, the sites and sounds, the chance to see great visiting players. I told him I admired his loyalty and I hope that one day he can experience a championship and hopefully I have the strength to continue to support my team through better or worse. THAT is what sports should be. Your team might lose, but no score can really take away the excitement of gameday possibilities and the little things.

 

In reality, I actually lose money with this whole endeavor; now I gotta go buy a $25 shirt!

[BBTV]

6 hours ago, infrared41 said:

Let me do a better job of phrasing the question.

Your team isn't in the Super Bowl. Neither is your arch rival. Which would you rather see:

a.) a Super Bowl involving anyone other than the Pats

b.) a Super Bowl in which it's guaranteed that an NFC team dismantles the Patriots? 

 

I'm taking B because I want to have a rooting interest. The Broncos - Panthers Super Bowl bored me to death because I honestly didn't care who won. Point being, a lot of us may be suffering from Patriots fatigue, but there's no denying that having them in the Super Bowl gave us something to root for.

 

If I have to choose, I'd choose A.  I can usually (not always) manufacture a rooting interest (though honestly I don't always pay attention to most of the game.)  I became a fan of Seattle during their run and "rooted" for them in both their SBs.  I rooted for Peyton last year.  I rooted for SF against BAL, because I couldn't stand the Ravens winning another title in those uniforms.  Oh, and F Ray Lewis.  I'd have to think about the others.

 

I wouldn't want to see any "guaranteed" thrashing of the Patriots.  I simply don't hate them, despite being jealous of their fans.  

 

I have no problem seeing them lose, but I'd rather it either be competitive or a shocking blowout.  To be the man "WHOOOOOOoooooo" you have to beat the man."  Right now, the Patriots are the man, and whatever team beats them will really have earned it.

 

 

 

 

 

[IceCap]

I would rather see the Chargers in it, really. I used to get angry about the Pats always excelling, but at a certain point? I just sort of gave in and accepted the greatness. I still don't like them, but they're easily the greatest team of this era and Brady is the greatest QB of his generation. I have to respect that, even if I'm not a fan. So the Pats went from a team I actively loathed to a team I actually wanted to see succeed because of how cool it would be to say "yeah, I saw Tom Brady break Joe Montana's record." And now I get to say "yeah I saw the greatest Super Bowl of all time" and appreciate it for what it is without Sports Hate making things all rage-y.

 

Now that the Pats have slayed all the dragons? They're just any other team that's not the Chargers. They're just not a team I want to see in the Super Bowl. That's nothing against them as a team. The same applies to thirteen other AFC teams. If they do make it though? I'll just hope for a good game. I got that this year.

 

 

[Dynasty]

I just want to make it clear... I don't hate Brady (or Belichick for that matter) like I use to. It feels like ever since they beat those trash-talking Seahawks in the Super Bowl, I've come to actually respect them and their winning ways (the scandals don't really mean that much to me). I think the thing that really upset me this year was that they won against Atlanta, a team (and city) that has struggled to stay relevant in the sports world. I also like Matt Ryan, he's one of my favorite players, and it was unfortunate to see him fall short... and go out like that. If New England wins again, my opinion towards them won't really change much (though in general, I still dislike them because y'know...), but depending on who they play, that's going to be more of a factor on how I feel.