NFL Playoffs: Super Bowl LIII

[MJWalker45]

6 hours ago, Quillz said:

I wonder if the Saints would have won...

They couldn't have looked worse.

[Olmec]

42 minutes ago, DEAD! said:

 

I would like to think this 18 season Patriots run as two dynasties, the 2001-4 period and this current run  2014-8. It is hard to believe that the Patriots went TEN years without a title during this run. 

 

[MJWalker45]

3 hours ago, SabresRule7361 said:

If we had a similarly boring game but the Saints or Chiefs were involved, do you think there would have been similar complaining?

Yes. A boring game is a boring game.

5 hours ago, SabresRule7361 said:

I'd say these teams giving us a game with a score like this is the most surprising football development we've seen in recent memory, but...... was this more surprising than Bama getting blown out?

No. Because people probably gave the Patriots more of a chance than they gave Clemson. And most people looked at them calling themselves underdogs as disingenuous.

[oldschoolvikings]

2 hours ago, JWhiz96 said:

... hordes of insufferable, obnoxious, mostly bandwagon fans ...

 

Did a Steelers fan just write these words?

[Seadragon76]

The game was a slug fest, a down and dirty back alley brawl where one team would survive... that team was New England. I like to think that the Rams had big time stage fright and never shook the jitters from being on such a big stage... it also doesn't help that New England's strategy of ball control had that defense, as great as it is, on the field for large chunks of game time. It worked against the Chargers, the Chiefs and now you add the Rams to that list.

[pepis21]

12 hours ago, BringBackTheVet said:

and they lost two of the last three they were in. 

 

They won two of the last three before LIII. Seahawks, Falcons and then was Eagles.

 

12 hours ago, Dalcowboyfan92 said:

Place your bets; which team from the NFC gets the privilege of being teabagged by Brady and Belichick next year?

 

Giants will raise from ashes like phoenix and they win it.

 

11 hours ago, Ice_Cap said:

Brady will go one more year at least. I think Belichick will stick around as long as Brady does. 

 

 From what I read, Belichick wants to work until 70th birthday and Brady until 45th, so they'll probably retires together in 2022.

[oldschoolvikings]

I don’t hate the Patriots.  I’m not sure why I don’t, most of my life I’ve been a confirmed “dynasty hater”. My first sports hate as a wee little tyke was the 70’s Steelers (tho, mostly because they beat the Vikings in a SB).  In the 90’s I hated the Redwings and the Cowboys (honestly, I can’t really remember not hating the Cowboys).  I hated the Magic Johnson Lakers AND the Kobe Bryant Lakers, and am preparing to hate the LeBron Lakers.  I hate all Yankees, forever.  I didn’t hate the 49ers for some reason… probably because of “the catch” game, which hilariously broke Cowboys hearts.  And now, I don’t hate the Patriots, which seems weird to me.  In fact, although I usually think I’d rather not see them get in, once they’re in I find myself hoping they’ll win, which I ended up doing again last night.  I guess as long as they’re going to be great, I’d rather see them be really great than just pretty great… I was surprised to find myself really disappointed when the mediocre Giants led by huge doofus Eli Manning wrecked their perfect season. It was like seeing Einstein get corrected on the math problem by a freshman student… who wants to see that?  It probably also helps that I don’t know any annoying Patriot fans.  With all those other teams I mentioned, I had to deal with bunches of bandwagon jackasses, none worse than the “America’s Team” a-holes. The only Patriot fan I personally know was born and raised in Boston, is a fine upstanding police officer, and one of the nicest guys I know.  So anyway, I get why everyone hates them… they’ll never be my favorite team, but I’m willing to ride this out and see the history first hand.  For what it’s worth, I don’t hate Golden State, either.

[hbgoo1975]

How ironic that the team who won the Super Bowl for Los Angeles will move out of California to Vegas. 

[Sport]

1 hour ago, oldschoolvikings said:

I don’t hate the Patriots.  I’m not sure why I don’t, most of my life I’ve been a confirmed “dynasty hater”. My first sports hate as a wee little tyke was the 70’s Steelers (tho, mostly because they beat the Vikings in a SB).  In the 90’s I hated the Redwings and the Cowboys (honestly, I can’t really remember not hating the Cowboys).  I hated the Magic Johnson Lakers AND the Kobe Bryant Lakers, and am preparing to hate the LeBron Lakers.  I hate all Yankees, forever.  I didn’t hate the 49ers for some reason… probably because of “the catch” game, which hilariously broke Cowboys hearts.  And now, I don’t hate the Patriots, which seems weird to me.  In fact, although I usually think I’d rather not see them get in, once they’re in I find myself hoping they’ll win, which I ended up doing again last night.  I guess as long as they’re going to be great, I’d rather see them be really great than just pretty great… I was surprised to find myself really disappointed when the mediocre Giants led by huge doofus Eli Manning wrecked their perfect season. It was like seeing Einstein get corrected on the math problem by a freshman student… who wants to see that?  It probably also helps that I don’t know any annoying Patriot fans.  With all those other teams I mentioned, I had to deal with bunches of bandwagon jackasses, none worse than the “America’s Team” a-holes. The only Patriot fan I personally know was born and raised in Boston, is a fine upstanding police officer, and one of the nicest guys I know.  So anyway, I get why everyone hates them… they’ll never be my favorite team, but I’m willing to ride this out and see the history first hand.  For what it’s worth, I don’t hate Golden State, either.

 

I don't hate the Patriots. I hate the Steelers because their fans are the worst people alive and they cheer for a fat a$$hole rapist quarterback and have gotten away with cheap shots and gifted at least one bad call every game since the early 70's yet won't acknowledge either. At least Patriots fans of a certain age remember some dark days. My main emotion towards the Patriots right now is boredom and envy. I don't think watching them is a fun experience and last night proved that. I'm bored by the Patriots and envious of the people in this weird coastal city that for reasons that will never make sense started winning everything around February of 2002. Who did Bill Simmons blow in a past life to get this? I asked this in October when the Red Sox won, but I'll say it again - surely there are people in Boston now going "I can't make the parade this week. I'll just catch the next one"? those people. 

 

We're watching the longest, greatest run in the Super Bowl era and it's gone on so long that the Patriots could be split into two distinct and separate dynasties, plus two super bowl losses sandwiched in-between, with only the coach and QB as the link. I've had Patriots fatigue since 2004. It's ridiculous. The thing I don't like about this Patriots run is that it doesn't matter who plays for them. This was their worst team in a decade and they still won the mother****ing super bowl. Everyone besides the coach and the quarterback is a plug, a robot on an assembly line. It's like watching a factory play football. They're the neutral zone trap of NFL teams. Which in turn means that following all the team building and draft day strategy everyone else is doing feels like a complete waste of time. Is your team having their first good year in a decade? Did all the puzzle pieces seem to finally fit together to make a good team? It doesn't matter because you're going to lose to this team of randos who will beat you slow and joylessly. Your coach will probably do something really stupid too. 

 

I hated the 49ers and I hated the Cowboys, but at least they had the decency to do it with some excitement and some of the best players. They also had the decency to fall apart and end. The Pats have broken football and it won't be fun again until the main parts of the machinery finally move on and I don't think we can even say that moment will be when Belichick and Brady finally move on. 

[sc49erfan15]

23 minutes ago, hbgoo1975 said:

How ironic that the team who won the Super Bowl for Los Angeles will move out of California to Vegas. 

 

Irony, that's not.

[Pharos04]

Man if you're a fan of defensive football and seeing offenses actually wake up only in the late 4th Quarter than Super Bowl LIII was certainly for you.  It was sorta boring especially with your team in it, but knowing that at any point in the game either offense could actually figure out what the hell they were doing and get into the redzone made it intense to watch still. Congrats to the Patriots for their sixth League Championship!

 

One thing I can say from watching this run of the 6XSBCNEP (Can we use this as well BBTV?) is that unprecedented doesn't begin to describe it.  Right now they're tired with the Steelers for most Super Bowl Championships.  The difference between the two? The Steelers won their first 4 in the 70s with the latest 2 after the turn of the century.  These 6 have happened within the past 20 years, WITH THE SAME QUARTERBACK!  It's unreal. 

 

On the other end, to the fans of the other 31 teams and the Patriots fatigue and literal burnout: I get it.  Most of us truly do get it.  You might not believe us but we do.  I remember as a kid hearing about the Niners winning again or the Cowboys winning again (Reminder that the Cowboys in the 90s also won 3 out of their last 5).  But this run is definitely different in that regard.  When the Niners won their 5th, it was a different QB.  it felt different.  When the Cowboys won in 1995, it was a different Head Coach.  It was different.  But we get it.  There's a jealousy and hatred for teams that seem to continue to win it all...again...and again...and again.  As someone mentioned earlier, it's like watching baseball in the 40s and 50s: You knew it would be the Yankees (or another New York team) winning the World Series.  It gets stale after a while.  And two decades of this certainly can wear down even the heartiest of football fans. 

 

Personally? I'm still relishing in every championship right now. Because we know the horizon is looming now.  it has to be at this point.  Questions about Gronk and the now annual questions about Belichik and Brady and whether they can even keep this run going any more are starting.  We can see the end draws nearer and nearer and eventually this insane story of Boston sports dominance will be closed.  but 12 championships in 4 different sports in 17 years is pretty damn good!

[DG_ThenNowForever]

I didn't watch the game!

 

[dfwabel]

So is Goff essentially now another version of Dak Prescott?  QB's who can look fantastic when their star RB is clearing the field and they acquire elite receivers who stretch the field.

 

Also, while just 24 and already signed his extension, have we seen the peak Todd Gurley and the decline has begun?
 

[infrared41]

4 hours ago, DEAD! said:

 

I would like to think this 18 season Patriots run as two dynasties, the 2001-4 period and this current run  2014-8. It is hard to believe that the Patriots went TEN years without a title during this run. 

 

 

Fine by me. That just makes what the Niners did all the more impressive. 

[Crabcake]

1 hour ago, McCarthy said:

 

I don't hate the Patriots. I hate the Steelers because their fans are the worst people alive and they cheer for a fat jerk rapist quarterback and have gotten away with cheap shots and gifted at least one bad call every game since the early 70's yet won't acknowledge either. At least Patriots fans of a certain age remember some dark days. My main emotion towards the Patriots right now is boredom and envy. I don't think watching them is a fun experience and last night proved that. I'm bored by the Patriots and envious of the people in this weird coastal city that for reasons that will never make sense started winning everything around February of 2002. I asked this in October when the Red Sox won, but I'll say it again - surely there are people in Boston now going "I can't make the parade this week. I'll just catch the next one"? Screw those people. 

 

We're watching the longest, greatest run in the Super Bowl era and it's gone on so long that the Patriots could be split into two distinct and separate dynasties, plus two super bowl losses sandwiched in-between, with only the coach and QB as the link. It's ridiculous. The thing I don't like about this Patriots run is that it doesn't matter who plays for them. This was their worst team in a decade and they still won the super bowl. Everyone besides the coach and the quarterback is a plug, a robot on an assembly line. It's like watching a factory play football. They're the neutral zone trap of NFL teams. Which in turn means that following all the team building and draft day strategy everyone else is doing feels like a complete waste of time. Is your team having their first good year in a decade? Did all the puzzle pieces seem to finally fit together to make a good team? It doesn't matter because you're going to lose to this team of randos who will beat you slow and joylessly. Your coach will probably do something really stupid too. 

 

I hated the 49ers and I hated the Cowboys, but at least they had the decency to do it with some excitement and some of the best players. They also had the decency to fall apart and end. The Pats have broken football and it won't be fun again until the main parts of the machinery finally move on and I don't think we can even say that will be when Belichick and Brady finally move on. 

This put so many of my feelings about the Patriots into words. I hate them, always will (even when they eventually do suck again, probably), but to me they’ve taken the joy and the fun out of football. I know that’s probably way to cliche or whatever for people, but this was the least excited I’ve ever been for a Super Bowl. Normally in the weeks leading up to a Super Bowl, the game and the party we throw and the food and the commercials and everything, I’m hyped about. I’m talking about it, I’m reading articles about it, the whole nine yards. 

 

This year I spent most of the weeks leading up to LIII playing Sonic the Hedgehog and wondering if Maroon 5 would actually do a cool and meme-y thing and play a song from a cartoon in “the biggest concert of the year” (spoiler: they did not).

 

I respect teams that win with defense and teams that can outscheme you offensively instead of “here star QB take this ball and chuck it somewhere”, but seeing a team steamroll an entire league for the better part of two decades with a west coast offense and sneakily good defense gets boring and not-fun.  

[rams80]

1 hour ago, McCarthy said:

I hated the 49ers and I hated the Cowboys, but at least they had the decency to do it with some excitement and some of the best players. They also had the decency to fall apart and end. The Pats have broken football and it won't be fun again until the main parts of the machinery finally move on and I don't think we can even say that moment will be when Belichick and Brady finally move on. 

 

Maybe it dies when Bob Kraft dies and his congenital idiot of a son takes over.

[FinsUp1214]

I guess at this point now I’m just kinda numb to the Patriots more than anything. I mean yeah I still loathe them but honestly last night after it settled, instead of hatred I was just feeling and thinking, “eh, another one. Whatever.”

 

At this point I’m more ready for the torch to be passed and new chapters more than anything, so I guess you could say I share the same sentiment of being bored in a way with this too. I wanted the Chiefs in the Super Bowl really bad this year because Mahomes looks like he’s going to be the next great one, and I want to see that guy throwing no look passes and lighting up the scoreboard in Super Bowls. It’s less of a Patriots-hatred thing now and more of a just being ready for some new blood in the AFC in particular to get thier shot on the big stage. 

[pmoehrin]

Last night's Super Bowl is in my bottom five worst NFL games I've ever seen.

 

I remember a Browns/Patriots contest back in '03, where the Pats won 9-3 in a game that saw both teams struggle to move the ball past the 50-yard line. That's the only game that immediately comes to mind that was as painful to watch as that abortion last night.

 

Nothing happened in the first half, and I started rooting for the Patriots in the second half, just because I didn't want the game to go to overtime and prolong the suffering.

 

If nothing else, last night provided proof that the NFL isn't fixed, because nobody would script a game that boring.

[BBTV]

1 hour ago, infrared41 said:

 

Fine by me. That just makes what the Niners did all the more impressive. 

 

I’d argue that doing it in the salary cap era is far more impressive - at least from a management standpoint. 

 

Also

 

 

[Pharos04]

To be honest I'm perfectly fine with the torch being passed. 

Mahomes and the Chiefs
Goff and the Rams

Baker Mayfield and.....the Browns? Sure why not. 

 

It'd be great to have a new generation of QBs and different teams mixing it up now.  Imagine the Chiefs and the Browns in the AFC Championship and the Rams and the uh....Who else is up and coming in the NFC again?  Maybe Jimmy G and the Niners?

 

In any case, I feel this could be a fitting end to this dynasty now.  It's come full circle (started with the Rams, ends with the Rams) on the exact same day.  Be a great way to close out the story.

 

Of course watch them somehow make it back YET AGAIN for a 4th Super Bowl, tying the Bills (may as well get another record) and the whole cycle starts anew.  See you all in Miami?