New England Patriots

[Xyun]

I hope an 0-14 miami beats a 14-0 new england. that would make me happy.

[noel]

Thoughts from yesterday:

• Brian Westbrook - Most selfless player in the NFL?
• Steelers must still be suffering from bad playcalling. Clearly, THAT is the problem.
• Fuck Baltimore.
• Can we look forward to more fake end-game smiles by Bill Belichick?
• How bad do the Giants look?
• How much makeup does J. Simpson rock before she goes out in public? Her boyfriend was getting his ass handed to him, and she was looking more haggard than he was. As an aside, I'm NOT sold on Romo, and wish the comparisons to Farve would end sooner rather than later.
• T.O. is the best teammate ever when his team is winning...
• Favre is amazing. My heart is telling me that nothing would make me happier than seeing the Packers destroy the Cowboys and Pats on their way to a Super Bowl Championship.
• My head is telling me no one beats the Pats for the rest of the year.

[Sueven]

Brian Westbrook - Most selfless player in the NFL?

And one of the best!

How bad do the Giants look?

Bad.

T.O. is the best teammate ever when his team is winning...

It's amazingly how quickly his composure can depart. We all know his deal by now, though. He is who we THOUGHT he was!

Favre is amazing. My heart is telling me that nothing would make me happier than seeing the Packers destroy the Cowboys and Pats on their way to a Super Bowl Championship. My head is telling me no one beats the Pats for the rest of the year.

I'm not totally sold on the Pats yet. I mean, they're good, but they have old linebackers, can be run on, have a mediocre running game... seriously, everyone's talking about how they proved so much about their running game last night... they played a close home game against the Jets. If that's San Diego or Indianapolis rolling into Foxboro... I'm not convinced. Let alone Green Bay, who has a playmaking QB, tough, physical cornerbacks, and a newly discovered running game.

Noel, want me to PM you a nude shot? You'll get to see my hidden tattoo....

You could also contrast my hairy ass to your silky smooth baby butt!

[Winnow]

Thoughts from yesterday:

• Brian Westbrook - Most selfless player in the NFL?
• Steelers must still be suffering from bad playcalling. Clearly, THAT is the problem.

-You mean the Steelers' (last five games) 2-3 record (with one of those two wins a 3-0 squeaker against the 1-13 Dolphins) is all part of the master plan?

-Westbrook dropping to the ground at the 1 yard line was amazing. I even have him in one fantasy league and still applaud him for doing that. Did they say in later interviews if it was his decision to do that or if the coaches told him to?

[Aardor]

Thoughts from yesterday:

• Brian Westbrook - Most selfless player in the NFL?
• Steelers must still be suffering from bad playcalling. Clearly, THAT is the problem.
• Fuck Baltimore.
• Can we look forward to more fake end-game smiles by Bill Belichick?
• How bad do the Giants look?
• How much makeup does J. Simpson rock before she goes out in public? Her boyfriend was getting his ass handed to him, and she was looking more haggard than he was. As an aside, I'm NOT sold on Romo, and wish the comparisons to Farve would end sooner rather than later.
• T.O. is the best teammate ever when his team is winning...
• Favre is amazing. My heart is telling me that nothing would make me happier than seeing the Packers destroy the Cowboys and Pats on their way to a Super Bowl Championship.
• My head is telling me no one beats the Pats for the rest of the year.

Addressing these in order:

• Or his opponent this week was playing him in fantasy football! Very selfless, and very smart to run out time instead of getting the TD.
• Ben looked good, even when injured. Seemed like it was a close contest with two teams that were about even in skill level. I had the pleasure to have this game on TV (any snow game is awesome), and was stuck in my seat after I started watching it. Everyone is talking about the weather during the Cleveland game, but people were missing XP like crazy in this game, so I don't understand why.
• While I like the city of Baltimore, I just can't get into the Ravens. During college i tried to, since the local teams were Redskins and Ravens, and as an eagles fan I can only root for the Redskins on very specific cases. Glad Troy Smith got some play time!
• I hope we can look forward to him giving everyone the finger when they win the super bowl
• About as bad as they do every year when they approach the offseason (in recent times obviously). Funny exchange I had with Sueven yesterday:
  Sueven: Sucks shockey broke his leg
  Me: Yeah, that does suck.
  Me: And by suck, I mean I have been calling for this man to get killed on the field for 5 years now. That sort of suck.
• Why did he give up the victoria secrets model for Simpson? I am not sold on romo either, but he did have a few beautiful passes that game, even if it was one of the worst games of his (short) career
• Yeah, big surprise. That douche bag needs to catch some passes, he has been a letdown on fantasy the past 2 weeks!
• I thought favre was watched up years ago, and have been saying he should retire for that amount of time. Clearly, I am an idiot. I really like Favre now, I would be rooting for them to win the Super Bowl, if I didn't like Randy Moss so much.
• Yeah, I also want them to get rid of that stupid record from the Miami team.

[noel]

Noel, want me to PM you a nude shot? You'll get to see my hidden tattoo....

You could also contrast my hairy ass to your silky smooth baby butt!

LOL No! I like you, I just don't like you enough to see any more of you than is already on the pics thread.

Little known fact. I was born in Baltimore. I was around when the Colts left for Indy too.

[Sueven]

Westbrook dropping to the ground at the 1 yard line was amazing. I even have him in one fantasy league and still applaud him for doing that. Did they say in later interviews if it was his decision to do that or if the coaches told him to?

Pretty sure he did that on his own. Andy Reid was all impressed after the game. Also, he had a similar situation earlier in the year, scored the touchdown, and then said after the game that he should have fallen down on the one, and he would do so next time.

[noel]

Westbrook dropping to the ground at the 1 yard line was amazing. I even have him in one fantasy league and still applaud him for doing that. Did they say in later interviews if it was his decision to do that or if the coaches told him to?

Pretty sure he did that on his own. Andy Reid was all impressed after the game. Also, he had a similar situation earlier in the year, scored the touchdown, and then said after the game that he should have fallen down on the one, and he would do so next time.

On the Jim Rome show today, Jim was saying one of the coaches mentioned it to him before the play.

[Aardor]

Westbrook dropping to the ground at the 1 yard line was amazing. I even have him in one fantasy league and still applaud him for doing that. Did they say in later interviews if it was his decision to do that or if the coaches told him to?

Pretty sure he did that on his own. Andy Reid was all impressed after the game. Also, he had a similar situation earlier in the year, scored the touchdown, and then said after the game that he should have fallen down on the one, and he would do so next time.

On the Jim Rome show today, Jim was saying one of the coaches mentioned it to him before the play.

It was Big John Runyan! (the dirtiest player in the NFL, just ask Michael Strahan)

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3158572

Would a player like TO have done the same thing? (you can't beat this dead horse enough if you're a philly fan)

[Kilmoll the Sexy]

What pisses me off about Pittsburgh is they have gone entirely away from being a pounding grind it out team. Willie Parker is not the answer up there. Sure he will break off a 40 yard run once a game....big fucking deal. You need a back that can get you the tough yards and keep the chains moving. Someone that breaks tackles and makes you play up on the line and can get you play-action bites from the safeties. Willie can't get tough yards on 3rd and short and he can't catch. It might also help if they find someone for the offensive line that has seen pass protection before and is willing to make an attempt to brush the defensive ends. Roethlisberger has been sacked more in the last 3 years than anyone in the league outside of Dave Carr....that is disturbing.

[Kilmoll the Sexy]

One problem solved......Willie done for the year. Najeh comes in and busts off 125 yards on the ground and 40+ yards with a TD receiving. Now if there could be even a hint of pass protection we might have a shot yet.

I would really like to see what Roethlisberger is capable of with a real offensive line. I mean the guy has a 104.1 QB rating and has been sacked 47 times this year. That is 2 less than Kitna who leads the league. He is tied for 3rd in the league on yards per attempt, 3rd in the league in TD's with 32, only has 11 int's and has a 65% completion rate. When you are getting sacked...and that is not including how many he shrugs off or has to run with the ball....once for every 8.5 passes attempted, you would think a guy would be pretty skittish.

[Sueven]

Najeh is a good player. Losing Willie Parker will hurt the Steelers, but it may be good in the long run to get a better idea of what Davenport is capable of. The Steelers would probably benefit from using him more often, even when Parker's healthy.

Sometimes, taking too many sacks is the quarterbacks fault, not always the o-line. I don't watch Pittsburgh regularly and have no idea if that's the case or not, but it might just be a side effect of Roethlisberger's playing style.

[Gonzoie - Luclin]

Sometimes, taking too many sacks is the quarterbacks fault, not always the o-line. I don't watch Pittsburgh regularly and have no idea if that's the case or not, but it might just be a side effect of Roethlisberger's playing style.

Watch a game and then see if its still his fault.

Every Steelers game i watch i can't help but laugh as Ben rolls out of the pocket because it collapsed after the snap. With a good Offensive Line he would be great i think. Thats not to say hes better than Manning or Brady, but he is around 3rd or 4th best in league. He just doesn't get protection. Its not easy for that big man to scramble.

[noel]

Perfect Season... check!

I have doubts about the Pats in the playoffs. It seems like they've been winning less and less convincingly in recent weeks. Mid might be right about the Colts beating them in the playoffs.

I was happy to see them win tonight. Though I'm not a Pats fan, it was nice to be able to see history made. The fact that we got to see three different records broken was really cool. I was sort of hoping after Brady tied Manning's record, he'd still win the game but not break Manning's record. The way those two love each other having them tied would have made for some nice comedy.

I was also really impressed with the Pats for staying in their shoes and not acting ridiculous after the win. Perfect seasons are nice, but they're not SuperBowl wins.

Still a great night for football. The NFL did a great thing by allowing it to be simulcast, and the game turned out to be extremely competitive for 3+ quarters.

[Winnow]

I was also really impressed with the Pats for staying in their shoes and not acting ridiculous after the win. Perfect seasons are nice, but they're not SuperBowl wins.

Brady and a lot of the Patriots have themselves multiple Superbowls. I'd say this year that an undefeated season was a bigger deal to them than winning the Superbowl. It's certainly a rarer accomplishment and is a team accomplishment so it's not being selfish. Of course, they will never say that. It's in fashion for any athlete to say, "it's all about the ring" but with a few under their belt, the undefeated season was a new challenge. Now it's all about the ring!

The most impressive play was the one they went right back to Moss deep for a TD after he dropped the previous pass on the same playcall.

[Sueven]

I'd say this year that an undefeated season was a bigger deal to them than winning the Superbowl.

What a stupid thing to say.

[Winnow]

I'd say this year that an undefeated season was a bigger deal to them than winning the Superbowl.

What a stupid thing to say.

no it's not. it's not the safe thing to say because you can break out the canned interview responses but in this case, an undefeated season is rare and also a team accomplishment so you can't break out the selfish card. people could care less about them winning the Superbowl again. An undefeated season was something new though.

you're stupid, not me. nyah! what a stupid thing to say. think outside the box, not just what the press wants to hear. they won't say that the undefeated season was as important as the superbowl because people like you would say "what a stupid thing to say" so they keep it to themselves.

How many undefeated seasons have there been in the NFL? Recently? (with the parity) 16 game season? How often does an NFL team win a Superbowl? (I'll answer for you: once a year) How often does an NFL team go undefeated in a season in the modern era?

I'll say again, I enjoyed watching the Patriots beat every team they played this year, both good and bad teams, in bad conditions and in good (no excuses, no really really lame excuses like "they already made the playoffs") If some other team wins the Superbowl this year, people will forget about it quicker than the Patriot's undefeated season.

"Everyone is going to enjoy this one,'' said Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who rallied New England from a 12-point third-quarter deficit -- it's largest of the season. "This only happens once every 35 years.''

You can't equate the Patriots to the '72 Dolphins in the entire sense of the question at this point. Not with the playoffs still to come. But in my mind, New England's perfect regular season of 2007 trumps what the Dolphins accomplished in their 14-game regular season. And not just by the two-game margin of 14-0 versus 16-0. There's more to it than just the math.

The Patriots' feat is more impressive because in the days of the '72 Dolphins, there was no ritualistic free agent raiding of a Super Bowl caliber roster. There was no NFL scheduling format in place that assured tougher schedules for the previous season's biggest winners. And there was no salary cap to squeeze most teams toward the competitive middle of the league.

[Midnyte_Ragebringer]

Pats will lose to the Colts in the playoffs. Mark it down.

It's coming.

[Boogahz]

I'd say this year that an undefeated season was a bigger deal to them than winning the Superbowl.

What a stupid thing to say.

no it's not. it's not the safe thing to say because you can break out the canned interview responses but in this case, an undefeated season is rare and also a team accomplishment so you can't break out the selfish card. people could care less about them winning the Superbowl again. An undefeated season was something new though.

you're stupid, not me. nyah! what a stupid thing to say. think outside the box, not just what the press wants to hear. they won't say that the undefeated season was as important as the superbowl because people like you would say "what a stupid thing to say" so they keep it to themselves.

How many undefeated seasons have there been in the NFL? Recently? (with the parity) 16 game season? How often does an NFL team win a Superbowl? (I'll answer for you: once a year) How often does an NFL team go undefeated in a season in the modern era?

I'll say again, I enjoyed watching the Patriots beat every team they played this year, both good and bad teams, in bad conditions and in good (no excuses, no really really lame excuses like "they already made the playoffs") If some other team wins the Superbowl this year, people will forget about it quicker than the Patriot's undefeated season.

"Everyone is going to enjoy this one,'' said Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who rallied New England from a 12-point third-quarter deficit -- it's largest of the season. "This only happens once every 35 years.''

You can't equate the Patriots to the '72 Dolphins in the entire sense of the question at this point. Not with the playoffs still to come. But in my mind, New England's perfect regular season of 2007 trumps what the Dolphins accomplished in their 14-game regular season. And not just by the two-game margin of 14-0 versus 16-0. There's more to it than just the math.

The Patriots' feat is more impressive because in the days of the '72 Dolphins, there was no ritualistic free agent raiding of a Super Bowl caliber roster. There was no NFL scheduling format in place that assured tougher schedules for the previous season's biggest winners. And there was no salary cap to squeeze most teams toward the competitive middle of the league.

So, are you saying that this will be the greatest accomplishment for this team if they lose in the playoffs and do not even make it to the Super Bowl? How about going to the Super Bowl and losing? A perfect season would only be as great as you make it sound if they continue through the playoffs and win the Super Bowl. Otherwise, it was pointless.

[Sueven]

Winnow, have you ever played sports? What you're arguing goes fundamentally against the psychology of sports as I understand it and as I've experienced it.

So you're saying that, despite the fact that the Patriots hardly celebrated, that they all claim the Super Bowl is more important, that if they lose in the playoffs they will all claim that the season was a disappointment... they're just lying? And not just lying, but also being great actors who do an incredible job hiding their true emotions?

How do you think the Dallas Mavericks feel about their incredible 67 win regular season last year?

As Midnyte might say: O-kay

[Wulfran]

I think Winnow half gets the point on this.

By going 16-0 the Forces of Evil have done more to ensure their sports immortality than they would have by being 14-2 and winning the Superbowl. People talk about those Bears teams that went on the runs but fell short in the playoffs and they stand out more than Superbowl *insert random number here* winner. Even if the Pats lose in the next couple weeks, they are in the books. If they can keep it going and win the Superbowl they become legend that football fans talk about with a certain reverence, that till now has been reserved for Shula's 72 Dolphins.

Where Winnow misses it is that the goal of every sports team when they start is to win their championship, to prove to everyone they are the best. We've all heard the cliches about it being a different atmosphere, a different game in the playoffs, and its because the calibre of opponentis guaranteed to be higher. Yes the Patriots beat some scrubs to go 16-0 (NY Jets twice?) as well as some decent teams (including Pittsburgh, Indy, Dallas, and the Giants). From here on, the opponents are in that upper echelon.

In some ways the Patriots are a bit of an anomaly because they are almost legendary already: they've won a couple championships a couple years ago and have a lot of the same core. In this 16-0 run we've seen them be the consumate 60 minute team, coming back late on several occasions when they made adjustments/their opponents ran out of gas. I've seen a fair bit of them from the coverage we got up here this year (usually a choice between Giants or Pats and the Seattle Lameducks) and they have impressed me more as the season has progressed. I respect them even as I hate them for having Randy Bigger-Prima-Donna-Than-TO Moss and I don't think anyone will beat them.

The legend will grow.

[Midnyte_Ragebringer]

Winnow, have you ever played sports? What you're arguing goes fundamentally against the psychology of sports as I understand it and as I've experienced it.

So you're saying that, despite the fact that the Patriots hardly celebrated, that they all claim the Super Bowl is more important, that if they lose in the playoffs they will all claim that the season was a disappointment... they're just lying? And not just lying, but also being great actors who do an incredible job hiding their true emotions?

How do you think the Dallas Mavericks feel about their incredible 67 win regular season last year?

As Midnyte might say: O-kay

When someone says something so stupid, I find it not worthy of anything more than..."uh huh".

Winnow is right. The Pats would love to finish off this year winning the championship, of course they would. Winnow isn't disputing that. However, he is simply acknowledging that since they have already won 3 Superbowls, this 16-0 season was a new accomplishment for them. A newer more rare accomplishment than winning the Super Bowl. It's really not that crazy of a comment. I'm shocked to see everyone getting in a tizzy over it. Someone wins the Superbowl every year. Only one other team in the NFLs history have gone undefeated throughout the entire season and they were operating in a time without free agency and when the season was 2 games shorter. This 16-0 was more of an accomplishment than winning a Super Bowl.

[Fairweather Pure]

This 16-0 was more of an accomplishment than winning a Super Bowl.

I agree. I also think they'll beat the Colts and take the Super Bowl as well.

[Winnow]

So you're saying that, despite the fact that the Patriots hardly celebrated, that they all claim the Super Bowl is more important, that if they lose in the playoffs they will all claim that the season was a disappointment... they're just lying?

How do you think the Dallas Mavericks feel about their incredible 67 win regular season last year?

That's exactly what I'm saying except for the "lying" part you threw in. Of course they'll be disappointed if they don't win the Superbowl. Who isn't disappointed when they lose in sports? (except the Steelers who apparently have every excuse under the sun for losing left and right the second half of the season) Down the road, the 16-0 season will overshadow this year's Superbowl. Winning the Superbowl is just "icing on the cake" for them, specificaly because they've won multiple Superbowls in recent years and the last team to go undefeated was in a different era 35 years ago (before you were even born) when less free agency made it easier for good teams to stay together and less games played on top of it.

And yes, I played a ton of sports as a kid. Triple letterman one year in high school! I'm very competitive in general depending on what the challenge is.

Rodney Harrison of the Patriots:

"Right now we don't have that appreciation of what we've done. I don't think you can. You can't truly appreciate what we've done until you sit back and get a chance to reflect on it all. Right now it's pretty special, but years down the line we're going to really appreciate it.''

[Fairweather Pure]

Rodney Harrison of the Patriots:

"Right now we don't have that appreciation of what we've done. I don't think you can. You can't truly appreciate what we've done until you sit back and get a chance to reflect on it all. Right now it's pretty special, but years down the line we're going to really appreciate it.''

What a dirty fucking liar.

[Canelek]

18-1--maybe 17-1.

That would be fucking great.

[Midnyte_Ragebringer]

18-1--maybe 17-1.

That would be fucking great.

17-1

[Trek]

16-1 would be the bestest

[Midnyte_Ragebringer]

nm I'm a dumbie

[Tyek]

If they lose to the Colts wouldn't they finish 17-1?

Only way they finish 18-1 is losing in the Super Bowl. although it may just be the percocet tricking me again.

[Aardor]

If they lose to the Colts wouldn't they finish 17-1?

Only way they finish 18-1 is losing in the Super Bowl. although it may just be the percocet tricking me again.

I agree with you (first round bye, unless that's counted as a win for some reason), but my nose hasn't stopped running since friday, i'm on tissue box 9, I can't wear my glasses because my sinuses are too sore, and now i'm wondering where I could get percocet. So I might be wrong too.

[Midnyte_Ragebringer]

If they lose to the Colts wouldn't they finish 17-1?

Only way they finish 18-1 is losing in the Super Bowl. although it may just be the percocet tricking me again.

LOL. Man I'm confused today. You're right.

[Tyek]

I agree with you (first round bye, unless that's counted as a win for some reason), but my nose hasn't stopped running since friday, i'm on tissue box 9, I can't wear my glasses because my sinuses are too sore, and now i'm wondering where I could get percocet. So I might be wrong too.

Sorry man, hope you feel better. I just picked up 50 more, want one???

The last 3 days have been really painful, not sure why, but I was dying on Saturday. Hoping it gets better soon. I am on crutches at least 3 more weeks and rehab for at least 5-6 more months.