NFL 2014-2015 Season Discussion

[AliciaD496]

Three days later and I'm still in shock...

Honestly they probably SHOULD have handed it off to Marshawn but the defense had been pretty good at stopping him as well so who knows if it would have worked or not.

It was certainly more...interesting and definitely a more evenly matched game than last years but it sure was dirty.

I'm sorry, but right now I hate pretty much everything about the Patriots. Brady's SMUG ugly face. Frickin' Gronk for actually starting that fight by hitting Bennet without getting ejected as well.

The worst thing is they're sore winners. Taunting the opposing team during your victory parade? I didn't see the Seahawks go that low last year and they had a better reason to than the Patriots.

Uggh...there's next year. The Seahawks do seem to play pretty well in Santa Clara

 

[Peach Wookiee]

^Alicia, you make me glad I didn't watch the parade.

Gronkowski should have been ejected. For that matter... Malcolm Butler should've been kicked out for hitting Jermaine Kearse after that absolutely wicked catch. He started punching, but thank God, Jermaine didn't take the bait or let go of the ball!
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-cant-...r-Bowl-Can-t-Miss-Play-Kearse-with-the-kicker Butler should've been kicked out for that!

I could be wrong, but hitting a guy's helmet after he's on the ground... Isn't that grounds for ejection?

 

[Skywalker]

Uh...what are you talking about? The only time Butler touched Kearse after the catch was when he pushed him out of bounds.

 

[Peach Wookiee]

Skywalker, he hit at his helmet. Watch the clip.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

^Alicia, you make me glad I didn't watch the parade.

Gronkowski should have been ejected. For that matter... Malcolm Butler should've been kicked out for hitting Jermaine Kearse after that absolutely wicked catch. He started punching, but thank God, Jermaine didn't take the bait or let go of the ball!
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-cant-...r-Bowl-Can-t-Miss-Play-Kearse-with-the-kicker Butler should've been kicked out for that!

I could be wrong, but hitting a guy's helmet after he's on the ground... Isn't that grounds for ejection?

Not if the play's not over. He was not down by contact.

 

[Skywalker]

Yeah, I've watched the clip multiple times and not once did Butler take a swing at Kearse.

 

[Peach Wookiee]

Maybe it was the angle from the other clip... I may have overreacted on Butler. But not on Gronkowski.

 

[Yoda]

No, you overreacted on the Gronk thing too, and linked to a clip that starts in the middle of the escalation rather than the beginning. Seahawks played past the whistle on a kneeldown, kind of bush league, not the end of the world. The Pats pretty much go with standard "hey back off, the play's over" minor shoving and the Seahawks escalate from there. It looks like Gronk gets his head knocked back by Irvin while being double teamed, and then takes a blindside hit while jawing at Irvin before he finally swings on a guy to get at Irvin who then punches him again.

The Seahawks went straight punk there.

 

[Scout101]

It was certainly more...interesting and definitely a more evenly matched game than last years but it sure was dirty.

How do you figure? Thought this game was pretty tight on both sides, and not a lot of nonsense either way. Unless you meant the bushleague team that started a fight on a kneeldown?

The worst thing is they're sore winners. Taunting the opposing team during your victory parade? I didn't see the Seahawks go that low last year and they had a better reason to than the Patriots.

You're kidding, right? Your team was doing it DURING the game! I mean, real classy stuff, like celebrating a TD by simulating shitting on the ball. Or the guy that made a point of turning to the cameras so everyone knew that it was Revis who got burned (or picked by the ref, whatever) on that TD. The Patriots did real classless stuff, by showing that photo of your guy talking shit during the parade. Maybe I'm just misunderstanding; is classless trashtalking during the game acceptable, but keeping quiet until after the game (and the win) somehow bad? I'd honestly like to know where the moral high ground is on that one...

I bet that's one that Sherman would like to have back, it became an instant meme, and a decent one at that. He was 'targeted' by the Pats and facebook for that matter because he went out of his way to be a douche and talk trash during the game, before the outcome was decided. Part of why that gif of him going from smiling to crying/disbelief is so much fun, because he had been an ass earlier in the game.

No, you overreacted on the Gronk thing too, and linked to a clip that starts in the middle of the escalation rather than the beginning. Seahawks played past the whistle on a kneeldown, kind of bush league, not the end of the world. The Pats pretty much go with standard "hey back off, the play's over" minor shoving and the Seahawks escalate from there. It looks like Gronk gets his head knocked back by Irvin while being double teamed, and then takes a blindside hit while jawing at Irvin before he finally swings on a guy to get at Irvin who then punches him again.

The Seahawks went straight punk there.

Yeah, funny how the perspective changes when you actually show the beginning vice the middle of a fight. Seahawks don't start shit there, they just shake hands and walk off; it was a kneel down, after all. But they start pushing and hitting, on a meaningless play, and Pats are the bad guys for reacting?

Also, who gives a shit over the ejections? 5 seconds to play in the game; as long as the Pats have 11 guys to go kneel down again, eject whoever you want. Not like having Irvin out for the last play changed your game plan. Earlier in the game, can argue it mattered, but not on the final play. But in general, they usually just eject the guy that started the fight, unless someone on the other team goes way over the line in return. Can't expect NO response to nonsense like that, so they just get the instigator.

 

[Tom Servo]

I was going to say the same thing Scout. Don't go whining about the Patriots being sore winners when your team just opened trash talked to the media prior to, and during the game.

That being said, I did regain some respect for Richard Sherman at the end of the game. I still think he is an ass, and his antics during the game reflected that, but him going up to Brady at the end and shaking his hand was a classy gesture. He also tried to calm the situation during the fight at the end, rather then joining in on one of the more classless gestures I've seen during an NFL playoff. What I don't get too is how that just been forgotten about and swept under the rug. Could you imagine if the Patriots had done that had the situation reversed itself? It would be news everywhere, and the Patriots would be called thugs and cheaters. Seattle does it? Oh it's just that competitive spirit.

 

[Caligula]

It takes two sides to start a brawl. Both teams were acting like assholes. But the Patriots ARE sore winners. AliciaD496 is accurate about that.

 

[Tom Servo]

It takes two sides to start a brawl. Both teams were acting like assholes. But the Patriots ARE sore winners. AliciaD496 is accurate about that.

How are they sore winners? Explain that to me. Because of that stupid shirt? Seriously? The tears of the nation in regards to the Patriots winning is just awesome. Bill Belichick and Brady should have been able to walk up to the podium, grab the Lombardi, and utter a nice fuck you to the rest of the NFL after the crap that team went through before the game.

And it takes two sides to start a brawl? How were the Patriots acting like assholes? They didn't start a damn thing. The Seahawks knew they were going to lose and some players started throwing punches. They have this mentality that it's their destiny to win, and they couldn't handle that they were going to be on the wrong end of it. Should the Patriots have just taken it? Hell no, defend yourself.

 

[Caligula]

They have this mentality that it's their destiny to win, and they couldn't handle that they were going to be on the wrong end of it.

You could easily say the same of New England. I still remember how smug they were going into Super Bowl XLII. Granted, it was on a far smaller scale this year. But it's that same sense of entitlement that makes any victory of theirs, especially in a Super Bowl, hard for non-fans to swallow. Much like with the Dallas Cowboys who, let's face it, the Patriots have supplanted as "America's Team."

I'm not a fan of either the Patriots or the Seahawks, mind you. I rooted AGAINST Seattle last year, and despite my better judgment I even defended New England when they were being declared DOA after the Kansas City loss. I don't like the Patriots one bit, but it was ludicrous to say that they were done after one bad game, a truth which they backed up when it counted most.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Patriots and Seahawks are my two favorite teams in the league. I grew up around Boston, so I'm Boston team brainwashed. But I became a Seattle fan at that press conference with the cutout of Marshawn Lynch. If Seattle was playing against any other team I would have been in their corner.

The NFL is officially against boasting, but let's face it, they love boasting. It's what makes the fans buzz about the game. The same way the NHL is officially against fighting.

 

[Yoda]

Much like with the Dallas Cowboys who, let's face it, the Patriots have supplanted as "America's Team."

They what? Nah. Even if you don't accept that "America's Team" is just a genius marketing term someone came up with for the Cowboys, New England is still easily behind Dallas, Green Bay, and Pittsburgh as far as national appeal is concerned.

And let's see what happens once Brady is gone, Dallas maintained its popularity with the likes of Quincy Carter starting.

 

[Captain Clark Terrell]

^And given that more people appear to dislike the Patriots compared with the number of people who root for them, it's hard to call them "America's Team" when most of the country doesn't like them.

--Sran

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Most of the country hates the Cowboys too. One of the big reasons for that is they call themselves "America's team."

 

[Yanks]

Congrats to the Patriots and their fans.

Whoever called for that pass on the one yard line should be shot in the face with a bazooka.

Marshawn Lynch? Hello?

If that pass was caught for a touch down everyone would have been saying the call was brilliant. Coaches live and die by how well their players execute.

They had 2 timeouts and 3 downs. I personally keep the ball in Wilson's or Lynch's hands. Read-option, or some kind of play action. Why was Lynch positioned out to the right? That removes the play action threat.

But hey, that kid made a great play on the ball. Good on him.

IMO, once they were on the 6, Belichick should have let them score. That would have left Brady over a minute to get at least a tie.

Pretty exciting game. Mostly enjoyable aside from the half-time show. Visually is was amazing, I'm just not a fan of the singers. I'm not really a fan of any of the half-time shows. More for the folks at the stadium I'm guessing.

I think the commercials were better this year.

Funny, clicking around I don't see mention of the 15 second spot I saw about pumping footballs up. A guy standing there with a bicycle pump, inflating a football, saying something to the effect.. "if you can't, we can" ... That was LOL funny! Did anyone else see it?

Not even mentioned in the Rolling Stones "Best/Worst" article here: http://www.rollingstone.com/tv/features/super-bowl-xlixs-best-and-worst-commercials-20150202

 

[Timby]

IMO, once they were on the 6, Belichick should have let them score. That would have left Brady over a minute to get at least a tie.

That's the kind of moronic thinking that caused the Packers to lose to the Broncos in 1998. Playing for a tie is playing to lose.

 

[Scout101]

Much like with the Dallas Cowboys who, let's face it, the Patriots have supplanted as "America's Team."

Disagree here. Maybe in the early 2000s when they were the underdogs and then young loveable Tom Brady, but I think America has long since gotten sick of the Patriots winning, and have moved on.

"America's Team" is kind of a dumb thing anyway. It may have been true back before cable, NFL network and Red Zone, internet, etc, but no longer means anything. You have access to every game, not just your local team and whatever NBC/CBS wants to show you. And even then, it's always been way more a regional thing. Hell, there's probably still someone in Jacksonville that likes the Jags, and Oakland somehow still manages to dress up like moronic thugs and support the Raiders, so...

Even if it did exist, would be happy to get rid of the title. How many teams WANT that many douchy bandwagon fans (by definition, really) with them? It's not a positive.

Either way, think this latest deflate-gate nonsense controversy has show the Pats are no longer America's Team. America, and the media, has gone out of their way to show irrational hatred/bias against the Pats on this one, so their moment in the 'sun' has faded.

Which kinda made winning that much more fun the other day, to stick it to the people that hate them. If anything, it's kinda good for the sport. Gives the Patriots that sort of obvious enemy title to rally around, like the Yankees in baseball. Except the Pats aren't outspending everyone 10-1, so are just doing it by being better at football