Yep. Lots of teams have had designs on taking the Pats down, but until it happens in a big spot, it's theirs to lose. It was supposed to be the Falcons or the Cowboys this year, now the Eagles look like they've got a shot at it. Until those teams can stare down Belichick at the end of a tight game and not pee down their leg a little bit, he's got the high ground. How many of the Patriots' big wins are exactly that? Teams/coaches/players that just choke and can't handle the big moment? Or can't get out of their own way, trying to be too aggressive or cute because they're afraid of him? Hand Lynch the football. Tell Matt Ryan to run it 3 times and kick a field goal and they're up by 11 with 2 minutes to play instead of up by 8 with 4 minutes. Get McNabb to stop literally puking on the field and help Andy Reid with time management in his 4 minute drive to nowhere. Etc. etc. Half of the Pats' big moments are because they were cool under pressure when the other team was choking away a chance to win. Smarts/Skill/Practice and Preparation, I dunno, all part of it I guess, but with how bad coaches and players in the NFL are sometimes, not peeing down your own leg or making a dumb penalty or choice in a key moment leads to a lot of wins...
And I'm sure the deal will eventually come due with Satan, yes. But at the very least, when they sold their souls, can't say they didn't get their money's worth! People have sold their souls for much less, at least Belichick and Brady got the goods.
No, I initially responded to you because the first thing you posted after the Chiefs beat the Pats, used injuries as an excuse for the Pats' loss, which you didn't admit to until I called you on it. So you think I was making up excuses for the Raiders, who were 4-5 coming into the game, and looking like crap this season in most of it's games, versus the Pats at 7-2 and playing well is comparable to the Parts/Chief meeting in the first game of the season with no previous games played? Even if the Raiders had manged to pull off an upset, if you think I don't know who the better team was...well, as Aaron Burr might say, you can "wait for it".
I wasn’t even going to say anything (and didn’t) until you came in with excuses instead of giving credit. Knew you’d come up small if you were given the chance, and you’d ignore your own advice/demands. Way to live up to expectations!
The Patriots win because The Dark Master of the Sith reviews his tapes, finds the opposing teams weakness and then attacks it for 57 straight plays. If they can't cover the middle, Brady will throw 50 passes in the middle, if they can't handle screens, the Pats will do screen plays for the ENTIRE game. Bill has no preset game plan, and he builds his entire team around being as flexible as possible, moving personnel in and out as needed. Every other coach in the league is determined to have a set style and game plan, Bill just does what needs to be done to win (including cheating in ways the NFL hasn't made illegal yet) over and over again.
Like Lovie Smith sticking to that fucking Cover-2 defense no matter how much it got abused. It kinda worked when he had all the right players healthy and on the field, but most of the time it was an abortion.
Reminds me of the time when Joe Gibbs returned to Washington back in 2004. Everyone in that town thought he was the Second Coming after years of horrible coaching and guaranteed at least a championship. What nobody realized was that he pulled out the old 80's playbook - the only thing he knew - and the NFL had 2 decades of evolution on him. The opposing teams were faster, more powerful and more adaptable, and they all walked the dog on the Skins for the next 3 seasons he was there. It was heartbreaking, and yet, completely logical. The game passed him by and he was still stuck 20 years in the past. Very sad...
Ah, a silver (and black) lining around a dark cloud; Raiders fire defensive coordinator, Ken Norton Jr. on Tuesday. Should have happened this past off season. Didn't hear any announcement on a replacement, but I hope the team keeps the interim tag on Pagano through season's end, assuming he's the guy. I'd like them to take their time and find someone really good.
Basically correct, other than the dig implying he's still got illegal tapes, and the other 'cheating that isn't cheating yet' you're attempting to call them out for. I agree that several times, teams have whined about what the Pats did and later made it illegal, though. (See: not allowed to touch a WR anymore courtesy of the Colts, not allowed to declare anyone an ineligible receiver if it confuses the Ravens, even if they've run that play before, etc.) The Tuck Rule worked to Pats' benefit, but it was a real rule, and called a bunch of times that year, including against the Pats. DUMB rule, and glad it's gone, but nothing shady there. QB protection around the knees was because of the Pats (in part), but not because they complained or took advantage of anything; NFL protecting the product/stars there. Biggest rule the Pats are still trying to champion is for the NFL to hold a bake sale and buy goal line cameras so you can figure out if someone scored or not. That and making more things able to be reviewed, it's screwy some of the calls that are beyond dispute, despite HDTV quickly proving it was a bogus call. Anyway, I digress. Patriots have made a point of being flexible. They figure out what you're best at, and take that away. And maybe the 2nd best thing. Can't double-team everyone, but if you can force a team to try and beat you with their 3rd or 4th best option, you're already in good shape. The defense doesn't have a set pattern; totally changes week to week. Same on offense. The league is pass-happy, but the Pats don't usually over do it. If you're awesome against the pass, they're going to run a lot. If you suck at defending crossing routes but are good against the long ball, guess what they'll try to do. Pretty much why the last featured RB you can think of is probably Corey Dillon. They love multiple TE packages they can run or pass from, love RBs that can catch as well as they can run, etc. Deception and flexibility are the keys to the game. Brady got away from it a bit in 2007-2010 or so, tried to out-Colts the Colts, but thankfully they found they didn't win that way in the long run, and are back to their roots. Total mirror image of most coaches. Steelers and Mike Tomlin are a perfect example. Stated plan is 'we do what we do', with the implication that they're so good you can't stop them. Except that when it comes playoff time, that never works. Brady/Belichick are like 10-2 or something like that against the Steelers. They never adjust, and always run out exactly what is expected of them. They're GOOD, but when you know the game plan before the game, much easier to adjust and take away the options. Tomlin can't figure it out, so mutters about the NFL-controlled headsets, or Belichick controlling the weather, tv screens in the parking lot, etc. He just can't figure out the chess moves because he came ready for checkers. And he's one of the BETTER coaches in the league...
it's such a shitty league that they are both high-end talents, just pointing out why they rarely beat the Pats. They don't adjust or scheme, just a straight 'come at me, bro' every time. Which doesn't line up well against the Patriots, especially when everyone knows exactly what they are going to do before they show up. Their defense looks like it's coming around for sure, but now Ben is near the end and teasing Retirement whenever he gets hit, so dunno if it'll come together or not. Big game in a couple weeks for sure. Also Tomlin is a whiny d-bag, not much respect for him. For all his crying about cheating, probably shouldn't have gone onto the field and tripped a guy during a kickoff, huh? Glass houses and whatnot.
I remember seeing that like it was yesterday. He should have been suspended for the rest of the season for that shitstick stunt. And Rothlesberger with his underage antics... real pieces of work, those two.
The Cowboys are getting their asses handed to them for the 2nd straight game. The Chargers have woken up too.
In the meantime I’m nearly having a stroke over the dumpster fire that is the Redskins-Giants game. It is, quite simply, horrible.
BOOM! My Beloved Rams beat the Saints, and guarantee the first non-losing season since 2006. Jared Goff had a monster game. Defense looked pretty good too. The Raiders and Broncos...Jesus Christ.