Something to watch in the NFL Championship games.
keets
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I will be watching for three things --- pass interference/holding with DB's and WR's, holding with the OL and Roughing the QB, especially the last one. Consider the QB's playing in the NFC, two pretty certain Hof'ers that the NFL will want to protect at all cost, and in the AFC there are the almost certain new face of the NFL and an up-and-comer who'll be at the top. The refs tend to go overboard to protect them and in light of the injury to Mahomes I'd expect that to be at the forefront.
One thing I hope I don't hear an announcer say sounds something like "It's nice to see the ref's letting them play" when the contact is just stupid and nothing is called on DB's or WR's. In short, I hope the Officials are only there to moderate the game and not influence the outcome. Call me cynical, but every year I seem to have the feeling that the NFL "helps" Teams it wants to be in there big game. We all remember New Orleans, right??
Al H.
Comments
I hope the refs don't influence the outcome either. I want to see two good hardfought slugfests, and the refs need to just leave us alone!
I think the NFL wants to see Brady win it so they can laugh at Belichick
I am not sure that the NFL wants to laugh at Belichick, but I know that a lot of posters here want to laugh at him. I view him as a great coach who played a huge role in creating the New England dynasty. Remember that it was Belichick who saw the greatness in Brady and picked him to replace established starter, Drew Bledsoe.
Belichick didn’t chose Brady he put him in because Bledsoe got hurt and when Bledsoe recovered he put him back in. Belichick absolutely did not just sense Brady’s greatness, he never knew what he had with Brady. Not even close
He did pick Brady over Bledsoe to start the playoffs when both were healthy. That was a pretty bold move to start a rookie 6th rounder over an established veteran
"I spent 50% of my money on alcohol, women, and gambling. The other half I wasted.
Fair point
He sure did. I remember seeing it on the sports news at the time.
Best wishes to Tom when he makes his retirement announcement tomorrow on Monday, and good luck to him when he runs for senator of Massachusetts or maybe Florida.
That's exactly why those who don't fully understand coaching greatness, don't fully understand Bill Belichick.
Belichick has the innate ability to see football talent that others cannot. Buddy Ryan had that talent for defensive players and was learning it for offensive players before the idiot Eagles owner dumped him for personal reasons. Same with head coaches such as Lombardi, Walsh, Landry, Shula, etc., having that innate talent. Andy Reid has it for quarterbacks and over time he has learned it for other player positions as well.
Sadly though as father time eventually takes away everything, I think Belichick may have lost his ability to do this on the highest level. And I don't think he or Robert Kraft wish to acknowledge that possibility as of yet.
Credit where credit is due, Belichick did do a pretty good job this season with the garbage he had, including a QB who nobody else wanted. But let's tell it like it is, it was Belichick who assembled the garbage.
Belichick has the innate ability to see football talent that others cannot
I'm not so sure of that, at least he didn't really demonstrate that when he was HC in Cleveland. maybe he picked it up when he re-grouped under Parcells and then went to New England, but it wasn't a strong suit of his with the Browns.
what I think he can and does do well is pick players to fit into what he wants to do. I know that sounds like the same thing but it isn't. the downside of that attribute is that I think Belichick dismisses talent that he can't use and I believe all these things are in play now with him in New England. one of two things will happen: he'll stick with his plan(it's a little too late in life for him to change) and we'll see if he can find players for it --- or --- he'll use the talent he has and mold that into a Champion.
to be honest, I think that Belichick's time may have passed. we've talked about it here before, who made the Patriots what they were, Brady or Belichick?? I don't doubt BB's talent, drive, motivational ability and leadership, but I think he happened into the "perfect storm" with the Patriots and Tom Brady. in 2000-2001, what would either one have been without the other?? now it's 20 years later and we are seeing sort of an answer. Tampa Bay, with the same personnel and absent Brady probably would have been OK, maybe not where they are today but probably still a winner. Brady improved that. the Patriots absent Brady were sub-.500 and I suppose with Brady would have been maybe 2-3 wins better.
that says something, that a single player can make such a difference but a HC really can't.
what interests me is what Bill Belichick's legacy would look like if Brady had never arrived in New England --- and --- what would have happened with Brady had he ended up with any other Team??
Perfect Storm!!!
Regardless of what anyone says or thinks it was 100% luck on Bills part when picking Brady and getting what Brady ended up giving to New England. End of discussion, case closed and it’s not even remotely debatable.
But he and Brady will go down in history hand and hand. BB had a losing record before TM and so far after.
One other thing I’d like to mention about the Bills futility the last 20 years. Put the Patriots in any division in football and the teams in the division would have the same results as Buffalo, Miami and the NY Jets.
"I spent 50% of my money on alcohol, women, and gambling. The other half I wasted.
note to the Green Bay Packers --- Mike Evans is pretty good, if your DB is gonna jam him at the line then you might consider having some help for him downfield. if not, it's gonna be a long day.
I hate to sound like a prophet, but that was a nice non-call on the interception.
watch for the deep shot by Brady and the PI.
so the game is essentially over and the argument is settled. congratulations to the Tampa Bay buccaneers and Tom Brady, good luck in the Super Bowl.
the Packers defensive backs are atrocious and embarrassing the Team. with play like this, how did they get to where they are??
The game is far from over.
well, boys, there we have it, the old pass interference call at the absolute most crucial time of the game. maybe it was a penalty, maybe it wasn't. the thing is that they haven't/hadn't been making those kind of calls all game. jersey tugs, arms around the waist, that sort of thing. with the announcers doing as I said in the OP, saying "They're letting them play" as they acknowledge an uncalled penalty.
it isn't really important if that called PI was or wasn't. what is important is all the others that clearly were and weren't called. I got a call from a friend of mine right after this penalty, he tells me this is at least the third time the officials have made calls like this to help Brady into a Super Bowl. I can't say anything about that because I don't know. what I do know is that he threw three very poor interceptions and didn't have a very good second half at all. but he's going to the Super Bowl solely at the discretion of the NFL referees.
it is shameful. more than likely the Packers would have lost anyway, but the officials just have to stop influencing the outcome like this.
Oh cry us a river
they let 10 go the players get more and more blatant until the 11th gets called .
Also were you watching the actual game ? Tampa was up by 5 with under 2 minutes left even if they diddnt call pi green bay still threw away the game on home field . They kicked instead of going for it , and failed to get points on at least 3 drives with good starting position .
You act like the refs took the game winnner away from green bay
Well Tom finally started looking like an old man in the last 25 minutes of that game. But credit where credit is due, the Bucs won the game and that's all that matters.
Green bay sets them self up with a home game with cold weather against tampa and then spots tampa an 18 point lead and the refs are going to be blamed for them losing
rogers blows enjoy that mvp on the golf course aaaaaaaron
I agree with all the comments.
But it reminds me of a horse race at the track, whereby the favorite gets a poor start and poor ride, and another horse jumps out in front with a big lead. The horse in front tires and the favorite closes, but too late, the distance of the race has been run, and the tired horse crosses the finish line first.
The owner of the tired horse still wins first place purse money and the bettors of that horse cash their win tickets.
Agree , green bay made adjustments on defense at the half . Brady threw a bad int , evans tipped one ( he missed a few catches tonight but made some great plays too ) the last one was meh
this green bay team made nothing out of the weather or the presence of fans
Rogers sucked in the red zone compared to his regular season numbers he is a playoff failure.
That was a nice touch > @bronco2078 said:
#20 grabbed the jersey not once but twice for good measure. Don't grab the jersey and it's a catch.
m
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
That number 15 is something else aint he ?
Stud.
m
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
Bronco, I'm pretty sure I said I don't think Green Bay would have won, they had ample chances and failed, but that really isn't the point. the point is that the Refs don't call clear penalties until they want to. these shouldn't be judgement calls, players are either allowed to hold or they aren't.
at least they got that spearing call right, which ironically took place in the same corner as last weeks non call of the identical thing. it's like we used to say when I was younger, if one thing was different then nothing would be the same. I absolutely hate it when the Refs are in a position to determine the outcome of a game. it happens too often.
Seems dumb for kc to use these timeouts like this
Pass interference was the call to make there. It was more egregious than the ones they had previously let go. As mark said, it was pretty blatant.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
The worst call of the day is the field goal . fire that coach
Pass interference was the call to make there. It was more egregious than the ones they had previously let go. As mark said, it was pretty blatant.
so help me out, it's only pass interference if, in the officials judgement, it's blatant?? now we get into some sort of discussion about what is "blatant" and what isn't. to my thinking, that pass wasn't going to be caught, no call. but this gets to the heart of what just bugs the crap out of me, everything is at the discretion of the officials.
I'm more black and white about it and if I read your statement that I cut/pasted, you agree that there were others that were PI and not called, they just weren't bad enough.
that's crap. pass interference is pass interference.
Buffalo is dead meat in this game. They had a little spir, but it’s over.
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
You are allowed to do that if you are rooting for the Packers.
Why does it matter ? you only have a case if it stops a green bay game winning drive . This wasnt a dez bryant thing either , green bay gave the game away 15 times already
Still 15 minutes to go. Never say never yet. 🙁
"I spent 50% of my money on alcohol, women, and gambling. The other half I wasted.
Never
Interception during their last gasp. It’s over,
Mahomes is going to be like Brady when it comes to the “Buffalo dynasty.” It’s not going to happen unless Mahomes suffers a major injury impairs his career.
let's be honest about Buffalo, Josh Allen's performance during the playoffs got progressively worse. in yesterday's game he was erratic at best. that isn't 100% the fault of Josh Allen but more a result of the fact that as a Team progresses through the playoffs the Teams get better. it's a symptom of the current NFL that Teams are one-dimensional, nobody has any semblance of a running attack which means as the game gets shorter and the deficit grows, the defense can "pin back their ears" and really make things hard.
I watched both games yesterday and of the stellar QB's that played, only one played well for the entire game --- Patrick Mahomes. the other three had spurts of good play but overall, were average. it's another symptom of the current NFL, in almost every game we watch there are 40-50 passes by each Team and it seems like a struggle to rush for 100 yards. in many games, one of the top rushers is the QB. it's disgusting.
it isn't the game I learned about in my youth, but it is the product that's out there today. I don't like it but I've gotten used to it.
Sports at all levels, like society in general, has changed in the direction of:
Glitz, Glamour, Fireworks, Explosions, Razzle Dazzle, Immediate/Instant Glory, Instant Fame.
The public does not want to see a 1-0 score in an MLB game, a 53-46 score in an NBA game or a 10-7 score in an NFL game because they are boring.
These types of game scores do not satisfy the need/want/desire of the public for an immediate "experience" that is at a "higher level" that has never been achieved before to satisfy them (until tomorrow when the need/desire/want demands something even "more").
The defenses got better. The plans were better. He went 2-1 this year. Progress is all that can be asked for in a 24 year old. I’m proud of my Bills. 15 wins. It’s an exciting time to be a Bills fan.
"I spent 50% of my money on alcohol, women, and gambling. The other half I wasted.