First off, I've never been a Patriots fan. With that said, was that OT touchdown really a touchdown?
To me, it's too close to call. It almost feels like the Dallas Stars' winning the Stanley Cup with Brett Hull's foot in the crease.
To me anyway, the Super Bowl should be won by more than a p-hair.
If the Patriots won the game, then more power to them! Tom Brady and Bill Belichek deserve all the accolades!! But this just feels empty, at least to me.
I've looked at the replay on ESPN.com several times, and I can't say if he really scored or not.
Am I missing something? or shouldn't I expect it to be more obvious?
@perkdog said:
The adrenaline dump right now is unbelievable lol
I know the feeling. I remember how I felt after winning back to back SB's in 92 & 93....and the in 95 against the Steelers to make it 3 out of 4 years. We probably would have won the one in 94 if Jerry hadn't pushed Jimmy Johnson out.
Savor the win.....because next year is the Cowboys year!
@SDSportsFan said:
First off, I've never been a Patriots fan. With that said, was that OT touchdown really a touchdown?
To me, it's too close to call. It almost feels like the Dallas Stars' winning the Stanley Cup with Brett Hull's foot in the crease.
To me anyway, the Super Bowl should be won by more than a p-hair.
If the Patriots won the game, then more power to them! Tom Brady and Bill Belichek deserve all the accolades!! But this just feels empty, at least to me.
I've looked at the replay on ESPN.com several times, and I can't say if he really scored or not.
Am I missing something? or shouldn't I expect it to be more obvious?
Steve
They reviewed it. The ball only has to touch the goal line which it did easily. 100% TD and feels so good. It was obvious
mark
Walker Proof Digital Album 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......
The touchdown at the end was close enough to be good... but what still sucks is that a coin flip helped to determine the winner... both sides should get a chance in OT, especially in the Super Bowl!
I was worried the botched call on Atlanta's second extra point was going to haunt us at the end
mark
Walker Proof Digital Album 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......
@illini420 said:
The touchdown at the end was close enough to be good... but what still sucks is that a coin flip helped to determine the winner... both sides should get a chance in OT, especially in the Super Bowl!
To me, that's the problem....."close enough to be good". We should expect the Championship to be won by more than, well, It's "close enough". We should want the Champion to be crowned without any questions!
I also agree that both teams should get a possession in overtime in the Super Bowl, but that's a different fight.
@illini420 said:
The touchdown at the end was close enough to be good... but what still sucks is that a coin flip helped to determine the winner... both sides should get a chance in OT, especially in the Super Bowl!
To me, that's the problem....."close enough to be good". We should expect the Championship to be won by more than, well, It's "close enough". We should want the Champion to be crowned without any questions!
I also agree that both teams should get a possession in overtime in the Super Bowl, but that's a different fight.
Steve
There is no problem.
I don't understand you. It's either a TD or not. It was. No one is disputing it. That's a TD every time. You don't have to make it by 5 yards. You just have to break the plane of the goal line. My goodness I can't believe I even have to type this!
I'm done. Good luck Steve. I have champagne to drink. Quit trolling
mark
Walker Proof Digital Album 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......
@illini420 said:
The touchdown at the end was close enough to be good... but what still sucks is that a coin flip helped to determine the winner... both sides should get a chance in OT, especially in the Super Bowl!
To me, that's the problem....."close enough to be good". We should expect the Championship to be won by more than, well, It's "close enough". We should want the Champion to be crowned without any questions!
I also agree that both teams should get a possession in overtime in the Super Bowl, but that's a different fight.
Steve
It was 100% a touchdown. No question about it. Close, but definitive. Sports is often "a game of inches."
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.
@SDSportsFan said:
First off, I've never been a Patriots fan. With that said, was that OT touchdown really a touchdown?
To me, it's too close to call. It almost feels like the Dallas Stars' winning the Stanley Cup with Brett Hull's foot in the crease.
To me anyway, the Super Bowl should be won by more than a p-hair.
If the Patriots won the game, then more power to them! Tom Brady and Bill Belichek deserve all the accolades!! But this just feels empty, at least to me.
I've looked at the replay on ESPN.com several times, and I can't say if he really scored or not.
Am I missing something? or shouldn't I expect it to be more obvious?
@Brian48 said:
I am speechless. That last quarter was all Brady. Practically WILLED the team to comeback. If there was any doubt before - G.O.A.T.!
Hat's off to Atlanta. Ryan is the future, but tonight, he was not Tom Brady.
Insanity
mark
Walker Proof Digital Album 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......
Brady's willpower was big there but Mitchell had a great game and Bennett I thought played with a lot of heart , he has played hurt for weeks with bone spurs in his foot or something . The Edelman catch was a big help on the last drive. Hogan made some big plays . The defense sucked in the first half but made some epic halftime adjustments.
Matt Ryan did enough to win most any game , no fault to him, Julio made some great plays and that little short guy had some great catches , maybe put some blame on youthful inexperience on the part of the Atlanta Defense ,
@SDSportsFan said:
OK All, maybe I am thinker than I drunk I am I have, after all, been drinking whiskey and cokes all evening (OK, a single and three doubles).
Congratulations to the Patriots and their fans. They have fought through the season, and the turmoil of the last year, and come out victorious.
I salute them!
Steve
In that case you are forgiven
mark
Walker Proof Digital Album 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......
Trying to wrap my head around this, the Falcons had a 99.5% chance of winning this when the score was at 28-3. We just saw the most unexplainable victory in the history of Sports. Only other thing that I can think of is the 35-3 Bills comeback years ago.
I'm afraid if I go to sleep I'll wake up and we won't be champs
mark
Walker Proof Digital Album 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......
Still having a very hard time grasping a number of things -- both good and bad -- that happened in that game, including the inexplicable sack that Ryan absorbed on 2nd down to begin the retreat out of field goal range with less than 5 to go in the game. If you're going to drop back to pass in that situation, worst-case scenario has to be the ball leaving a dent in a 10th-row seat. Under no circumstance can you take a sack there, because tacking on 3 makes it a two-score game and would have forced NE to stick a leg in the grave.
Kudos to anyone and everyone associated with the Pats, but what a catastrophic blunder that was.
@galaxy27 said:
Still having a very hard time grasping a number of things -- both good and bad -- that happened in that game, including the inexplicable sack that Ryan absorbed on 2nd down to begin the retreat out of field goal range with less than 5 to go in the game. If you're going to drop back to pass in that situation, worst-case scenario has to be the ball leaving a dent in a 10th-row seat. Under no circumstance can you take a sack there, because tacking on 3 makes it a two-score game and would have forced NE to stick a leg in the grave.
Kudos to anyone and everyone associated with the Pats, but what a catastrophic blunder that was.
On top of that just run that ball three times. Run time off the clock. Make the Pat's use their timeouts. The Pat's couldn't stop the run all day. Run it three times and make a first down and win. Or run it 3 times and kick a field goal leaving the Pat's with no time outs and down by 11.
The Pat's should have never had the opportunity to win the game. But once given that chance with Brady at the helm it was over. Even knowing they had to covert yet another 2 pt conversion. It was like an improbable movie script that know one would believe
mark
Walker Proof Digital Album 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......
Belichick has said that players win games and coaches lose them. Bill doesn't lose many games, but Quinn and the Atl staff sure did tonight. You'd think he'd have learned his lesson about running the ball after Super Bowl XLIX.
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.
Wasn't trying to poo-poo the euphoria in this thread, because what New England did goes down in the annals. They are far and away, head and shoulders above any other franchise. But to keep things fair, watching a 28-3 lead evaporate also requires at least one major meltdown along the way, and that particular play was it in my mind.
@galaxy27 said:
Wasn't trying to poo-poo the euphoria in this thread, because what New England did goes down in the annals. They are far and away, head and shoulders above any other franchise. But to keep things fair, watching a 28-3 lead evaporate also requires at least one major meltdown along the way, and that particular play was it in my mind.
You didn't. I think we all felt that way
mark
Walker Proof Digital Album 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......
@grote15 said:
Belichick has said that players win games and coaches lose them. Bill doesn't lose many games, but Quinn and the Atl staff sure did tonight. You'd think he'd have learned his lesson about running the ball after Super Bowl XLIX.
Bingo. Shanahan had to show how fancy he is and it cost Atlanta a Super Bowl. Ryan compounds it by taking worst sack of the year. Throw the ball away there and Pats do not win Super Bowl (assuming Bryant can make a 35 yard field goal). In big spots, other teams have shrunk from the moment and Patriots have jumped on the opportunity.
"Look up, old boy, and see what you get." -William Bonney.
Kick the field goal on first down there and the game is over right ? no one ever does that of course . The falcons let themselves get rattled and didn't play the same way after they got way up. I think some of them were too cocky and it burned them. For instance , that rushing TD where whatshis face dove into the endzone for no reason was a bad look. The pick 6 with the exaggerated prance into the endzone at the end was another. It wasn't offensive in either case but it wasn't business like either
Kick the field goal on first down there and the game is over right ? no one ever does that of course . The falcons let themselves get rattled and didn't play the same way after they got way up. I think some of them were too cocky and it burned them. For instance , that rushing TD where whatshis face dove into the endzone for no reason was a bad look. The pick 6 with the exaggerated prance into the endzone at the end was another. It wasn't offensive in either case but it wasn't business like either
I never cared for any of that BS either. Just act like you have been there before and hand the ball to the ref.!
@galaxy27 said:
Still having a very hard time grasping a number of things -- both good and bad -- that happened in that game, including the inexplicable sack that Ryan absorbed on 2nd down to begin the retreat out of field goal range with less than 5 to go in the game. If you're going to drop back to pass in that situation, worst-case scenario has to be the ball leaving a dent in a 10th-row seat. Under no circumstance can you take a sack there, because tacking on 3 makes it a two-score game and would have forced NE to stick a leg in the grave.
Kudos to anyone and everyone associated with the Pats, but what a catastrophic blunder that was.
On top of that just run that ball three times. Run time off the clock. Make the Pat's use their timeouts. The Pat's couldn't stop the run all day. Run it three times and make a first down and win. Or run it 3 times and kick a field goal leaving the Pat's with no time outs and down by 11.
The Pat's should have never had the opportunity to win the game. But once given that chance with Brady at the helm it was over. Even knowing they had to covert yet another 2 pt conversion. It was like an improbable movie script that know one would believe
mark
Mark-
I had to go back and read the play-by-play just to make sure I remembered what happened on that drive. On 1st down at the 22 with 4:40 left, the Falcons did try to run and lost yardage. So the pivotal play was 2nd and 11 at the 23 with 3:56 left. I would not have had a problem with another run here, for the astute reasons you laid out above. But I also didn't have a problem with ATL throwing the ball, for other reasons:
First, they had blown down the field via the air, not the ground. Ryan had passes of 39 & 27 yards. Moreover, he had a handful of incompletions the entire game up until that point.
Second, NE had shown some resistance against the run -- at least on that drive. Freeman had two rushes for 1 yard.
Third, as important as killing the clock and draining their timeouts was at that juncture (I totally agree with you that it was), making certain you got that 3 to make it a two-score game was even more important. If they run the ball on 2nd and 3rd down and don't gain another yard, Bryant is faced with a 40-yarder. Well within his range, of course, but certainly not a gimme -- especially considering the circumstances. Let's say Freeman gets 7 yards on the next two runs to set up a 33-yd attempt. Still a kick Bryant should make 9.5 times out of 10, but lest we forget, that's an extra point. Gostkowski earlier in the game, anyone?
So I don't have a problem with Atlanta staying aggressive with the ball in the hands of the league MVP and all of the weapons he has at his disposal. But if that's the route you're going to take, you absolutely, positively cannot take a sack. Doing so unleashed the GOAT, and the rest is history.
Congrats again, man. I don't like your team, but I respect the hell out of them. I live in Houston and here I thought the Cowboys had the best following in the NFL. Let's just say that I think my wicked twang has morphed into a Boston accent after last weekend.
Hindsight is always better, but bad things can happen at anytime on a dropback throwing play....why do it! Under the circumstances with the time and the GOAT sitting over just waiting for the chance......kick the FG and go up by 11....your chance of winning is MUCH greater!
The Falcons had the NFL MVP who was having a fantastic game. Teams tend to lose big games because they become tentative and stop doing what got them there. Right call to put it in Ryan's hands. I guarantee if they run twice more and miss the field goal everyone here will be talking about why run the ball 3 times in a row when you have the NFL MVP playing a great game. Who would you rather have deciding the Super Bowl arguably the best player in the NFL (this season) or your kicker?
@fergie23 said:
The Falcons had the NFL MVP who was having a fantastic game. Teams tend to lose big games because they become tentative and stop doing what got them there. Right call to put it in Ryan's hands. I guarantee if they run twice more and miss the field goal everyone here will be talking about why run the ball 3 times in a row when you have the NFL MVP playing a great game. Who would you rather have deciding the Super Bowl arguably the best player in the NFL (this season) or your kicker?
In this case the Kicker. Because of all the circumstances involved. Time left....place on field...etc.
Atlanta needed to run the ball 3 times bottom line, so many more risks with throwing the football vs running it and getting stuffed. The wasted time outs was another thing that bit Atlanta, and why on earth did that guy take that kickoff out of the end zone?? Had they saved a time out or 2 and stayed in the end zone they could have had the ball at the 25 with 1 or 2 Timeouts and I believe 53 seconds on the clock to get Bryant in FG range who is a BEAST from long range btw. It's all in hindsight ofcourse and I'm not trying to rip on Atlanta only, the Pats wasted a ton of time in the 3rd quarter I thought by not hurrying up to the line ect.. and throwing 5 yard passes. Either way the end result was an epic comeback for the ages and proved how good Brady and his coaching staff really is. Atlanta's Defense being completely gassed in the 4th quarter helped a lot too.
@galaxy27 said:
Still having a very hard time grasping a number of things -- both good and bad -- that happened in that game, including the inexplicable sack that Ryan absorbed on 2nd down to begin the retreat out of field goal range with less than 5 to go in the game. If you're going to drop back to pass in that situation, worst-case scenario has to be the ball leaving a dent in a 10th-row seat. Under no circumstance can you take a sack there, because tacking on 3 makes it a two-score game and would have forced NE to stick a leg in the grave.
Kudos to anyone and everyone associated with the Pats, but what a catastrophic blunder that was.
On top of that just run that ball three times. Run time off the clock. Make the Pat's use their timeouts. The Pat's couldn't stop the run all day. Run it three times and make a first down and win. Or run it 3 times and kick a field goal leaving the Pat's with no time outs and down by 11.
The Pat's should have never had the opportunity to win the game. But once given that chance with Brady at the helm it was over. Even knowing they had to covert yet another 2 pt conversion. It was like an improbable movie script that know one would believe
mark
Mark-
I had to go back and read the play-by-play just to make sure I remembered what happened on that drive. On 1st down at the 22 with 4:40 left, the Falcons did try to run and lost yardage. So the pivotal play was 2nd and 11 at the 23 with 3:56 left. I would not have had a problem with another run here, for the astute reasons you laid out above. But I also didn't have a problem with ATL throwing the ball, for other reasons:
First, they had blown down the field via the air, not the ground. Ryan had passes of 39 & 27 yards. Moreover, he had a handful of incompletions the entire game up until that point.
Second, NE had shown some resistance against the run -- at least on that drive. Freeman had two rushes for 1 yard.
Third, as important as killing the clock and draining their timeouts was at that juncture (I totally agree with you that it was), making certain you got that 3 to make it a two-score game was even more important. If they run the ball on 2nd and 3rd down and don't gain another yard, Bryant is faced with a 40-yarder. Well within his range, of course, but certainly not a gimme -- especially considering the circumstances. Let's say Freeman gets 7 yards on the next two runs to set up a 33-yd attempt. Still a kick Bryant should make 9.5 times out of 10, but lest we forget, that's an extra point. Gostkowski earlier in the game, anyone?
So I don't have a problem with Atlanta staying aggressive with the ball in the hands of the league MVP and all of the weapons he has at his disposal. But if that's the route you're going to take, you absolutely, positively cannot take a sack. Doing so unleashed the GOAT, and the rest is history.
Congrats again, man. I don't like your team, but I respect the hell out of them. I live in Houston and here I thought the Cowboys had the best following in the NFL. Let's just say that I think my wicked twang has morphed into a Boston accent after last weekend.
They didn't have to gain another yard. Their place kicker was first team All-Pro as was their QB. It is indoors. If you are going to pass make it quick or provide max protection. They did none of that. Running the ball also lessens the risk of a holding penalty. That last sequence was a Perfect Storm for the Pat's.
As a Pat's fan I was thrilled to see them pass
mark
Walker Proof Digital Album 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......
Speaking of inappropriate passing , in overtime the pass to bennett in the corner could have been a malcom butler type of interception to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. I almost had a stroke over that play call .
@bronco2078 said:
Speaking of inappropriate passing , in overtime the pass to bennett in the corner could have been a malcom butler type of interception to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. I almost had a stroke over that play call .
1000% agree, however Bennett is 6'7 and it was thrown correctly but he fell down. Definitely higher risk and not a safe call.
A thriller of a game. Congrats to the Pats for #5.
As far as a change in momentum, I think the holding calls on the Falcons (3 of them on consecutive 3rd down plays which gave NE first downs instead of having to punt) that led to the Pats first TD was it (maybe not the first holding call, but definitely #2 and #3).
These calls signaled a shift in the momentum, gave the Pats renewed energy and caused the Falcons to get tense.
@bronco2078 said:
Speaking of inappropriate passing , in overtime the pass to bennett in the corner could have been a malcom butler type of interception to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. I almost had a stroke over that play call .
Me too. Gulp
mark
Walker Proof Digital Album 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......
@bronco2078 said:
Speaking of inappropriate passing , in overtime the pass to bennett in the corner could have been a malcom butler type of interception to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. I almost had a stroke over that play call .
I heard somewhere that whenever a team got to the 21 yard line or closer there was never a punt on that drive the entire season. Must have been hundreds. Picked a good time for it to happen.
Edited
mark
Walker Proof Digital Album 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......
@perkdog said:
I just watched the 3rd and 4th quarter AGAIN
I'm not ready yet. I'm afraid it will change
mark
Walker Proof Digital Album 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......
Comments
First off, I've never been a Patriots fan. With that said, was that OT touchdown really a touchdown?
To me, it's too close to call. It almost feels like the Dallas Stars' winning the Stanley Cup with Brett Hull's foot in the crease.
To me anyway, the Super Bowl should be won by more than a p-hair.
If the Patriots won the game, then more power to them! Tom Brady and Bill Belichek deserve all the accolades!! But this just feels empty, at least to me.
I've looked at the replay on ESPN.com several times, and I can't say if he really scored or not.
Am I missing something? or shouldn't I expect it to be more obvious?
Steve
I know the feeling. I remember how I felt after winning back to back SB's in 92 & 93....and the in 95 against the Steelers to make it 3 out of 4 years. We probably would have won the one in 94 if Jerry hadn't pushed Jimmy Johnson out.
Savor the win.....because next year is the Cowboys year!
They reviewed it. The ball only has to touch the goal line which it did easily. 100% TD and feels so good. It was obvious
mark
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......
The touchdown at the end was close enough to be good... but what still sucks is that a coin flip helped to determine the winner... both sides should get a chance in OT, especially in the Super Bowl!
Michael Kittle Rare Coins --- 1908-S Indian Head Cent Grading Set --- No. 1 1909 Mint Set --- Kittlecoins on Facebook --- Long Beach Table 448
I was worried the botched call on Atlanta's second extra point was going to haunt us at the end
mark
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......
To me, that's the problem....."close enough to be good". We should expect the Championship to be won by more than, well, It's "close enough". We should want the Champion to be crowned without any questions!
I also agree that both teams should get a possession in overtime in the Super Bowl, but that's a different fight.
Steve
I am speechless. That last quarter was all Brady. Practically WILLED the team to comeback. If there was any doubt before - G.O.A.T.!
Hat's off to Atlanta. Ryan is the future, but tonight, he was not Tom Brady.
The TD at the end was a clear TD.
There is no problem.
I don't understand you. It's either a TD or not. It was. No one is disputing it. That's a TD every time. You don't have to make it by 5 yards. You just have to break the plane of the goal line. My goodness I can't believe I even have to type this!
I'm done. Good luck Steve. I have champagne to drink. Quit trolling
mark
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......
It was 100% a touchdown. No question about it. Close, but definitive. Sports is often "a game of inches."
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.
Two words: GET LOST!!!!!
Insanity
mark
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......
It's unreal that they could top that thriller with Seattle. Tom Brady is the best ever without question
Matt Ryan did enough to win most any game , no fault to him, Julio made some great plays and that little short guy had some great catches , maybe put some blame on youthful inexperience on the part of the Atlanta Defense ,
OK All, maybe I am thinker than I drunk I am
I have, after all, been drinking whiskey and cokes all evening (OK, a single and three doubles).
Congratulations to the Patriots and their fans. They have fought through the season, and the turmoil of the last year, and come out victorious.
I salute them!
Steve
In that case you are forgiven
mark
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......
Thank You Steve!
Dammit. I can't get to sleep now.
I got an early meeting tomorrow too.
Trying to wrap my head around this, the Falcons had a 99.5% chance of winning this when the score was at 28-3. We just saw the most unexplainable victory in the history of Sports. Only other thing that I can think of is the 35-3 Bills comeback years ago.
I'm afraid if I go to sleep I'll wake up and we won't be champs
mark
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......
Still having a very hard time grasping a number of things -- both good and bad -- that happened in that game, including the inexplicable sack that Ryan absorbed on 2nd down to begin the retreat out of field goal range with less than 5 to go in the game. If you're going to drop back to pass in that situation, worst-case scenario has to be the ball leaving a dent in a 10th-row seat. Under no circumstance can you take a sack there, because tacking on 3 makes it a two-score game and would have forced NE to stick a leg in the grave.
Kudos to anyone and everyone associated with the Pats, but what a catastrophic blunder that was.
On top of that just run that ball three times. Run time off the clock. Make the Pat's use their timeouts. The Pat's couldn't stop the run all day. Run it three times and make a first down and win. Or run it 3 times and kick a field goal leaving the Pat's with no time outs and down by 11.
The Pat's should have never had the opportunity to win the game. But once given that chance with Brady at the helm it was over. Even knowing they had to covert yet another 2 pt conversion. It was like an improbable movie script that know one would believe
mark
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......
Belichick has said that players win games and coaches lose them. Bill doesn't lose many games, but Quinn and the Atl staff sure did tonight. You'd think he'd have learned his lesson about running the ball after Super Bowl XLIX.
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.
Wasn't trying to poo-poo the euphoria in this thread, because what New England did goes down in the annals. They are far and away, head and shoulders above any other franchise. But to keep things fair, watching a 28-3 lead evaporate also requires at least one major meltdown along the way, and that particular play was it in my mind.
You didn't. I think we all felt that way
mark
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......
Still can't believe what I just watched. Had to watch the second half twice just to be sure
Totally unbelievable! Hats off to the Pats!
Bingo. Shanahan had to show how fancy he is and it cost Atlanta a Super Bowl. Ryan compounds it by taking worst sack of the year. Throw the ball away there and Pats do not win Super Bowl (assuming Bryant can make a 35 yard field goal). In big spots, other teams have shrunk from the moment and Patriots have jumped on the opportunity.
"Look up, old boy, and see what you get." -William Bonney.
Kick the field goal on first down there and the game is over right ? no one ever does that of course . The falcons let themselves get rattled and didn't play the same way after they got way up. I think some of them were too cocky and it burned them. For instance , that rushing TD where whatshis face dove into the endzone for no reason was a bad look. The pick 6 with the exaggerated prance into the endzone at the end was another. It wasn't offensive in either case but it wasn't business like either
I never cared for any of that BS either. Just act like you have been there before and hand the ball to the ref.!
Mark-
I had to go back and read the play-by-play just to make sure I remembered what happened on that drive. On 1st down at the 22 with 4:40 left, the Falcons did try to run and lost yardage. So the pivotal play was 2nd and 11 at the 23 with 3:56 left. I would not have had a problem with another run here, for the astute reasons you laid out above. But I also didn't have a problem with ATL throwing the ball, for other reasons:
First, they had blown down the field via the air, not the ground. Ryan had passes of 39 & 27 yards. Moreover, he had a handful of incompletions the entire game up until that point.
Second, NE had shown some resistance against the run -- at least on that drive. Freeman had two rushes for 1 yard.
Third, as important as killing the clock and draining their timeouts was at that juncture (I totally agree with you that it was), making certain you got that 3 to make it a two-score game was even more important. If they run the ball on 2nd and 3rd down and don't gain another yard, Bryant is faced with a 40-yarder. Well within his range, of course, but certainly not a gimme -- especially considering the circumstances. Let's say Freeman gets 7 yards on the next two runs to set up a 33-yd attempt. Still a kick Bryant should make 9.5 times out of 10, but lest we forget, that's an extra point. Gostkowski earlier in the game, anyone?
So I don't have a problem with Atlanta staying aggressive with the ball in the hands of the league MVP and all of the weapons he has at his disposal. But if that's the route you're going to take, you absolutely, positively cannot take a sack. Doing so unleashed the GOAT, and the rest is history.
Congrats again, man. I don't like your team, but I respect the hell out of them. I live in Houston and here I thought the Cowboys had the best following in the NFL. Let's just say that I think my wicked twang has morphed into a Boston accent after last weekend.
Hindsight is always better, but bad things can happen at anytime on a dropback throwing play....why do it! Under the circumstances with the time and the GOAT sitting over just waiting for the chance......kick the FG and go up by 11....your chance of winning is MUCH greater!
The Falcons had the NFL MVP who was having a fantastic game. Teams tend to lose big games because they become tentative and stop doing what got them there. Right call to put it in Ryan's hands. I guarantee if they run twice more and miss the field goal everyone here will be talking about why run the ball 3 times in a row when you have the NFL MVP playing a great game. Who would you rather have deciding the Super Bowl arguably the best player in the NFL (this season) or your kicker?
In this case the Kicker. Because of all the circumstances involved. Time left....place on field...etc.
Atlanta needed to run the ball 3 times bottom line, so many more risks with throwing the football vs running it and getting stuffed. The wasted time outs was another thing that bit Atlanta, and why on earth did that guy take that kickoff out of the end zone?? Had they saved a time out or 2 and stayed in the end zone they could have had the ball at the 25 with 1 or 2 Timeouts and I believe 53 seconds on the clock to get Bryant in FG range who is a BEAST from long range btw. It's all in hindsight ofcourse and I'm not trying to rip on Atlanta only, the Pats wasted a ton of time in the 3rd quarter I thought by not hurrying up to the line ect.. and throwing 5 yard passes. Either way the end result was an epic comeback for the ages and proved how good Brady and his coaching staff really is. Atlanta's Defense being completely gassed in the 4th quarter helped a lot too.
They didn't have to gain another yard. Their place kicker was first team All-Pro as was their QB. It is indoors. If you are going to pass make it quick or provide max protection. They did none of that. Running the ball also lessens the risk of a holding penalty. That last sequence was a Perfect Storm for the Pat's.
As a Pat's fan I was thrilled to see them pass
mark
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......
Speaking of inappropriate passing , in overtime the pass to bennett in the corner could have been a malcom butler type of interception to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. I almost had a stroke over that play call .
1000% agree, however Bennett is 6'7 and it was thrown correctly but he fell down. Definitely higher risk and not a safe call.
A thriller of a game. Congrats to the Pats for #5.
As far as a change in momentum, I think the holding calls on the Falcons (3 of them on consecutive 3rd down plays which gave NE first downs instead of having to punt) that led to the Pats first TD was it (maybe not the first holding call, but definitely #2 and #3).
These calls signaled a shift in the momentum, gave the Pats renewed energy and caused the Falcons to get tense.
It snowballed from there.
Me too. Gulp
mark
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......
The game NEVER was in doubt....right Mark.
my Patriots calendar for today. How fitting!
Good game - championship games should be that close
LOL!
I heard somewhere that whenever a team got to the 21 yard line or closer there was never a punt on that drive the entire season. Must have been hundreds. Picked a good time for it to happen.
Edited
mark
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......
I just watched the 3rd and 4th quarter AGAIN
I'm not ready yet. I'm afraid it will change
mark
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......
I'll bet it was easier this time.....right...