Hollywood Donahoe

Just stating fact. I notice you conveniently ignored the portion of my post which stated that the Patriots' poor play, not the bad call(s), is what ultimately cost them the game.

It was actually offensive PI. Lelie initiated contact and grabbed at the defender throughout the play. That said, it didn't lose them the game. The three fumbles and the INT did that.

Playing by the "rules" has always been a big part of the Pats' run, and indeed, has been a staple of all NFL dynasties. I can imagine that teams that don't adhere to the NFL rulebook do not experience much success.

Seymour isn't a free agent until after 2006.

Nah, it's Roman Gabriel.

That kick was slightly wide right of "wide right."

Fair enough. Good debating with you.

I'll let you answer that yourself: There you go. Only having two HOFers around you on offense is a bad thing?!

Here's a link that should explain the whole situation pretty thoroughly.

Nothing's getting through, is it? Did you factor in Manning's INT? Look, Manning hasn't won a big game in his career, and you wishing really hard isn't going to change that. Feel free to blame everyone but Manning for this unfortunate fact, but don't feel bad if the rest of us don't join you in fantasy land.

See my last post. Brady has the rings and the numbers. Brady just posted his best statistical season without Weis. And New England's OL is mediocre, and their receivers are quick, but short as hell and have NEVER put up the numbers that Manning's have. To compare either unit to the ones at Manning's disposal is a joke. Manning is surrounded by HOFers. Brady isn't even surrounded by Pro Bowlers (he's the only offensive Pro Bowler on his team this year). It's hard because the position you're arguing is flawed. And if I'm only arguing against Manning because of my New England bias, then why are most of the Bills fans in this thread arguing against him as well?

True enough. A balance of success (in the form of wins) and stats is likely the best way to evaluate a player. Brady, for instance, has led his team to 3 Super Bowl wins (and has 2 game MVPs), and also owns the 6th best QB rating in NFL history. (DISCLAIMER: I say 6th because the aforementioned list is using pre-'05 stats, and Brady's post-'05 career QB rating of 88.5 is higher than Green post-'05 career QB rating of 88.3) Manning, meanwhile, has the numbers (4th best all time passer rating), but putrid playoff showings.

QBs do not play in vacuums. They play in different systems with different supporting casts, in different stadiums in different temperatures, with different trainers and different facilities, ad nauseam. Stats are okay for rough comparisons, but they are not the end all be all. If you cannot understand how playing in a 72 degree dome on a carpet with Marshall Faulk, Edgerrin James, Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, et al might positively affect Manning's statistics, you're too far gone to argue with.

Ah, thank you for that confirmation. Belichick is so candid, I'm sure he allowed his QB to announce to the press the nature of the team's offensive playcalling situation.

Senor Cafe? SENOR CAFE?! I'll pretend I didn't read that. I see as much proof that Brady calls his own plays as I do that Manning does. More, maybe, considering Manning has an OC and Brady does not. Hmmm. I do, in the grand scheme, and viewing it context. No. Not even remotely close. Biased. And you may not be a Colts fan, but you seem to be a Manning fan, so you're a bit biased youself, I would say. He was here in '00 and '02 when we didn't even make the playoffs.

Schadenfreude.

This is different then. No other QBs get blitzed or have their receivers interfered with. Manning is special in this regard, and should be excused for all his errors.

I can see that from how little you post about it. Check the stats again. It's closer than you think. When you think of the two players' respective supporting casts, it's practically a dead heat. Yeah, but what good is that, when you can have...STATS! Considering that the team has no offensive coordinator and that Brady audibles on nearly every play, signs point to yes. Think again.

I see. The Colts lost. But the guy who touched the ball on every offensive snap - and calls most of the plays at the line - had nothing to do with it. I understand.

You know this...how? Given Manning's history of playoff brainfarts (and even big game brainfarts in college), I imagine that the Patriots would have ZERO championships if Manning was their QB.

That's a good point. Additionally, the Colts had three timeouts. And besides, the Colts had three timeouts.

Reiteration can be useful as an educational tool.

The Colts had all their TOs, and three kneels would've meant a FG attempt. Thus, three kneels keeps the Colts within one score and a bunch of time left (a minute and change, which is a lot for them). A TD makes it a two score game, with not enough time for the Colts to get back in it. Cowher was right. It was a no-brainer.

I'm not sure what the comparison level is. I just heard that on ESPN Radio SportCenter. They said that if the job is offered, he'll take it, so long as he's not lowballed. My guess is that he wants a salary comparable to other first-year NFL HCs.

As the DB coach, he always managed to do a great job with whatever he had. Holding the '04 Colts to 3 points with Troy Brown as your nickel is pretty damn impressive. As DC, he started off slow and finished strong, so it was kind of a mixed bag. The defense certainly did their part in both playoff games, though. The tough part of a coordinator to HC transition is the addition of player management duties (handling player egos, handling the press, playing league politics, etc.) into the Xs and Os stuff, so I can't really say how he'll manage that end of the deal. He has the utmost respect of Belichick, though, so that bodes well for him.