MRW Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 The Patriot envy on this board is embarassing at times. Let's face it, whatever it is, the Chargers had plenty of chances to win this game today, and they didn't. The Pats are just great at keeping any game close, and pulling it out at the end. There were some questionable calls/non-calls against the Pats today, as well. People who still scoff at the notion that Brady is not among the elite all-time QB's are just not wathcing. I am pulling for the Bears, or Saints, but I have a feeling the Pats get revenge on the Bears. No way the Colts beat New England... It's easy to watch the Patriots and think that they just win because the other team screwed up or the refs were favoring them or whatever your favorite theory is. But I think you have to acknowledge that it's no accident that they always win these types of games, and it's tougher than you might think to play a mistake-free game, and the Patriots are the best in the league at it. This was one of their sloppier efforts but it was still good enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taterhill Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 10 pts from idiotic plays from the Chargers...2 drives were stopped and the Chargers sh-- in their hand and rubbed it all over themselves.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maguire's Beer Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 The Patriot envy on this board is embarassing at times. Let's face it, whatever it is, the Chargers had plenty of chances to win this game today, and they didn't. The Pats are just great at keeping any game close, and pulling it out at the end. There were some questionable calls/non-calls against the Pats today, as well. People who still scoff at the notion that Brady is not among the elite all-time QB's are just not wathcing. I am pulling for the Bears, or Saints, but I have a feeling the Pats get revenge on the Bears. No way the Colts beat New England... Brady's a great QB, but today doesn't help prove that point. He was barely 50%, and he threw 3 picks. Pretty lousy day for a guy who usually shows up in playoff games. I know people have been all over Manning for stinking it up in the last two games, but Brady wasn't any better today. If he plays like this next week, the Colts will probably win. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartshan-83 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 I'm astonished that so many people thought SD would win this game. "Rookie" QB + The Worst Playoff Coach of the Modern Era + Best Coached Opponent in the NFL = Ea$y money Granted it wasn't as easy as I thought...I figured SD (mainly Rivers) would make the mistakes they did, but I didn't expect Brady to play like dogsht for three quarters. Could he not hit a WR in stride until like 8pm or what? NE should have taken this by 14. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffOrange Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 I'm astonished that so many people thought SD would win this game. "Rookie" QB + The Worst Playoff Coach of the Modern Era + Best Coached Opponent in the NFL = Ea$y money Granted it wasn't as easy as I thought...I figured SD (mainly Rivers) would make the mistakes they did, but I didn't expect Brady to play like dogsht for three quarters. Could he not hit a WR in stride until like 8pm or what? NE should have taken this by 14. I was also astonished that Bellicheck/Brady were getting 5.5 points vs. Rivers/Marty and put dough down immediately. But I don't agree NE should've won by more, or even should've won. I feel like I should be mailing a check to McCree & Florence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartshan-83 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 I was also astonished that Bellicheck/Brady were getting 5.5 points vs. Rivers/Marty and put dough down immediately. But I don't agree NE should've won by more, or even should've won. I feel like I should be mailing a check to McCree & Florence. Oh no doubt...I saw the +5 and took the straight up. I didn't mean that they should have won by more given the circumstances...I too feel that I ended up falling ass backwards into a win. What I meant was that the way the Chargers were unloading entire clips into their feet, Tom Brady sure made it closer than it should have been. Normally you give the Patriots those types of turnovers and mistakes and you lose by 20. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave mcbride Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Also, Eric Parker should be forced to suffer some sort of public humiliation tomorrow in downtown San Diego. Tarring and feathering, perhaps? All of their wide receivers were horrible: drops galore! The Chargers were totally outcoached. The Pats' plan clearly was to keep the ball in the hands of Rivers and the wide receivers, which they successfully did. They also wanted to keep it out of the hands of Gates and Tomlinson by directing all of their defense at them. Ironically, while they direceted their D at Tomlinson, the Pats very visibly failed because Tomlinson is the best player in the NFL and embarassed every defender on the field. Yet on the Chargers' key possession late in the fourth, despite handing it off to Tomlinson on first down (where he ran for 6 yards), they then threw it twice to their schittty wide receivers even though they had performed horribly all game long. The first pass was droppped, and the second was defended easily by Samuel (horrible decision by Rivers). By the way, the Chargers blew an absolutely easy TD in the third quarter when Jackson failed to drag his feet -- and he he had more than plenty of space to do so. Bottom line: the Chargers' receivers absolutely suck, and Belichick, who is smarter than me and everyone else on this board, directed the game towards them. And Cam Cameron and Rivers fell for it. p.s. while rivers wasn't helped by his receivers, he made a ton of mistakes. LT was the best player on the field by far, and he deserves better than this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jester43 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Oh no doubt...I saw the +5 and took the straight up. I didn't mean that they should have won by more given the circumstances...I too feel that I ended up falling ass backwards into a win. What I meant was that the way the Chargers were unloading entire clips into their feet, Tom Brady sure made it closer than it should have been. Normally you give the Patriots those types of turnovers and mistakes and you lose by 20. absolutely. that was the easiest pick of the weekend for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marv's Neighbor Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 It's all Wade's fault for not wearing a headset! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartshan-83 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 absolutely. that was the easiest pick of the weekend for me. Honestly though, I got really nervous when Marty went for it on 4th down TWICE in the first 20 minutes of play. I was counting on his testicles taking their usual playoff vacation back inside his body and when I saw he was willing to lay it on the line, I thought for a second he had learned his from his mistakes. I literally coughed up my food when Rivers stayed out there on the second 4th down. But some things never change... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jester43 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Honestly though, I got really nervous when Marty went for it on 4th down TWICE in the first 20 minutes of play. I was counting on his testicles taking their usual playoff vacation back inside his body and when I saw he was willing to lay it on the line, I thought for a second he had learned his from his mistakes. I literally coughed up my food when Rivers stayed out there on the second 4th down. But some things never change... honestly, i don't think marty is totally to blame here. there were some amazing blunders by the charger WRs today. who was the guy who was wide open standing still 30 yards down field and just let the ball bounce right off his tummy to the turf? that was one of the worst drops i've ever seen in 35 years of watching pro football. honestly, the first thing i thought of when i saw that was that the guy was trying to throw the game. rivers was beside himself and he should have been. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartshan-83 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 honestly, i don't think marty is totally to blame here. there were some amazing blunders by the charger WRs today. who was the guy who was wide open standing still 30 yards down field and just let the ball bounce right off his tummy to the turf? that was one of the worst drops i've ever seen in 35 years of watching pro football. honestly, the first thing i thought of when i saw that was that the guy was trying to throw the game. rivers was beside himself and he should have been. For sure, this was near the bottom of Marty's list of playoff blunders...however the challenge on the INT/Fumble was an obvious waste of time and that timeout may have been the difference between a 54 yard FG and a 45. But you're right, SD collectively lost this game beginning with the WR corp. (yes, you Eric Parker...fall on the fcking ball). I just meant that I thought the balance of the universe was in jeopardy when I saw Marty Schottenheimer make a minor gamble in a playoff game. I thought about calling my loved ones to say goodbye. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave mcbride Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 honestly, i don't think marty is totally to blame here. there were some amazing blunders by the charger WRs today. who was the guy who was wide open standing still 30 yards down field and just let the ball bounce right off his tummy to the turf? that was one of the worst drops i've ever seen in 35 years of watching pro football. honestly, the first thing i thought of when i saw that was that the guy was trying to throw the game. rivers was beside himself and he should have been. jester, what you witnessed was the genius of belichick. he kept the ball out of gates' hands for the most part via double coverage, and targeted LT. the sad thing is, while the targeting of LT was a complete failure, the chargers decided to put the ball in the hands of rivers and the WRs - not gates and tomlinson to the extent they should have had the ball - and the results were depressing: more poor plays by WRs than you're ever likely to see in an NFL game of any importance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave mcbride Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 honestly, i don't think marty is totally to blame here. there were some amazing blunders by the charger WRs today. who was the guy who was wide open standing still 30 yards down field and just let the ball bounce right off his tummy to the turf? that was one of the worst drops i've ever seen in 35 years of watching pro football. honestly, the first thing i thought of when i saw that was that the guy was trying to throw the game. rivers was beside himself and he should have been. the absolute worst was jackson's abysmal failure to at least pretend to drag his foot -- my god, i get sick thinking about it. it also reminds me that peerless price would have made that play no problem (for all the haters out there). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1billsfan Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 This was a typical Patriots game. Make fewer mistakes than the other team, keep it close, make the plays at the end to win it. The only difference today was that the Pats themselves made many more mistakes than usual. I really wouldn't call this a typical Pats game. Brady had four turnovers (three interceptions and a fumble) which was shocking to me. They were practically begging to get beaten today but the Chargers choked so many times that it's still hard to comprehend the incompetant play and coaching flubs. The Pats had 51 rushing yards while LT had almost 200 yards combined rushing and receiving, yet he doesn't even touch the ball in a key three and out series towards the end of the game. In the end, the Pats had to escape so many choke jobs by the Chargers, before Brady eventually became Brady again, that I lay the outcome of this game at the feet of the Chargers. The Pats were just there for the ride today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffOrange Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 the absolute worst was jackson's abysmal failure to at least pretend to drag his foot -- my god, i get sick thinking about it. it also reminds me that peerless price would have made that play no problem (for all the haters out there). You obviously didn't attend the 2001 "helmet out of bounds" December game vs. NE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave mcbride Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 You obviously didn't attend the 2001 "helmet out of bounds" December game vs. NE no, but i saw it on TV! oh god, why do you remind me of these things? what a horrible rule. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffOrange Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 no, but i saw it on TV! oh god, why do you remind me of these things? what a horrible rule. I just brought it up because Price pulled a "Robert Royal" in the endzone that game Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coach Tuesday Posted January 15, 2007 Author Share Posted January 15, 2007 You obviously didn't attend the 2001 "helmet out of bounds" December game vs. NE You mean the game where Gregg Williams got shut out of the playoffs due to an unconscious head, AND IT WASN'T EVEN HIS OWN? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATBNG Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 jester, what you witnessed was the genius of belichick. he kept the ball out of gates' hands for the most part via double coverage, and targeted LT. the sad thing is, while the targeting of LT was a complete failure, the chargers decided to put the ball in the hands of rivers and the WRs - not gates and tomlinson to the extent they should have had the ball - and the results were depressing: more poor plays by WRs than you're ever likely to see in an NFL game of any importance. I think that his plan for defending LT was very similar to his plan defending Thomas in Super Bowl XXV. Try to funnel him inside and get the strength of his defense to get some shots on him and wear him down, but he was always going to get his 100+ yards because of his ability and because the Pats outside linebackers are less than stout against the run to put it charitably (Banta-Cain especially). They'll have a lot of trouble next week with that stretch play. They don't teach safeties/corners to knock passes down on fourth down on the first day of training camp. I think it's the first day of Pop Warner that they do that. McCree's play was inexcusable. And Troy Brown is one hell of a football player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roy875 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 I actually found myself switching to root for the Pats around the 4th quarter because I was so disgusted with the stupidity and thuggery of the Chargers. They completely shat the bed, and would have won easily if they ran LT more. Between D. Jackson on seattle who drops 2/game minimum, and the SD receivers especially the 6'5" jackass (fletcher?) I saw more balls dropping than at the playboy mansion. I expected more mistakes from Rivers, but he was very composed, and actually impressive. His Pick was a superb play by Colvin (and that should have been a 15 yard facemask in my opinion) They didn't deserve to win, and they didn't deserve my support. (I was also watching with 2 Pats fans...) I thought the refs were involved in a lot of key plays, but they actually got them right. They could've called a lot more holding on the pats against Merriman, but that is true any week. They actually missed a few that should've gone for the Pats. Maybe SD is the new darling of the refs. I am now resigned to accepting another Pats SB win, unless NO can pull it out. By the way----did anyone see the M. Harrison "catch" and fumble saturday??? It was even reviewed and they upheld it. Bizarre. The have consistantly called that incomplete all year except for that one.....They correctly called 2 incomplete in tonights game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MRW Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 I really wouldn't call this a typical Pats game. Brady had four turnovers (three interceptions and a fumble) which was shocking to me. They were practically begging to get beaten today but the Chargers choked so many times that it's still hard to comprehend the incompetant play and coaching flubs. The Pats had 51 rushing yards while LT had almost 200 yards combined rushing and receiving, yet he doesn't even touch the ball in a key three and out series towards the end of the game. In the end, the Pats had to escape so many choke jobs by the Chargers, before Brady eventually became Brady again, that I lay the outcome of this game at the feet of the Chargers. The Pats were just there for the ride today. You're right, I overstated. Their approach still was the same, I think; wait for the other team to make mistakes, etc., but the Pats were about as sloppy themselves as I've seen. They were just fortunate that the Chargers were so, so much worse. Dave McBride, good points about the Pats baiting the Chargers into throwing to their receivers. It is absolutely inexcusable that Tomlinson did not have 30+ carries in this game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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