The Official Superbowl XLII Thread!!

[INDalltheway]

Is anyone else still laughing about the Belichick thread? Unfortunately I didn't check in soon enough.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Skip Bayless may be the biggest moron ever. I feel stupider just for listning to him

I still smile when I think about Bayless saying that Couglin keeping the starters in all game against the Pats in Week 17 was the dumbest coaching move ever and that would cause the Bucs, who had rested their players, to win easily in the WC round of the playoffs .

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

I still smile when I think about Bayless saying that Couglin keeping the starters in all game against the Pats in Week 17 was the dumbest coaching move ever and that would cause the Bucs, who had rested their players, to win easily in the WC round of the playoffs .

well he just said that it was still a stupid move

[SteveMax58]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

I still smile when I think about Bayless saying that Couglin keeping the starters in all game against the Pats in Week 17 was the dumbest coaching move ever and that would cause the Bucs, who had rested their players, to win easily in the WC round of the playoffs .

Yeah...he is only allowed on the air for the freak show idiocy he spouts off about. I'm convinced no adult, who is mentally capable of dressing himself, could possibly be as stupid as Bayless.

[Logan]

Anyone think Belichick shouldn't have left the field "early?"

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by Logan

Anyone think Belichick shouldn't have left the field "early?"

he should have pulled down his pants and shit on the field

[Pumpy Tudors]

I don't know about this Belichick leaving "early" thing, but I'll just keep my "random Pumpy-type comments" to myself from now on.

[molson]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

I don't know about this Belichick leaving "early" thing, but I'll just keep my "random Pumpy-type comments" to myself from now on.

So this will be your last post then?

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by molson

So this will be your last post then?

The next-to-last, I guess. Why the fuck not.

Edit: Let's see who takes this one seriously.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by rkmsuf

he should have pulled down his pants and shit on the field

Lots of players take shits. Why are you making such a big deal out of it just because it's Belichik?

Hater.

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

The next-to-last, I guess. Why the fuck not.

Edit: Let's see who takes this one seriously.

you had your bye week and now the season is over.

this is pumpy offseason. come back for training camp in July.

[SteveMax58]

Originally Posted by Logan

Anyone think Belichick shouldn't have left the field "early?"

Actually, it was important for him to leave early. He needed to go destroy some film he had a of a Green Bay DC handing out payments for bounties which had been issued, by Jeff Fisher, for cheapshots on players who were believed to be gay and/or using steroids. Naturally this linked the entire thing back to Tony Dungy who is, obviously, the mastermind behind it all(along w/ the suspected financier, Archie Manning). Mike Carey's involvement was to create the diversion for Belichick to leave without being overtly obvious that it was for this reason...and subsequently Arlen Spector will be teaming up with George Mitchell to issue a report stating all of this soon.

[Lorena]

in before the lock

[Northwood_DK]

You have to feel a bit sorry for him but this is still a great photo.

[Kodos]

Maybe Belicheck was just fleeing before the confetti came. Perhaps he feared death by multiple paper cuts.

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Maybe Belicheck was just fleeing before the confetti came. Perhaps he feared death by multiple paper cuts.

Why should he hang around the field when nobody can spell his name right?

[Dr. Sak]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Maybe Belicheck was just fleeing before the confetti came. Perhaps he feared death by multiple paper cuts.

I think you are on to something here. He knew that the confetti was red, white, and blue. He didn't want any part of it...therefore I deduct that he hates America and is a Communist.

[Kodos]

hxxp://www.projo.com/patriots/content/sp_fbn_jdcol29_12-29-07_L88DRL6_v20.2704071.html

Don't be silly--I know how to spell Belichunk.

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by bsak16

I think you are on to something here. He knew that the confetti was red, white, and blue. He didn't want any part of it...therefore I deduct that he hates America and is a Communist.

Perhaps he hates us for our freedom to root against him.

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by Kodos

hxxp://www.projo.com/patriots/content/sp_fbn_jdcol29_12-29-07_L88DRL6_v20.2704071.html

Don't be silly--I know how to spell Belichunk.

ha, you actually don't which is funny kodoughs

[Kodos]

I spell it differently every time because it seems to annoy you -- you complain about it being spelled wrong frequently.

Just another service that I provide free of charge!

[Dutch]

Originally Posted by Warhammer

Common thread in both games: A defensive player should have been given the MVP Award in both Super Bowls.

Agreed. Eli Manning played good football in the 4th Quarter with some great plays, some good passses, but aslo some stupifying attempts to scramble that nearly cost him the game and a horrible overthrow of a wide-open Burress that almost cost him the game again.

The Giants scored 17 points. In other words, what was basically expected of them.

The true MVP's of this game was the Giants front four. The MVP should have gone to Strahan as the leader of that pack. But I know they want the exciting story-line of a QB hero.

It's funny really, the Giants D-line in the 4th Quarter was absolutely gassed. I mean, they left everything out there, every last bit of energy. Big deal right, they gave up a TD with 4 minutes to go....shame on them. But think about it, the Pats were supposed to score 38 points. They only scored 14. Defense is where the MVP should have come from.

[stevew]

I wonder if bellicheck likes to play X-Box 360

[Kodos]

He probably turns the console off before it saves when he loses.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by bsak16

I think you are on to something here. He knew that the confetti was red, white, and blue. He didn't want any part of it...therefore I deduct that he hates America and is a Communist.

This explains the bright red hoodie.

[molson]

Originally Posted by SteveMax58

Actually, it was important for him to leave early. He needed to go destroy some film he had a of a Green Bay DC handing out payments for bounties which had been issued, by Jeff Fisher, for cheapshots on players who were believed to be gay and/or using steroids. Naturally this linked the entire thing back to Tony Dungy who is, obviously, the mastermind behind it all(along w/ the suspected financier, Archie Manning). Mike Carey's involvement was to create the diversion for Belichick to leave without being overtly obvious that it was for this reason...and subsequently Arlen Spector will be teaming up with George Mitchell to issue a report stating all of this soon.

I think SteveMas58 can probably fill in for Pumpy.

[path12]

Originally Posted by rkmsuf

you had your bye week and now the season is over.

this is pumpy offseason. come back for training camp in July.

Nah, Pumpy's got one more week. He's a Pro Bowler.

[sabotai]

One thing that I don't see anyone talking about is how much the rookies contributed and what a great job Reese did in last year's draft.

Round 1: CB Aaron Ross - Started, 1 tackle, 1 assist
Round 2: WR Steve Smith - #3 WR, Despite being to blame for the INT, he had a great second half and a few 3rd down receptions to keep drives alive
Round 3: DT Jay Alford, 1 sack, 2 tackles
Round 4: LB Zak DeOssie, no stats on him, but I remember at least 1 special teams play he was in on, a kickoff return tackle I believe.
Round 5: TE Kevin Boss, Started in place of Shockey, had only catch, but a big gain that set up the Giants 1st TD.
Round 6: OT Adam Koets - Made active late in the season, don't think he got any playing time in SB.
Round 7: S Micheal Johnson - Backup to James Butler, had 1 tackle
Round 7: RB Ahmad Bradshaw - 9 carries, 45 yards (most in the game for both teams)

That looks like a pretty good draft to me. Some of them will get better as starters, some with become starters, some will be great role-players. Other than Koets, they all contributed, and some of them had big games in other post-season games even if they seemed to disappear somewhat in the Super Bowl.

[Butter]

Kodos, you are on a roll. I expect similar comments all night so I have something to read at work tomorrow.

[SteveMax58]

Originally Posted by molson

I think SteveMas58 can probably fill in for Pumpy.

Perhaps a spot start or 2...but I am no Pumpy Tudors, to be sure.

[SteveMax58]

Originally Posted by sabotai

One thing that I don't see anyone talking about is how much the rookies contributed and what a great job Reese did in last year's draft.

Yes they did contribute quite well this year. I was a little skeptical at some of Reese's picks initially(like Steve Smith, Jay Alford & Adam Koets)...but I think they all (except for Koets) really made an impact at some point in the season(namely Ross & Bradshaw)...and most of them in the playoffs/SB. Pretty good 1st draft for a rookie GM.

[sabotai]

I thought this was a great game, and I couldn't disagree with people like Bill Simmons more. The Patriots didn't lose the game, the Giants won it. He wonders why the Patriots offense didn't show up until their 4th quarter TD drive? Did he not see the defensive line starters on the sideline for much of that drive, sweating buckets and absolutely exhausted? I guess not. Talk about seeing only what you want to believe...

When it went into the 4th quarter, and the announcer said something like "And how about this, we head into the 4th quater with score 7-3 Patriots." I immediately thought that this game just did not feel like a 7-3 game, mainly because 7-3 games are usually filled with penalties, turnovers, dropped passes, runners falling over themselves at the line of scrimmage, etc. I didn't see any of that. I saw 2 defenses that just simply played better than the other team's offense throughout the 2nd and 3rd quarters. I hardly saw any mistakes on the offensive side, the defenses just played better.

And then in the 4th quarter, the offenses both put it together. Fortunately for the Giants, while Brady had 1 game winning drive in him, Eli had 2. Probably the most exciting finish to a Super Bowl since SB XXIII, and moreso I'd argue since the G-Men needed a TD to win, while the Niners still could have tied the game with a FG. (I may be biased on this, though. ).

One of the best games I've ever seen (from my biased perspective).

[molson]

Originally Posted by sabotai

I hardly saw any mistakes on the offensive side, the defenses just played better.

Brady (and to a lesser extent Manning) were missing open receivers all night.

And the Pats gameplan was very conservative. Maybe they would have gone deep more if there was more protection.

As far as Pats Losing v. Giants Winning, I think that's irrelevant in a game like this. The Giants pass rush was good, and it was the Pats O-line's worst game of the year.

Simmons isn't disrespecting anyone by saying he was dissapointed with the Pats. (He also said the Giants were better, that Manning outplayed Brady, that Coughlin outcoached Belichick, and that the Giants desreved to win). So don't cherry pick a couple of comments just you have something to complain about, even though I know it's fun.

[sabotai]

[quote=molson;1651373]Brady (and to a lesser extent Manning) were missing open receivers all night. [quote]

Because of the defensive pressure. People have been going on and on about the pressure by the Giants, but the Pats were getting to Eli as well (3 sacks, dunno how many hurries, knocked downs, etc.) It's not about them being shaky or scared, their timing was off in those middle quarters because of the pressure.

And the Pats gameplan was very conservative.

No it wasn't.

Simmons isn't disrespecting anyone by saying he was dissapointed with the Pats. (He also said the Giants were better, that Manning outplayed Brady, that Coughlin outcoached Belichick, and that the Giants desreved to win). So don't cherry pick a couple of comments just you have something to complain about, even though I know it's fun.

I didn't cherry pick a couple of comments, I was responding to 2 full paragraphs. He can SAY anything he wants, but when he goes on a rant like he did, what he is thinking is quite clear.

And I'm not "complaining" about anything. Just disagreeing with him. You CAN do that without it being complaining or disrespecting (I didn't say he was disrespecting anyone).

[molson]

Originally Posted by sabotai

And I'm not "complaining" about anything. Just disagreeing with him. You CAN do that without it being complaining or disrespecting (I didn't say he was disrespecting anyone).

So you think the Pats played their best game and the Giants were so good last night they were just unbeatable?

In the NFL, the teams are close enough that if the Giants played their best game, they would have won convincingly, and if the Patriots played their best game, they would have won convincingly. But nobody ever plays their best game. The Patriots played poorly. Probably not as bad as the AFC Championship game, but pretty poorly. They've been "off" several other times this year, and nobody's been able to take advantage until the Giants.

Simmons said that the Giants deserved to win, that they outplayed the Patriots, and the Patriots didn't do what they needed to do to win. So you agree with the first to but not the third.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by molson

So you think the Pats played their best game and the Giants were so good last night they were just unbeatable?

In the NFL, the teams are close enough that if the Giants played their best game, they would have won convincingly, and if the Patriots played their best game, they would have won convincingly. But nobody ever plays their best game. The Patriots played poorly. Probably not as bad as the AFC Championship game, but pretty poorly. They've been "off" several other times this year, and nobody's been able to take advantage until the Giants.

Look at the context of my original comment. I was talking about mistakes, not execution. Brady wasn't misreading coverages, throwing the ball into the hands of the defenders, not knowing what routes his receivers were running, etc. I didn't say he played well, he just didn't make many mistakes. There's a difference between not playing well and making mistakes. He was making bad throws (because his timing was all messed up), but he was still throwing to the correct receiver.

That's what I meant when I said the defenses were just outplaying the offenses. The offenses weren't making mistakes that the defenses could take advantage of (for most of the game), like penalites and turnovers, the defenses just simply played better (read: their execution of what they wanted to do as better than the execution of the offense).

Simmons said that the Giants deserved to win, that they outplayed the Patriots, and the Patriots didn't do what they needed to do to win. So you agree with the first to but not the third.

No, I disagree that the Patriots had a conservative gameplan and thought his little rant about "I'll never understand why the Pats offense didn't show up until that last drive" was comical when the answer was right there on the Giants sideline.

EDIT: Of course the Patriots didn't do what they needed to do to win. The question is how much of that is the Patriots just not "showing up" and how much of it was the Giants not letting them do it. From what I saw, it was mostly the latter, and the Pats came pretty close to not letting the Giants do what they needed to do to win as well. And that, again, is my original point. Both teams did a really good job at keeping the other team from winning, the Giants just did it a bit better.

[Antmeister]

Originally Posted by Northwood_DK

You have to feel a bit sorry for him but this is still a great photo.

Great pic. And to think he was just about to retire before the Patriots called him up.

[jeff061]

Outcoached. Horribly horribly outcoached. Giants made stellar clutch plays. But christ, they were one step ahead the whole game. And the combination of that 4 and 13 and back to back stretch runs from 2nd and 2 just kill me.

I wish some writer would break down Moss's last 5 or 6 games and really tell us what is happening. I just have such a hard time believing he can be as quiet as he has been, had they just been taking less chances after getting burnt for a couple games?

And no I haven't been able to bring myself to open this thread til just now, let alone read the replies .

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by jeff061

I wish some writer would break down Moss's last 5 or 6 games and really tell us what is happening. I just have such a hard time believing he can be as quiet as he has been, had they just been taking less chances after getting burnt for a couple games?

Without getting footage of Moss on each snap where he didn't get thrown at, I think the D probably just covered him up.

The Pats looked to him deep a couple of times, but each time Brady got pressured and under/over threw.

[Alan T]

On the plays that I actually could see Moss and the coverage, it appeared to me that they had a CB on Moss (NY has two very talented CBs), and then an additional Safety at almost all times covering the deep on Moss. The CB then was cutting off the inside and cut routes, the Safety was helping play as a "safety valve" on anything deep and it pretty effectively shut him down.

THe price of doing so meant that the Giants had to choose where that extra guy was coming from, and it appeared their defensive coordinator did an excellent job of varying that up. Sometimes they pulled the guy from the pass rush, and sometimes it seemed they pulled it from the coverage in the under-belly area.

A few times it burned them as Welker caught a few through the middle that ended up pretty decent plays, but for the most part the Giants were able to get a solid enough pass rush with their front four and the occasional blitzer, and more importantly the "big plays" that the Pats got were from Faulk or Welker underneath and not Moss deep.

That is my highly talented scouting job of what the Giants did on defense, which is based on simply playing Highschool defense So I'm probably completely wrong, but that just seemed to be what it looked like to me when I could see the coverage on the tv.

[ColtCrazy]

Order is restored in the universe. The evil empire is dead.

As of Belichick leaving early, he's a prick..everyone knows this. He could have stayed out there till the end. Maybe someone taped it for him?

[Buccaneer]

Ok, we have given the Mannings their glory, not to mention Dungy; the Evil Empire has been shot down but they still are the Team of 00s; Favre has already got a ring; Cowboys and Romo turn will be next decade; so let's give LT and the Bolts a couple in the meantime.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Alan T

On the plays that I actually could see Moss and the coverage, it appeared to me that they had a CB on Moss (NY has two very talented CBs), and then an additional Safety at almost all times covering the deep on Moss. The CB then was cutting off the inside and cut routes, the Safety was helping play as a "safety valve" on anything deep and it pretty effectively shut him down.

THe price of doing so meant that the Giants had to choose where that extra guy was coming from, and it appeared their defensive coordinator did an excellent job of varying that up. Sometimes they pulled the guy from the pass rush, and sometimes it seemed they pulled it from the coverage in the under-belly area.

A few times it burned them as Welker caught a few through the middle that ended up pretty decent plays, but for the most part the Giants were able to get a solid enough pass rush with their front four and the occasional blitzer, and more importantly the "big plays" that the Pats got were from Faulk or Welker underneath and not Moss deep.

That is my highly talented scouting job of what the Giants did on defense, which is based on simply playing Highschool defense So I'm probably completely wrong, but that just seemed to be what it looked like to me when I could see the coverage on the tv.

This is dead on, IMO.

Teams started covering Moss as they had in previous years after he got off to 2k yard 30td pace early in the year and I think the Pats decided to start using their depth at the receiver position rather than just force him the ball. I don't want to take too much from Welker's play this year, but he's not a 112 catch receiver without Moss completely clearing out the underneath stuff.

I really think the Pats should have done more to get Moss the ball. If there's a receiver in the NFL worth forcing the ball to, its without a doubt him. As it stands, they seemed content to have him taken completely out of games and just nickel and dime teams down the field.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by Antmeister

As a Chargers fan, it is tough to know that Eli "freakin" Manning was responsible for a game winning drive to win the Super Bowl. But he has to get a lot of credit for escaping the pass rush and giving himself a chance to complete that miracle catch.

Funny thing was, when that play was going down and Manning had like two defenders with their hands all over him I was screaming "GET RID OF THE FRIGGING BALL!" at the TV... then Eli gives me the finger by eluding the defenders and throwing a hell of a pass (well, maybe a hell of a catch more than a hell of a pass...). I'm not ready to declare Eli a top-10 QB or anything like that, but it takes some balls to step up like he did in the 4th. It was better than anything I expected from him.

However on the other side of the field are a couple of former Chargers I had to root for. That would be Rodney Harrison and Junior Seau. Rodney already have the jewelry, but I feel bad for my fellow Oceanside alum since this is the 2nd time in his career he reached the Super Bowl only to lose. And I wonder which one had hurt the most.

This is what gave me mixed feelings about it all. I loved the game, was glad the Giants won, but especially after watching a 30 min segment on Seau during the pre-game stuff, it was definately sad to see him not get the ring. Especially the photo above with him walking head down.

[Groundhog]

On the Aussie broadcast they had two Aussie NFL players (one former Cardinals/Hawaii U. DE Colin Scotts, and the other current Eagles punter Sav Rocca), and it was funny to hear them dismiss the Giants pre-game in true Aussie no-holds barred style, Scotts in particular.

But after the first half Scotts was all fired up and loving it, and I guess as a former DE it was exactly his kind of game.

It was also funny listening to Rocca, as he clearly doesn't know a whole heap about the game even after a season on a roster. He was asked if he had any embarassing moments in his first year in the NFL, and he said that in his first game he took the field without his helmet on before a teammate reminded him.

[Rizon]

Originally Posted by Logan

Anyone think Belichick shouldn't have left the field "early?"

This should be a poll.

[cartman]

I hereby pronounce that if your favorite team becomes the focus of a series of comparisons on ESPN questioning if they are the "Best Team of All-Time" before playing the championship game, it is the kiss of death for that team's chances to win. Examples to support my claim are the 2005 USC Trojans and the 2007 New England Patriots.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

"Take the win"?

Other than the fact the QB happened to have the last name "Manning", I couldn't really care less about the Giants. Our household was quite happy for that whole family last night but let's be real here ... there's a whole lot of the country that's MUCH happier that the Patriots lost than there are that the Giants won.

And that's not taking anything away from the Giants who played one helluva game, but there's not a lot of emotional attachment to them for the majority of the country (same as most other teams). But for the average viewer this one was all about crushing the Patriots' hopes.

So that justifies being downright mean to Pats' fans? Got it.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by Alan T

I couldn't imagine watching a superbowl that way... Even back when the 49ers were in superbowl after superbowl (The 49ers being the one team in the NFL I despise), I usually just didn't watch.

My feeling is the average viewer like myself watched last night just hoping for a good game, and could find reasons to be excited regardless of which team won. I think for the average viewer, last night's super bowl was outstanding, it was an excellent game that didn't have much to overshadow it. The final score actually for once does tell you the story of that game.

I actually am kind of disappointed that the majority of people have made this into a FU to the Pats or their fans or whatever. I think getting lost in all of this is the Giants and their fans. What a game, and what a final last two months for that team. In the end of the season, the Giants won the game with a great running game and excellent defense, the old school way. I'm still not ready to say Eli is a 10 top QB in the NFL just yet, but who cares right now.. he has a super bowl ring.

Sorry, Alan, but I disagree with your view of the average viewer of last night's game, and more in agreement with Jon's impression. The Pats might be the most polarizing team to ever reach the Super Bowl. I think far more people were strongly interested in them either winning or losing than in just hoping for a good game. Hoping for a good game is much more of a "I don't care" type of matchup, and people clearly cared about this one, so "hope for a good game" doesn't quite fit, IMO.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Hell, I watch most title games "that way".

Off hand I'd say the number of championships -- SB, WS, what have you -- where I've actively rooted for a team as opposed to against a team is pretty small.

Much the same as NASCAR (especially in the past few years), there's very few I find worth cheering for, but there's definitely some I take delight in seeing lose.

Agreed again. I must be much more like JIMG as a fan than Alan. As a Rams fan, I also couldn't stand the Niners and their success, but unlike what you chose to do, I actively rooted against them in every Super Bowl they played in.