Superbowl Thread: New England Patriots vs New York Giants

[4X4]

What a downer. I'm pretty disappointed about yesterday's outcome. The Giants deserve it though. They were killing the NE offence. Kudos to Eli Mannning. Rome said it pretty good this morning... He said Eli is no longer Peyton's brother or Archie's son. How true. What Eli accomplished is amazing. After beating Dallas, he (they) beat Favre and GB, then goes on to beat Brady and the 18-0 Patriots. That kid is a man. Very well done.

As for NE, here's hoping that they can pull off 19-0 next year...

[Sylvanfan]

Well I think I would say that the 85 Bears and the 49'ers who went 14-2 losing those two games by a combined 5 points are neck and neck now for the best NFL team in the 16 game schedule era now just because they did win the Superbowl for a single season. Really if you're judging a single season...do the other years matter? New England is in their 4th Superbowl in 7 years, made the playoffs in 6 of those years and won at least one playoff game when they did make it. If thats not a great franchise...I don't know what is.

Had the Patriots won yesterday even if it had been 14-10, I don't know how they couldn't have been. And lets not forget that league wide teams today are a lot better than they were in the 80's. Before the salary cap those NFC teams in some cases were absolutely stacked. Today there is an equalizer to help bad teams get better and make good teams make tough descisions. To be consistantly excellent now is a great accomplishment.

Really if Manning goes down what would it have been like 4th and 20 with no timeouts left for the Giants back on their own 30, and to make matters worse a special teams guy manages to hold the ball against his helmet to finish off the improbable play.

It's like everything the Patriots did has been discredited by that last drive. They were about as close to going 19-0 as you can pretty much get.

[Bobblehead]

Originally Posted by burn_baby_burn

Some feel Shockey is a distraction and that it was no accident that the Giants did well after he was injured. I wonder if it was his choice or the teams to be sitting up in a private suite.

With a bottle of beer and some slushy pink drink in front of him.

[Bobblehead]

'84 49ers only loss was to the Steelers, 20-17, in week 7. That was probably the greatest 49ers team.

'85 Bears were also 15-1

[burn_baby_burn]

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

'84 49ers only loss was to the Steelers, 20-17, in week 7. That was probably the greatest 49ers team.

'85 Bears were also 15-1

The 84 niners kicked the crap out of the Bears 23-0 in the NFC Championship game. The Bears won the 85 regular season matchup 23-10 (or close to it). Montana was sacked 7 times.

[Sainters7]

In terms of the poll("Was the Giants win the greatest upset in Super Bowl history?"), I gotta narrowly say no. Nothin tops Broadway Joe and the Jets in Super Bowl III. I just think after that Week 17 nailbiter, the Giants proved they could play and keep pace with the Pats. Ya i know most(including myself) still predicted a Pats win, but we knew the Giants could keep it close.

That Jets shocker was so much bigger because it was in essence a team from a "lesser" league beating the NFL champion Colts. No one, NO ONE thought they could do it. It'd be the equivalent of the Russian Super League champion beating the Stanley Cup champion. Complete shocker.

[burn_baby_burn]

Originally Posted by Sainters7

That Jets shocker was so much bigger because it was in essence a team from a "lesser" league beating the NFL champion Colts. No one, NO ONE thought they could do it. It'd be the equivalent of the Russian Super League champion beating the Stanley Cup champion. Complete shocker.

Do you mean that you personally feel the AFL was that much inferior to the NFL? Or do you mean that was the perception at the time?

[moon]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

It's like everything the Patriots did has been discredited by that last drive. They were about as close to going 19-0 as you can pretty much get.

Its similar to the way that a bad TO call and marginal penalty call were dismissed in terms of their greatness in the Baltimore game.

Win or lose I think that there still would have been a debate as to who was the best team of all time. They would have had the best season of all time but I think that the 49ers, Steelers and Bears would have had to be considered as the best team ever even with 19-0.

[corporatejay]

Originally Posted by burn_baby_burn

Do you mean that you personally feel the AFL was that much inferior to the NFL? Or do you mean that was the perception at the time?

According to the Wiki, it was the perception at the time. It was the B-league.

[FurnaceFace]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

Really if Manning goes down what would it have been like 4th and 20 with no timeouts left for the Giants back on their own 30, and to make matters worse a special teams guy manages to hold the ball against his helmet to finish off the improbable play.

But that's what happens in sport...and in fact in history. One moment affects the entire outcome:

Big Ben goes for the tackle instead of turning and running in the AFC championship a couple years ago and The Steelers don't make it.

Brett Hull gets called for his skate in the crease and who knows

Gelinas gets his stick on the puck or 'bulin is a tad later...

Hitler heeds the advice of his advisers or heeds the warning from commanders in Normandy...

Hindsight is wonderful for such things. Also the Pats got pretty lucky on a last minute drive against The Ravens about week 14. 4th down and The Ravens calling a timeout when Brady didn't make it gives them new life. Clayton is a yard short on the hail mary play at the end.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

We've discussed in this forum before how missed FG's change momentum and games. NE is up 7-3. The Giants have done nothing in their last 4-5 drives. Why give them a shot in the arm by missing a 49 yard FG and giving them the ball on the 39? You go for it on 4th and 13.. if you don't make it they get the ball on the 32 which isn't so bad. If you make it, it absolutely kills the Giants.

It's a risk/reward thing that does make sense. The Giants didn't gain any momentum and has to punt themselves. So in the long run I don't think it had any impact on the game. Games are played according to the current score. You can't take the total and add 3 to it and say it would have gone to overtime.

I would've tried to pin em back deep with a punt. I didn't care for the call to go for it. At that point NE's defense was holding up very well. Kick it and d up.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

I would've tried to pin em back deep with a punt. I didn't care for the call to go for it. At that point NE's defense was holding up very well. Kick it and d up.

I agree although it does seem silly to punt from the opponents 32.
I like the call because if you don't make it you don't really lose anything but if you make it then it's a real dagger into the Giants hearts. I'm more disturbed about the playcall itself. If you need 13 yards.. get 13 yards over the middle. Don't try to bomb it into the corner of the endzone into double coverage. Same goes for the playcalling in the last 35 seconds. You'd think with 3 timeouts Brady could methodically go down the field and get close to FG range. Instead he launched a bunch of hopeless hailmarys. NE's offensive coordinator was out of ideas most of the game.

[burn_baby_burn]

Originally Posted by corporatejay

According to the Wiki, it was the perception at the time. It was the B-league.

I know full well how the AFL was percieved at the time. I am afterall a Kansas City Chiefs fan. I was asking Sainters for an explaination.