The Official NFL Thread, Part Duex... No TO or Brady Bashing Allowed

[phanan]

So New England at Denver and Pittsburgh at Indianapolis next weekend for the AFC. Both should be excellent games.

Denver is always a tough environment to play in, but I just think the Patriots match up very well with them with their run defense, and hopefully the extra week gives Bruschi the time he needs to get back in there to further bolster it.

And I wouldn't be shocked if the Steelers gave the Colts a run for their money. Big Ben had just come back from injury the last time they met, and he wasn't exactly hitting his spots. Should be a different story this time around.

I love the playoffs.

 

[DaveC]

I love how all of a sudden all the Patriots fans are predicting the grand defeat of the Colts (at home, mind you) at the hands of the Steelers.

Wishful thinking in hopes not to meet Peyton and Co. in the AFC Championship, methinks.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

the steelers are going to get dismantled next week.

they were still losing to the bungles midway through the 3rd quarter with carson palmer in the hospital. peyton is going to rip them a new a-hole.

and the pats will probably do the exact same thing to denver.

here we go again...

when do pitchers and catchers report?

 

[Eli Manning]

Um, I wasn't being shitty, man, I was totally sincere when I said I was sorry and know how it feels. I don't jab people, and I hate to be jabbed myself. You were the better team, you deserve to be moving on instead of them. You shouldn't have posed next to Brady. Avoid him, he is the plague.

the better team wins the game. carolina was the better team and they deserved to win. if we were the better team, we would have won. maybe if it was a close game and carolina was able to squeek one out on a late fluke play you could say that they weren't the better team. but no. they kicked our ass the same way the patriots have historicly kicked your ass.

and i don't want to hear about excuses about curses, family jinxes, blah blah lad-dee friggin blah...

there is no excuse. there was no "choke." i played like shit, and we lost. end of story.

maybe your constant excuse making has something to do with why the colts always fall short.

 

[WildHoneyAlways]

^ February 17th.

 

[randhail]

I love how all of a sudden all the Patriots fans are predicting the grand defeat of the Colts (at home, mind you) at the hands of the Steelers.

Wishful thinking in hopes not to meet Peyton and Co. in the AFC Championship, methinks.

Actually, it's because the Patriots would then host the AFC title game. However, a good portion of Pats fans I know want to play the Colts.

 

[Hewson]

I love how all of a sudden all the Patriots fans are predicting the grand defeat of the Colts (at home, mind you) at the hands of the Steelers.

Wishful thinking in hopes not to meet Peyton and Co. in the AFC Championship, methinks.

I think the Colts beat the Steelers, but the Steelers will pound on the Colts physically, much like they did the Been Gals yesterday...so if the Pats get by the Broncos, Indy will be a sore team, much like teams the week after playing TB and Balt in years past, a much better option than playing them fresh off a bye.

 

[phanan]

I love how all of a sudden all the Patriots fans are predicting the grand defeat of the Colts (at home, mind you) at the hands of the Steelers.

Wishful thinking in hopes not to meet Peyton and Co. in the AFC Championship, methinks.

Was this in direct response to my post? Because I never said the Steelers would beat them, only that they could give them a run for their money. I still think the Colts will win - hence them being higher on my list in the playoff pool.

And I for one want the Pats to beat the Colts. I've said all year how I'd love the Pats to get the opportunity to beat Indianapolis in their own house, so people would finally shut up that the only reason we beat them the past two years was because of home field advantage. This is their chance to show everyone that they can beat the Colts no matter where the game is played.

 

[popacrobat]

I think the Squeelers will beat the Colts. They are more of a physical team and will be more focused than Indy, plus, they have been playing a series of meaningful games for many weeks in a row now. Indy hasn't really played a meaningful game all year. Plus I can't imagine dungy is at full strength.

 

[Peyton Manning]

I think the Squeelers will beat the Colts. They are more of a physical team and will be more focused than Indy, plus, they have been playing a series of meaningful games for many weeks in a row now. Indy hasn't really played a meaningful game all year. Plus I can't imagine dungy is at full strength.

Keep on telling yourself that if it will make you feel better We totally dominated them once, it will happen again. Your Patriots won't make it anyway, they are going down to the snowplow in Denver.

 

[Peyton Manning]

the better team wins the game. carolina was the better team and they deserved to win. if we were the better team, we would have won.

there is no excuse. there was no "choke." i played like shit, and we lost. end of story.

This is not always true, there are always other factors, that's why they say 'on any given Sunday.' The best team does NOT always win, just the luckiest or the most opportunistic. In baseball the best team usually does win because you have a series, but in the NFL playoffs, you get one shot, and one strike is all it takes. This doesn't mean you weren't the best team.

Coach Mora used to say 'we lost because we suck, we're a horseshit team and this was a horseshit game." He was just being emotional, though.

maybe your constant excuse making has something to do with why the colts always fall short.

And here I go again, huh? The only thing I can do now is to prove in on the field.

 

[randhail]

This is not always true, there are always other factors, that's why they say 'on any given Sunday.' The best team does NOT always win, just the luckiest or the most opportunistic. In baseball the best team usually does win because you have a series, but in the NFL playoffs, you get one shot, and one strike is all it takes. This doesn't mean you weren't the best team.

Are you already making excuses for yourself when you don't win the Super Bowl? It seems to me like an MVP, like yourself, would never make petty excuses if things didn't go your way.

 

[popacrobat]

Keep on telling yourself that if it will make you feel better We totally dominated them once, it will happen again. Your Patriots won't make it anyway, they are going down to the snowplow in Denver.

yeah, like the pats never play in coldweather.

you played them the week rothlishamburger came back from injury. rust. but, overlook your opponent, thats just another factor.

 

[Hewson]

This is not always true, there are always other factors, that's why they say 'on any given Sunday.' The best team does NOT always win, just the luckiest or the most opportunistic. In baseball the best team usually does win because you have a series, but in the NFL playoffs, you get one shot, and one strike is all it takes. This doesn't mean you weren't the best team.

Give it up Pey-Pey, you have lost to a better Patriots team the last 2 years, admit it and get over it.
They've won an NFL record 10 straight post season games, your Colts haven't reached the Superbowl since Jesus was in diapers and they played in Murder City Maryland.
Stop with this nonsensical crap. If you get there and win this year, then you can talk, but until then, you have a storied history of losing, to a superior opponent, deal with it.

 

[Imarocker]

Keep on telling yourself that if it will make you feel better We totally dominated them once, it will happen again. Your Patriots won't make it anyway, they are going down to the snowplow in Denver.

Denver will pummel the patsies, and even if they somehow luck out & win, they'll probably end up at indy who rested this week, so they won't be as beat up as you think. but keep dreaming it'll be over for the patsies on sat about 4pm.

 

[Tom Brady]

Denver will pummel the patsies, and even if they somehow luck out & win, they'll probably end up at indy who rested this week, so they won't be as beat up as you think. but keep dreaming it'll be over for the patsies on sat about 4pm.

Sorry, but I have to disagree with you.

Our run defense has been awesome lately, and, if we shut down the run and force the ball into Plummer's hands in obviouls passing downs, our defense will take care of business. Plus, we didn't have to use Bruschi this past week and it is another opportunity for him to heal.

Denver will be a tough opponent for us, but, I think we have enough film from our loss, which was a result of multiple factors including dropped passes, to gameplan well enough to beat Denver.

As for Peyton's comments, well, I'm not even going to bother with those. I think this just shows why the Colts are perrenial losers, though.

Hope you enjoyed this weekends game, guys!

 

[phanan]

Denver will pummel the patsies, and even if they somehow luck out & win, they'll probably end up at indy who rested this week, so they won't be as beat up as you think. but keep dreaming it'll be over for the patsies on sat about 4pm.

Over at 4pm on Saturday?



And Indy will take a nice beating against the Steelers, so they won't be as rested as you think.

 

[randhail]

[B it'll be over for the patsies on sat about 4pm. [/B]

So are you saying that the Pats aren't even going to show up since the game doesn't start to 8?

Where's the faith in the Steelers? If I recall, you were predicting a super bowl win by them early in the season.

 

[Imarocker]

So are you saying that the Pats aren't even going to show up since the game doesn't start to 8?

Where's the faith in the Steelers? If I recall, you were predicting a super bowl win by them early in the season.

I'll always root for the steelers, have done so for years..I just think that Indy's a little better in the receiver dept. which will open up the run game. I see a close game something like 24-20


type "o" they'll be done by 10pm,plus I'm the only one that picked Denver to win in the pool


The Broncos matchup is a bad one for the Patriots, who lost in Denver 28-20 on Oct. 16. It's a bad matchup for two reasons. First, the Broncos running game will be hard for the Patriots to stop. The Broncos gained 178 yards on the Patriots on 34 carries, and they gashed the Patriots for long runs. Center Tom Nalen will be a tough challenge for Wilfork. Plus, Tatum Bell has the speed and power to burn them again. In many ways, Bell is the most dangerous runner for the Patriots to stop. As long as he doesn't dance at the line of scrimmage, he can hit the holes with speed and power. This is why the Patriots will need Bruschi's experience at inside linebacker. The combo of Mike Vrabel and Monty Beisel will have a hard time preventing Bell from ripping big runs through the middle of the defense. Mike Shanahan will start Mike Anderson but Bell will see a lot of action.

 

[Hewson]

The X factor you overlook Ima is Richard Seymour who missed the first meeting in Denver.

 

[Tom Brady]

and Tedy Bruschi, if he plays.

 

[Hewson]

and Tedi Bruschi, if he plays.

Well Tom, Ima mentioned Tedy, and you'd think his teammate would know how to spell his name.

 

[Tom Brady]

Been busy gameplanning. Long week, long hours, man.

 

[phanan]

The Broncos matchup is a bad one for the Patriots, who lost in Denver 28-20 on Oct. 16. It's a bad matchup for two reasons. First, the Broncos running game will be hard for the Patriots to stop. The Broncos gained 178 yards on the Patriots on 34 carries, and they gashed the Patriots for long runs. Center Tom Nalen will be a tough challenge for Wilfork. Plus, Tatum Bell has the speed and power to burn them again. In many ways, Bell is the most dangerous runner for the Patriots to stop. As long as he doesn't dance at the line of scrimmage, he can hit the holes with speed and power. This is why the Patriots will need Bruschi's experience at inside linebacker. The combo of Mike Vrabel and Monty Beisel will have a hard time preventing Bell from ripping big runs through the middle of the defense. Mike Shanahan will start Mike Anderson but Bell will see a lot of action.

I think you have it reversed. The Patriots run defense has been the best in the league over the last six weeks. In that first game, as others have already said, they didn't have Seymour, and they didn't have Bruschi. The Broncos need to run the ball effectively, or else it takes them out of their game, much like Jacksonville this past weekend.

I see the same scenario occurring, and Plummer, who's had a great year, will have to carry the team to victory, and I just don't see that happening.

 

[popacrobat]

i don't think denver has the receivers or the qb to beat the patriots if new england takes out the running game from denver.

hopefully the pats have a running game this week- i know they haven't run much all year (i actually prefer this style of offense) but being able to sell play fakes more often and being able to dominant the clock will help out a lot.

 

[Imarocker]

hopefully the pats have a running game this week- i know they haven't run much all year (i actually prefer this style of offense) but being able to sell play fakes more often and being able to dominant the clock will help out a lot.

Corey Dillon's injuries have made the Patriots' rushing attack inconsistent all season. Dillon missed a decent amount of the Jaguars game and the running offense was bailed out by Kevin Faulk, who is effective as a runner and a pass catcher. The Patriots averaged only 94.5 rushing yards a game and a mere 3.4 yards a carry. The Patriots had only five regular season games in which they had more than 100 rushing yards as a team. In many ways, the Patriots' offense is closer to the first two Super Bowl teams than last year's. Dillon could be counted on getting 100 yards individually in 2004. It's become a Tom Brady offense with limited support from the running game. Few defenses have frustrated Brady this season, but for this game, the Patriots need Dillon. Broncos defensive coordinator Larry Coyer does a nice job designing zone blitz schemes but sometimes relies on them too much. The best way to beat a zone-blitzing team is to run, which his why the Patriots need much, much more from Dillon or Faulk.

if you can't run the ball in the playoffs, YOU"RE OUT of them.

 

[Eli Manning]

This is not always true, there are always other factors, that's why they say 'on any given Sunday.' The best team does NOT always win, just the luckiest or the most opportunistic. In baseball the best team usually does win because you have a series, but in the NFL playoffs, you get one shot, and one strike is all it takes. This doesn't mean you weren't the best team.

Coach Mora used to say 'we lost because we suck, we're a horseshit team and this was a horseshit game." He was just being emotional, though.

sounds like coach mora was a sore loser. did he throw his water bottle, too?

the panthers won because they were the better team... period. end of discussion. take the "any given sunday" crap and shove it. it's bullshit. this ain't the regular season... this is the playoffs.

sure, if a team has a bunch of bad breaks, unlucky bounces, untimely penalties, etc. etc... then yes, the better team can lose a game to a team that they should beat. this was clearly not the case yesterday afternoon.

only people with diluted minds or guys named peyton could possiably believe that a team that got smacked around like a red headed step child is still the better team.

And here I go again, huh? The only thing I can do now is to prove in on the field.

no shit... it would be a nice start.

 

[phanan]

Corey Dillon's injuries have made the Patriots' rushing attack inconsistent all season. Dillon missed a decent amount of the Jaguars game and the running offense was bailed out by Kevin Faulk, who is effective as a runner and a pass catcher. The Patriots averaged only 94.5 rushing yards a game and a mere 3.4 yards a carry. The Patriots had only five regular season games in which they had more than 100 rushing yards as a team. In many ways, the Patriots' offense is closer to the first two Super Bowl teams than last year's. Dillon could be counted on getting 100 yards individually in 2004. It's become a Tom Brady offense with limited support from the running game. Few defenses have frustrated Brady this season, but for this game, the Patriots need Dillon. Broncos defensive coordinator Larry Coyer does a nice job designing zone blitz schemes but sometimes relies on them too much. The best way to beat a zone-blitzing team is to run, which his why the Patriots need much, much more from Dillon or Faulk.

if you can't run the ball in the playoffs, YOU"RE OUT of them.

I love how you are just lifting this material from John Clayton's article on espn.com. Can't come up with your own thoughts, eh?

 

[popacrobat]

john clayton is a dweeb

 

[phanan]

Which makes it all the more hilarious.