NFL 2009

[Sander]

Offense or Defense? Based on what time frame? BAL has really slipped the last few years, on D and their offense is not the same as they were the beginning of the year. Flacco looked like shit the 2nd half.

Overall, based on this season and adjusted for opponent strength, and the stats' uses are judged against now 16 years of game-tracking. If you want to weigh late-season games as more important than early-season games in determining their current level of play, GB edges out Baltimore.

Ravens are 8th in offense, 3rd in defense. Packers are 4th in offense, second in defense.

They're not a pretty good Pats team. The D is a fucking shambles, O is all out of sorts. I could care less about Welker, having him or not won't break a game open. Watch Edelman pull in 10 catches for 100 yards effortlessly.

Okay seriously, stop making the Pats sound like the fucking Lions. They went 10-6, they're a good team. Hell, FootballOutsiders has them as the 4th best team in the league, offense 1st, defense 17th.

Might as well kick the Pats when they are down because they have 7 1st & 2nd round picks over the next two years. This is the first year of rebuilding, further gearing up for their second dynasty run forthcoming.

Your odds are good, but we'll see. The 2 middle of the pack 2nd rounders this year aren't a huge addition, the 2011 1st rounder is, although I expect the Raiders to actually improve next year unless Al Davis insists on starting Russell again.
But I like the idea of the 'rebuild': go with the draft and young talent.

Have to beat BAL first though.

Not an easy task with this bunch of stiffs.

The Ravens are good, but definitely not unbeatable, and they have a tendency to shoot themselves in the foot with penalties.
Regardless, I'll be rooting for the Ravens.

Is that better?

Yeah, I think so. Coaches with full front-office say don't work out often as it lacks checks and balances, even though teams are jumping all over the idea now. It requires not just a good coach, but a good coach with great organisational skills - and that's a lot harder to do. Cowher has 0 experience in the front office, and there's no reason to believe he'd be good at it, so it'd be a huge gamble. He'd be overhauling an organisation along with overhauling a team, that's a lot.
Add to that that his style of play (mostly his defensive 3-4 philosophy) will require spending a lot in free agency and the draft on getting new players, all the while dumping current serviceable players. And you have to teach a team an entire new way of playing. It could work out, but I'd expect it to add 1 or 2 years to our rebuild rather than speed things up.

Raheem Morris on the other hand has shown some promise. He was tied to Jagodzinski and Bates, both of whom reportedly weren't his choices. The defense improved tremendously after he fired Bates and took over the DC job himself, and honestly I think this defense is serviceable as a mediocre defense at this point in time (it was one of the worst of the league through the first half of the season), and with a bit more talent would be a good defense.
The offense is crap, but we have no real talent, and we fired our OC before the year which made it worse. QB position was a mess this year, but Freeman is showing plenty of promise. We have one good WR, two promising young WRs and a good pass-catching TE, and Cadillac has come back as a serviceable (but not great) RB. Maybe the current OC is good enough and he just needs a good offseason to teach his offense, or maybe we need a new OC altogether, but this is not really on Morris.
The players have continually said they have a lot of faith in Morris, Ronde Barber even suggesting that he'd leave the team if Morris leaves. The team has played hard for him, even when we were 1-10, and the wins against the Saints, the Packers and the Seahawks were encouraging. There's little to suggest that he's a bad head coach, and I couldn't care less about his media interaction. He also got us a high 2nd round pick for a failing DE.

Raheem's worst failure has been in picking the OC and DC, and those were supposedly forced upon him as the Bucs were late in promoting him and the owners wanted some bigger name coordinators. The latter may or may not be true, but he deserves another year to show what he can do with a good OC and DC, really.

Haven't seen it, but it's a tribute/parody of WFAN and it's more famous callers basicaly.
Philadelphia Phil rocks.

Yeah, that's pretty big. But I compared it to The Wrestler for a reason, it's also a story of a man whose life really revolves around one thing, which is not socially acceptable to use as the basis of your life. Basically, the main character is a loser, but it shows a pretty serious picture of his life. Not the comedy I expected it to be going in.

 

[Cimmerian Nights]

Okay seriously, stop making the Pats sound like the fucking Lions. They went 10-6, they're a good team. Hell, FootballOutsiders has them as the 4th best team in the league, offense 1st, defense 17th.

That's all well and good, but who have the Pats beat? What big game did they win this year? They can't beat a good playoff team. And after this you get San Diego, at home, rested. And pissed at the Patriots for knocking them out 2 years in a row. We can count on LT crumbling, but there's too many other weapons and their D has morphed since Ron Rivera took over.


10-6 is misleading. Pats played a very weak schedule.

No way are they the 4th best team in the league with the blown leads, road losses, and 2nd half scoring droughts. They are not even a top tier team this year. And the disparity between the top tier and everyone else is stark this year.
Brady and the offense never found their rhythm. Defense is rebuilding. I haven't seen anything from the Patriots that vaguely gives me the impression that they could win a playoff game in San Diego this year. And then have to beat the #1 seed, the arch-nemesis Colts in their building... not gonna happen.

The Ravens are good, but definitely not unbeatable, and they have a tendency to shoot themselves in the foot with penalties.
Regardless, I'll be rooting for the Ravens.

I've heard they are the most penalized team in the league. But to be fair, I've seen them get a lot of really bad, game changing penalties fuck them over this year. Don't get me wrong, they always complain about officials there, but some of their bitching this year was justified IMO. (not that good teams can't overcome shitty refs).

They'll get nothing inside with Wilfork & Warren back, and Flacco is really spiraling downwards. Rice could light them up on the outside though.

Pats don't lose home playoff games though.

 

[Sander]

have the Pats beat? What big game did they win this year? They can't beat a good playoff team. And after this you get San Diego, at home, rested. And pissed at the Patriots for knocking them out 2 years in a row. We can count on LT crumbling, but there's too many other weapons and their D has morphed since Ron Rivera took over.


10-6 is misleading. Pats played a very weak schedule.

No way are they the 4th best team in the league with the blown leads, road losses, and 2nd half scoring droughts. They are not even a top tier team this year. And the disparity between the top tier and everyone else is stark this year.
Brady and the offense never found their rhythm. Defense is rebuilding. I haven't seen anything from the Patriots that vaguely gives me the impression that they could win a playoff game in San Diego this year. And then have to beat the #1 seed, the arch-nemesis Colts in their building... not gonna happen.

This is nonsense. The Pats faced the best pass-defenses in the league - they had the toughest pass-defense schedule of any team. That's why their offense seemed to suffer, but it always managed to put up good yardage even without a running game.
And another Pats problem: they're inconsistent. Which might be why you think they're terrible (as fucking if, they went 10-6 against the league's 7th worst schedule), seeing a few of the really bad games.
And no, their defense isn't great, that's why it's 17th in the league.

But really, have they done that bad? They beat the Ravens, the Jets twice, the Panthers (which is a better team than their record and was just beginning their late-season rush), you lost a close game to the (at the time) 4-0 Broncos and an insanely close game to the Colts. The only bad loss on the record is the loss to the Saints, which isn't that big of a deal. The loss to the Texans of this weekend would've been worrying if it wasn't a week 17 game with Bellichick fucking around with pulling and playing starters seemingly at random.

If the Pats lose against the Ravens, it'll be because the Ravens have a great defense and a decent offense, not because the Pats are a terrible team.

Also, if you're wondering, if you remove the blowout win over the Titans, they're still in 4th overall, 1st in offense.

I've heard they are the most penalized team in the league. But to be fair, I've seen them get a lot of really bad, game changing penalties fuck them over this year. Don't get me wrong, they always complain about officials there, but some of their bitching this year was justified IMO. (not that good teams can't overcome shitty refs).

They'll get nothing inside with Wilfork & Warren back, and Flacco is really spiraling downwards. Rice could light them up on the outside though.

Pats don't lose home playoff games though.

Flacco spiraling downward? He's still a good QB.

And eh, they've had some bad calls against them, but they also had a lot of good calls go against them too. They're penalised a lot, and isn't just luck. Hell, that's probably their biggest downside.

 

[Cimmerian Nights]

That's great and all, but this team quite simply doesn't get shit done when it matters most. They fold. That's very uncharacteristic of a Belichik team.

They should beat BAL at home, but they're getting scorched toasty brown if they make it to SD.

 

[UniversalWolf]

If you thought this was going to be based on merit and not PR power, you're being naive. Jesus, everytime Tom Brady got a bedsore last year it led on ESPN.

After Antonio Bryant got shafted last year, I never doubted there was a PR element to it, but I honestly thought Caddy was a slam dunk of such magnitude he could not be ignored. I remember three or four weeks into the season most people still didn't believe he would make it through the whole year without another injury. Besides, he was getting some feel-good stories of his own.

I'm cautiously optimistic about the playoff game this weekend, since the Pack has run circles around Arizona twice already this year, including the preseason. On the other hand, you never know when the Cards are going to show up with their A game. I'd be a lot more comfortable with Leinart starting.

What a buzzkill that Texas Alabama game was.

 

[Cimmerian Nights]

You kinda knew it was a lock for Brady, shit I think there were actually alarmist national reports that he flatlined on the operating table last year.

I'm cautiously optimistic about the playoff game this weekend, since the Pack has run circles around Arizona twice already this year, including the preseason. On the other hand, you never know when the Cards are going to show up with their A game

True, and everybody seems to be jumping on the Pack bandwagon, which is never a good sign. Cards haven't really shown that explosive spark this year. If you can get to Warner he's a fumble machine. Woodson Vs. Fitzy should be fun.

What a buzzkill that Texas Alabama game was.

Yeah, I thought that fake punt INT was going to open the game wide open. Then the Frosh came in, then the shovel pass . Then it was a game again, then it wasn't.
I think Bama wins anyway, but typical BCS bullshit where you're left thinking, did they really earn it?
And hasn't it been a month since they both played? And you can't sneak one semifinal tourney game in there to get a 4team playoff you assholes?

Love Saban, you can tell he's simpatico with his buddy Belichik. Have you ever seen two guys win so many titles and still be so fucking miserable?
It's a Croat thing?


Man, I feel bad for you Seahawks fans.
Pete Carrol?

Prepare to be underwhelmed.


Also:
J-E-T-S

JETS! JETS! JETS!

Don't let me down Jets.
I wanna see Revis get his shot at Manning in the next round.
Ty Law 2010!

Man, I don't want to hear you Nancys bashing the NE sports fans anymore. I've never seen Jets nation so positive, hopeful, and emboldened before. (They are all fucked up on Rex's Kool-Aid).
The fans had a parade across the Brooklyn Bridge today with strippers and a marching band. (It was sub-freezing and snowing this morning). No Joe Namath sightings, but that Fireman Ed douche-bag was there.

 

[UniversalWolf]

You kinda knew it was a lock for Brady, shit I think there were actually alarmist national reports that he flatlined on the operating table last year.

I fully expect Revis to win DPOY too, since he plays for a New York team.

 

[Sander]

You kinda knew it was a lock for Brady, shit I think there were actually alarmist national reports that he flatlined on the operating table last year.

I fully expect Revis to win DPOY too, since he plays for a New York team.

Revis winning DPOY would be a hard thing to argue with. The man has shut down receivers week after week after week and he's doing a stellar job on Ocho now.

So, Jets beat the Bengals. Graham misses two field goals, marking some hilarious edits to his wikipedia page:

Placekicker (soon to be fired)

Many people say if you listen closely during a dark winters eve, you can hear the sound of two consecutive playoff field goal misses.

He will soon go crazy, have a sex change, and then become a police officer bent on revenge against Carson Palmer.

Graham is known for his ability to eat massive quantities of food and is currently considered to be the undisputed eating champion of the Cincinnati Bengals

(that one is apparently actually true

Graham helped give away a 2009 playoff game to the New York Jets in one of the greatest works of charity in NFL history.

He is also a ginger which explains why he sucks at life and has no soul

To be fair, though, the Jets D was the biggest reason the Bengals didn't win.

EDIT:
Eagles got crushed by the Cowboys. Bwoys dominated the line on both sides of the ball, and the Eagles' secondary couldn't cover any receiver.

And this was a pretty ugly game for the Patriots. The start of the game was embarrassing, though they held their own after the 1st quarter. Still, Ravens D looked incredibly impressive, especially since they didn't kill themselves with penalties.

 

[TwinkieGorilla]

holy fuck. it's only 8pm and i am in such an incredibly bad mood. somebody disintegrate me, please?

 

[Sander]

holy fuck. it's only 8pm and i am in such an incredibly bad mood. somebody disintegrate me, please?

That was such an awesome, awesome, awesome game though. Holy shit was that just a ton of fun.

Terrible defense on both sides, though. No way are the Cards beating the Saints with that D.

 

[TwinkieGorilla]

i want to cry.

meh. well, at least i got a head-start on my first paper of the semester a day before it was officially assigned. that's something positive about this evening, no? damn thing's almost done already.

Pack's D was looking more like #22 in the league instead of #2. holy shit that game gave me fucking ulcers. cheers to Rodgers for playing like a GOD-DAMN CHAMP, but i am soooo disappointed in the D. fuck me.

 

[UniversalWolf]

That was such an awesome, awesome, awesome game though. Holy shit was that just a ton of fun.

Yeah, that was a good game. I don't like losing it, but there are worse ways to go out. The only guys I feel bad for are the Packer vets like Driver and Harris, but the core of the team is young and talented.

Good job Kurt Warner. I'm on the Cards bandwagon again this year now that the Pack done.

Terrible defense on both sides, though. No way are the Cards beating the Saints with that D.

I kind of disagree with that. More like two super high-powered offenses.

The Packers this year had a great defense against average teams, and got shredded by really good teams. The trend is pretty clear (Vikings, Vikings, Steelers, Cards) with the exception of the Tampa game, which proved to be a freak.

Both NFC games should be fun to watch next week.

BTW, what Revis did is impressive, but he wasn't the captain of his defense and he didn't come close to Woodson's volume of positive, spectacular, game-changing plays. It's not even particularly close.

 

[Cimmerian Nights]

He will soon go crazy, have a sex change, and then become a police officer bent on revenge against Carson Palmer.

Your gun is digging into my hip, Lois.

BTW, what Revis did is impressive, but he wasn't the captain of his defense and he didn't come close to Woodson's volume of positive, spectacular, game-changing plays. It's not even particularly close.

Woodson is the better overall football player for sure. Revis is the better pure cover corner. In that role he was peerless this year.
Revis had some real shitty calls go against him Sat.

Patriots get put out of their misery thankfully before they embarrass themselves even further. Nice, quick and clean like a mercy killing.
Can you guys stop fucking around and get a real OC now?
What the fuck was that gameplan? I love Kevin Faulk on the right spots, but WTF was with all those delayed hand-offs and draws? So predictable, and Faulk is not an every-down feature back on his best day. Barely any shots downfield. Piss poor play calling.
Bah, whatever. Wasted year.

Speaking of coach Carroll, I just want everyone to know I completely disagree with his decision to go to the NFL. Statistics show it's not a good choice.

Burnt.

 

[Sander]

Patriots get put out of their misery thankfully before they embarrass themselves even further. Nice, quick and clean like a mercy killing.
Can you guys stop fucking around and get a real OC now?
What the fuck was that gameplan? I love Kevin Faulk on the right spots, but WTF was with all those delayed hand-offs and draws? So predictable, and Faulk is not an every-down feature back on his best day. Barely any shots downfield. Piss poor play calling.
Bah, whatever. Wasted year.

One thing I noticed during that game, the Pats have some horrible, horrible fans. Best QB in team history and you start booing him? In the first fucking quarter? When the game is far from over?

Compare that to the Packers fans, I didn't hear a single boo directed at their own team, even though they were in essentially the same spot.

No wonder the Pats looked like they were giving up.

As for Woodson vs Revis, Woodson is really important for the Packers and I wouldn't mind him receiving the Defensive award. He's a great player. Revis, however, was the most important player on the best defense of the season. Without Revis, Ryan doesn't have the freedom to run all his crazy blitzes. Revis basically taking a receiver out of the game frees up everyone else on the defense. He isn't just the best cover corner, he makes that defense, albeit not as directly as Woodson does.

EDIT:
LDT's gone crazy

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXVoTWkWTkc[/youtube]

 

[Cimmerian Nights]

One thing I noticed during that game, the Pats have some horrible, horrible fans. Best QB in team history and you start booing him? In the first fucking quarter? When the game is far from over?

They were never in this game, don't fool yourself, opening play was a 85 yard, untouched TD, 3 consecutive turnovers that all led to points (a 4th was dropped), couldn't pick up the blitz, couldn't stop the run, let them convert every 3rd down. That's just the first 12 minutes!
Only sign of life was a blown call by the refs!
At home, in the playoffs, to a lower seeded team, a team that has never beaten the Patriots ever. To a coach and QB that have never lost a playoff game at home! What could people possibly find to boo at? Oh yeah, did I mention you also have to pay an arm and a leg to witness this, all in sub-freezing weather? And $8 beers, what's not to cheer about eh?

This team was never in it, and they didn't show any indication all year that they would be capable of coming back from that.
I'm sure if the fans had shaked some towels around, or done the wave those INTs would surely have been dropped and the arm tackles would've stopped Rice. Oh I know, we forgot to tell BAL what NE's DVOA is too, surely if they knew, then things would've turned out completely different.

I said before they haven't beaten a good team all year, and never showed signs that they had the potential to. They fulfilled the Peter Principle yesterday. Doesn't matter anyway, that team doesn't belong on the same field as SD or Indy. Like we need to go to Indy and suffer that indignity again. No thanks.

I was proud they booed. I had a chance to go there yesterday (opted to go to a Puerto Rican stag party instead - no doubt the better call!).
Brady doesn't get carte blanche the rest of his career because he was on a team the defense carried 8 years ago.
What have you done for me lately.
He's been inaccurate, unproductive in 2nd halves, shitty 2 minute drills, blown 2nd half leads all this year. That he made the Pro-bowl is only a statement of his name recognition and reputation.

That 1st quarter yesterday was worse than any QTR of JaMarcus Russell's career.
He deserved to get booed, and he himself admitted as much.

Forget the Patriots, they are done. It's a waste to speak of them.

Compare that to the Packers fans, I didn't hear a single boo directed at their own team, even though they were in essentially the same spot.

Wrong building dude, I know the cactus and armadillos out front of the stadium really make it look like the frozen tundra of Lambeau, but that was actually an away game.
Besides, the Packers played a competitive, tight game, they lost on the last play in OT, and even that was set up by a if-y call by the refs. You cannot compare.

And I'm pretty sure the credit goes to Rodgers, Finley, and Jennings, not any perceived fan support of any degree.

No wonder the Pats looked like they were giving up.

Horrible football begets horrible fan reactions, not the other way around.

 

[UniversalWolf]

Horrible football begets horrible fan reactions, not the other way around.

Yeah, I'm not a guy who generally boos my own team, but I think the Pats fans were within their rights to boo that loss. It looked like the team just didn't show up with their heads in the game, and the players even admitted as much afterward.

I can remember times the Packers got booed at Lambeau. Back when Mike Sherman was slowly destroying the team they lost their first home playoff game in 69 years to the Falcons and got booed. It wasn't because they lost but because they had horrible effort level. There's nothing people love to boo more than lack of effort on behalf of millionaire athletes whose only job is to play a game.

BTW, I can understand how the refs missed that facemask penalty on Rodgers on the last play, but when you look at the replay it was actually pretty flagarant. The guy tackled him all the way to the ground by pulling on it.

 

[Sander]

They were never in this game, don't fool yourself, opening play was a 85 yard, untouched TD, 3 consecutive turnovers that all led to points (a 4th was dropped), couldn't pick up the blitz, couldn't stop the run, let them convert every 3rd down. That's just the first 12 minutes!
Only sign of life was a blown call by the refs!
At home, in the playoffs, to a lower seeded team, a team that has never beaten the Patriots ever. To a coach and QB that have never lost a playoff game at home! What could people possibly find to boo at? Oh yeah, did I mention you also have to pay an arm and a leg to witness this, all in sub-freezing weather? And $8 beers, what's not to cheer about eh?

This team was never in it, and they didn't show any indication all year that they would be capable of coming back from that.
I'm sure if the fans had shaked some towels around, or done the wave those INTs would surely have been dropped and the arm tackles would've stopped Rice. Oh I know, we forgot to tell BAL what NE's DVOA is too, surely if they knew, then things would've turned out completely different.

I said before they haven't beaten a good team all year, and never showed signs that they had the potential to. They fulfilled the Peter Principle yesterday. Doesn't matter anyway, that team doesn't belong on the same field as SD or Indy. Like we need to go to Indy and suffer that indignity again. No thanks.

I was proud they booed. I had a chance to go there yesterday (opted to go to a Puerto Rican stag party instead - no doubt the better call!).
Brady doesn't get carte blanche the rest of his career because he was on a team the defense carried 8 years ago.
What have you done for me lately.
He's been inaccurate, unproductive in 2nd halves, shitty 2 minute drills, blown 2nd half leads all this year. That he made the Pro-bowl is only a statement of his name recognition and reputation.

That 1st quarter yesterday was worse than any QTR of JaMarcus Russell's career.
He deserved to get booed, and he himself admitted as much.

Forget the Patriots, they are done. It's a waste to speak of them.

I think this whole rant here describes perfectly what I hate about this kind of fandom. 'What have you for me lately'? Ehm, they're in the fucking playoffs. Brady had the 2nd best year of his career (only 2007 was a better year). And instead of supporting one of the best QBs in the league and trying to inspire him to engineer some kind of comeback (which wasn't remotely impossible - after the third quarter the score was 27-14, two possession game, and the Pats had just shown they could drive on the Ravens), you boo him off the field. Proud that they booed him? Dear god, if Brady had engineered a comeback everyone out there would be playing the 'Yeah Pats rule whoooooo' card and being a bandwagon hypocrite.

Wrong building dude, I know the cactus and armadillos out front of the stadium really make it look like the frozen tundra of Lambeau, but that was actually an away game.

Yes. That makes it worse, not better, that Brady got booed. The Pack just got the standard away-game third-down loudness, the Patriots got booed. By their own fans. In the first quarter, when there was basically no reason the Pats couldn't come back from it (and lo and behold, later on in the game when they scored the TD it looked like the Pats might start going on a roll again).
That's ridiculous. You don't fucking bail on your own team in a playoff game, not when over 3/4 of the game has yet to be played.

Besides, the Packers played a competitive, tight game, they lost on the last play in OT, and even that was set up by a if-y call by the refs. You cannot compare.

Ehm, what? Are you kidding me? The Pack started slightly less horribly than the Pats did, but it was still pretty fucking terrible, starting with a Rodgers pick on the first play, a lost fumble on the next Pack drive and then a 3-and-out. The Pats were down 24-0 after the first quarter, the Pack was down 17-0. You are deluding yourself if the Pack was playing a tight competitive game at that point much more than the Pats were. It looked like it was going to be another boring, uncompetitive game that the Packers were going to lose by big numbers at that point. The situation was almost exactly the same (the difference basically being that Rodgers only threw one pick), and it is embarrassing that the Pats were getting booed instead of being supported.

Yeah, I'm not a guy who generally boos my own team, but I think the Pats fans were within their rights to boo that loss. It looked like the team just didn't show up with their heads in the game, and the players even admitted as much afterward.

I can get fourth-quarter boos or when the game is nearing its end. First quarter? Fucking nonsense.

 

[Cimmerian Nights]

Leave Brady alone!

Ehm, they're in the fucking playoffs.

Ehm, no they're not in the fucking playoffs.

Brady had the 2nd best year of his career

Brady had the worst playoff game of his career. They weren't booing his year, they were booing his 1st quarter. By all means point out a worse QTR from an equally talented player at any point in NFL playoff history.

Brady sucked yesterday.
When Welker's BAC is higher than Brady's QB rating, you know things are FUBAR.

So did the defense. So did the playcalling. Pretty much everything sucked except for Faulk, Edelman and Wilfork.

On the bright side, Voellmer made a couple nice tackles, maybe he can do sport duty as a LB.

instead of supporting one of the best QBs in the league and trying to inspire him to engineer some kind of comeback

Inspire by cheering. That's quaint.
Seau couldn't catch Rice because the fans weren't cheering enough.

if Brady had engineered a comeback everyone out there would be playing the 'Yeah Pats rule whoooooo' card and being a bandwagon hypocrite.

If?
If my aunt had a dick she'd be my uncle.

I don't understand, it's wrong to cheer good play and boo bad play? You can only cheer or only boo?
The onfield play dictates the fan response, not the other way around.

You should take issue with fans like JAX, they are the ones hurting football, not Patriots fans. The Patriot''s fans boo, but at least they come to the stadium.

there was basically no reason the Pats couldn't come back from it

You haven't watched them play all year have you?
What have they done this year that even gave you that misguided impression?
The 2009 Patriots don't make comebacks, they blow leads.
It's not 2004 dude.

 

[Sander]

Ehm, no they're not in the fucking playoffs.

They were when people started booing.

Brady had the worst playoff game of his career. They weren't booing his year, they were booing his 1st quarter. By all means point out a worse QTR from an equally talented player at any point in NFL playoff history.

Brady sucked yesterday.
When Welker's BAC is higher than Brady's QB rating, you know things are FUBAR.

So did the defense. So did the playcalling. Pretty much everything sucked except for Faulk, Edelman and Wilfork.

On the bright side, Voellmer made a couple nice tackles, maybe he can do sport duty as a LB.

The play wasn't good, no. But when play isn't good but there's plenty of time left to make a comeback, supporters aren't supposed to just drop their team and give up.

Inspire by cheering. That's quaint.
Seau couldn't catch Rice because the fans weren't cheering enough.

Oh god do I ever hate it when you do this shit. You're like the king of stupidass strawmen, trying to put words into my mouth and then attacking the most extreme and stupid position you could possibly think of that isn't in any way related to what I'm actually saying.

No, I'm not saying that fans determine how people play. If that were true, obviously the Pats would never have won anything in the first place given the fan response they get after one bad quarter.

I am saying that any supporter worth his salt doesn't give up on his team after one fucking quarter. I'm saying that you stick with your team if they're not doing good in a game but can still come back.
And no, don't give me that nonsense that they couldn't have come back. I watched the game. It wasn't a close game, but the Ravens gave them plenty spots where they could've come back. They didn't take them, but the Pats have shown enough talent this year to where you can't just count them out then. I didn't, and I was rooting for the Ravens.

What did the Pats do this year? In a supposed rebuilding year (*your words*) they won their division made the playoffs. How spoiled do you have to be to not be happy with a division win and a playoff appearance in a rebuilding year?

And seriously, stop whining that you never beat a good team. You put up the biggest score of the season against the Titans, you beat the Ravens (who are a good team), you only very narrowly lost to the Colts and you beat the Panthers in their hot streak. It isn't fucking 16-0, but it's a good performance. Your expectations of your team are completely out of proportion, and the fan outrage at a struggling team is almost as bad as the Eagles fans hating every decent player to step onto the gridiron for them.

If?
If my aunt had a dick she'd be my uncle.

I don't understand, it's wrong to cheer good play and boo bad play? You can only cheer or only boo?
The onfield play dictates the fan response, not the other way around.

You should take issue with fans like JAX, they are the ones hurting football, not Patriots fans. The Patriot''s fans boo, but at least they come to the stadium.

No they don't. The stadium wasn't anywhere near to sold out. An entire upper level was almost completely empty. Wilfork said it felt like a road game. And that's in a playoff game, where everyone going in thought the Pats were going to win. If you want to blast Jacksonville, be sure to first sell out your own big games.

You haven't watched them play all year have you?
What have they done this year that even gave you that misguided impression?
The 2009 Patriots don't make comebacks, they blow leads.
It's not 2004 dude.

And again you show why I hate this kind of fandom: the nonsensical, completely pessimistic mentality. The spoiled, coddled attitude where it's never good enough unless you win it all, and dominate in doing so. That's not how sports work.

The only time I've heard booing that bad in any game this year is when JaMarcus Russell was playing. That's pathetic.

 

[Cimmerian Nights]

Dude, I'm not interested in the tit-for-tat pissing contest.

Suffice to say:
1st play from scrimage - 85 yd TD - nobody laid a finger on him
Strip sack sets up a TD (Preceded by 2 plays for -1yds)
3 and out
INT sets up another TD
INT sets up a FG
24-0
That was the first 12 minutes.

The 2009 Patriots are not good enough to surmount that.

Be realistic, where did they ever show the ability to come back against a quality team like BAL?
You have to outscore a team by 24 and hold them to none? This defense? Not happening. Lost cause.
Boo! I say Boo!

The play wasn't good, no.

Brady's 1st QTR - 4-8 50% 16 yards, 1 fumble, 2 INTS ( a 3rd INT dropped).
Not good huh?
That's not good for Ryan Leaf. For Tom Brady, at home, in a playoff game it 's shameful and certainly boo-worthy.
He said this himself.

supporters aren't supposed to just drop their team and give up.

Call the pep squad!

Oh god do I ever hate it when you do this shit. You're like the king of stupidass strawmen, trying to put words into my mouth and then attacking the most extreme and stupid position you could possibly think of that isn't in any way related to what I'm actually saying.

Trying backing one of your wild assertions up with a fucking example or some kind of precedence before you slag others for using artistic license to fill in the gaping fucking chasm in your argument.

Are you naive enough to think that the fans were burdening Tom Brady by giving reciprocal vocal expression to his performance.

No, I'm not saying that fans determine how people play. If that were true, obviously the Pats would never have won anything in the first place given the fan response they get after one bad quarter.

Aww sour grapes. 3 SuperBowls, 2 World Series, 10 Stanley Cups, and 17 NBA Championships (odds-on favorite on to get 18 this year).
Your causality theory don't hold up.

I am saying that any supporter worth his salt doesn't give up on his team after one fucking quarter. I'm saying that you stick with your team if they're not doing good in a game but can still come back.

If this were the Pats 2001-2007 I'd give them a realistic shot.
This team is not shown themselves capable of coming back against anyone (well BUF in week1, but they suck). This is not whining or entitlement. It's Reality.

I thought I was a homer.
Make up your mind.

What did the Pats do this year? In a supposed rebuilding year (*your words*) they won their division made the playoffs. How spoiled do you have to be to not be happy with a division win and a playoff appearance in a rebuilding year?

Yeah and a division winner that loses at home in that fashion should be ashamed.
We're not talking about the Browns here.

And seriously, stop whining that you never beat a good team. You put up the biggest score of the season against the Titans,

The Titans aren't a good team, and that score is more indicative of them sucking and quitting than the Patriots being better than mediocre. Didn't I say this 3 months ago?

and the fan outrage at a struggling team is almost as bad as the Eagles fans hating every decent player to step onto the gridiron for them.

You're out of your depth now, because that couldn't be more false.
Incidentally, how'd McNabb do in his last 2 meaningful games?

No they don't. The stadium wasn't anywhere near to sold out. An entire upper level was almost completely empty. Wilfork said it felt like a road game. And that's in a playoff game, where everyone going in thought the Pats were going to win. If you want to blast Jacksonville, be sure to first sell out your own big games.

Funny, the game wasn't blacked out here like every home JAX game was this year. Besdies there's that little factor called weather here, something like a 60 degree temperature swing my friend. You could die of exposure at a Pats game in JAN.

Wilfork: We didn’t help by playing any better than we did …

And again you show why I hate this kind of fandom: the nonsensical, completely pessimistic mentality. The spoiled, coddled attitude where it's never good enough unless you win it all, and dominate in doing so. That's not how sports work.

You haven't being paying attention very well. I had my expectations set pretty rationally - probably beat BAL, ehh, lose a tough road playoff to a hot & rested SD. Not so bad.

Yesterday was a statement game for the Pats.
The statment is this: title era is over, bridge era begins.
Boooooooo!

The only time I've heard booing that bad in any game this year is when JaMarcus Russell was playing. That's pathetic.

Bad is bad, it doesn't matter what your name is.



Can we talk about something fun now like the Jets? Patriots are old news until free agency & draft time.