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Nomad

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I couldn't agree with you more...the Pats get it done. Brady playing with the injured thumb, Gronk knocked out of the game early...and yet TB finds a way to win late in the game. If he wins the SB that'll be his 6th and I think it would be hard not to considered him the GOAT.
 
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on3m@n@rmy

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Ya, overall the Jags are a better team, player for player, if you leave out 2 things: the QBs and coaching.

Poor offensive play calling in the second half killed the Jags. They were just too predictable. It seemed like almost every first down play was a 1-yard run (or run for zero to negative yards). This forced the Jags to throw on 2nd and 3rd. They should have mixed in more 1st down play action passes, get it to 2nd or 3rd and short, then run while still mixing in passes. Credit the Pats halftime adjustments on defense.

However, how bout Amendola's catch in the end zone to take the final lead? Maybe I should retract part of what I said above (overall the Jags are a better team, player for player).

But hats off to the Pats again, and Eagles for that unexpected blowout.
 
leftover pie

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I really liked the DB's run back for the TD after the interception in the Eagles/Vikings game, showed great patience and poise to find a way through the maze of defenders, crossing the field and then using a blocker well to get in for the score, really waited and let it develop instead of just ploughing ahead and getting tackled for a short return.
 
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movingtarget

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on3m@n@rmy said:
Ya, overall the Jags are a better team, player for player, if you leave out 2 things: the QBs and coaching.

Poor offensive play calling in the second half killed the Jags. They were just too predictable. It seemed like almost every first down play was a 1-yard run (or run for zero to negative yards). This forced the Jags to throw on 2nd and 3rd. They should have mixed in more 1st down play action passes, get it to 2nd or 3rd and short, then run while still mixing in passes. Credit the Pats halftime adjustments on defense.

However, how bout Amendola's catch in the end zone to take the final lead? Maybe I should retract part of what I said above (overall the Jags are a better team, player for player).

But hats off to the Pats again, and Eagles for that unexpected blowout.
Click to expand...

I didn't think the Jags game would be so close but never expected them to win. Also never expected the blowout in the other game. I still think the Patriots will win the Super Bowl but can't see Brady playing for more than one more season somehow.
 
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on3m@n@rmy

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movingtarget said:
on3m@n@rmy said:
Ya, overall the Jags are a better team, player for player, if you leave out 2 things: the QBs and coaching.

Poor offensive play calling in the second half killed the Jags. They were just too predictable. It seemed like almost every first down play was a 1-yard run (or run for zero to negative yards). This forced the Jags to throw on 2nd and 3rd. They should have mixed in more 1st down play action passes, get it to 2nd or 3rd and short, then run while still mixing in passes. Credit the Pats halftime adjustments on defense.

However, how bout Amendola's catch in the end zone to take the final lead? Maybe I should retract part of what I said above (overall the Jags are a better team, player for player).

But hats off to the Pats again, and Eagles for that unexpected blowout.
Click to expand...

I didn't think the Jags game would be so close but never expected them to win. Also never expected the blowout in the other game. I still think the Patriots will win the Super Bowl but can't see Brady playing for more than one more season somehow.
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Pregame, other than the Jags & their fans, I don't think many expected them to win either. Me included. But I certainly believed they could have won that game, even if Brady's hand was not injured.
 
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on3m@n@rmy

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Re:

King Boonen said:
Hard to see past the Pats, they know how to win big games from seemingly any situation.

Again, only caught brief highlights but the Eagles looked like they just scored at will. Hopefully a good SB, I usually stay up and catch some of it.
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This SB is a game the Eagles can win IMO, but don't think they will mainly because there will be phases of the game where the Eagles will be outcoached. Bill is too good at situational game planning, taking away their strengths, targeting their weakness, and doing some things differently that teams have not seen much, if at all, during the season that the Eagles will not be well prepared for.
 
The Hitch

The Hitch

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I didnt see the Pats jags game until the 4th quarter. What I saw, Pats walked all over the Jags. I hate the Pats but from what I saw there was only 1 team that deserved to represent the AFC from those 2.

All hope is lost now afic. If the Falcons couldnt win from 28-3 and Seahwaks couldnt win from the 1 yard line, what hope do a Foles let Eagles have.

0. At least ill get some sleep since superbowl starts at 2 am where I am. So frustrating. In 4 years there has been 1 game ive been able to enjoy knowing the Pats weren't going to win the Superbowl that year. - Superbowl 50. Every other game including the AFC CHampionship that year when an all time great defense scraped by by the skin of their teeth, the Pats were the favourites.

Obviously they are great. And I will aknowledge in 2015 I think they were unlucky not to win it in that they got screwed in Denver by the refs in the snow game (without which they win home field advantage).

But so many times it feels like Pats also just get the luck of the bounce or the draw. Like the Steelers game this year. THe steelers outplayed them imo. Gronk not Brady had one of the greatest drives ever (though Brady will of course get the credit) to put them ahead but Steelers still marched down the field, a ridiculous rule stole them the game and an extremely lucky bounce gave Pats an interception.

It felt like if you replayed that game 10 times, Steelers win 8, but the bounces just fell for NY. Same with the Edleman catch and 50 other plays last superbowl. 49 was a coin flip.

Or how the NFC East has been a very strong division for 3 out of the last 4 years. The one year it wasn't, when they had a 37.5% win rate - ah yes 2015 when it was the worst division in football, was the one year the Pats played it. Ironically they lost to an awful Eagles team at home that year in what is the most surprising Pats result I have ever seen. Hope?

What about the NFC West. Last year was the only year of the 4 year cycle that the NFC West had 3 teams with a losing record and an appauling 35% win rate. Ah yes thats the year the Pats play the NFC West.

Similar with the AFC North which while hardly great this year, still had its worst win rate last year when the PAts played.

This year they played the AFC West. Best division in football last year. Best division in football arguably every year of the 4 year cycle. Apart from this year when it became the worst division just in time for the Pats to play.

Not to mention that their main rivals (Broncos at first and now Steelers) play in harder divisions than the AFC East.

There's no conspiracy here, they just get lucky some times. Not always. This year they played a very strong NFC South, but im sure even Brady is thanking his lucky stars he got Saints right at the beginning when they were crap.

I think the Pats should take this, and they deserve it. But if the Eagles do show up to play, how nice it would be to see for once the bounce go the other way.
 
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movingtarget

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Things won't really change for the Patriots until Brady and Bill B move on and I also think Patriots players that have become used to success will be more flexible then about moving to other teams probably for bigger money anyway. Successful teams eventually run their course. Some people have been calling for a shake up of the team groupings NFC AFC etc.......but the Patriots era has to come to an end soon. The Steelers and Falcons have missed their best opportunities for a while to win an SB. I expect in the next few seasons quite a few divisions will flip and formerly mediocre teams will feature in the playoffs more often. A few people picked the Rams and Jags for improved seasons this year but I didn't expect that much improvement from them the same as I didn't expect the Giants, Denver and the Cowboys to drop so much. I picked the Eagles for an improved season but didn't really expect them to get to the Super Bowl.
 
Billie

Billie

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on3m@n@rmy said:
Ya, overall the Jags are a better team, player for player, if you leave out 2 things: the QBs and coaching.

Poor offensive play calling in the second half killed the Jags. They were just too predictable. It seemed like almost every first down play was a 1-yard run (or run for zero to negative yards). This forced the Jags to throw on 2nd and 3rd. They should have mixed in more 1st down play action passes, get it to 2nd or 3rd and short, then run while still mixing in passes. Credit the Pats halftime adjustments on defense.
Click to expand...

Jags for some reason started running from shotgun instead of from under center in the 2nd half on 1st/2nd down. Took away all play action which is their only option to move the ball through the air
 
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on3m@n@rmy

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Re: Re:

Billie said:
Myles Jack, a top 5 RB in the league was about run it back for 70 yards ffs still can't believe i didn't get to see that

Pats last 8 games had 5 games with 10 or less penalty yards.
NO other team ever has had more than 3 in a full season
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Jags have right to fume over the early whistle on the fumble recovery by Myles Jack, who, had the whistle not been blown early, would have run it it for a TD - without doubt. The official must have thought the Pats player's knee to be down before he lost control of the ball.

Ideally, fuming over the lack of Pats penalties should be accompanied by video showing penalties not called. But the lack of penalties does make one wonder, right? Still, the Pats are good at execution, which includes minimizing penalties. Here's more talk on the penalty topic (the first video is about the penalty discussion, while the rest of the article is about the Jack fumble recovery with supporting video):
https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/01/22/jaguars-myles-jack-fumble-return-afc-championship
I tend to agree the penalties did not cost the Jags the game. Other factors such as play calling (Barber refers to this as lack of aggression by not putting the ball more in the hands of Bortles - e.g. my interpretation is Jags should have thrown it more on 1st down, maybe stretch the field a little bit more).
 
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on3m@n@rmy

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Billie said:
on3m@n@rmy said:
Ya, overall the Jags are a better team, player for player, if you leave out 2 things: the QBs and coaching.

Poor offensive play calling in the second half killed the Jags. They were just too predictable. It seemed like almost every first down play was a 1-yard run (or run for zero to negative yards). This forced the Jags to throw on 2nd and 3rd. They should have mixed in more 1st down play action passes, get it to 2nd or 3rd and short, then run while still mixing in passes. Credit the Pats halftime adjustments on defense.
Click to expand...

Jags for some reason started running from shotgun instead of from under center in the 2nd half on 1st/2nd down. Took away all play action which is their only option to move the ball through the air
Click to expand...
good observation
 
Alpe d'Huez

Alpe d'Huez

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Agree that conservative decisions cost the Jags, that and Tom Brady. We can say forever the Jags should have won, but they didn't. When it really mattered, the team with a hardened heart of a champion team won the game.

Huge props to Nick Foles for the game of his life. He's had a few games like this in the past, nearly a whole season of it, but not many thought he could deliver like that again. Now, a couple weeks in a row he's played very well. He's going to need to in the SB if the Eagles are to win.

While the Vikings on paper have a better defense than the Pats, which makes you think the Eagles will move the ball just as easily, I don't think it's that simple. The Vikings looked done by the 2nd quarter, spent. Actually, they looked like the tank ran dry after 3 quarters last week. They just were able to jump start it for another quarter or so.

If there's one thing that may get missed by a lot of people is that the OL of the Eagles, and their front 7 on D, are better than the Pats. Any objective analysis will note this. It's been said many times that games are more often won and lost in the trenches than people realize. If the Eagles lines can keep playing at this level at the line of scrimmage, and that means keep the offense on the field on some nice, long drives, and keep pressure on Brady (even if they give up some big plays), the Eagles can win. You can almost picture it, right? I just have this hunch that Belicheck is going to find a solution to this though, just like he always does.
 
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movingtarget

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Re:

Alpe d'Huez said:
Agree that conservative decisions cost the Jags, that and Tom Brady. We can say forever the Jags should have won, but they didn't. When it really mattered, the team with a hardened heart of a champion team won the game.

Huge props to Nick Foles for the game of his life. He's had a few games like this in the past, nearly a whole season of it, but not many thought he could deliver like that again. Now, a couple weeks in a row he's played very well. He's going to need to in the SB if the Eagles are to win.

While the Vikings on paper have a better defense than the Pats, which makes you think the Eagles will move the ball just as easily, I don't think it's that simple. The Vikings looked done by the 2nd quarter, spent. Actually, they looked like the tank ran dry after 3 quarters last week. They just were able to jump start it for another quarter or so.

If there's one thing that may get missed by a lot of people is that the OL of the Eagles, and their front 7 on D, are better than the Pats. Any objective analysis will note this. It's been said many times that games are more often won and lost in the trenches than people realize. If the Eagles lines can keep playing at this level at the line of scrimmage, and that means keep the offense on the field on some nice, long drives, and keep pressure on Brady (even if they give up some big plays), the Eagles can win. You can almost picture it, right? I just have this hunch that Belicheck is going to find a solution to this though, just like he always does.
Click to expand...

I hope it's a good game. It should be. Last year was a crazy Super Bowl of course. No doubt that the Eagles O Line is quality. Would not be surprised if it didn't end being similar to the Jags/Patriots game.
 
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on3m@n@rmy

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Re:

Tricycle Rider said:
Have no pony in this Super Bowl race, however...

How should I put this kindly other than that New England is getting to be like the Alabama in college football...

Somebody please make this STOP!
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I understand that sentiment. Spreading the SB appearances & wins around has its virtues. But not to be critical of that opinion, let me present a different perspective, and I'm not even close to being a Patriot fan. I am a football excellence fan. What is wrong with excellence? That is pretty much what the Patriots are, and they do it in a classy manner (not arrogant, they don't do much trash talking during the week except probably on the field where all teams do that, it's about team - not the individual). Nothing wrong with the pursuit of excellence IMO, and they have done that better than any other organization lately. I mean, this is the stuff that will be talked about for generations or decades anyway.

That said, I'm really interested to see how they perform next season after losing their DC and OC to head coaching positions. Why? I'm curious to see how good Belichick is at coaching up new coordinators. We have some evidence of that already, but lose both in the same season? That's tough.
 
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Singer01

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Ponder this, New England have the best record in the NFL over the last 15 years when coming off a bye week. Obviously this could be because they are better rested then the team they are playing which isn't the case in the superbowl, or maybe its just with 2 weeks to prepare for another team Belichick comes up with the goods.
edit. Having said that the Eagles have the second best record so ignore that fact.
 
The Hitch

The Hitch

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Re:

Singer01 said:
Ponder this, New England have the best record in the NFL over the last 15 years when coming off a bye week. Obviously this could be because they are better rested then the team they are playing which isn't the case in the superbowl, or maybe its just with 2 weeks to prepare for another team Belichick comes up with the goods.
edit. Having said that the Eagles have the second best record so ignore that fact.
Click to expand...
Interesting. Of course over the last 15 years Eagles have essentially been 4 or 5 different teams, all just happened to be based in Philadelphia. Even the Chip Kelly team of 3 years ago is almost irrecognizable.

But interesting how many stories there are in pretty much every superbowl.

Here we have the Eagles - last time they were in the superbowl was against the Patriots, and they faced Falcons and Vikings in the playoffs.

Exactly same as this year, just Vikings and Falcons the other way around.
 
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