LATE Super Bowl Predictions

[Joe Hoya]

Winner, score, and MVP.

I will stick with my pick from two weeks ago:

Patriots 14
Eagles 20

MVP: Brian Westbrook

[Cambridge]

24-20 Pats MVP Dillon 144 yards rushing 2 TDs

[HoyaLawya]

Eagles must win.

That's all.

They must win.

Don't care if it's a score of 49 - 3, or merely 14-13.

They just simply have to win.

Residents of NJ are assigning extra troopers to the boundaries where the Garden State meets the Keystone State.

Angry rampaging mobs of upset Philadelphia fans are anticipated if the Eagles lose.

(Thank GOD for the Delaware River ... it will help confine hot spots to the areas of bridge crossings.)

They might try to take out the Camden, NJ headquarters of Campbell Soup. (Even if Wilma -- "but most call her Charlene" -- McNabb's endorsement checks get blown up in the process. Or maybe to make sure that they do ?)

My seasons tickets to the Jets make me unbiased about the outcome of Super Bowl XXXIX.

I only fear for the safety of the women, children and pets of NJ.

Even New Englanders -- so recently emancipated from the "curse of the Bambino" -- must feel some pity and compassion and agree that it is best if the Patriots come home without the hardware this time. ;D


MVP: Donovan McNabb

MV Mom: Wilma

[DanMcQ]

Condolences, Joe and HoyaLawya.

Rematch next year?

SF99, it's officially a DYNASTY.

Fun game.

PIX LINKS

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[SFHoya99]

DanMcQ said:

SF99, it's officially a DYNASTY.

I must've missed the Official Dynasty Committee voting. Nice game for New England, but I'll stick with what I said before: not yet a dynasty.

[DanMcQ]

SFHoya99 said:

I must've missed the Official Dynasty Committee voting. Nice game for New England, but I'll stick with what I said before: not yet a dynasty.

Gotta love a man who sticks to his convictions, even when he's wrong.

;D

I wouldn't want to be Eugene Wilson tonight - his arm/shoulder injury looked NASTY. Props to the Eagles, who played just about as I thought they would.

[GUHoya07]

Dan- what happened to remote loading? I guess we're all allowed to post pics now.

[DanMcQ]

GUHoya2007 said:

Dan- what happened to remote loading? I guess we're all allowed to post pics now.

nah - just taking liberties ;D links there now, happy?

[Joe Hoya]

I'm not joking - I was thisclose to throwing up after the game.

Apparently Herman Edwards snuck onto the Eagles sideline in the fourth quarter. No other explanation for that hideous clock management. It's possible to run a time-preserving drive without panicking your way into a turnover.

Those last five minutes made me feel like the team forgot that there wasn't a fifth quarter. When one of the broadcasters (Collinsworth, maybe) wondered aloud how many Philadelphia fans were yelling "HURRY UP!" at their televisions, I said "At least one...THROW THE BALL DOWNFIELD!"

In sum, the Patriots were supposed to "take away one thing". Apparently that one thing was the ball. Other than that, the Pats didn't do anything particularly devastating (the Eagles hardly got any yards on the ground, but what else is new?) to win this game. They just let the Eagles lose it. And that's what hurts more than anything. If they had lost 63-7, then it's one thing. But to lose like this...reminds me of the game we lost to Syracuse last year at MCI. Only XXXIX times worse.

As an aside, and I'm not complaining because the Eagles lost (as I said, they did it to themselves), but what happened to the Patriots being a team of "guys who aren't flashy and just do their jobs?" After his 30-yard reception early on, Terrell Owens (who was absolutely, positively, 100% MAGNIFICENT in this game...anyone who thinks otherwise should change their handle to JeffGarcia#5) did his familiar wing-flap. An appropriate little thing, seeing as his team is named after a bird. It gets the home fans into it, moreso than it's meant to show up the opponents (I mean it isn't like he runs up to the DB he just burned and starts flapping). After that, EVERY Patriot player (except Brady and Bruschi), when they made any sort of play, started flapping their own arms. What happened to not drawing attention to themselves and just playing the game? Especially Rodney Harrison at the end of the game...the game's over, you won, good job, now give the official the ball and go celebrate on the sideline. Don't try to show up everybody else. Then again, what would you expect from one of the two dirtiest players in the NFL (Kenoi Kennedy of Denver being the other)?

I don't even want to think about this game anymore. Unfortunately, my memory isn't so easily erased.

See you in Detroit.

[DanMcQ]

Joe, the flap from Rodney was probably a result of the "I got somethin' fer ya, 37" comment earlier in the week.

When you've got a demonstrative guy like TO who calls attention to himself with a signature demonstration like that (which he did with an early catch) and is constantly talking pregame, you're going to get some responses.

As for the Eagles giving the game away, that had a LOT to do with the Pats defense. They made McNabb look very shaky. Sure, he had some gaudy yardage numbers but he seemingly had no idea where the DBs and safeties were and was horrid in the red zone for most of the game. The Pats didn't drop extra people into coverage as expected - they went with 2 down D-lineman and bombed McNabb from the start of the game. The Pats played the entire second half with 2 rookie safeties... and Philly couldn't take advantage of it.

TO was excellent.

Just heard, in TV coverage here in Boston, that Brady had a bit more family trouble than just his grandmother: his uncle is in the hospital undergoing cancer treatment and apparently his father was hospitalized early in the week with a medical emergency as well. He was uncharacteristically shaky in the first half (and I credit the Eagles' defense with a lot of that) but he was his usual sharp self when it counted.

How about Bill Lyon in the Inquirer with his pregame predictions?

www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/10826609.htm?1c

At least he was close on the score, although in the wrong direction. He must be greener than you right about now...

[TBird41]

Sorry-no Eagles fans are allowed to complain about other teams celebration. It's a rule.

The lone exception is if you also denounce Eagles players celebrating. Since you aren't, you can't complain.

[Joe Hoya]

Coming from a fan of the "Moon"-esota Vikings, I would have to say, Mr. Pot, that I don't look as kettle-ish as you may be saying.

There is nothing wrong with playing to the crowd (as TO does with the flapping wings). I do have a problem with unoriginal headhunters acting like they are the sole reason their team is winning the game. If he wanted to respond to Freddie Mitchell, he could have done the "People's champ" belt thing, and it would have been warranted, seeing as he caught more of McNabb's passes than Mitchell (not Freddie's fault, but true nonetheless). He did TO's flap (as did Hines Ward during the season...I mean come one, is it THAT hard to come up with your own celebratory gesture?), which to me isn't cool.

But what really isn't cool is that the Eagles dominated the Pats for most of the first half, and couldn't do anything with it. As TMQ says - you can't dance with the champ, you have to knock him out. Apparently, the Eagles brought their tap shoes instead of their gloves.

I'll end with a comment (paraphrased) from Steve Young: "What you'll hear me talking about is why the Eagles lost this game, not why the Patriots won it." Yup.

These two teams got to this point by not making mistakes. Tonight, the Eagles made more than the Patriots. And they lost.

[DanMcQ]

Joe - I understand the pain (hey, remember those lousy Patriots teams of old and all those years of Red Sox near misses?) but many of the Eagles' offensive mistakes were forced by the Patriots defense. To completely ignore that is to have not watched how easily the Patriots defense got to McNabb most of the game. But don't listen to me, listen to TO, "They're an elite team. We played sloppy, but they made us play sloppy at times."

Having said that, the Pats defense is notorious for giving up lots of yards but not lots of points and for their takeaways. Tonight's game was no different.

Don't kid yourself with the 'TO is only playing to the crowd' stuff - that is directed at his team and the other team just as much as it is the crowd. It's not behavior I'm very fond of in any sporting event, but it's a fact of life in the NFL.

[Joe Hoya]

"They will do it by prizing every possession and by not committing turnovers as Donovan McNabb, who finally gets to play the big room, manages the game adroitly and cashes in every scoring opportunity." - Bill Lyon, Philadelphia Inquirer, 2/6/05

Hadn't read it until you linked to it (I was on information overload by this afternoon), but reading that paragraph after the fact is sad almost to the point of being funny.

And about him being greener than I am, that isn't possible. I think of myself as the "007" of on-campus Eagles fans. I know there are other Eagles fans here, but I'm on a different level I think.

Let's see, when do pitchers and catchers report?

[GUHoya07]

Joe, I love how much that comment annoyed you. I guess you'll never stop mentioning it. ;D

Sorry about the loss, it's tough to take when you're on a whole 'nother level. ;D

[FLHoya]

Joe said:

"They will do it by prizing every possession and by not committing turnovers as Donovan McNabb, who finally gets to play the big room, manages the game adroitly and cashes in every scoring opportunity." - Bill Lyon, Philadelphia Inquirer, 2/6/05

Hadn't read it until you linked to it (I was on information overload by this afternoon), but reading that paragraph after the fact is sad almost to the point of being funny.

And about him being greener than I am, that isn't possible. I think of myself as the "007" of on-campus Eagles fans. I know there are other Eagles fans here, but I'm on a different level I think.

Let's see, when do pitchers and catchers report?

This was such a compelling Super Bowl matchup for me because it matched two teams whose biggest strength, to me, was their almost scary efficiency. Can you imagine being a Pittsburgh or Atlanta fan (like me) waiting for your team to make a big play or for the Pats or Eagles to screw up and make a mistake in those title games? Neither NE or Philly was ever going to oblige--they just don't make mistakes often at all. Not the most exciting two teams ever created, but clearly the class of their leagues.

In the end, the Patriots made a few less mistakes than Philly. And the Patriots played smarter than Philly, especially in the second half. In the battle of the scarily efficient teams, the one that was moreso won.

In my opinion, Philadelphia has two personalities: the EAGLES and the IGGLES. The Eagles are the ones that go 13-3 every year and get to title games. The Eagles got to the Super Bowl this year. The Iggles are the team that loses those NFC title games and comes unglued.

McNabb's interception to Bruschi--isn't that basically the same INT the Eagles QB always throws on a drive in the 4th quarter of the recent playoff losses? The one where they're driving down 7-10 points and McNabb or the backup tries to fit one in there too tight. That's one of those Iggles plays, and they just couldn't shake them off in the late game tonight.

And the time management stuff--that's just a puzzler, one of those Iggles traits where the gameplan's a dud. You know, maybe there's something to the argument about the "experienced" Pats in the SB vs. the "first time/just happy to be there" Eagles (although I don't buy the JHTBT part for the players). Basically, NE lost twice this year. Once, they had an atomic meltdown in Miami. That wasn't happening again. The other, Pittsburgh took advantage of their mistakes and blew them out early with a pretty efficient gameplan. Seemed like to beat these Pats in a Super Bowl, Philly was going to have to get the knockout early.

Philly wasn't done when that onside kick failed, or Westbrook was dropped on the final possession. They were done when they went to the fourth quarter behind. They needed to have done better than 7-7 after outplaying NE in the first half. I don't know how they do it, but NE just doesn't fold in the endgame. They're exactly like those good late 90s/early 00s Yankees teams (and I'm a Braves fan, so this happened a lot to me)--you just weren't busting them after the 7th inning, b/c they would never make mistakes and always raised their game when needed. NE just doesn't lose games in the 4th quarter. Philly does--sometimes. They didn't have the poise to get back against a team that good.

You know, all the flapping of wings and such, I was amused by it. In that it seemed to be another manifestation of that bizarre phenomenon where the New England Patriots find a way to convince themselves they're being disrespected and motivate the heck out of themselves. Hey, it seems to work. I hate T.O.'s general clown qualities, but I give him a pass on the endzone stuff. Because he backs up his dancing with his play and his stats. Likewise, you can flap all you want if your the Pats--because they weren't doing it after 2 yard loss tackles or passes defended. They were in the end zone--or their LBs and CBs had the ball in their hands at big moments.

Good game to watch--because it was good football played by two very skilled teams. I took the Falcons loss to Philadelphia fine because there's was nothing fluky about that game, Philly dominated it on both sides, played efficiently, and deserved to win. I doubt this Super Bowl makes for a good NFL Films 30-minute special, but no question it was a good game b/c of how it was played. And I wouldn't be surprised if both teams were back next year to play it again.

One of my friends said of the Pats after the game: "Weakest dynasty ever." I came back: "Yeah, I'd take that. They're still pretty damn good."

(btw, Joe: how about Marino making the HOF, huh? I figure a former Dolphins fan would be happy about that)

[DanMcQ]

As for the "weakest dynasty ever" comment, I'll take winning 3 out of 4 Super Bowls and a 32-3 record since Sept 2003 any day.

;D

Props to TO from Patriot DBs

patriots.bostonherald.com/patriots/view.bg?articleid=67259

[Joe Hoya]

GUHoya2007 said:

Sorry about the loss, it's tough to take when you're on a whole 'nother level. ;D

Ain't that the truth.

As for Dan Marino, considering I liked the Dolphins because I liked Marino (dunno, but it may have been related to Ace Ventura...a film in which the Eagles reached the Super Bowl, might I add), I'm obviously pleased with his selection. It's the same way I became an Orioles fan...I just never stopped rooting for them after Cal Ripken retired.

[TBird41]

Joe said:

Coming from a fan of the "Moon"-esota Vikings, I would have to say, Mr. Pot, that I don't look as kettle-ish as you may be saying.

There is nothing wrong with playing to the crowd (as TO does with the flapping wings). I do have a problem with unoriginal headhunters acting like they are the sole reason their team is winning the game. If he wanted to respond to Freddie Mitchell, he could have done the "People's champ" belt thing, and it would have been warranted, seeing as he caught more of McNabb's passes than Mitchell (not Freddie's fault, but true nonetheless). He did TO's flap (as did Hines Ward during the season...I mean come one, is it THAT hard to come up with your own celebratory gesture?), which to me isn't cool.

But what really isn't cool is that the Eagles dominated the Pats for most of the first half, and couldn't do anything with it. As TMQ says - you can't dance with the champ, you have to knock him out. Apparently, the Eagles brought their tap shoes instead of their gloves.

I'll end with a comment (paraphrased) from Steve Young: "What you'll hear me talking about is why the Eagles lost this game, not why the Patriots won it." Yup.

These two teams got to this point by not making mistakes. Tonight, the Eagles made more than the Patriots. And they lost.

First off-I didn't say I have any right to criticize either-as yall remember, I thought Moss' moon was funny. If you don't mind T.O.'s celebrations - the sharpie, the Ray Lewis Dance, standing on the star-then you can't complain about the Pats flapping their wings. I think that once you start doing planned celebrations (even just flapping the wings) then you open yourself up to things like that, even if it is just playing to the crowd, b/c you're showing the other team up. I don't think it's that big a deal (and cut the Pats some slack-they had to deal w/ Freddie Mitchell's mouth for two weeks).

Secondly, one thing that needs to be remember about this Pats team is that they win by out executing the other team. They hang around, keep it close and then capitalize on their opponent's mistakes. That's why they're so scary good-they don't make mistakes and they keep it close and then their opponent throws a pick, or fumbles, or misses a tackle and all of a sudden the Pats are in control and it's over. That's why the games are so close-the Pats always win, but it's almost always like they're upsetting their opponent-that's their style.

[Joe Hoya]

My point with the celebration thing is simply that everyone praised the Patriots for being a team not prone to getting involved in trash talk, for being a team that goes out and simply does its job - no glitz, no glamour, no hot-dogging, and no attention-grabbing celebrations. Last night, a number of their players showed that that characterization of them should no longer be made. They like the spotlight as much as everybody else. Terrell Owens backs his bravado up with stellar play (he's the best WR in the NFL - better than Moss, and unless Marvin Harrison returns to previous form, which can't happen with Reggie Wayne, Brandon Stokely, and Edgerrin James all competing for opportunities, Owens will outshine him as well). Rodney Harrison backs up his mouth with headshots. I probably just dislike Rodney Harrison more than anything...oh well. No more "Patriots serve only the team" talk - it isn't completely true. That said, Tom Brady and Bill Belichick win with class. Take notes, Rodney, David, Deion, and whoever else wants to flap. And if you want to flap, don't - come up with your own unique moves.

And as for how they win...I find it hard to agree that they "keep games close". For the entire duration of their winning streak, they scored first in EVERY game. It's pointless to keep games close if you're already ahead. They simply avoid mistakes and pounce on you when you make them. the way to beat them is to play flawless football, and force them into mistakes - basically beat them at their own game. The Eagles were in control of this game until halftime. They left at least ten points on the field in the first half, and when you do that...well, you lose by three and leave the field shaking your heads, while leaving a fanbase utterly depressed, thinking of what might have been had they simply managed the clock in a non-NY Jets fashion, or if Donovan McNabb hadn't decided to play "jump ball" in the red zone, or if they'd been able to get one good run out of Brian Westbrook...

...or maybe that's just me.