NFL Playoff Thread

[DanMcQ]

If If If...

Wrong. The Patriots scored a TD right after the first drop (Gaffney's end line catch).

TO drops passes EVERY game - isn't he the best 'DECENT NFL wideout'?

By the time Brady saw him on the sideline, there WAS a defender within 15 yards of him so it is unlikely Caldwell would have actually scored on that play.

There were plenty of other moments - the 2 penalties that backed a first half drive up that was on the way to making it 28-3 was equally, if not more, culpable. The Colts figured out the Patriots were thin enough at linebacker to have Alexander covering guys over the middle and exploit it repeatedly. THAT is what won the game for the Colts.

Bottom line: a defense that gave up an average of 13 points a game during the season gave up 38. Hard to win when you have to score 40 points unless you have a high powered offense like, say, the Colts.

[RDF]

Actually you could argue the Colts did a poor job coaching to make this game close. They abused New England in the earlier game with their hurry up offense. The Pats have had people sick all week with flu--which is going to at least wear them down, and Colts wait until they are down 21-3 to go to the offense? That's not poor coaching--it's Edited poor.

The penalty for 12 men in huddle is awful coaching--at any level and for this to happen, when it did--is poor. That didn't cost New England the game, but it sure didn't help when it was 3rd and 6 instead of 3rd and 1 or a possible first down after the two plays.

This game came down to a few things

1. Laurence Maroney playing one of the worst games I've seen from a Patriot in a playoff game. He was hesitant, overmatched, scared, and awful. He provided nothing and without Faulk and Dillon in 1st Half and Dungy and Company's poor approach this game would've been a much easier win for Colts.

2. I hate the Mannings-I can't stand a thing about them and will never like them. I'd have celebrated if Manning broke his thumb and Colts won the game and Jim Sorgi got to start in Super Bowl. I'd have not shed a tear if Manning choked on the confetti. I just don't like him--didn't like him in college, hated his father, and his brother is a talentless, gutless, cowardly EDITED.

3. 2 Black Head Coaches--1st Black Head Coach to win a Super Bowl--and let me just add THANK YOU FOOTBALL GOD for not allowing that man to be Herman Edwards--maybe he can can bring along John Lynch and they can french kiss during the Super Bowl. Somehow Edwards will find a way to milk his ties to Dungy and Smith with at LEAST 10-15 interviews over next 2 weeks.

4. Will Lovie Smith be as uncompetitive and cowardly and CELEBRATE DEFEAT like Herm's gutless behind did after his first round snooze fest to Dungy?

5. I could care how Belichick is recieved. If he's a royal numero uno A-hole--who cares? I don't know him or have him as a friend, so who gives a crap what he's like off the field as long as he does his job as coach of a team I like? This Dungy is "class" is based upon what exactly? I don't get how someone is classy based on what people see or hear from MEDIA? I'm not saying he's a bad guy, but how the hell do I know and why do I give a flying F? To me, he's a good football coach who hadn't gotten over hump until today.

6. Is it time for NFL to ask top seed if they would rather have the Bye or play the #6 seed in First Round? I mean Colts had it easier playing Chiefs then actually having week off. That is how AWFUL Kansas City was, played and was coached. Topping it off was Herm Edwards sprinting, smiling, and basically kissing Dungy's ass in middle of field. If you are a Chiefs front office person or fan, how can you accept this man as your coach? What a disgrace to competitive sports. The only people who like Edwards are people who love how he talks a mean game and acts like he is a preacher in front of media. If this man was fired tomorrow, the Chiefs would be better for it/and he'd turn it into 100 interviews within a week.

Bears-Saints game was more awful coaching by a good coach. Sean Payton sees his team in total control of the game down by 2 with ball and on the move and has a player who has AVERAGED 50 yards per touch in 2nd Half and scored a TD on 2 touches. So with a First Down inside Bears 35, he decides to

A. Not use Bush at all
B. Not use McCallister at all
C. Not let Carney kick

I don't care what Carney's range is--he's better then Billy Cundiff. That possession cost the Saints the game. If they score and go up on Bears--Chicago was done. They were wilting and players had no zip. Why not use a player who is the entire basis of the offense? At least use Deuce and have Bush on field--which on many plays he wasn't. It's the Playoffs and Payton acted as if he was worried about "Burning" Reggie out for rest of year.

Bears defense did a fine job upfront and that is their only chance against Colts--who I think will win the Super Bowl with ease. Rex Grossman is about as bad as it gets but he's a Gator and it would be unbelievable if Grossman stood in Manning's way and came up with "Game of his life" against Manning--that would actually make me enjoy the Super Bowl, but I'm reserved to the fact it'll be a Manning lovefest and John Mellencamp will change lyrics of his already disgustingly annoying commerical to include this is THE MANNING's COUNTRY.

[RusskyHoya]

excitableboy said:

Trent Green is in a different league than the worst QB in the playoffs. Two words: Rex Grossman.

Ever since the Bears' bye week, he has been like watching footage of a car careering out of control down an icy hill. You know there is no way that it is going to end up good for anyone except the camera man who will get paid for the footage (in Rex's case the DB that intercepts his passes).

And now you know why all us Colts fans are so optimistic about the Super Bowl ;D

[RusskyHoya]

Hahaha to points 2 and 5:

rdf said:

2. I hate the Mannings-I can't stand a thing about them and will never like them. I'd have celebrated if Manning broke his thumb and Colts won the game and Jim Sorgi got to start in Super Bowl. I'd have not shed a tear if Manning choked on the confetti. I just don't like him--didn't like him in college, hated his father, and his brother is a talentless, gutless, cowardly queer.

5. I could care how Belichick is recieved. If he's a royal numero uno A-hole--who cares?

Yep, class is completely worthless in the world of sports. Truly, grace, humility, tact, etc. have no place, as you have so ably demonstrated. Hear hear!

I, for one, am quite glad that Tony Dungy and JTIII, for instance, are genuinely good, friendly people - role models, even.

[DanMcQ]

As long as we are talking about class, I will let the deserved winner's words speak for themselves:

Quarterback Peyton Manning

"I really appreciated it, Tedy Bruschi came up, Kevin Faulk, and Tom [Brady] just wished me luck. I just appreciated the class those guys demonstrated. They've beaten us and today we beat them."

[HoyaFanNY]

the troy brown penalty in the 2nd quarter killed the pats. they went from a 1st down inside the 20 to being pushed back to the 50 and eventually punting, allowing the colts to drive and get the field goal at the end of the half. a pats score there changes everything IMO. i'm not going to be able to stand another 2 weeks of the manning family media blitz.

[EasyEd]

I'm happy that Peyton is finally getting to the Super Bowl. Over the past years he has repeatedly shown he is among the elite quarterbacks in NFL history even though the team he plays for did not win the big games in the past. That was an amazing comeback. Hope the Colts bring home the trophy. Also, I really liked Peyton's father who was forced to play for horrid Saints teams and still managed to be superb at his position, even, I think, earning MVP one year while with a bad team.

[ColumbiaHeightsHoya]

Kraft needs to pay somebody. Talk your QB into taking 4 mil per year less then he is worth and then let his top receiver go. I am a huge colts fan and I hope we continue to do battle over the next five years, but pay the guys Kraft!

[HealyHoya]

In terms of which play or plays lost this game for the Pats, there has been discussion about the RTP call, Caldwell's two drops and so forth. Why isn't anyone talking about Brady's INT. The Pats had timeouts and enough time to get, what, 2-3 shots at the endzone?

Refs make mistakes. Players make mistakes. Usually, these things even out. Teams still have the chance to decide the outcome on the field. Brady and the Pats could have won this thing during that last drive....except for the INT.

[RDF]

russkyhoya said:

Hahaha to points 2 and 5:

rdf said:

2. I hate the Mannings-I can't stand a thing about them and will never like them. I'd have celebrated if Manning broke his thumb and Colts won the game and Jim Sorgi got to start in Super Bowl. I'd have not shed a tear if Manning choked on the confetti. I just don't like him--didn't like him in college, hated his father, and his brother is a talentless, gutless, cowardly queer.

5. I could care how Belichick is recieved. If he's a royal numero uno A-hole--who cares?

Yep, class is completely worthless in the world of sports. Truly, grace, humility, tact, etc. have no place, as you have so ably demonstrated. Hear hear!

I, for one, am quite glad that Tony Dungy and JTIII, for instance, are genuinely good, friendly people - role models, even.

College Sports and Professional Sports are completely different. In college, you are to help kids out and many of those kids will NEVER play another minute of organized sports after they are done in school. In the Professional ranks, you are there to win and be the best. You aren't there to make friends, you aren't there to be "classiest loser", you are there to win. Belichick went over to Dungy and showed class. He owes nothing to Peyton Manning--absolutely nothing. He doesn't owe a thing to any player on an opposing team. He showed the opposing coach the respect deserved and left the field. This bullcrap about "being a good sport" after a game is manure. I actually despise the grab ass shenanigans I see after a game when opposing players are hugging, laughing, etc... and to me at that LEVEL it's unacceptible. Too many people view Pro Sports as a game--and remember it's the coaches/players livelihood--and in business if I lose an account, I thank the Lord, I don't have to call up the rival company who won the account and say "Great job kicking my ass on that,--you truly deserved it". If anything, it just makes me want to destroy them and triple the business I was already doing--that is not saying I don't have respect for competitors but this "you have to show them love" bullcrap is beyond stupid.

Dean Smith often had his team sprint off the court after games--win or lose. He's seen as a sportsmen and "classy". It seems to me that "class" is starting to get seen as more important then the bottomline and in Professional world, the bottomline is all that matters.

[hifigator]

Whoever it was that pointed out that the Pats overcame Caldwell's first drop was correct. Gaffney made a great effort to haul in the pass and had the poise to position himself where the defender had to push him out. I don't think Jabar would have gotten both feet in, but it was clear that it would have been close. That is the rule. If the player is pushed out by a defender when he would have had an opportunity to come down in bounds then he is ruled "pushed out" and it is a "catch." Some keep suggesting that it must be a case where the player clearly would have come down in bounds for sure to be ruled a catch but that is wrong.

[hifigator]

I didn't finish the thought .... but that second drop by Caldwell was huge. If he makes that catch, and he certainly should, the Pats have first and goal and look good to score a TD, instead of kicking a field goal. You hate to point to one play in a game of so many, but damned if that wasn't huge.

[ColumbiaHeightsHoya]

Couldn't you also then pick the Bob sanders near pick 6 towards the end of the game or the fumble TD the pats got. There are plenty of if/thens, and what it boils down to is the Pats got rolled in the last 35 minutes of that game. ROLLED!!! GO COLTS!!!

[RusskyHoya]

rdf said:

Too many people view Pro Sports as a game--and remember it's the coaches/players livelihood--and in business if I lose an account, I thank the Lord, I don't have to call up the rival company who won the account and say "Great job kicking my ass on that,--you truly deserved it".

Um, RDF, it is a game. Yes, it's their livelihood too. It's also the livelihood of college, high school, even middle school coaches, etc. The reason these people are paid so many thousands and millions of dollars is because we, the paying public, are willing to part with our money to watch them play this game.

We want them to play this game according to certain rules. We're against cheating in terms of things like steroids, for instance, or industrial espionage or stuff like that. And we also want them to play the game in a certain manner - an intense manner, yes, but also a professional and tactful one. Players and coaches of pro teams act as de fact representatives of the cities they play for, just as much, if not moreso, than college players and their schools. There's a reason why there are so often "behavior" clauses in athletes' contracts. And there's a reason why notorious a-holes like Ty Cobb and Bill Romanowski are vilified despite their talents.

I don't really have a problem with Bellichek, his demeanor last night was no different from his usual routine. He comes off as an anti-social football nerd, which he very well may be. No sin in that, I certainly don't think he was trying to be classless or disrespectful.

However, I definitely have to disagree with the sentiment that sportsmanship and professional friendships, even among competitors, are a "load of manure." Being friends with guys at other schools never stopped me from wanting to annihilate them when Friday night came around. I don't see why it should be different for the pros. We aren't talkin' about war, here, man, it's not mortal enemies/kill or be killed, however much it feels that way to the armchair QBs living and dying vicariously with their team.

[RDF]

russkyhoya said:

rdf said:

Too many people view Pro Sports as a game--and remember it's the coaches/players livelihood--and in business if I lose an account, I thank the Lord, I don't have to call up the rival company who won the account and say "Great job kicking my ass on that,--you truly deserved it".

Um, RDF, it is a game. Yes, it's their livelihood too. It's also the livelihood of college, high school, even middle school coaches, etc. The reason these people are paid so many thousands and millions of dollars is because we, the paying public, are willing to part with our money to watch them play this game.

We want them to play this game according to certain rules. We're against cheating in terms of things like steroids, for instance, or industrial espionage or stuff like that. And we also want them to play the game in a certain manner - an intense manner, yes, but also a professional and tactful one. Players and coaches of pro teams act as de fact representatives of the cities they play for, just as much, if not moreso, than college players and their schools. There's a reason why there are so often "behavior" clauses in athletes' contracts. And there's a reason why notorious EDITED like Ty Cobb and Bill Romanowski are vilified despite their talents.

I don't really have a problem with Bellichek, his demeanor last night was no different from his usual routine. He comes off as an anti-social football nerd, which he very well may be. No sin in that, I certainly don't think he was trying to be classless or disrespectful.

However, I definitely have to disagree with the sentiment that sportsmanship and professional friendships, even among competitors, are a "load of manure." Being friends with guys at other schools never stopped me from wanting to annihilate them when Friday night came around. I don't see why it should be different for the pros. We aren't talkin' about war, here, man, it's not mortal enemies/kill or be killed, however much it feels that way to the armchair QBs living and dying vicariously with their team.

If it's "just a game" then why are there MILLIONS of dollars invested in the athletes to perform their JOB and coaches to perform their JOB? It's a friggin JOB and these men's profession--which doesn't last long. If they want to enjoy the sport of things, fine by me--as long as they produce. Pro Sport is about WINNING--that is all. Anything short of a championship is failure. It's only in the last 10-15 years we've had this shift in culture where everyone has become a Edited, where we have to "Show love" or "class". Class is handling yourself in a professional manner. It's not written in the rules that you must shake hands with an entire team, or sit and hug/make out with opposing players. If you give credit to opposing team after a game and praise them for their efforts--that is being a Pro. This hugging, laughing, giggling crap is for the birds.

Football is much different then any other sport and how you can play grab ass with people before a game is beyond me--especially if you are on opposite side of the ball. After a game, why must you shake hands? What's wrong with prasing a team after the game in your comments and then being friendly with people in offseason? This country is becoming a bunch of Edited and this culture of "class" and "did you shake hands/honor your opponent after a game" is for the birds. EDITED - see below. If you want to show sportsmanship, you play your hardest to win, you play within rules, and you compete to the point you are devasted by losing--you owe that to people who pay your salary--and if they are happy with you, that's all that matters. Class isn't hugging or worshipping at alter of team that defeated you--it's giving credit to your opponent, it's about taking the game seriously and realizing at the PROFESSIONAL level, it's your JOB to prepare, and play to win or you have failed. That's being a Pro and showing respect for the job you are well paid to do.


RDF: Express your opinions without going over the line. The part that was edited was offensive to more than one poster and has no place here. If you cannot stop yourself, your posts may be pulled without warning and you risk a posting hiatus.

[Deleted]

Re: All the hugging, hand-shaking, etc before and after games....

Are you saying it's not okay for these guys to be friends and express that friendship when they see each other? Maybe during the season, guys who played together in college get to see each other once or twice, if they're lucky. So they run over, give a hug or a handshake, exchange pleasantries....then play as hard as they can when the game starts. I don't see what's wrong with that.

And no one is forced to shake hands after the game, but that's pretty much the only time the players (no matter the sport) can acknowledge each other, and - as you state - give each other credit for a game well-played. Nothing wrong with that.

[RusskyHoya]

rdf said:

This country is becoming a bunch of Edited and this culture of "class" and "did you shake hands/honor your opponent after a game" is for the birds. If you want make out with grown men after a damn game--become Gay and go to a Gay Bar.

Hum, well, I really don't know how to respond except to say that I guess we'll have to agree to disagree, although it looks to me like you have some bigger issues/complaints than just with the game of football.

[SFHoya99]

Yeah, who would ever want to act with dignity and honor? Win at all costs, baby! Show no mercy!

Personal ethics, morals and standards shouldn't be left at home.

[ColumbiaHeightsHoya]

ROLLED!! The pats are now 0-3 against the Colts in the last two years. ROLLED BABY!!!

[DanMcQ]

mivcevich said:

ROLLED!! The pats are now 0-3 against the Colts in the last two years. ROLLED BABY!!!

Columbia - if you keep hyperventilating like this you will end up in the hospital before the Super Bowl.