Official NFL 2006-2007 Thread

[ProfD]

Hopefully, the young Chargers team will learn from and build on the experience of that playoff game.

 

They made mistakes and lost to a veteran team. Nothing to be ashamed in that regard.

 

LT has been a class act throughout his career. I believe emotions got the best of him yesterday. I expect him to return to form next season.

 

All of the players should have learned a lesson in humility considering the expectations at the beginning of the season and outcomes.

 

The question is, will the coaching staff remain intact?

 

Seems like Cam Cameron is being mentioned or interviewed for every vacancy in the league.

 

IMO, it would not make sense to fire Marty. Let him continue to build. Look at the reprieve Indy has gotten all these years.

[Magpel]

Originally posted by ProfD:

LT has been a class act throughout his career. I believe emotions got the best of him yesterday. I expect him to return to form next season.

 

If the worst blemmish on your reputation is a mildly ill-advised (but provoked) outburst in defense of YOUR TEAM'S honor, I think you get a pass.

[ProfD]

Originally posted by Magpel:

If the worst blemmish on your reputation is a mildly ill-advised (but provoked) outburst in defense of YOUR TEAM'S honor, I think you get a pass.

Definitely. That episode will not blemish his reputation. LT is the consummate team player. I'd like to see a few others follow his lead.

[Geoff Grace]

Originally posted by Magpel:

Geoff, to be clear, Joe Montanna is still gotta be the #1 late-game playoff game winner, though I think Tom's surpassed everyone else. I was specifically commenting on the degree of difficulty of the passes he makes down the stretch, those long outs that about 10% of NFL QBs can even attempt.

That makes sense, John. I agree Tom Brady does have a great arm and great precision. He's in an elite class in that regard.

 

Originally posted by Magpel:

Mike Francessa in NY--who venerates Brady, as everyone should--is fond of calling him this generation's Bart Starr.

I can see that.

 

Originally posted by Magpel:

He wasn't great yesterday. Chargers let him off the hook repeatedly and he made them pay. That's even more testament to his greatness, that his worst day ends in heroic victory.

Tom didn't look great yesterday, but I give more credit to San Diego's defense than blame to Brady. He got it done in the end though, as he has many times before.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[Griffinator]

Originally posted by Magpel:

Originally posted by ProfD:

LT has been a class act throughout his career. I believe emotions got the best of him yesterday. I expect him to return to form next season.

 

If the worst blemmish on your reputation is a mildly ill-advised (but provoked) outburst in defense of YOUR TEAM'S honor, I think you get a pass.

By all means, I'm not dogging LT for his words, although he's fortunate that 5 Pats happened to be between him and Hobbs, or the resulting fracas would NOT have been "pass" type material.

[Magpel]

Originally posted by Griffinator:

By all means, I'm not dogging LT for his words, although he's fortunate that 5 Pats happened to be between him and Hobbs, or the resulting fracas would NOT have been "pass" type material.

I don't know, man, I saw what everyone else saw of the onfield incident. It looked very much to me as if LT had some heated words for some particular players, then he pulled himself away and got on with the business on congratulating individual Patriots.

 

I've seen coaches do worse at the midfield meetings, and in fact Bill's stiffing of Mangini in their first two meetings this year strikes me as comparatively classless, esp. for a veteran and unassailably successful coach. Bill was decidedly more magnanimous after he ended Mangini's season, though he did elbow strike a cameraman in the head to get to Mangini. Not a great week for Bill from a PR persepctive, and it wasa transparent little bit PR damage control having Bill's whole family rush up to him at the end of the game Sunday...

 

And, listen, even though I will never, NEVER understand exactly how to spell his name, I guarantee you that I've been a Belichek fan longer than any of yas. His integrity, frankly, hasn't been in top form this year. We'll see if Karma's got a little plan, delivering him from the teeth of SD by something just short of divine intervention just so he can perish at the blade of Dungy-Manning? I would love to see it, but I ain't holding my breath. NE cleared it's biggest hurdle yesterday.

[Griffinator]

Originally posted by Magpel:

We'll see if Karma's got a little plan, delivering him from the teeth of SD by something just short of divine intervention just so he can perish at the blade of Dungy-Manning? I would love to see it, but I ain't holding my breath. NE cleared it's biggest hurdle yesterday.

I dunno. As a longtime Pats fan, I'd see Karma (being the slow-turning wheel it is) this season as a Bears-Pats SB, with the Pats beating the living hell out of the Bears in much the same fashion as they embarassed us back in '86...

[Dave Bryce]

10 reasons the Chargers blew it .

 

 

This guy sums it up pretty well...and he's pretty much dead on. What an amazing amount of errors by a team with such a great regular season.

 

Schottenheimer's just cursed. That's all there is to it. Always the bridesmaid, etc.

 

dB

[Griffinator]

Yepper, Dave. No question the Chargers did as much to beat themselves as the Pats did to beat them.

 

However....

 

The Pats had their share of gaffes as well - 3 picks for Tom, defensive lapses with 7-9 backs in coverage, sloppy tackling, holding penalties...

 

Only difference (and this is the difference between a veteran squad and a young untested one) is that the veterans know how to forget the last play and refocus on the current one...

[Magpel]

Dave, what's tragi-hilarious is that that list is far from comprehensive.

 

For instance, what about the 15 yard penalty on the PAT after the TD that made it 14-3 that helped launch the Pats half-ending scoring drive?

[MikeT156]

Peter King has a great story on MMQB today. He gave 20 reasons why the Patriots beat a better team yesterday. Here's the link:

 

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/peter_king/01/14/playoffs/index.html

 

Pick and choose, 10 reasons per db or 20 reasons per Peter King, either way, the Chargers played like rookies, the Pats played like veterans.

 

Mike T.

[antimatter]

Originally posted by MikeT156:

Peter King has a great story on MMQB today. He gave 20 reasons why the Patriots beat a better team yesterday. Here's the link:

 

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/peter_king/01/14/playoffs/index.html

 

Pick and choose, 10 reasons per db or 20 reasons per Peter King, either way, the Chargers played like rookies, the Pats played like veterans.

 

Mike T.

I like #3. The play of rookie kicker Stephen Gostkowski! 10 points for the man. Money?

 

The kicking game should be big next week in both games. How cool is it when the kickers are a big story?

[antimatter]

burp

[antimatter]

2x

[Geoff Grace]

Originally posted by antimatter:

The kicking game should be big next week in both games. How cool is it when the kickers are a big story?

It sure seems to have made a difference this post season in a number of games.

 

Will Adam Vinatieri kick a game winner against his old team this week?

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[Dave Bryce]

Originally posted by Geoff Grace:

Will Adam Vinatieri kick a game winner against his old team this week?

That'd sure be interesting to watch, wouldn't it?

 

dB

[Geoff Grace]

Originally posted by Dave Bryce:

Originally posted by Geoff Grace:

Will Adam Vinatieri kick a game winner against his old team this week?

That'd sure be interesting to watch, wouldn't it?

Sure would ... and you may actually have your NAMM booth packed up in time to see it.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[Bridog6996]

Originally posted by Griffinator:

Originally posted by Magpel:

We'll see if Karma's got a little plan, delivering him from the teeth of SD by something just short of divine intervention just so he can perish at the blade of Dungy-Manning? I would love to see it, but I ain't holding my breath. NE cleared it's biggest hurdle yesterday.

I dunno. As a longtime Pats fan, I'd see Karma (being the slow-turning wheel it is) this season as a Bears-Pats SB, with the Pats beating the living hell out of the Bears in much the same fashion as they embarassed us back in '86...

As another long-time Pats fan, I like the way you think!

[Bridog6996]

Here's an interesting quote by Schottenheimer from that Si.com article, referring to his choice to go for it on 4th-and-11 rather than take the field goal:

 

"I thought we had a play we could use that would make the yardage," he said. "Our intent was to be aggressive."

Aggressive? Keeping it conservative is what "Martyball" is all about, and given his coaching record, the style seems to work for him. Why did he pick then to suddenly become aggressive?

 

Belichick seems to have a way of getting the opposition to feel they have to work outside their usual gameplan. It's like some sort of Jedi mind trick. Call it the Chargers beating themselves if you want, but as someone who has watched every Pats game for the past few years or so, I've seen it happen many, many times. I don't think it's a coincidence that the Chargers made lots of mistakes. They were operating outside of their "Martyball" comfort zone, thanks to Bill Belichick.

[Bridog6996]

Sorry for the three posts in a row, but I thought I'd clarify my previous post a little.

 

Belichick is known for his creating coaching and for taking chances that almost always seem to work out in his favor. I think that sometimes affects the other team and causes them to make decisions they wouldn't otherwise make. I remember one game a couple years ago against the Bills where Belichick used a different defensive look on almost every play. After about a quarter, Drew Bledsoe (the Bills's QB) looked so visibly confused you'd think he was trying to calculate the square root of pi in his head. Other coaches see things like that, and they go out of their way to try and outsmart the Patriots rather than just playing their game. The opposing coach will try to "out hip" Belichick and end up making mistakes in the process. It's like if you were playing a solo and all of a sudden John Coltrane walked into the room. There's a good chance you'd play a bunch of notes you wouldn't otherwise play.

[Dan South]

I would rather crap a large glass jar of jalapeño peppers than see the Patriots go back to the Super Bowl. The fermenting dumpster of unearned karma that's been following Tom Brady around since the "tuck rule" should be allowed to drain into Boston Harbor before it forever taints the good name of the National Football League.

 

Hopefully the seasoned Colts won't make the same blunders that the Chargers did. Tony, don't pull a Marty!

 

That said, the fourth-and-eleven was stupid, but Marty didn't commit all of those penalties and fumbles.

 

If the Pats DO go to the Super Bowl, I hope that they face Chicago. And I hope that Chi-town wins 27-zip. And I hope that Bill B. crys like a drag queen at a Barbra Streisand film festival and refuses to shake Lovie Smith's hand. WAHHHHH!!!

 

I expected more from Air McNair and the Ravens this year. This is probably the end of the road for poor old Steve.

 

I can't recall a pro team with more heart than the 2006 Eagles. Amazing comeback!!

 

Jeff Garcia and Charlie Batch deserve to be starters next season (somewhere).

 

Go Saints. Go Colts. Go Adam Vinatieri.

[Bridog6996]

Originally posted by Dan South:

That said, the fourth-and-eleven was stupid, but Marty didn't commit all of those penalties and fumbles.

It's a trickle-down effect.

[Griffinator]

Originally posted by Dan South:

I would rather crap a large glass jar of jalapeño peppers than see the Patriots go back to the Super Bowl. The fermenting dumpster of unearned karma that's been following Tom Brady around since the "tuck rule" should be allowed to drain into Boston Harbor before it forever taints the good name of the National Football League.

Don't hate tha playa, hate tha game....

[Geoff Grace]

An American Football In London

 

Best,

 

Geoff

 

P.S. Good to see you here, Dan. Don't be a stranger!

[meccajay]

Originally posted by Dan South:

I expected more from Air McNair and the Ravens this year. This is probably the end of the road for poor old Steve.

On the one hand, you're right. Steve was quoted as saying after the game Sat. "The window is closing, and fast!"

 

On the other hand, ALL the AFC qb's played poorly this past weekend to variying degrees...If not poorly then it was sloppy at best. I don't know what that means, probably nothing.

 

The Ravens have one more year. After that, cap hell gobbles then up for good. They'll need some help at O-line and a nice speedy slash style running back to help loosen up the defenses. As of now, there still a top 5 team in the league.

[GovernorSilver]

Originally posted by MidLifeCrisis:

I probably over-reacted about the LT statement but a couple of things come to mind today after things settled down.

1) There is one sure way to stop taunting - win!

2) Why is ok for Merriman to celebrate with his dance after every time he does what he is paid to do? Guess he can taunt whenever he wants but you cant taunt him back.

3) Still dont know why LT brought Bill into it.

 

Go Pats!

1. I don't recall the Patriots taunting the other teams they've beaten in the playoffs - Rams, Colts, etc. Never seen them dance on the other team's midfield logo before. I do acknowledge they may have been set off by pre-game statements by certain Charger players (eg. Merriman), but if you really have superior class, you let the scoreboard be your revenge and move on. After the Chargers upset the Steelers in the 1994 AFC Championship, they did not dance on the Steel Stars, even though the Steelers made Super Bowl rap video and talked smack at the Chargers all week.

 

2. I don't approve of sack dances, but your boy Warren Sapp did a dance after every sack, I'm sure Simeon Rice did too. Sack dances are an accepted part of NFL culture, even though I personally don't like them. There's a difference between a regular sack dance, and dancing on the other team's logo after the game.

 

3. Frustration. Being human instead of some kind of saintly figure. I agree with you in that LT should not have dragged Belichick into his comments.

[meccajay]

Originally posted by Dan South:

If the Pats DO go to the Super Bowl, I hope that they face Chicago. And I hope that Chi-town wins 27-zip.

I got a strange feeling too that somehow, the NFC team will dominate the superbowl...hmm.

[SilverDragonSoun]

I've had some time to think about this weekends games and I was going to post my thoughts. Most of you have already said the same things I was thinking so no need to say the same things all over again. One of the interesting things that I was thinking about was who I want to see win the SuperBowl and in what order I would like to them win. SO I am posting my order of preference for SuperBowl winners.

 

New Orleans - Is there a better feel good story out there right now? Just curious if your a fan of the other teams still alive, how upset would you be to see the Saints win it all?

 

Indianapolis - If N.O. wasn't in this, I would be rooting for Peyton and Tony Dungy to win it. Class guys who I feel are very deserving of a title.

 

New England - I don't dislike the Patriots. They do it the right way and play great team football. I wonder how much they are in the Colts heads this week considering the other playoffs experiences INDY has had against them and others.

 

Chicago - Sorry to all DaBears fans. I just don't like the Bears. Don't know why. I can't think or give a good reason. I respect what they have done and they are a good team but I just won't be rooting for them. I will say I do like Devin Hester as he's from the U.

[GovernorSilver]

Originally posted by Griffinator:

Originally posted by GovernorSilver:

BTW, Midlife, dancing on the team logo of the opponent you just defeated - its against NFL culture - just like TO danced on the Cowboys' star as a Niner. LT says the Pats were dancing on the Charger helmet - that is simply not acceptable in the culture.

My Pats bias aside, I think LT should have swatted Shawne Merriman upside the head for mouthing off in the press conferences leading up to the game. Notice the Pats were doing the "Merriman dance" at the end of the game - that's the only person they were showing up, the guy who shot his mouth off and disrespected them as a team.

 

Tom Brady gave the Chargers nothing but props in his press conferences last week, as did Belichick, as did everyone else who got a mic stuck in front of them in NE. They respected the Chargers. Merriman, meanwhile, gave a bunch of lip, promising a shutout ("one point and we win" was the quote) and disrespecting the Pats.

 

So LT, AFAIC, earned himself a nomination for Mike & Mike in the Morning's "Just Shut Up" award for that little tantrum after the game, because his teammate earned the Pats' postgame display with his mouth.

 

Now, as to the game...

 

Props to Phillip Rivers - he was not responsible for the Chargers losing that game. He played his young heart out. His receivers failed him, his coach failed him, but he played like a champ in the making. Look for this team to be back next year, and take it to the bank they won't blow it next time.

 

The Pats? Well, what else can you say? They're like Rocky Balboa - no matter how much of a beating you put on them, no matter how many times you knock them down, no matter how bad you make them look, at the end of the game, somehow or another, they took everything you had and you're the one lying on the canvas for the 10-count. It was ugly out there, but they took everything the Chargers gave them, and hung around long enough to knock them out.

Griff,

 

Fair response, sir. I didn't approve of Merriman's public statements. I definitely uncomfortable with the bad blood that seems to have emerged between the Patriots and Chargers. I was disturbed by reports of Charger players talking smack after the 2005 Foxboro game. From what I'm hearing, I'm surprised they didn't dance on the Patriot head at Gillette too.

 

The best way for our side to move on is to freakin' grow up and show how classy we can really be. This game really exposed the immaturity of too many players on our team - especially Drayton Florence. I was also discouraged by the poor showing of certain normally reliable veterans such as Eric Parker and Marlon McCree. I have a theory that some players are true big-game players and others are good regular season players who seem to fold under the pressure of a playoff environment. Parker is unfortunately in the latter group. Marvin Harrison looks like he belongs in the latter category as well, but he hasn't damaged his team as badly... yet...

 

Sorry for the tangential rant, but hopefully our team will do some growing up this offseason and not stoop to the level of the opposition when taunting and other silliness emerges.

[MidLifeCrisis]

They are still going nuts on ESPN,NFL TV and Fox about LT's comments and the infamous dance.

One show I was watching brought up a good point. The games was on national TV. Every major news station covered the game. Every large sports network had cameras there as well. Yet nobody actually has a picture of any Patriot doing a dance at midfield. How major an event cound it have been? Did it really happen? IF it did happen was it just for a second or two? If it was as big of a deal as LT makes it out to be we would be innundated with replays of it non-stop.