***NFL Playoffs Thread***

[trendon]

it does show that defense still wins championships.

That is actually a myth.

[plasma1896]

trendon, those 2 games were unreal today. and that sir is why we watch sports man,these special moments that hollywood couldnt even come close to writting a script like this.

[dakshdar]

I have technically been around for all seven Patriot Super Bowls. I remember watching the 85 massacre but I was five so I didn't really care. Despite 2007, the 97 loss to the Packers was the most brutal.

Bull. Losing the undefeated season was more brutal than a Drew Bledsoe led team that was barely memorable?

Nice try downplaying 18-1.

[trendon]

I have technically been around for all seven Patriot Super Bowls. I remember watching the 85 massacre but I was five so I didn't really care. Despite 2007, the 97 loss to the Packers was the most brutal.

Bull. Losing the undefeated season was more brutal than a Drew Bledsoe led team that was barely memorable?

Nice try downplaying 18-1.

No, it was worse. They were soooo fucking bad forever and if you think I love Brady, you had to see me with Bledsoe. I was so fucking excited, I had just watched Nebraska win three titles in four years and the Devils win and finally - FINALLY! - the Patriots don't suck and they fucking let Desmond Howard win it. I was borderline depressed.

[dakshdar]

I have technically been around for all seven Patriot Super Bowls. I remember watching the 85 massacre but I was five so I didn't really care. Despite 2007, the 97 loss to the Packers was the most brutal.

Bull. Losing the undefeated season was more brutal than a Drew Bledsoe led team that was barely memorable?

Nice try downplaying 18-1.

No, it was worse. They were soooo fucking bad forever and if you think I love Brady, you had to see me with Bledsoe. I was so fucking excited, I had just watched Nebraska win three titles in four years and the Devils win and finally - FINALLY! - the Patriots don't suck and they fucking let Desmond Howard win it. I was borderline depressed.

I'll let you slide with it this time. In retrospect, knowing that you'd win several in the next decade, the 18-1 year is the bigger loss IMO.

But, with your man Marty on the fast decline toward retirement at the end of the season, I can't be too hard on you.

[BIGmike]

SMU's own Sterling Moore came up big for the Pats. I wonder if Cole Beasley was in attendance?

[Cnasty]

SF goes like 8-8 or some mediocreish type season next year with that schedule and Alex Smith comes back to reality without the defense forcing a gazillion turnovers.

Nice run this season though.

[ajalves]

I feel a Shel/AJ debate brewing if the Giants win the Super Bowl on who is the best!!!

Best team in the NFL, Packers. Duh.

of course, Lebby says so!!!

[BFiVL]

SMU's own Sterling Moore came up big for the Pats. I wonder if Cole Beasley was in attendance?

HAHAHAHA, did not go by me, Solid A

[shel311]

it does show that defense still wins championships.

That is actually a myth.

Scorecasting, great book. Proves this theory about defense winning championships incorrect.

Hell, just look at the last few seasons and you can see that QBs and offenses are really standing out as of late, or maybe moreso than normal.

[shel311]

I feel a Shel/AJ debate brewing if the Giants win the Super Bowl on who is the best!!!

Best team in the NFL, Packers. Duh.

of course, Lebby says so!!!

Child please.

Go work on that jumper!!!

[trendon]

it does show that defense still wins championships.

That is actually a myth.

Scorecasting, great book.

I grabbed the audio book and burned it on a CD. It is fucking hilarious listening to local radio and then popping the CD in and hearing the difference in sports minds.

[shel311]

it does show that defense still wins championships.

That is actually a myth.

Scorecasting, great book.

I grabbed the audio book and burned it on a CD. It is fucking hilarious listening to local radio and then popping the CD in and hearing the difference in sports minds.

They're geniuses, whoever wrote it, don't remember.

I like to think I'm a bit of a different thinker when it comes to sports and cliches and what not, but they even blew me out of the water with the stuff they researched and found.

[dakshdar]

Does Pats -3 make any sense (heard it opened at -3.5 actually)?

Shouldn't this game be a pick'em, or do they expect so much Giants money that they'll just let the line move to a pick'em eventually? If it were NE-SF I could see the 3 point spread (SF getting dinged for their offense a little) but with NE-NY we've got two teams that already played, with NY winning on the road in Foxboro, and you don't have "doubts" at this point about the NY offense or defense after the last month of play.

I don't get it.

[Cnasty]

I think the NE defense has vastly improved and has been pretty impressive lately, especially wilfork. This is the big factor I think in this game. I think the Giants Dline will be a no factor in Brady passing as he rarely does deep drops and hits short stuff.

I see Gronk and Hernandez just raping the Giants safeties as much as it pains me to say.

That line sounds about right and I'm surprised it isn't higher.

I think NE wins even turlough I'll be pulling for the Giants.

[dakshdar]

Amazing Stats (to me) or Observations from the NFC Championship game:

It is amazing that SF went 1-13 on third down for the game, and that "1" was the last play of regulation when the Giants were just preventing any score and gave up the 30 yard pass.

The Giants ran 90 plays to San Fran's 57. Has there been a disparate play count like that in an OT game ever?

That was probably the best display of punting in a conference championship game I've ever seen (22 punts and almost every one of them was great, each guy punting in double digits and averaging over 45 yards a punt). Clutch stuff.

The Giants had more pass attempts (58) than San Fran had offensive plays (57).

San Fran completed less than 1 pass for every 2 minutes of offensive possession time (12 completions in 28+ minutes).

[calbrs04]

Amazing Stats (to me) or Observations from the NFC Championship game:

It is amazing that SF went 1-13 on third down for the game, and that "1" was the last play of regulation when the Giants were just preventing any score and gave up the 30 yard pass.

The Giants ran 90 plays to San Fran's 57. Has there been a disparate play count like that in an OT game ever?

That was probably the best display of punting in a conference championship game I've ever seen (22 punts and almost every one of them was great, each guy punting in double digits and averaging over 45 yards a punt). Clutch stuff.

The Giants had more pass attempts (58) than San Fran had offensive plays (57).

San Fran completed less than 1 pass for every 2 minutes of offensive possession time (12 completions in 28+ minutes).

The Niners had no wr's and stopped running the ball as much. The Niners had no problems running the ball and they should of used it more to set up the pa pass game.

The Giants were basically pass to Cruz the entire first half. Nicks didn't really come up big til the second half when Cruz was finally shut down.

Both teams looked too one dimensional on offense. Both D's were playing good enough to slow down the other team. The two special teams plays did make the difference in the end, but those awful 3rd down stats killed the Niners.

I think that the Giants D will have to play out of their minds to slow down Brady, and the O will have to establish the run game. I see another close 20-17 type game winnig fg again.

[nick]

Amazing Stats (to me) or Observations from the NFC Championship game:

It is amazing that SF went 1-13 on third down for the game, and that "1" was the last play of regulation when the Giants were just preventing any score and gave up the 30 yard pass.

The Giants ran 90 plays to San Fran's 57. Has there been a disparate play count like that in an OT game ever?

That was probably the best display of punting in a conference championship game I've ever seen (22 punts and almost every one of them was great, each guy punting in double digits and averaging over 45 yards a punt). Clutch stuff.

The Giants had more pass attempts (58) than San Fran had offensive plays (57).

San Fran completed less than 1 pass for every 2 minutes of offensive possession time (12 completions in 28+ minutes).

your team had 33 more plays and won off a fumble in OT? and you're happy? lol. That'd be a cause of concern for me imo

[dakshdar]

Amazing Stats (to me) or Observations from the NFC Championship game:

It is amazing that SF went 1-13 on third down for the game, and that "1" was the last play of regulation when the Giants were just preventing any score and gave up the 30 yard pass.

The Giants ran 90 plays to San Fran's 57. Has there been a disparate play count like that in an OT game ever?

That was probably the best display of punting in a conference championship game I've ever seen (22 punts and almost every one of them was great, each guy punting in double digits and averaging over 45 yards a punt). Clutch stuff.

The Giants had more pass attempts (58) than San Fran had offensive plays (57).

San Fran completed less than 1 pass for every 2 minutes of offensive possession time (12 completions in 28+ minutes).

your team had 33 more plays and won off a fumble in OT? and you're happy? lol. That'd be a cause of concern for me imo

Why would I not be happy regardless of any of this?

I think it is great that they ran 90 plays and controlled time of possession by about 10 minutes against one of the best defenses (if not the best) in the NFL. In comparison to the divisional round where the "high octane best offense ever" Saints only ran 12 more plays and possessed the ball only 3 minutes more than San Fran.

Besides, observations are on a game by game basis. It doesn't matter how you win, just that you win and make it to the next round. The last two Giants super bowl wins were after "how did they manage to win that game" road wins in the NFC championship ('90 at San Fran in a 15-13 contest where they only scored off 5 field goals and stripped Roger Craig to get the ball back for the last one; and four years ago in Green Bay against Favre in OT).

[shel311]

Why would I not be happy regardless of any of this?

Your team is going to the SB, you shouldn't be happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!