Easy to be happy about the Saints' win
by MaPatsFan on Feb 8, 2010 6:22 PM EST
in Opinion
14 comments
Against all odds, against popular opinion, the team representing the battered-but-still-standing New Orleans pulled off the seemingly impossible: they beat the juggernaut of 2009, the Indianapolis Colts, 31-17 in Super Bowl XLIV. The NFL could not have scripted this any better: both teams, almost going undefeated in their respective conferences, finally meet in the biggest American sporting event of the year and the underdog triumphs. The state of New Orleans, still suffering from the effects of Hurricane Katrina, got its much needed moral victory.
It's easy to be happy for the Saints and the state they represent. It's also easy to indulge in a little schadenfreude at the expense of the Colts and their fanbase. I do not relish beating up on the fans of a losing team, but it's hard to forget the beating we took from rival fanbases, particularly the Colts faithful, after our loss to the New York Giants. The absolute invective aimed our way was unseemly. It is refreshing to see that we, as Patriots fans, have not engaged in the same. Well, at least not on THIS blog. Ok, maybe a little.
14 comments | 1 recs |
New England Patriots Links 2/08/10 - Saints' Super Bowl Win Proves 18-1 > 16-3
by Marima on Feb 8, 2010 12:51 PM EST
in News
97 comments
Mike Reiss offers this Super Bowl thought: Peyton is no Brady.
Peyton Manning is a great quarterback, but what we learned tonight in Super Bowl XLIV is this: He’s no Tom Brady in the pressure moment on the game’s biggest stage.
Looking to lead the Colts back from a 24-17 fourth-quarter deficit against the Saints, Manning threw an interception that cornerback Tracy Porter returned 74 yards for a touchdown, a key play in New Orleans' 31-17 upset victory.
It was a costly mistake, the kind of miscue that Brady, in his four Super Bowl appearances, never made in the critical fourth-quarter situation.
Even in the Patriots’ Super Bowl loss to the Giants, Brady had led a fourth-quarter drive for a touchdown before the defense couldn’t hold.
For all the stories that were written over the last week about which quarterback was the best of the decade – Brady or Manning – one aspect was overlooked: How Manning would lead the Colts in Super Bowl XLIV.
If you measure a quarterback by how he responds in the pressure moments on the game’s biggest stage, the debate ended with authority tonight.
Dan Shaughnessy jumps back on the Brady bandwagon. Don't hurt yourself Dan.
This game was supposed to be the coronation of Peyton Manning (hard to believe some nitwits were actually saying he’s better than Tom Brady) and the justification for Bill Polian’s decision to tank the final two games of the Colts’ regular season. We were going to tell you that the Colts won every game they tried to win and could have surpassed the 1972 Miami Dolphins.
97 comments | 2 recs |
Joe Lombardi is the Saints quarterbacks coach – his grandfather is Vince, the coach for whom the trophy is named. Around midnight last night, Payton noticed Lombardi posing with his father, Vince Jr. and his two brothers. "I just thought to myself, ‘You got to be kidding me,’ " Payton said.
10 Super Bowl Observations
by Brady's Revenge on Feb 8, 2010 5:55 AM EST
26 comments
- 1. All Heart. Garret Hartley should have been Co-MVP with Drew Bress. 3 40+ plus field goals on the biggest stage of the year to keep his team within reach was big.
- 2. Robert Who? Great job by Jon Stinchcomb in shutting down Robert Mathis. I don't believe I heard Mathis's name called once all night.
- 3. Who has got the biggest balls of them all? Sean Payton's on-side kick to start the second half was the biggest play of the game. This set the tone for the second half and showed that Sean Payton was going to roll the dice no matter what the price was.
- 4. Question. If Sean Payton was not successful with his on-side kick, would he have been as criticized as Bill Belichick and his fourth and two decision?
- 5. Pierre Garcon was a beast. Garcon looked more like the #1 receiver than Reggie Wayne did. Coverage may have dictated Wayne being obsolete, but Garcon could not be covered last night.
- 6. Hey Greg, this Buds for you. Gregg Williams shut the Colts down in the second half with an array of defensive looks and timely blitzes. Tracy Porter timed perfectly where Manning was going to throw on that third down conversion that was intercepted.
- 7. Reggie Bush finally looks like the number two pick in the 2006 draft that the Saints drafted and expected.
- 8. Has anyone seen a more in tune combo than Dallas Clark and Peyton Manning? Some of the throws that Manning threw on the run to Clark were amazing.
- 9. Karma has won at last. Losing the Super Bowl could not happen to a better guy. Sleep tight Polian.
- 10. Sorry Peyton. When it comes to stats you are the best, hands down. When it comes to Super Bowl rings, Brady beats you out. Winning number two and three are harder than you thought.
26 comments | 1 recs |
SB Nation Super Bowl XLIV Open Thread
This year, we're doing something a little different. Instead of having each blog do their own open thread, we're setting up a central thread at sbnation.com. Head on over and chat it up with fans from other teams. See ya there!!
1 day ago
MaPatsFan
39 comments
0 recs
Super Bowl Coverage
by MaPatsFan on Feb 7, 2010 1:46 PM EST
in News
15 comments
The big day is here, gang. Yeah, I know it's not what we as Patriots fans would've wanted, but you have to admit it's a good chance to pull people together, cook up some food, and have a good time. That's what I plan to do. Who do I want to win? Well, it's incredibly hard for me to cheer against the Saints. HC Sean Payton has spoken gushingly of our New England organization and Bill Belichick, so how can you not like the guy even if his team absolutely destroyed our Patriots?
I'm having a very hard time coming up with a prediction on this one. The Saints, with Drew Brees, are a high powered offense capable of tossing the ball to any number of "receivers"; Brees is extremely good at spreading the ball around the field. However, as good as their offense is, their defense has been cracking heads all year. They're known for beating up receivers within that 5 yard zone and knocking them off of their routes.
The problem? Peyton Manning is having one of the best years of his life. As much as us Patriots fans hate to admit it, he really is one of the most dangerous QB's on the field today. The only chance for the Saints to win is to take away his receivers. Sure, pressuring a quarterback is the easy answer and everyone uses that as the magic bullet, but Manning has one of the fastest releases in Football and will burn you on a blitz. I believe the Saints best chance is to beat up Indy's receivers when they start their routes. They used that tactic with our Patriots and it worked.
SB Nation has tons of coverage for today's big event. Check it out after the jump.
15 comments | 0 recs |
Keeping the facts straight on Pats and Colts
"The Patriots, as [Ron] Borges points out, have foot-dragged on too many key players. In a month, seven key players will become free agents. That's a troubling stat on a team that was already in semi-rebuilding.
But intimating that the Patriots have been tight with tie money is false. From 2005 to 2009, the Patriots spent $539.9 million on player compensation. The Colts spent $545.7 million. The Jets -- who went free-agent bananas in 2008 -- spent $542 million. And if the Patriots had reached accord with Vince Wilfork before last season began as they were trying to do, they'd have blown away the five-year spending totals of both the Colts and Jets.
No team had to deal with the unique dynamic of being a dynasty in a salary-capped NFL that the Patriots did. When guys become "Super Bowl champions," their price goes up. Whether it's Randall Gay or Damien Woody, David Givens or Deion Branch, Ty Law or Asante Samuel, Adam Vinatieri or Marc Edwards, champions are coveted by other teams when they hit free agency. The Patriots had three teams full of Super Bowl champions and they were raided appropriately both on the roster and on the coaching staff. They couldn't keep them all and they didn't try to. They picked their battles and tried to replace through the draft and free agency. They had hits. They had ugly misses.
They're currently facing the fallout of some of those misses -- whether it be Adalius Thomas, Laurence Maroney or Chad Jackson -- and it muddies their future.
But it doesn't change the past. Likening the success of the Colts since 2006 to the Patriots' decade of Lombardi-choked excellence is comparing hamburger to steak."
-- Tom E. Curran
2 days ago
Marima
5 comments
0 recs
New England Patriots compensatory draft picks: Bloody useless.
by Comedic.Sans on Feb 6, 2010 9:44 PM EST
9 comments
Lately on the Pulpit, there's been some speculation and questions about compensatory draft picks.
For those unfamiliar with what compensatory draft picks are, I'll offer an uncomprehensive explanation. The NFL adds an extra 32 choices to the draft, above and beyond that of the 32 in each round. Those extra picks are awarded to teams that either lose more free agents than they gain, or to teams that lose better free agents than they gain. Basically, the higher the pay of the outgoing free agent, the higher the pick awarded by the NFL - from the 7th round right up until the 3rd. As their name suggests, they're meant to compensate for the loss of proven talent to free agency.
Anyway, back to the gist - will the Pats get any? What will the Pats do with them (if any are awarded)?
My answer at this stage to the first question is: I don't know, it depends who they lose to free agency versus who they sign from free agency (and that's in 4 weeks). So if Wilfork, Mankins, Bodden, etc walk and the Pats don't sign free agents to replace them, potentially yes.
My answer to the second is: Meh. It doesn't matter.
What? It doesn't matter? But they're a draft pick, Hoodie doesn't waste draft picks, right? Right? Well, actually... I'll explain after the jump.
9 comments | 2 recs |
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