I think that's the exact takeaway. Throw in the complete football nerd (the Bill O'Brien story) and it's no wonder Brady has achieved.
I had thought that too. One of their OTs Schraeder went down in the last ATL drive as well, on the Freeman 2 yard run just before the Julio Jones catch. Schraeder had injured his ankle in the 2nd quarter, and left the game for good after that play in the final drive. Apparently had a torn ligament. And I thought I saw another lineman out in the 4th quarter, but couldn't find a mention of it in the play by play.
Anyway, seems clear that somehow Coleman and Schraeder's absences factored in to the ATL play calling in the final drive as well...
Reiss is among the only extant evidence for the assertion that "beat writer" can be an actual profession, with exemplars and standards and end value to the readers. If there are any better at it than he, perhaps in other cities, I'm not aware of them.
It's like finding out Vin Diesel is one of the world's greatest Dungeons & Dragons players in the world.
Shouldn't you be in the David Price-Shank thread with the rest of the shit stirrers?
If you've seen him play you'd know he's not. Maybe he loves the game but it's like pulling teeth to get him to roleplay in an interesting manner, even with a truly great GM.
We've been through this, I think, but Reiss did issue a mea culpa for that one. Although I thought his mea culpa was a bit wishy washy too.
James PalmerVerified account @JamesPalmerTV 59m59 minutes ago
I'm told there will be 5 live
Crossing over into "Nations Tears" territory: they should get a live goat mascot for the games next season. After warm-up, at the beginning of the game when the team comes out of the tunnel, the first thing out of the tunnel should be that live goat. Just, a simple live goat, no adornment.
Or a troll, because it would be the same thing, in a way.
Or a troll, because it would be the same thing, in a way.
Celebrating Tom's 40th with his 40 longest TD passes.
And no they aren't all 5 yard outs that turned into 80 yard TDs as his critics like to say...
And no they aren't all 5 yard outs that turned into 80 yard TDs as his critics like to say...
This was awesome if for no other reason than the number of different receivers involved.
Tons of these in the last 2 years. He really has worked on his deep accuracy
He and Moss were really a thing of beauty. That said, the throw to Mitchell in the 49ers game might be one of his top five passes in his career. That thing was just an incredible play on both ends.
Season ticket holders got their tickets in the last few days. Kraft included tickets to the AFC divisional and championship games.
My favorite...as the video went on, I was afraid they somehow missed it but knew they couldn't: the 82 yard walkoff to Troy Brown in Miami.
Yep, makes way more sense than trying to do it after week 17. Also the Patriots included a large 5x Super Bowl Champ flag in the box as well.
The Ben Watson catch where he broke a few tackles and tiptoed the sideline was great as well.
Of course we knew there would be a bunch of Moss catches on the list, You always think of Moss, Stallworth, and Hogan being deep threats, and we know Gronk and Edelman have broken a few, but I was a little surprised by how many Deion Branch catches were on the list. That guy knew how to get open like nobody else.
It also made me remember how amazing it was to have Brady and Moss on my fantasy team back in 07 and 09.
I didn't see this anywhere.
Is 40-Year-Old Tom Brady as Good as 30-Year-Old Tom Brady?
Shorter version: 2016 was his best year since 2007, and in some ways better.
Is 40-Year-Old Tom Brady as Good as 30-Year-Old Tom Brady?
Shorter version: 2016 was his best year since 2007, and in some ways better.
I thought the same thing. I knew Branch was one of his favorite receivers but didn't realize how many long TD's they hooked up on. Watching all those long throws to Moss was really fantastic. It really makes me look forward to seeing what Brady to Cooks can achieve this year.
I think they were only trailing in 4 or 5 of those plays. And most of the 4 or 5 TDs gave them the lead. Just a random nuance I kept noticing as I watched.
And poor Alphonso Smith or whatever the Lions dude was. Brady basically threw him out of the league that Thanksgiving. Pretty sure the Dolphins guy got cut too after the Welker 99 yarder too.
And poor Alphonso Smith or whatever the Lions dude was. Brady basically threw him out of the league that Thanksgiving. Pretty sure the Dolphins guy got cut too after the Welker 99 yarder too.
Wow, that was great. A few things stood out--Deion Branch was really, really good with TB; Moss was simply otherworldly; I was surprised at the large number of Edelman catches versus only one for Welker; and finally, of course, whatever happened to Sam Aiken?
The two Aiken catches in that video were his only two touchdowns in an eight-year career.
Referencing a Reiss article on Butler earlier this offseason in which he implied that Butlers single status was something that in and of itself gave the Patriots pause to sign him to a long-term deal.
Not Reiss's greatest moment. Followed by a fairly weak apology, too, I thought.
When the time came, I was not prepared for #9 on that reel.
edit: yeah, total lack of preparation. I need to get better in all 3 phases, reading, gawking, pontificating...
edit: yeah, total lack of preparation. I need to get better in all 3 phases, reading, gawking, pontificating...
You know, those throwback uniforms look a lot better with great players wearing them, especially 12.
That's what I love about these Patriots quarterbacks. I get older, they stay the same age.
Two thoughts:
1) From those two plays alone, Aiken looks like a world beater.
2) Weird that unless I missed it, Brady never had an 80 yarder? a couple 79 and 81s.
I'm not ashamed to admit I had to Google 'Patriots Davis WR 18' after watching TD #25 (Andre Davis, 2005)
Wasn't sure if this was posted anywhere else – how the 2007 team built the modern NFL:
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2017/8/7/16107814/2007-new-england-patriots-tom-brady-randy-moss-wes-welker
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2017/8/7/16107814/2007-new-england-patriots-tom-brady-randy-moss-wes-welker
Fantastic read, thanks for posting that. I didn't realize how much that team really changed things. I knew they were awesome, but didn't realize they were the first to run shotgun that much, pretty much eliminate fullbacks etc. That team was something to watch. I don't think I've ever had as much fun watching football as that season. It was like watching 1999/2000 Pedro.
Great read. I also didn't realize how much an innovative scheme contributed to their greatness. Regardless of the way it ended I have always said that team deserves to be celebrated for what it accomplished, particularly on offense.
Man, it really sucks that Moss never got his ring with the Pats.
Man, it really sucks that Moss never got his ring with the Pats.
I was thinking it was Shockmain, but I guess he only played in 2000, so obviously never caught a TD of any kind from Brady. For some reason I thought he was one of the other 20 WR they had on the depth chart after Brown and Patten in 2001 along with Fred Coleman and Charles Johnson (and Terry Glenn's cameo).
Yup. Went from game winning TD capping off a historic season on a personal and team level to the ultimate what if and then the next game he plays he watches his MVP QB rip his knee up. Cruel turn of events for Moss.
Bill Barnwell has also penned a 2007 season retrospective today, and while it's not as good as the one from The Ringer, it does contain a nugget that had escaped my recollection: the Moss trade almost didn't happen, because Green Bay almost sent then-backup Aaron Rodgers to Oakland in exchange for him - according to reporting by, it must be noted, Felger. But if true, that's one of the biggest what-ifs in NFL history.
With this promise...
Will be interested to see if he gets the specifics of it "right" when he writes about it.
Barnwell part 2 is up. About to read it
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/20284825/the-tom-brady-bill-belichick-shift-how-2007-new-england-patriots-super-bowl-spygate-changed-everything
edit: meh. Boring piece
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/20284825/the-tom-brady-bill-belichick-shift-how-2007-new-england-patriots-super-bowl-spygate-changed-everything
edit: meh. Boring piece
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ummm....
It's more than boring it's pretty crappy.
It's lazy... just rehashing for the most part.