BbtL Super Bowl XLIX Thread

TheMoralBully · Jan 22, 2015

norm from cheers said:
Now this is good news:

Christopher Price ‏@cpriceNFL 13m13 minutes ago
Bryan Stork in uniform, getting ready for practice. #Patriots
0 replies 8 retweets 14 favorites

I would be interested in knowing what some of the better football minds than me (everyone here) who watch a lot of tape think about Stork. I re-watched the Ravens and Colts game, and granted he wasn't in long against the Ravens but I thought the line was about the same without him after some initital Kline struggles. And they were obviously very strong against the Colts. Do people consider the Wendell/Stork/Connolly line a real upgrade or is it more a depth issue of having to play guys like Devey and Cannon more. Is there a chance they stick with Connolly/Wednell/Kline if Stork is anything below 100%? I know Stork has a lot of size on Wendell and maybe that's an advantage against a smaller Seahawks line.

MillarTime · Jan 22, 2015

norm from cheers said:
Now this is good news:

Christopher Price ‏@cpriceNFL 13m13 minutes ago
Bryan Stork in uniform, getting ready for practice. #Patriots
0 replies 8 retweets 14 favorites

Giddyup.

Shelterdog · Jan 22, 2015

FL4WL3SS said:
Ridley

I got blounted and forgot about him. Anyhow, it's a pretty damn healthy team.

As for the benefits of Connolly/Stork/Wendell v. some other line combo, I'm not sure what the difference is but they do play appreciably better with Stork in there. It could very well be just that they're a bit sharper as a unit, play well together, understand their assignment more, make better reads, that sort of thing rather than that CSW is physically more competent than other lineups.

dylanmarsh · Jan 22, 2015

https://twitter.com/Buccigross/status/558393808719970307

Someone else to throw out of the club.

Soxy · Jan 22, 2015

Full story is here. As if they needed more bulletin board material after all of the inflated ball bullshit:

Seattle Seahawks starting nickel cornerback Jeremy Lane paused for a moment Thursday when asked what makes New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski so good, because Lane disagrees.

"I actually don't think he's that good," Lane said. "He's OK. He does have a big body. But from what I've seen on tape, he doesn't like you putting your hands on him. So if we put our hands on him and shake him up a little bit, he won't catch that many balls."

Gronkowski (6-foot-6, 265 pounds) is a three-time All-Pro selection, including this season when he caught 82 passes for 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns. But Lane said the key to stopping Gronkowski is hitting him at the line of scrimmage.

"Yeah, but that's always our key every week, putting our hands on the receivers," Lane said. "It's definitely an issue with him from watching tape."

The Patriots often line up Gronkowski in the slot, which means Lane could be lined up against him.

"I'm good no matter who's lined up there," Lane said. "But [the Patriots] try to do things like line a bunch of ineligible guys out there to get you confused. We have a plan for it."

Silverdude2167 · Jan 22, 2015

The ineligible stuff has really gotten into peoples heads. They have run it in two games for what 6 plays and this guy is talking about it happening all the time.

Also Gonk is "Ok", right...

SemperFidelisSox · Jan 22, 2015

Assuming both Sherman and Thomas are shot up with cortisone before the game, I wonder what effect the extended halftime might have on the effectiveness of the meds in the second half.

rodderick · Jan 22, 2015

What he probably saw on film was Gronk getting held, interefered with and just downright mugged on every pass attempt and having absolutely nothing called on the defenders.

Ed Hillel · Jan 22, 2015

When I saw the headline, I thought Jeremy Lane was a writer.

Kevin Youkulele · Jan 22, 2015

Gronkowski (6-foot-6, 265 pounds) is a three-time All-Pro selection, including this season when he caught 82 passes for 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns. But Lane said the key to stopping Gronkowski is hitting him at the line of scrimmage.

For comparison, Lane is 6-0, 190 lbs. Yeah, buddy, go hit Gronk and let us know how that works out for ya.

timelysarcasm · Jan 22, 2015

Is Lane an idiot? Even if you thought that (concussions, mayhap), why on Earth would you ever say it?

It's such a dumb, dumb, dumb thing to say out loud to the media. I can't wait to watch Jeremy Lane being dragged into the endzone.

Leather · Jan 22, 2015

So the Seahawks are all but admitting their strategy is to commit DPI.

ThePrideofShiner · Jan 22, 2015

After I heard those comments it got me thinking about how tight ends have fared against the Seahawks. I don't know the numbers, but it seems they are generally susceptible to them having big games. On the other hand, I bet Vernon Davis doesn't like playing Seattle after he's gotten blown up in nearly every meeting.

Where does Gronkowski rank compared to the really good tight ends of the last few years? Is he as good/better than Vernon Davis? Tony Gonzalez?

I don't watch enough Patriots games to know.

Silverdude2167 · Jan 22, 2015

ThePrideofShiner said:
.

Where does Gronkowski rank compared to the really good tight ends of the last few years? Is he as good/better than Vernon Davis? Tony Gonzalez?.

This is a joke question right?

Dahabenzapple2 · Jan 22, 2015

Silverdude2167 said:
This is a joke question right?

Made my night before going to sleep

DJnVa · Jan 22, 2015

ThePrideofShiner said:
Where does Gronkowski rank compared to the really good tight ends of the last few years? Is he as good/better than Vernon Davis? Tony Gonzalez?

ThePrideofShiner · Jan 23, 2015

It caused me to look it up, and Gronkowski has better numbers than Vernon Davis, though Davis' receiving corps has been much better than Gronkowski's so that could skew it a bit.

Anyway, I'm curious to see how Gronkowski does. I think that is the key matchup.

SMU_Sox · Jan 23, 2015

ThePrideofShiner said:
After I heard those comments it got me thinking about how tight ends have fared against the Seahawks. I don't know the numbers, but it seems they are generally susceptible to them having big games. On the other hand, I bet Vernon Davis doesn't like playing Seattle after he's gotten blown up in nearly every meeting.

Where does Gronkowski rank compared to the really good tight ends of the last few years? Is he as good/better than Vernon Davis? Tony Gonzalez?

I don't watch enough Patriots games to know.

Seattle is actually quite solid against tight ends and has been since at least last year. Gronk is the best tight end in the game hands down when he is healthy.

WayBackVazquez · Jan 23, 2015

wibi said:
He asked a serious question. Not all of us follow the Patriots closely enough to know everything about everyone.

I get you think you are being funny but this is actually kind of disrespectful

Take it easy. The guy is a Seahawks (and Yankees) fan and yet shows up ten days before the Super Bowl on a Patriots forum and basically asks who this Gronkowski guy is. You don't exactly need to have Pats season tickets to know about Gronkowski. Whether it was a joke seems a perfectly reasonable question.

ThePrideofShiner · Jan 23, 2015

BigSoxFan said:
Simply put, Rob Gronkowski is the best overall TE in football and is a matchup nightmare for most teams. He's too big for most safeties to deal with and too fast and agile for most LBs.

With that said, the Seahawks have the best combination of personnel to neutralize Gronk in the league. Chancellor/Thomas are about as good of a safety tandem as you can get and Wagner is an athletic freak of a LB. My guess is that the Patriots will move Gronk all over the field and he can basically play in any formation. In this year's playoffs, they've split him out near the goal line and have run quick slants. At 6'6 260, he's basically unstoppable in that situation.

With all that said, Brady does tend to lock in on Gronk from time to time so there will be some balls in play for the Seattle secondary.

Thanks. Despite what WBV might say, I'm on these forums daily - just don't post much. I'm aware of the Patriots because I frequent this site so much, but I don't watch their games.

This is good info that I was looking for.

Edit: And trying to get some game talk going. Don't give a shit about inflated or not inflated footballs.

SMU_Sox · Jan 23, 2015

WayBackVazquez said:
Take it easy. The guy is a Seahawks (and Yankees) fan and yet shows up ten days before the Super Bowl on a Patriots forum and basically asks who this Gronkowski guy is. You don't exactly need to have Pats season tickets to know about Gronkowski. Whether it was a joke seems a perfectly reasonable question.

The way he asked the question showed otherwise. Tony has been retired for a year and Vernon Davis had a forgotten year in 2014 not even getting to a measly 300 yards. It seemed like he is a casual fan just looking for some perspective. I'm not trying to start anything with you, WBV, or anyone else. Just my $0.02.

I'm not sure Seattle with their banged up secondary is the best matchup to cover Gronk. I'll be writing something about that later this week but it's definitely an obvious area of concern if you are a Seahawks fan.

Tito's Pullover · Jan 23, 2015

Tony Gonzalez is pretty easily the greatest tight end of all time. Gronk is on pace to get there one day, if he stays healthy. But it's fair to hold the two in similar regard.

Vernon Davis does not belong in the same sentence as either of them. So, at least half of that is a non-joke.

I think in ten years, we'll be talking about Gronk, Gonzalez, Gates, and Jimmy Graham as the top 4 tight ends ever in some order. Call 'em 4G. I think Vernon Davis is a notch below Witten, Sharpe, Ditka, Mackey, and Winslow Sr., at least.

WayBackVazquez · Jan 23, 2015

wibi said:
Is this a joke? Seriously, is this a joke?

I don't know, wibi, but let's talk some football. The patriots have a good passing game, but they seem to have some trouble with the better DB in the league. How does this Richard Sherman compare to say Captain Munnerlyn? Maybe I should go ask at Sons of Dave Valle?

Marciano490 · Jan 23, 2015

No snark, it legitimately made me laugh that you specified Winslow Sr., just in case anybody thought you were ranking soldier boy Kellen up there with Ditka and Sharpe.

WayBackVazquez · Jan 23, 2015

SMU_Sox said:
The way he asked the question showed otherwise. Tony has been retired for a year and Vernon Davis had a forgotten year in 2014 not even getting to a measly 300 yards. It seemed like he is a casual fan just looking for some perspective. I'm not trying to start anything with you, WBV, or anyone else. Just my $0.02.

And that's fine, but the post wibi took such great offense to was a simple "Is this a joke?" It's not like he cussed the guy out. It's an odd question not just because the guy is like...everywhere, but also because this is the pats forum a week before the Super Bowl.

rodderick · Jan 23, 2015

wibi said:
Is this a joke? Seriously, is this a joke?

The joke would be me coming into a Seahawks board and going "hey, this Lynch dude, is he as good as like Frank Gore and Matt Forte? Don't really follow them that much".

lars10 · Jan 23, 2015

rodderick said:
The joke would be me coming into a Seahawks board and going "hey, this Lynch dude, is he as good as like Frank Gore and Matt Forte? Don't really follow them that much".

Right... It's not like you have to watch the pats to know who Gronk is... If you watch any nfl at all you know who Gronk is.. I mean it's not like he doesn't dominate most highlights of pats games. I can see asking a similar question about maybe Wright?

My fantasy team knows how bad Vernon Davis was this year.

Silverdude2167 · Jan 23, 2015

wibi said:
He asked a serious question. Not all of us follow the Patriots closely enough to know everything about everyone.

I get you think you are being funny but this is actually kind of disrespectful

Gronk = 54 touchdowns in 5 seasons injured for roughly a full season aggregate.
Davis = 55 touchdowns in 9 seasons
Gonzolaz = 111 touchdowns in 16 seasons.

To ask if Gronk is as good as these other TE's when he is statistically on pace to destroy all TE records while also being a great blocking TE does seem like a joke question.
There is a thread dedicated to Gronk that is 8th from the top of the forum at the moment.

From a football perspective I would not be surprised to see the Pats go back to the two TE look and try to get some favorable match ups in the run/pass game, but I do not know much about how the Seahawks handle TE's and as BSF says maybe they could handle that set with their base personal easily.

Reverend · Jan 23, 2015

Is this Bucigross fellow bigger or smaller than Terrell Suggs?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATNd01-hlxE

dynomite · Jan 23, 2015

wibi said:
He asked a serious question. Not all of us follow the Patriots closely enough to know everything about everyone

I get you think you are being funny but this is actually kind of disrespectful

The "So is this Lynch guy any good?" analogy is correct. Gronk is on pace to be a Hall of Famer and was a unanimous All Pro selection at TE this season. The only other unanimous All Pro this year was JJ Watt.

I guess people here are a little sensitive after this week, but c'mon. It's not like he was asking about one of our offensive linemen -- Gronk is one of the best known players in the NFL.

Anyway, in actual football news:

wibi said:
Did not participate

FS Earl Thomas (shoulder)

What are you hearing about Thomas? Seems pretty clear he's going to play if he can walk, but are there reports about how effective he will be?

Edited to fix hilariously terrible formatting.

DanoooME · Jan 23, 2015

These 9 days can't go quick enough.

dynomite · Jan 23, 2015

No. No they cannot.

CantKeepmedown · Jan 23, 2015

Can Danooo or Wibi comment on Jeremy Lane? As in, is this out of character for him? I know sweet Pete likes to keep things loose, but I can't imagine he is thrilled at having to hear that comment.

Reverend · Jan 23, 2015

dynomite said:
The "So is this Lynch guy any good?" analogy is correct. Gronk is on pace to be a Hall of Famer and was a unanimous All Pro selection at TE this season. The only other unanimous All Pro this year was JJ Watt.

I guess people here are a little sensitive after this week, but c'mon. It's not like he was asking about one of our offensive linemen -- Gronk is one of the best known players in the NFL.

More specifically: He's terrifying.

(Video won't embed because imgur changed their link info so I offer the link instead.)

DanoooME · Jan 23, 2015

CantKeepmedown said:
Can Danooo or Wibi comment on Jeremy Lane? As in, is this out of character for him? I know sweet Pete likes to keep things loose, but I can't imagine he is thrilled at having to hear that comment.

It's unusual. I don't remember him being all that mouthy, but when you in a group as confident (cocky) as they are, sometimes you just can't help yourself. I definitely don't think it's smart.

JerBear · Jan 23, 2015

What's a better story than underinflated balls? Wagering superheros.

http://moviepilot.com/posts/2015/01/21/captain-america-and-star-lord-make-superheroic-super-bowl-bet-on-twitter-2609038?lt_source=external,manual

#whatisaseahawkanyways
#somethingtombradyhunts

lithos2003 · Jan 23, 2015

ThePrideofShiner said:
Thanks. Despite what WBV might say, I'm on these forums daily - just don't post much. I'm aware of the Patriots because I frequent this site so much, but I don't watch their games.

This is good info that I was looking for.

Edit: And trying to get some game talk going. Don't give a shit about inflated or not inflated footballs.

I've found a couple of Gronk videos to help you out (in case you're not trolling):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpTc8gYaXVM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIoNTSmxP7E

DaughtersofDougMirabelli · Jan 23, 2015

lithos2003 said:
I've found a couple of Gronk videos to help you out (in case you're not trolling):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpTc8gYaXVM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIoNTSmxP7E

He's OK.

Ed Hillel · Jan 23, 2015

Check out this one. My favorite is at the beginning. Turns out that Suggs is Mic'd up on that play where Gronk trucks him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcA0erznHoU

JohnnyK · Jan 23, 2015

Stork practices again. Thomas back at practice. And color me surprised Sherman has been a full participant in all practices.

dynomite · Jan 23, 2015

Thomas getting in a limited practice is relatively big as well for the Seahawks. Again, everyone assumes he'll play, but I'm a little surprised he was out there at all this week.

E5 Yaz · Jan 23, 2015

joshweinfuss Josh Weinfuss
#AZCardinals CB Patrick Peterson on Patriots using Cards facility: "I’m better with that team coming in there versus the other one."

steveluck7 · Jan 23, 2015

E5 Yaz said:
joshweinfuss Josh Weinfuss
#AZCardinals CB Patrick Peterson on Patriots using Cards facility: "I’m better with that team coming in there versus the other one."

Mallet for Peterson and a 1st... Get it done, Bill!

geoduck no quahog · Jan 23, 2015

Penalties this season (no declined or offsetting included, regular season only):

Seahawks (most penalized) / Patriots (6th most penalized)

TOTAL: 125 / 120
False Starts: 29 / 22
Holding: 30 / 36
Offsides: 11 / 2
Illegal Contact: 2 / 3
Pass Interference: 8 / 13
Roughing the Passer: 0 / 4
Personal Foul: 0 / 0
Unnecessary Roughness: 9 / 6
Unsportsmanlike Conduct: 0 / 0
Other: 36 / 32
Most Penalized: Michael Bennett @ 12 / Browner @ 13

Couldn't find a better breakdown.

geoduck no quahog · Jan 23, 2015

BigSoxFan said:
Seahawks averaging 1 DPI every 2 games? Interesting.

1 was by a wide receiver, and 1 by a running back: so only 6 DPI's

AbbyNoho · Jan 23, 2015

JerBear said:
What's a better story than underinflated balls? Wagering superheros.

http://moviepilot.com/posts/2015/01/21/captain-america-and-star-lord-make-superheroic-super-bowl-bet-on-twitter-2609038?lt_source=external,manual

#whatisaseahawkanyways
#somethingtombradyhunts

BbtL Super Bowl XLIX Thread

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