That was then: Celebrating what was

tims4wins

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The next thing is winning three straight major sports titles, and obviously the Bruins have a genuine shot to get that for Boston. You weren't counting hockey, though. I don't think anyone from NY or NJ should give you crap until any one of the nine pro teams in that region outperforms any one of their four Boston/New England counterparts.
Imagine if both the Celts and B's win it all this spring
 

snowmanny

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Dragging up a month-old post, but I was thinking the best way to solve the "What Super Bowl is that?" question to someone wearing a SB LI t-shirt would be to create subtitled t-shirts, e.g. "SB LI: That's the one when they came back on the Falcons".
SB XXXVIII: That's the one where Brady engineered a last-minute drive capped off by a Vinatieri game-winner, again.
 

Saints Rest

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Dragging up a month-old post, but I was thinking the best way to solve the "What Super Bowl is that?" question to someone wearing a SB LI t-shirt would be to create subtitled t-shirts, e.g. "SB LI: That's the one when they came back on the Falcons".
Friends of the Patriots:
  • XXXVI: The One that Started it All
  • XXXVIII: The One With the Wardrobe Malfunction
  • XXXVIII: The One Where McNabb Vomited on the Field
  • XLIX: The One With the Interception
  • LI: The One With the Comeback
  • LIII: The One With the Defense
 

8slim

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Friends of the Patriots:
  • XXXVI: The One that Started it All
  • XXXVIII: The One With the Wardrobe Malfunction
  • XXXVIII: The One Where McNabb Vomited on the Field
  • XLIX: The One With the Interception
  • LI: The One With the Comeback
  • LIII: The One With the Defense
This is brilliant.
 

loshjott

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Friends of the Patriots:
  • XXXVI: The One that Started it All
  • XXXVIII: The One With the Wardrobe Malfunction that Proved Ricky Proehl Right
  • XXXVIII: The One Where McNabb Vomited on the Field
  • XLIX: The One With the Interception
  • LI: The One With the Comeback
  • LIII: The One With the Defense
Fixed.
 

Brand Name

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Moving the Line
Tom Brady has won against every opponent he's faced, sure. But he's two away from beating every opponent at home and the road, as much as possible, given Brady has only played for the Pats. The two remaining are vs NYG, which you have like the odds of this season, and then @SEA, which is next season. If this gets done, I don't think any QB has done this since the league has grown to 30+ teams. Brady's the most likely to do so with how the schedules are structured.

Looking at some prominent examples of players to beat almost of other every team: Brees risen to the occasion in Denver, or the Bengals/Ravens (2022) at home. Peyton nor Elway found holes with their offenses, winless Green Bay. Rodgers has only been shaved Blade. Big Ben hasn't won in the Bay Area. Favre never got the W at the Big D. Aikman failed to take flight against the Ravens.

For those that beat all 28 when that was the number, should be said Montana never won in Chicago, Tarkenton never beat the Colts in Baltimore.
 

Kliq

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May as well spike the football at some point. This won't last forever.

A buddy of mine from south Jersey was giving me crap online about the Celtics underperforming this year. I replied that I was crestfallen that we might only have two of the three major sports championships at once, but there is always next year. There aren't a whole lot of possible rated G or PG responses to that.
I find the opposing fans who chant “Kyrie’s leaving” adorable. Like Boston fans would be crushed if he left or something.
 

simplyeric

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Friends of the Patriots:
  • XXXVI: The One that Started it All
  • XXXVIII: The One With the Wardrobe Malfunction
  • XXXVIII: The One Where McNabb Vomited on the Field
  • XLIX: The One With the Interception
  • LI: The One With the Comeback
  • LIII: The One With the Defense
:
  • XXXVI: The One the Rams are still whining about.
  • XXXVIII: The One the Panthers are still whining about.
  • XXXVIII: The One that broke the Eagles for a while.
  • XLIX: The one that broke the Seahawks.
  • LI: The One that broke the Falcons
  • LIII: The Other One the Rams are mad about.
 

54thMA

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Considering where this team came from, ie basically the first 40 or so years of their history, as a fan I could care less what fans of other teams think or say.

We're talking about a team in the 1960's that made it to the AFL Championship game once and got demolished by San Diego, they were nomads for about 12 years with no real place to call home until the Sullivans built that shithole of a stadium in Foxboro. They were awful the first few years there, hired a very good coach in Fairbanks and were a wagon in 1976 and got royally screwed by Ben Dreath in the playoff game vs the Raiders, then that coach left in 1978 when they had another good team, they could not get over the hump until the mid 1980's when they hired another very good coach in Meyer, fired him, finally made a Super Bowl only to get blown out, then they stunk for a number of years, hired yet another very good coach in Parcells, got back to the Super Bowl only to have him leave...…….they were the football version of the Red Sox, then they hired yet another very good coach in Belichick and the rest is history.

As a diehard Patriots fan, the past 18 years have been a complete joy and something I know I'll never see again in my lifetime, it's going to end at some point, but regardless, it's been a fantastic ride, so blessed and grateful to have seen it.
 
Apr 7, 2006
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Watching that Tom Brady Top Comebacks makes it tough not to come over here and reminisce about how massive JR Redmond, Jermaine Wiggins and David Patten came up in the Snow Bowl game. Holy crap.
 

BaseballJones

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In Madden's defense, maybe he foresaw how unbeatable the Pats would be at the coin toss and unstoppable on the subsequent drive in all future cases.
There may be some posters here who actually can't remember SB 36. For those of us that can, how many of you were confident that when they got the ball with 1:21 left, with the Rams having scored 14 unanswered points, that the Pats would win that game?
 

Preacher

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There may be some posters here who actually can't remember SB 36. For those of us that can, how many of you were confident that when they got the ball with 1:21 left, with the Rams having scored 14 unanswered points, that the Pats would win that game?
At the time, I wasn't confident at all. Brady hadn't yet become TFB so anything could happen. But, I'd rather they at least try to get into FG range rather than put the game on a coin flip when the odds of victory under the old OT rules heavily favored the winner of the toss. So, I definitely disagreed with Madden at the time at thought the best shot was to win it in regulation. I just didn't think they'd pull it off.
 

BaseballJones

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At the time, I wasn't confident at all. Brady hadn't yet become TFB so anything could happen. But, I'd rather they at least try to get into FG range rather than put the game on a coin flip when the odds of victory under the old OT rules heavily favored the winner of the toss. So, I definitely disagreed with Madden at the time at thought the best shot was to win it in regulation. I just didn't think they'd pull it off.
That's where I was. I thought, may as well try, because if this goes to OT, the Rams are winning. The key play to me (well the Brown catch was huge) was the longer completion to Redmond, where he fumbled out of bounds (something that is hard to see in real time). That went for 11 yards and allowed the clock to stop. Set them up at the NE 41 with 33 seconds left and at that point, for the first time, I thought, hey maybe they can do this.

BTW, Vinatieri's kick would have been good from like 60. Split the uprights and was a BOMB.
 

Super Nomario

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At the time, I wasn't confident at all. Brady hadn't yet become TFB so anything could happen. But, I'd rather they at least try to get into FG range rather than put the game on a coin flip when the odds of victory under the old OT rules heavily favored the winner of the toss. So, I definitely disagreed with Madden at the time at thought the best shot was to win it in regulation. I just didn't think they'd pull it off.
This is where I was. I will say I had total confidence when Vinatieri lined up for the FG. If he hit that 45-yarder in the snow, he wasn't missing the 48-yarder in a dome.
 

Dollar

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At the time, I wasn't confident at all. Brady hadn't yet become TFB so anything could happen. But, I'd rather they at least try to get into FG range rather than put the game on a coin flip when the odds of victory under the old OT rules heavily favored the winner of the toss. So, I definitely disagreed with Madden at the time at thought the best shot was to win it in regulation. I just didn't think they'd pull it off.
Yup, I wasn't confident at all that the Pats would win at that point. The Rams had stormed back in a hurry and were the much better team in the 4th quarter, with two touchdowns while the Pats had gone 3 and out twice. That combined with a lifetime of crushing defeats in the Boston sports world had me feeling pretty pessimistic. It wasn't until Brady hit Troy over the middle that I actually thought we would win.
 

Import78

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There may be some posters here who actually can't remember SB 36. For those of us that can, how many of you were confident that when they got the ball with 1:21 left, with the Rams having scored 14 unanswered points, that the Pats would win that game?
I had almost no confidence that they had a shot going into that game, I was just happy they made it. They were massive underdogs and the Rams were a steamroller. I spent the whole game thinking we were lucky and at any moment the Rams would wake up and take it over. I thought the idea of kneeling with that much time was absurd at the time, why wouldn't you take a chance? I wasn't sure they would win, but I thought that was there best (only?) chance.
 

Jimbodandy

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This is where I was. I will say I had total confidence when Vinatieri lined up for the FG. If he hit that 45-yarder in the snow, he wasn't missing the 48-yarder in a dome.
Same. TFB wasn't yet TFB, but there was all sorts of irrational confidence around AV4. Everyone where I was watching figured that any feasible kick was going to be good. Guy walked on water at the time.
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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The Patriots offense was awful that game until the final drive. They had scored only after turnovers. A pick 6 and two more that put them at the Rams’ 40 and 33. They had only one drive all game with more than 2 first downs and no drive more than 45 yards.

Tom Brady had completed 11 passes for 93 yards, only 25 in the second half. Their only drive of any significance in the second half came on two long runs and Belichick passed on a 53 yard field goal attempt, setting up a net 16 yard punt. They had one passing first down in the second half and I think only 4 total. To say they had absolutely nothing going on in the passing game is almost an understatement. They had no time outs and couldn’t run. The idea that Brady could more than double his passing output for the half in 1:20 was laughable to the point of absurdity.

Looking back with hindsight, Madden’s comments seem surprising. Now we know who Tom Brady is. In the moment, there was zero evidence to believe anything but that three passes would have given the ball back to the greatest show on tuft.

What Madden didn’t understand and what I think most Patriots’ fans do not understand is that the absolute key to that drive is that the Rams were out of time outs. There is no way the Patriots were going to give the ball back. Had it gotten to third down they would have run to run down the clock. Madden didn’t understand the Rams’ lack of time outs put the Patriots in control of whether the Rams would get the ball back. That’s why they started with the short possession passes in bounds to take the clock down to a point where, if it ever got to third down, Brady could just kneel down and take overtime. Consider this — if the 11 yard pass to Redmond had been a 9 yard pass, what do the Patriots do on third and one? They have to run. Try to get the first down and spike it or let the clock run down to a few seconds and punt if they don’t get it. So, they not only had to convert all these plays and get out of bounds, but they were really only operating with 2 downs per series.

We all remember the 4th and 3 play at the goal line — the fumble TD return that got called back. The forgotten significant play of the game is the Rams calling their last time out before the fourth down play. If the Rams had a time out left, that last drive looks very different.
 
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Bergs

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The Patriots offense was awful that game until the final drive. They had scored only after turnovers. A pick 6 and two more that put them at the Rams’ 40 and 33. They had only one drive all game with more than 2 first downs and no drive more than 45 yards.

Tom Brady had completed 11 passes for 93 yards, only 25 in the second half. Their only drive of any significance in the second half came on two long runs and Belichick passed on a 53 yard field goal attempt, setting up a net 16 yard punt. They had one passing first down in the second half and I think only 4 total. To say they had absolutely nothing going on in the passing game is almost an understatement. They had no time outs and couldn’t run. The idea that Brady could more than double his passing output for the half in 1:20 was laughable to the point of absurdity.

Looking back with hindsight, Madden’s comments seem surprising. Now we know who Tom Brady is. In the moment, there was zero evidence to believe anything but that three passes would have given the ball back to the greatest show on tuft.

What Madden didn’t understand and what I think most Patriots’ fans do not understand is that the absolute key to that drive is that the Rams were out of time outs. There is no way the Patriots were going to give the ball back. Had it gotten to third down they would have run to run down the clock. Madden didn’t understand the Rams’ lack of time outs put the Patriots in control of whether the Rams would get the ball back. That’s why they started with the short possession passes in bounds to take the clock down to a point where, if it ever got to third down, Brady could just kneel down and take overtime. Consider this — if the 11 yard pass to Redmond had been a 9 yard pass, what do the Patriots do on third and one? They have to run. Try to get the first down and spike it or let the clock run down to a few seconds and punt if they don’t get it. So, they not only had to convert all these plays and get out of bounds, but they were really only operating with 2 downs per series.

We all remember the 4th and 3 play at the goal line — the fumble TD return that got called back. The forgotten significant play of the game is the Rams calling their last time out before the fourth down play. If the Rams had a time out left, that last drive looks very different.
This is a great post. I don't think I've ever really considered that before.

Also, put me in the camp of "just happy to be there" going into that game. I thought we had no chance.
 

tims4wins

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Yeah I will echo that, great post.

I think everyone obviously remembers that the Rams offense was incredible. They were #1 in points, yards, yards per play, etc. They outscored the #2 team by 90 points. That's a lot.

I think everyone forgets that they had the #3 defense by yards allowed. #7 by points allowed. They were a really good defense too. And the Pats had a lot of trouble with them.
 

Super Nomario

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What Madden didn’t understand and what I think most Patriots’ fans do not understand is that the absolute key to that drive is that the Rams were out of time outs. There is no way the Patriots were going to give the ball back. Had it gotten to third down they would have run to run down the clock. Madden didn’t understand the Rams’ lack of time outs put the Patriots in control of whether the Rams would get the ball back. That’s why they started with the short possession passes in bounds to take the clock down to a point where, if it ever got to third down, Brady could just kneel down and take overtime. Consider this — if the 11 yard pass to Redmond had been a 9 yard pass, what do the Patriots do on third and one? They have to run. Try to get the first down and spike it or let the clock run down to a few seconds and punt if they don’t get it. So, they not only had to convert all these plays and get out of bounds, but they were really only operating with 2 downs per series.
At the time, those first couple short passes - that bled 40 seconds and only got them to the 30 - seemed a waste, but I think they wound up being pretty key because they dulled the fear that they'd give the Rams the ball with a lot of time to work with. An incompletion and they probably just hand the ball off and play for OT.
 

BlackJack

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There may be some posters here who actually can't remember SB 36. For those of us that can, how many of you were confident that when they got the ball with 1:21 left, with the Rams having scored 14 unanswered points, that the Pats would win that game?
I wasn't at all confident that the Pats would win at that point, but I was convinced that if the Rams got the ball back that they were going to score a touchdown. So for me that final drive was do or die. I suppose I'd have had some hope if it went to OT if the Pats won the toss but if the Rams had touched the ball again in that game I'd have been resigning myself to another SB loss.
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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At the time, those first couple short passes - that bled 40 seconds and only got them to the 30 - seemed a waste, but I think they wound up being pretty key because they dulled the fear that they'd give the Rams the ball with a lot of time to work with. An incompletion and they probably just hand the ball off and play for OT.
Right. I think it's the same strategy Belichick has consistently employed at the end of the first half that sometimes drives us crazy. His first priority is getting the clock to the point that the other team is going to have very little time to work with. Only then does he take off the reins. He understands keenly that a field goal is better than a TD and then conceding a TD. In fact, I think he views a FG at the end of the half with no time left as being greater than leaving enough to time that gives the opponent enough time for a FG and a very outside shot at a TD. He's seen that teams get tired at the end of halves. Points get scored in bunches and quickly. He'll take the 3 points over even an expected 4 point net if he completely eliminates the chance of a TD coming the other way.

Belichick knew in the Super Bowl that once he got the clock down to 40 seconds he controlled whether the Rams could get the ball back.
 

Dollar

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The most underrated part of that drive was right after the Wiggins catch, when he got up and casually tossed the ball to the ref, but the ball bounced off of two Rams, hit the ground, and magically bounced right into the hands of the official. If that ball had taken an unfortunate bounce and gotten kicked around a little bit, there's a small chance the clock would have gotten dangerously close to triple zeroes.

 

tims4wins

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Right. I think it's the same strategy Belichick has consistently employed at the end of the first half that sometimes drives us crazy. His first priority is getting the clock to the point that the other team is going to have very little time to work with. Only then does he take off the reins. He understands keenly that a field goal is better than a TD and then conceding a TD. In fact, I think he views a FG at the end of the half with no time left as being greater than leaving enough to time that gives the opponent enough time for a FG and a very outside shot at a TD. He's seen that teams get tired at the end of halves. Points get scored in bunches and quickly. He'll take the 3 points over even an expected 4 point net if he completely eliminates the chance of a TD coming the other way.

Belichick knew in the Super Bowl that once he got the clock down to 40 seconds he controlled whether the Rams could get the ball back.
Completely agree, which is why to this day it still blows my mind that Seattle scored a TD at the end of the first half of XLIX. There were 31 damn seconds and Seattle started at its own 20.
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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Completely agree, which is why to this day it still blows my mind that Seattle scored a TD at the end of the first half of XLIX. There were 31 damn seconds and Seattle started at its own 20.
It really feels like there have been so many crazy things like that in the postseason during this Patriots' run. It's always memorable like that.

How about Superbowl 38? Eight punts, two missed field goals, and a fumble in the first 11 possessions, and then the teams scored 24 points in the last 3:10 of the first half.
 

tims4wins

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It really feels like there have been so many crazy things like that in the postseason during this Patriots' run. It's always memorable like that.

How about Superbowl 38? Eight punts, two missed field goals, and a fumble in the first 11 possessions, and then the teams scored 24 points in the last 3:10 of the first half.
This could go into the questioning BB thread, but the squib kick at the end of the first half was pretty dumb. Or at least very poorly executed.
 

rodderick

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The most underrated part of that drive was right after the Wiggins catch, when he got up and casually tossed the ball to the ref, but the ball bounced off of two Rams, hit the ground, and magically bounced right into the hands of the official. If that ball had taken an unfortunate bounce and gotten kicked around a little bit, there's a small chance the clock would have gotten dangerously close to triple zeroes.

Talking about weird bounces, the very next play is the spike where the ball hits the turf and then floats like a feather into Brady's waiting hand. Gives me chills every time.
 

loshjott

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Talking about weird bounces, the very next play is the spike where the ball hits the turf and then floats like a feather into Brady's waiting hand. Gives me chills every time.
Me too. Weirdly, that moment is what showed me what a grace under pressure performer he was (is). Just casually sticking his hand out for the ball like it was a pick up game in the back yard.
 

Section30

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I believe that this series of events with the ball randomly bouncing around led to the drill that the Patriots work on every week. The person with the ball runs over and hands it to the official every time. Failure to do so means laps for the entire offense.
This was mentioned in a couple of different articles where players were talking about how the Patriots practices are completely different than any other team.
 

Saints Rest

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Talking about weird bounces, the very next play is the spike where the ball hits the turf and then floats like a feather into Brady's waiting hand. Gives me chills every time.
I've mentioned before in some thread, maybe even this one, that for me, that moment of the ball floating down into Brady's calmly open palm, is the "Shot Heard Round The World" Moment for the Patriot Dynasty. Vinatieri's Snow Bowl Kick is like the Boston Tea Party, but that spiked play is the one that symbolizes for me all that was to come after it.
 

sheamonu

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One question I've always had - and it came up again after the Miami game this year - should the FG have been the last play of the game or should there have been at least one second left thus requiring the Patriots to kick off? While I'm very happy to have seen 0:00 come up - when the signal for the kick being good went up there were pretty clearly at least 2 seconds remaining on the game clock. The way it has been explained to me is that the end judges signalling good is only an indication to the referee, who then checks to make sure there are no other flags and only after he acknowledges/approves the indicative call is the play considered officially "complete" - so that accounts for the extra couple of seconds ticking off. Is this correct?
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

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I used to think the same, but IIRC the rule at the time was that any kind of FG attempt was ruled to take 7 seconds. I have no idea where I saw that but I'm pretty sure I'm not fever dreaming that up.