NFL Playoffs

[TaiidanTomcat]

If not for two bad calls the Packers only put up two field goals today: The Fumble that wasn't and the phantom helmet to helmet hit that was. We will let the Cheese heads sober up and then tell us their thoughts but that was terrible. Never seen a team lay an egg like that at home as defending SB champs and the number one seed in the playoffs.

[Cobrahistorian]

GO BIG BLUE!!!!

[GreyGhost]

Well, that's why they play the games and not just go by the pre-game hype ...

Gregg

[Cobrahistorian]

I'm going with a Baltimore/New York Superbowl.

I'm hoping for that, but it'll make life interesting since we live outside of Baltimore but I'm a dyed in the wool Giants fan.

Looking for payback for 2000!

[Jay Chladek]

Well, I'm just glad that Marsha got further than your Saints did. And even better we won't have to hear any more of that "Who dat" balony.

Oh come now, what is wrong with dat anyway. Who would think dat who dat is balony?

Okay, I admit it is a little corny, but not as corny as "Geaux Saints" (I can't stand that spelling). Who Dat at least is part of the culture of the bayou and New Orleans and while people down there can speak proper English, they love having a little fun with it.

I can appeciate some of the humor related to "who dat" as well. Last year I let out a chuckle during the Seattle playoff game when they showed a Seahawks fan holding a sign that said "SEA DAT? WE DAT!" (all done in the bright green and blue of Seattle's colors). Considering a few plays later the Saints got to experience M. Lynch's first "Beast Run," you have to take the chuckles when you can get em.

Knowing New Orleans, they likely cheered on the team when they got back home either late last night or this morning. They will cheer their team on through thick and thin, which is nice. Bet you don't ever see DAT in Philidelphia or Pittsburgh.

[Hal Marshman Sr]

Go Pats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Wayne S]

Being that I live in the northeast, I hope it is a rematch of Pats Vs Giants in the superbowl and Giants take it.

I am a Giants fan, tho if the above happens, I will have to mind my pints till after sunday roast or I get no yorkshire pudding for going against the pats

Edited January 16, 2012 by Wayne S

[TaiidanTomcat]

Knowing New Orleans, they likely cheered on the team when they got back home either late last night or this morning. They will cheer their team on through thick and thin, which is nice. Bet you don't ever see DAT in Philidelphia or Pittsburgh.

Yeah no one in Pittsburgh loves the Steelers. Its probably a bunch of band wagoners who only VERY recently started embracing their team as saviors of the city, but then again the Steelers have always been pretty godawful until just the last few years.

Its fun to make up narratives in your head about how one people is just that much better than others based on "likely" assumptions that quickly become fact in your own mind. I think its a likely saints fan thing. Knowing New Orleans and all.

[fulcrum1]

I've lived in alot of cities and known alot of fans and without a doubt, Pittsburgh and Philly rank up there with NY for some diehard fans, but nothing compares to this crap I'm seeing in Colorado which extends to Idaho, Wyoming, and New Mexico. These people actually believe that Denver is God's team sending his prophets in the form of John Elway and Tim Tebow. Diehard? Not so much. Cultish? Yup.

[Wolfgun33]

Well my Texans are out. Our punt returner Jacoby Jones cost us a lot. Defense did thier job. Oh well. They did have a great season all things considered with a thrid string QB and a lot of other injuries. Here's to next season!

[TaiidanTomcat]

I've lived in alot of cities and known alot of fans and without a doubt, Pittsburgh and Philly rank up there with NY for some diehard fans, but nothing compares to this crap I'm seeing in Colorado which extends to Idaho, Wyoming, and New Mexico. These people actually believe that Denver is God's team sending his prophets in the form of John Elway and Tim Tebow. Diehard? Not so much. Cultish? Yup.

I am still wondering if the Tebow loss puts them in a mental quandary. Who to worship now? Elway! Speak and give us guidance!

[Jay Chladek]

Around where I live, KC fans are a little crazy as well. But that is tempered with knowing they haven't won a Superbowl since Len Dawson QBed for the team during the last AFL-NFL season where the leagues were separate. Still, Arrowhead Stadium is still one of the noisiest stadiums in the league.

I've got one buddy from Philly. He doesn't root for ANY of the professional sports teams in that city anymore since they all have their levels of suckage (he almost went back on that when Philly got to the Stanley cup, but he said "Nope, not unless they win the cup" and they didn't of course). In his opinion, the Eagles likely will NEVER win a Superbowl unless they get bought by a new owner. He says his health has been much better on weekends since he hasn't needed to scream at his television set. Pitts, okay you've got me there. The Terrible Towel is notorious of course and I have several personal friends who wear their "Steeler Nation" on a sleeve (makes me roll my eyes sometimes, but at least they aren't as obnoxious to hang out with as some Cowboys fans). But for much of this season, I've been hearing the gripes about how Mendenhall didn't seem to play up to the level he was capable of (and now he is down with an injury) and how the coaching staff is rudderless and would likely let Ben play even if his leg was turned 180 degrees with blood spurting from a ruptured artery because he says "I can play coach, put me in!" I remember the Steelers of the 1970s as I grew up in that time. Current Steelers are good of course, but I don't believe the success will come as easy. To their credit though, at least the team knows how to draft players who are essentially good, but not necessarily DIVAs. How long would a Chad Mucho Stinko "All about me" WR survive in Pittsburgh (not long)? GB and Pittsburg seem almost like mirrors of one another in terms of how they draft and build the teams.

Don't worry, if the Saints go back to their "Aints" ways, I am fully prepared to put the bag on my head. I almost did it after they lost to St. Louis this season (how the heck do you lose to the Rams?). It was a good wakeup call as they stepped up their game after that. Just not enough to beat SF though (always next year I guess). If getting to the Superbowl was easy, more teams would have done it by now.

[GreyGhost]

I am still wondering if the Tebow loss puts them in a mental quandary. Who to worship now? Elway! Speak and give us guidance!

Elway lost a few playoff games before finally winning the "Big One" in what, 1997 ?

I remember Elway's rookie season, when they were playing the Chargers, he lined up behind one of the Guards instead of the Center after the huddle and the Guard is waving him over to the Center ... Nobody is perfect ...

Gregg

[TaiidanTomcat]

Elway lost a few playoff games before finally winning the "Big One" in what, 1997 ?

I remember Elway's rookie season, when they were playing the Chargers, he lined up behind one of the Guards instead of the Center after the huddle and the Guard is waving him over to the Center ... Nobody is perfect ...

Gregg

DO NOT SAY THAT TO A DENVER FAN. Please do not point out that he won his first super bowl at age 38. Talk to Bronco fans, they will tell you all about Elway awesomeness. the phrase 98 yard drive may come up. Thats my point Gregg they aren't logical. They gave elway 16 years, but they won't give anyone else 16 weeksI would hate to be QB there and I am glad that Cutler was able to make his escape when he did.

[Sig Saur & Son]

As long as the Cowgirls are sitting at home, it's a good year.

[Helidriver]

I'm back, back in the New York Groooove. GO BIG BLUE!!!

I watched the saints game in a sports bar in Lafayette. Those last 4 minutes went from tinnitus inducing noise, to hearing a pin drop....twice. On getting back to the hangar on Sunday morning there was a sign saying 49ers is who's dat. And the Geaux Saints had been transformed into Geaux Saints, with Colts handwritten across it....

[Hal Marshman Sr]

Pats and Brady, pats and Brady, Yay, Yay, Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO-o-o-o Pats

[Jay Chladek]

DO NOT SAY THAT TO A DENVER FAN. Please do not point out that he won his first super bowl at age 38. Talk to Bronco fans, they will tell you all about Elway awesomeness. the phrase 98 yard drive may come up. Thats my point Gregg they aren't logical. They gave elway 16 years, but they won't give anyone else 16 weeksI would hate to be QB there and I am glad that Cutler was able to make his escape when he did.

John Elway, probably the one NFL QB that made Favre stick in the NFL longer than he should of because Brett likely kept thinking "if John can do it, so can I!" And so Favre got on this crazy quest to try and get a SECOND Superbowl ring, like what Elway had.

You realize of course if the Giants make it to and win the Superbowl, Eli Manning will have something his brother doesn't (two SB rings)? It could happen, but I say bring on the Harbaugh war!

[indydog]

Since by some strange twist of fate, the Steelers , Packers and Saints have all be knocked out. I'm gonna throw caution to the wind and say the SB will be the Pats and the 49'ers, with the 49'ers coming out on top.

'Cause I REALLY hate New England...

[JasonW]

Since by some strange twist of fate, the Steelers , Packers and Saints have all be knocked out. I'm gonna throw caution to the wind and say the SB will be the Pats and the 49'ers, with the 49'ers coming out on top.

'Cause I REALLY hate New England...

Who would've thought, a guy from Indy hating New England....

The Pats still have a hurdle to clear in the Ravens and they way the Ravens D is playing it really could go either way. I wouldn't go so far as writing the Pats in just yet.

The following is a rant, not necessarily aimed at you per se but prompted by your post:

You know, I really don't understand all the "hate" that gets thrown around in professional sports. You "hate" New England? Interesting, but why don't I "hate" the Colts then? Shouldn't I? Heck, I don't even "hate" the NY Yankees. Dislike them? Sure. Like to see them lose? Sure. Hate them? Not really, it's only professional sports after all.

New England has won several Super Bowls in the recent past. Three since 2001. And I have enjoyed every one of them, especially after enduring seasons of VERY mediocre football, even poor football. I've seen Pop Warner teams that played better than the Patriots in some of those seasons. I can still remember the 1-15 season in 1990. I still remember the Pats getting absolutely destroyed by Da Bears in 1986. During the Patriots first run in 2001 lots of folks were behind them and supported them even outside of New England, a lot of people were genuinely happy to see them finally win after seasons of frustration. Tom Brady was this feel good story kid who came out of nowhere and carried the team through. Then they started to win consistently and like the Cowboys of the 1990's and the Yankees with their World Series runs (and now even the Red Sox) and other teams who win consistently there starts to develop a dislike and disdain for the winning teams. And Tom Brady, with his records, millions of dollars, supermodel girlfriend and endorsement deals galore is the man that everybody loves to hate. Everybody loves a loser, everybody hates a winner. This was especially true of the Red Sox before 2004 and is currently true of the Chicago Cubs. Envy then turns into "hate". The Patriots/Red Sox/Bruins are doing things that fans of other teams want to see their team do. Therefore envy turns to "hate" and people "hate" the -insert winning team here-. It really is amusing in some instances, until it gets moved to violence as recently happened after the NHL Winter Classic in Philly where a Rangers fan was beaten within inches of his life.

Sorry for the rant, but I see this differently than many I guess. Been told I can't be a true fan if I don't hate -insert arch rival here- but in my eyes it's only professional sports. It isn't worth getting that worked up over, there are far to many things in life that are.

[11bee]

Who would've thought, a guy from Indy hating New England....

The Pats still have a hurdle to clear in the Ravens and they way the Ravens D is playing it really could go either way. I wouldn't go so far as writing the Pats in just yet.

The following is a rant, not necessarily aimed at you per se but prompted by your post:

You know, I really don't understand all the "hate" that gets thrown around in professional sports. You "hate" New England? Interesting, but why don't I "hate" the Colts then? Shouldn't I? Heck, I don't even "hate" the NY Yankees. Dislike them? Sure. Like to see them lose? Sure. Hate them? Not really, it's only professional sports after all.

New England has won several Super Bowls in the recent past. Three since 2001. And I have enjoyed every one of them, especially after enduring seasons of VERY mediocre football, even poor football. I've seen Pop Warner teams that played better than the Patriots in some of those seasons. I can still remember the 1-15 season in 1990. I still remember the Pats getting absolutely destroyed by Da Bears in 1986. During the Patriots first run in 2001 lots of folks were behind them and supported them even outside of New England, a lot of people were genuinely happy to see them finally win after seasons of frustration. Tom Brady was this feel good story kid who came out of nowhere and carried the team through. Then they started to win consistently and like the Cowboys of the 1990's and the Yankees with their World Series runs (and now even the Red Sox) and other teams who win consistently there starts to develop a dislike and disdain for the winning teams. And Tom Brady, with his records, millions of dollars, supermodel girlfriend and endorsement deals galore is the man that everybody loves to hate. Everybody loves a loser, everybody hates a winner. This was especially true of the Red Sox before 2004 and is currently true of the Chicago Cubs. Envy then turns into "hate". The Patriots/Red Sox/Bruins are doing things that fans of other teams want to see their team do. Therefore envy turns to "hate" and people "hate" the -insert winning team here-. It really is amusing in some instances, until it gets moved to violence as recently happened after the NHL Winter Classic in Philly where a Rangers fan was beaten within inches of his life.

Sorry for the rant, but I see this differently than many I guess. Been told I can't be a true fan if I don't hate -insert arch rival here- but in my eyes it's only professional sports. It isn't worth getting that worked up over, there are far to many things in life that are.

Very well put. As a Pat's fan going back a few decades, I am still in partial shock every time they win. That is because I remember season after season when they absolutely s*cked.

If you truly "hate" a sports team or a particular player, you really do need to take a hard look at your life.

As far as this weekend's game goes, I'm not quite as stressed about playing Baltimore as I was earlier. After watching the Ravens play on Sunday, they didn't appear to be the powerhouse that some have claimed.

To be honest Flaco is, at best, an average QB who doesn't have the benefit of superstar receivers. The Raven's haven't played many elite offenses and their defense is showing some wear and tear. The key for NE is to hold Baltimore on the ground and to protect Brady. The Ravens will likely not have an answer to the Welker / Gronk / Hernandez team, the only way they are going to impact the Patriots offense is by getting at Brady. If they can do this and manage to get 3 TD's or more, then they will probably come out on top.

Regardless, it should be a great game.

[Jay Chladek]

When it comes to the term "hate" as bandied about on a message forum, don't read much into it. The word can admittedly throw a lot of pre-conceived notions into it and putting too much thought into it is wasted energy.

I'll tell you my motivations at least for why I want another team to triumph over the Patriots. It is because their success kind of gets old. Let see, the Patriots have won 3 SBs out of 4 trips in the past decade. It reminds me a bit of that five in a row stretch of Cup wins that Jimmy Johnson had in NASCAR. It gets boring! You want to see things spread out a bit. But to me, frustration with the Patriots winning streak isn't so much a "hate" on the Patriots, rather it is frustration that the other NFL teams don't seem to be adapting to what Belichek and Brady seem to be doing on a consistant basis. Personally, I have a lot of respect for what Brady has done. For a guy selected 199 in the NFL draft and who has surpassed all the QBs taken before him (most of them ending up busts, one winning a SB before the Ravens cut him and another one trying to come back after nasty injuries) he has ALWAYS had to try harder than the next guy and that try has been a key component of what has netted him his success. I admit with Brady though, there is maybe a little touch of smugness behind him. A little smugness can be a good thing if properly harnessed as opposed to being cocky. But, at least he backs it up with his play as opposed to running his mouth like what quite a few other NFL players do (many of them being wide receivers and running backs).

I also don't deny what the Patriots themselves have done. They were one of the powerhouses of the old AFL. But when the AFL merged into the NFL, I think the glory of the AFC in those early years went to the two NFL transplants, the Colts and the Steelers (the Browns tried early on, but haven't done much). So the Steelers were able to exploit their switch in the 1970s and turn it into success for the next decade. The Jets were probably the most successful of the original AFL east teams after the merger while the Raiders dominated in the west (the Dolphins were a bit of a wildcard as they came into the AFL late, knowing they would be an NFL team in about three years anyway, same as Paul Brown's Bengals). It took MANY YEARS for the Patriots to climb out of the gutter and stay on top consistantly. One consolation I can see from the current success of the Patriots is at least it gets Rex Ryan to shut his pie hole (the guy is as annoying as ever!) when he says the Jets are going to the Superbowl. Right... keep dreaming Rex with that team if psycho-divas on your staff. Part of the reason for WHY the Patriots do so well though is they don't have the turmoil other teams in the AFC North and East have. This year I was hoping the Bills might have finally gotten it, but that didn't last long. Jets.. nuff said. Ravens... great potential as at least THEY can play football, even if their QB isn't a scoring machine. The rest of the AFC except for the Steelers isn't much better these days as no other team can seem to put together a consistant package for more than a year or two (Indy tried, but without Peyton... forget it).

As for my Marsha Brady jokes, that comes down to the QB rules the NFL practically wrote for him concerning legal hits on the QB from a defense (want to keep your QB from getting hit? How about better pass protection!). Granted most every QB has benefitted from it, but none it seems more than Brady. At least Tom cut that silly long hair of his as it looked STUPID! A short haired Tom Brady I respect more than a long haired hippy Tom Brady. :)

[JasonW]

As far as this weekend's game goes, I'm not quite as stressed about playing Baltimore as I was earlier. After watching the Ravens play on Sunday, they didn't appear to be the powerhouse that some have claimed.

To be honest Flaco is, at best, an average QB who doesn't have the benefit of superstar receivers. The Raven's haven't played many elite offenses and their defense is showing some wear and tear. The key for NE is to hold Baltimore on the ground and to protect Brady. The Ravens will likely not have an answer to the Welker / Gronk / Hernandez team, the only way they are going to impact the Patriots offense is by getting at Brady. If they can do this and manage to get 3 TD's or more, then they will probably come out on top.

Regardless, it should be a great game.

I won't argue Flacco, I'm not that impressed by him either. The receivers are not all that bad though. Boldin is pretty talented. Ray Rice is a monster, rushed for 1364 yards and 12 TD's while receiving for 704 yards and 3 more TD's. The running game is hands down better than the Pats. D is better too. The Ravens offense is reasonably well rounded and while they don't have the passing/receiving stats that the Pat's do, their defense still keeps games close enough for the offense to have a chance. I would not put too much stock in their performance against the Texans as Houston had a defense that is light years ahead of the Pats D. Anything can happen and as proven by last years playoff meltdown, we know the Patriots, great offense and all, are capable of the big meltdown. Look no further than this past weekends games and notice that great defenses negated great offenses in the NO/SF and Green Bay/NYG games.

The Pats D need to bring their A game and the o-line will need to keep Brady safe for the Pats to pull this off.

[JasonW]

When it comes to the term "hate" as bandied about on a message forum, don't read much into it. The word can admittedly throw a lot of pre-conceived notions into it and putting too much thought into it is wasted energy.

I'll tell you my motivations at least for why I want another team to triumph over the Patriots. It is because their success kind of gets old. Let see, the Patriots have won 3 SBs out of 4 trips in the past decade. It reminds me a bit of that five in a row stretch of Cup wins that Jimmy Johnson had in NASCAR. It gets boring! You want to see things spread out a bit. But to me, frustration with the Patriots winning streak isn't so much a "hate" on the Patriots, rather it is frustration that the other NFL teams don't seem to be adapting to what Belichek and Brady seem to be doing on a consistant basis. Personally, I have a lot of respect for what Brady has done. For a guy selected 199 in the NFL draft and who has surpassed all the QBs taken before him (most of them ending up busts, one winning a SB before the Ravens cut him and another one trying to come back after nasty injuries) he has ALWAYS had to try harder than the next guy and that try has been a key component of what has netted him his success. I admit with Brady though, there is maybe a little touch of smugness behind him. A little smugness can be a good thing if properly harnessed as opposed to being cocky. But, at least he backs it up with his play as opposed to running his mouth like what quite a few other NFL players do (many of them being wide receivers and running backs).

I also don't deny what the Patriots themselves have done. They were one of the powerhouses of the old AFL. But when the AFL merged into the NFL, I think the glory of the AFC in those early years went to the two NFL transplants, the Colts and the Steelers (the Browns tried early on, but haven't done much). So the Steelers were able to exploit their switch in the 1970s and turn it into success for the next decade. The Jets were probably the most successful of the original AFL east teams after the merger while the Raiders dominated in the west (the Dolphins were a bit of a wildcard as they came into the AFL late, knowing they would be an NFL team in about three years anyway, same as Paul Brown's Bengals). It took MANY YEARS for the Patriots to climb out of the gutter and stay on top consistantly. One consolation I can see from the current success of the Patriots is at least it gets Rex Ryan to shut his pie hole (the guy is as annoying as ever!) when he says the Jets are going to the Superbowl. Right... keep dreaming Rex with that team if psycho-divas on your staff. Part of the reason for WHY the Patriots do so well though is they don't have the turmoil other teams in the AFC North and East have. This year I was hoping the Bills might have finally gotten it, but that didn't last long. Jets.. nuff said. Ravens... great potential as at least THEY can play football, even if their QB isn't a scoring machine. The rest of the AFC except for the Steelers isn't much better these days as no other team can seem to put together a consistant package for more than a year or two (Indy tried, but without Peyton... forget it).

As for my Marsha Brady jokes, that comes down to the QB rules the NFL practically wrote for him concerning legal hits on the QB from a defense (want to keep your QB from getting hit? How about better pass protection!). Granted most every QB has benefitted from it, but none it seems more than Brady. At least Tom cut that silly long hair of his as it looked STUPID! A short haired Tom Brady I respect more than a long haired hippy Tom Brady. :)

I actually like to see under-dog teams win a lot. That said, I grew up and remain a Patriots/Bruins/Red Sox fan so my heart will always side with those teams whens they're still playing. As a fan of MLB/NFL/NHL though I will watch games regardless of who is playing and like the sports as well as other teams. I was actually rooting for the Texans last weekend and even the Giants (What? A Patriots fan rooting for the G-Men?! What the?!). It was great to see such under dogs (San Fran and NYG) overcome those great offensive teams. If the Patriots get bounced next weekend, I'll still follow football and I'll root for whichever team is the under dog or hasn't won in a while.

As for Tom, I thought the hair looked silly too, as did MANY Patriots fans. Sometimes you have to wonder about the guy, but he's a hell of a QB regardless. And I'll tell you what, I'd trade places with him in a heartbeat, even if he is doing Uggs billboards..... :)

Edited January 17, 2012 by JasonW

[JasonW]

Oh, and I agree about the new QB protection rules. They fall into the same category as the new NHL goalie protection rules. I understand the point, I just think that both leagues are getting a little carried away.