This is one of the things people often fail to take into account with the Brady and Belichick relationship. When the conversation about Brady and his place among the all-time greats arises, I always hear two arguments: "He's had a great coach his whole career." "The Patriots went 10-6 with Matt Cassell!"* Belichick's record without Brady: 36-44 with the Browns, 5-11 with Drew Bledsoe, 11-5 with Matt Cassell Belichick's record with Brady: 108-34 Belichick couldn't have done it without Brady, and Brady couldn't have done it without Belichick. It's the same thing as the people who say Kobe wouldn't have won his first 3 titles without Shaq. Guess what? Shaq wouldn't have won all 3 without Kobe either. *Sorry Kampf Trinker, I had to.
Oh, I don't disagree. Belichick is a good coach, but no one is having success without the players. I think we have to acknowledge that Walsh had Montana too though. I don't think he's getting those super bowls without talent. Belichick was probably a more mature coach when he came to the patriots as well, it was a mix of growth and adding the players. Plus, when Belichick got his first super bowl Brady was solid and reliable, but not quite the all star we see now.
The cardinals need a QB so bad. Skelton is not the answer. As for Rex Ryan, I almost feel bad for him. These stories about foot fetishes aren't anyone's business. I have no idea why they made the video though. It's like the onion doesn't even have to make up head lines.
According to the radio they are considering postponing the eagles/vikings game due to bad weather and the expected blizzard. I really hope this doesn't happen because a sloppy bad weather game for Sunday night football would be perfect for what is otherwise a pretty lame match up. Plus horrible weather gives the vikings a better chance to win, I think they'll need some fluky plays to pull out a win here. Then Chicago (if they beat the jets) locks up the 2 seed and might bench their starters next week against GB, thus giving them an easy road to the playoffs.
Oh my god, is anyone else watching the Lions? Screwed again. Bess definitely stepped out of bounds before he caught that ball. This is just getting ridiculous.
Brady is a fucking machine. Right now he's sitting at 34 tds and 4 picks. It's not quite as good as his 07 season, but that ranks with one of the best years any QB has ever had. I really wasn't expecting a shoot out for the bears/jets game, but it's been highly entertaining. The bears offense is really coming into form lately.
There were 30 seconds left in the first half, and the booth reviewed it. Somehow deemed that his foot was inbounds. Unless such a play (he was the first one to touch the ball after coming back inbounds which is illegal, and caught the ball for a td) is not reviewable this was total bullshit, but I feel like they would have mentioned that on the telecast.
Woohoo. That play was inconsequential in the end. Fuck you officials. I gotta say, I hate the sudden influx of "GO LIONS" and the like on my facebook feed. Fuckin' bandwagoners.
Really? Bandwagoners? What, were they supposed to be screaming 'GO LIONS' when the team was 2-14 last year or 0-16 the year before? How much were YOU saying "GO LIONS" during those seasons? There is a world of difference between bandwagon fans and fans who have nothing to root for or be happy about. Lions fans have had nothing to be happy about for the last two years. How do you say 'GO LIONS!' when they're losing on a weekly basis? This season they're starting to show signs of life, so of course fans are starting to get behind the team a bit more. That's not being a 'bandwagon fan,' that's being a fan who finally has something to be happy about and root for. Their team is finally starting to show signs of life. A bandwagon fan is a person who only starts paying attention when a team (not even necessarily a home-town team) is about to win a championship or make the playoffs, neither of which the Lions are even close to yet. If you had it your way, the Lions would have a grand total of about 200 fans who really stuck with them and supported them while they had 2 wins in 2 seasons. Is that really what you want for your team?
I know what a bandwagon fan is. I went to school with these people. They're the same people who asked me every week how I can watch the Lions. Thanks though. And yeah, I'd rather have 200 fans who stuck with them than 200,000 fans who like them when they get a win. It's much easier to get tickets that way. See: Tigers pre 2006. I could sit wherever the fuck I wanted for 10 bucks. Now I have to pay 25+ just to get in the lower section behind a foul pole. Not to mention the fact that I couldn't get world series tickets in 2006 because all those fuckers got the tickets before me.
So, let me see if I have this right: You want your team to do well. But at the same time, you don't want any 'bandwagon' fans to go to the games, so you and your 'diehard' buddies can sit where ever you want. The logic of that is so staggeringly silly it boggles the mind. Do you plan to support the team yourself? Maybe you and your 'diehard' friends can help them make the money to pay the salaries and run the team. Or, hey, maybe you can buy ALL of the tickets to the Lions games so that they won't be blacked out on television, right? You are just as bad, if not worse, than the supposed 'bandwagon' fans. The "I'm diehard and better than you" fan. You're "happy" they're winning, but deep down, you're REALLY only happy when your team is getting killed, so you can continue to walk around wearing their shirts and jerseys and reminding everyone how 'diehard' you are, while telling everyone else just what a sad, pathetic excuse for a fan they are because they don't want to watch a team that is historically bad (see: 0-16 Lions). You're only truly happy when you can lord it over everyone that you are so 'diehard' that you stick with your team no matter how awful they are, while secretly hoping they never get any better so you can maintain your smug sense of superiority. In your mind, it is always someone's fault that the team sucks, anyway. It is a league conspiracy. It is the refs or the umps. Your GM is a moron (in the case of the Lions, true). You just want to be that guy... the only guy wearing your team's gear in the middle of a room, laughing at everyone else who isn't really a 'true fan' of the Lions because they didn't run out and buy a Jon Kitna jersey when they signed him, or because they'd prefer not to watch a team they really like and are a fan of getting destroyed on a weekly (or, in baseball's case, daily) basis. Your team starts winning, and you feign being thrilled, but then those fans that had nothing to root for before start coming back and watching again, and suddenly you're not "THAT GUY" wearing the Lions jersey anymore. You're not the awesome, superior outsider. You're becoming part of the mainstream fans, and that just isn't cool, so you rail against fans of YOUR team as 'bandwagon' fans, so that you can maintain that 'I'm better than these assholes' mentality. Fans like you are the reason people hate some teams (see: Boston Red Sox). Don't do that to the Lions, they don't need that kind of hate. They've sucked for long enough, let their fans actually enjoy them having a modicum of success without you doing your best to suck out any enjoyment they might be getting of their team finally starting to turn it around by being a morally superior douche.
Over reaction much? Yeesh. You can chill out a bit D26. I don't see how a 5-10 can have band wagoners though. They're still one of the worst teams in the league. I nearly imploded when I saw that 85 yard td pass. Fucking dumbass cb falls over. I can't believe how we blow games. The packers better pull this one out.
Dude, what the fuck are you talking about? I'm not even going to address the ridiculousness that disliking bandwagon fans of your team equates to hoping your team loses and continues to suck. But diehard fans are nowhere close to the reason that people hate some teams (see: Boston Red Sox). It's the bandwagon fans that came out of the woodwork after they won the World Series in '04 acting like they've lived and died with the Sox for decades and talking all sorts of shit that makes people hate those teams. It's Red Sox and Pats fans that've sat through all their shitty seasons that I actually have respect for, not those that decided that "they only got into baseball after '04" or "only really started following football after 2003". Also... Playoffs baby!! Wasn't exactly the way I wanted them to get in, but at least the offense started looking like they're getting things going. 27 points against a 10-4 (now 11-4) team isn't all that bad, especially considering how they've been struggling lately. Until the last drive or two, Sanchez looked fucking good. If the secondary can get their heads out of their asses, this could be a dangerous team in January.
The secondary could have performed better, but they needed more help from the pass rush as well. The bears aren't known for having a great o-line and Cutler was getting all kinds of time back there, occasionally up to 5 seconds. It was kind of a piss poor showing from two of the best defenses in the nfl. I don't know if I would say Sanchez looked all that good. Really, that was a pretty average game for a QB, which is solid I guess. He still needs a little more help from his receivers, who at least are improving. The jets might be poised for a playoff run, especially considering that they beat the steelers. I don't know if I see anyone getting by the patriots at this point. Edit: After rushing reasonably well against the pats the packers ground game is stinking it up again. And two time outs because you couldn't get the play off in time? Really? Clean that shit up. At least they're winning, they better not fuck this up. And right as I type this Jones drops a game clinching td pass. Fuck. Since when are our receivers unable to haul these in?
This loss really has to cost Tom Coughlin his job (Unless they somehow luck themselves into the playoffs). I can't take these fucking late season collapses anymore.
I really don't think he should be fired. I mean, shit, it wasn't that long ago he won a super bowl. Despite that I still laughed my ass off when Aikman said Rodgers can't be mentioned up there with Eli Manning. He has a ring, but you'd have to be insane to rather have Eli on your team. I have to say, that was a first class ass whooping. The giants were completely embarassed. Now if we can just beat the bears we might actually be in place to make a run at the super bowl. Believe shegirl! Believe! Oh, and isn't there some 5 year rule where you can't bitch after your team won a championship?
Y'all better be rooting like mad for the Vikings on Tuesday night. The Vikings win, and the Bears wrap up the 2 seed and a first-round bye. If that happens, you can bet your ass the Bears won't play their starters much more than a quarter, which will give the Packers a free run into the playoffs. If the Vikings lose, though, the Bears still have something to play for. A first round bye for a beat up team like the Bears, along with a home-field advantage in their 2nd round game (likely against a team like the Saints or Falcons, who usually play indoors) is something that they don't just want, but (in my opinion) something they're going to need if they want to make a big push for the Superbowl. Add to that the fact that they can keep the Packers out with a win? That means that they're going to play hard that game, and that may not necessarily be good for Green Bay.
Come on, you watch these games and try not to complain. The Giants December record under Coughlin is embarrassing. Look at the last 3 seasons. A first round bye and then get embarrassed by the Eagles in the second round, a 5-0 start followed by a huge collapse and then this year they are 7 minutes away from a division win with a probable first round bye. Now they probably won't even make the playoffs. Edit: forgot the word December.
They might still get in. Like D26 said, if the eagles beat the vikings (and they should) the bears are going to play their asses off for the 2 seed. I don't know who should be favored in that game, but it's far from a gimme for the pack. Even if they are kept out, missing at 10-6 is a bit unlucky. Since Coughlin hasn't had a losing season in the last 4 years I think he should get one more season. It seems too easy to just blame everything on the coach. Eli Manning was horrid today - that's not really Coughlin's fault. That being said, I won't be surprised if he gets axed. NFL franchises have a very short memory. Oh, and if the bears don't get the 2 seed and the packers make it in we play them in the wild card round don't we? Craziness. Edit: As for the eagles melt down, Coughlin told that dumbass punter to kick it out of bounds. Again, not really his fault (although there was no guarantee to win in overtime).