Super Sunday Open Thread

Is Brady the best ever? If he puts up huge numbers in a big win today, is he the best ever?  WHAT DOES HE HAVE TO DO TO WIN YOU OVER?

MORE:  I still say Derek Jeter...

Comments

[Jane]

Brady is the best ever. THE BEST EVER! And the best part about him is that he is humble and nice and smart.

And Belichick is the is the best ever too. GO PATS!

[NCC]

The Super Bowl is tomorrow. If he puts up huge numbers today, the big win will have to be in a video game. Or maybe poker, if players still know anything about cards.

Or who knows what he has planned with that model of his.

[sbw]

So they are going to win by running up the score on Saturday? That's more ingenious than secretly videoing the other side's signals!

Actually, last night my wife, the sports nut, and I were discussing how the Super Bowl should be held on Saturday to give you a day to recover before having to go to work/school. Of course, that would mean fewer reruns of the last 279 Super Bowls. But wouldn't that be a Good Thing?

[Veeshir]

The best ever? It depends on which refs are calling the game now doesn't it?
If the 07 Pats played the 72 Dolphins and today's refs called the game, few, if any, of the Dolphins players would still be in the game in the 4th quarter due to the ecord fines, suspensions and possible criminal penalties galore.
Now, if the 72 refs called the game, do you think Brady would look so calm in the pocket?

[Other Tom]

The rules in '72 were quite different from today's rules, and favored the defense a great deal compared to today (that's why they were changed in '78). Today's offensive linmen would be called for holding on every play in '72, and the defensive backs for pass interference and illegal contact.

Not sure about Brady, but if the Pats win they're my pick for the greatest team of all time. Nine of their nineteen victories will have been over playoff teams, including two over the NFC champs (one on the road), one over the defending SB champs on the road. They beat the Chargers twice, and trounced the Cowboys by three touchdowns on the road. Highest point total, largest point differential.

By contrast, the '72 Dolphins beat one team with a winning record (8-6) during the regular season, and four total.

But if they don't win tomorrow, no deal.

[Other Tom]

I mean, the '72 DB's would be penalized every play under today's rules.

Y'all get what I'm driving at, right?

[BumperStickerist]

If Brady puts up huge numbers today, Saturday, then he's the dumbest quarterback ever.

That man should be resting, studying game film while Giselle Budchen prepares him a nice dinner, being careful not to get pasta sauce on her unmentionables. Which makes him ... "God among Mortals"

As far as "best ever qb", I dunno.

I would say that Brady is the best ever since the NFL required its QBs to wear dresses during games.

Tom's the Best Ever since the adoption of the Flak Jacket.

He's definitely the Best Ever since they decided to put speakers in the helmet to call in plays rather than having the qb decipher the wig-wag from the sideline.

Tom's certainly the Best Ever since they changed the rules which require defensive linemen to keep their hands behind their back if they're on the offense's side of the line of scrimmage.

And, there's no doubt that Tom's the Best Ever since the league adopted the rule that defensive backs are no longer allowed to obstruct the sightline between the receiver and the ball.

Do I wish he were on my team? Hell yes.

[anduril]

Hate to bore you with politics, but the IBD editorial Clinton's Filthy Lucre has a great tag paragraph:

It all shows that if there is a loophole, Clinton will take it. Appearances of impropriety mean nothing to him. But with a new Clinton in the White House, the stakes rise. As money rolls in and the Clintons take power, this specter of an ex-president sitting on a cash-hungry foundation and his wife in a position to dole out favors bears potential for Marcos-like corruption and a sellout of American interests on a scale unknown in the U.S. Who is going to stop them?

[Pigilito]

Brady as the best ever? What the hell kind of commie blog are you running here? Joe Montana is the best ever. Followed by Johnny Unitas, and then the rest.

[MayBee]

I'm still mad at Tom Brady over the pregnant girlfriend thing.

[Brainster]

Brady's close to the pinnacle, there's no doubt. If he wins tomorrow I'd put him in the top four with Montana, Starr, and Unitas. Bradshaw (mentioned in the article) was a fine player, but not quite in this class.

[Jane]

If Brady puts up huge numbers today, Saturday

Obviously you are not tracking every move of Brady and the Pats as we are in NE. (wall to wall baby, wall to wall.) The only thing on the agenda today is a team picture, no practice, and practice yesterday was without pads and therefore minor. Meanwhile one of the giants got sent home for drunk driving.

Maybee, Brady has been pretty damn honorable about his son. Or is your beef that they had pre-marital sex?

[Jane]

Brainster,

Brady says that the big four are in a class of there own. He's a humble man. My guess is the big four thinks Brady makes five and I think some have already said so.

[MayBee]

Maybee, Brady has been pretty damn honorable about his son. Or is your beef that they had pre-marital sex?

Oh, no, pre-marital sex is fine. I just was unaware he'd been so honorable about his son. I'm kinda old fashioned when it comes to babies vs. supermodels.

ps bumperstickerist was alluding to the 'today' in the post.

[MayBee]

Jane- I don't mean to sound snippy, btw. I am serious that if he is being honorable about his son, I could work toward forgiving him. He's so cute, I really hate to be mad at him.

[Jane]

Well the mother of the baby was I believe also a model, and they had parted ways before she knew she was pregnant. I'm not quite sure what you would have him do - marry the mother, when neither was interested? He visits his child often and I'm confident supports him well. I've seen no criticism of him on that score until yours.

[Porchlight]

So will the Presidential candidates from Giants Nation, Patriots Nation, and Host City Nation be smiling and waving to each other in the crowd? I can't imagine they'd take time away from the trail to hang out in Phoenix, but it would be funny to watch Hillary watch football.

Bears Nation guy was endorsed by Napolitano, so maybe he'll put in an appearance.

[MayBee]

I've seen no criticism of him on that score until yours.

Ah. Perhaps the criticism is more common outside of Massachusetts.
Although http://www.boston.com/ae/celebrity/articles/2008/02/02/as_a_celebrity_brady_draws_double_coverage/>this article is from Hearald.com today

"Looks like your perfect boy has some tarnish," Crafts says.

But even as Brady has become fodder for the tabloids, and his celebrity status threatens to overshadow his historic performance on the field, public perception of the Patriots quarterback hasn't changed much. Female fans, particularly, may not approve of the way Brady has behaved away from the game, but they're giving him the benefit of the doubt.

No biggie, but I'm not alone. I don't know what I'd have him do differently, but it took the shine off him for me. It'd be tough to be the ditched girlfriend of the hero watching him date Giselle while you have his son. I like a happy story, where parents are together and raise their kids and the sun is always shining.

[MayBee]

ps Jane. I know I'm dogging your QB, and you can be mad at me for it. I would be. :-)

[Patrick Tyson]

Namath remains my favorite quarterback ever and I think Montana the greatest, but then I'm a 49ers fan and Montana was made-to-order for the offense Bill Walsh wanted to coach and that was crucial. To me, Peyton is in Namath's league as far as favorites go and Brady is in Montana's league as far as greatness goes.

[Other Tom]

I believe Brady traveled to the west coast to be present when the baby was born.

Namath? He had one epic game, which he managed well (I think he threw for less than 200 yards). He's in the Hall of Fame for that one game--and deservedly so--but his career was kinda mediocre. Check out his stats.

[Other Tom]

Namath's career:

50.1% completions
173 TD's
220 INT's
65.5 QB rating

Without that one Super Bowl, those ain't Hall-of-Fame stats. Not close.

[Patrick Tyson]

OT—

I wrote that he's my favorite quarterback. I liked him. Hardly surprising. I was 10 when the Jets won the Super Bowl. I was 23 when the 49ers won their first Super Bowl. Relative, objective greatness is hard when there are so many factors, including time, to consider. Emotions? Nothing to consider.

[Elliott]

Is there any correlation between which conference wins the game and which party (Dem/Repub or Incumbent/challenger) wins the White House?

[Jane]

Let's hope not since Brady is in the blue-est of blue states.

I got a call a while ago from a friend whose mother-in-law is in the "patriot fans hall of fame". She and three "girlfriends" (all pushing 80) travel from Nantucket to every home game (which in itself requires boats, planes and cars). This year they got a call from Krafts who invited them to Arizona. They just called my friend to announce they had just left the liguor store this AM after stocking up for the game.

Ya gotta love it.

[Larry]

When Jimmy the Greek handicapped pro football, he gave the best QB 4 points, with two exceptions: Bart Starr and Joe Namath. He counted 5 for them. A bunch of us 15, 16 and 17-year-olds on our HS football team took the train, unchaperoned (Would I let my 17-year-old do this today? HELL NO!) 200 miles to Chicago where we saw Johnny Unitas' breakout game at Chicago Wrigley in '56 or '57. The Colts' QB of then and the future, George Shaw, broke his ankle late in the 2d or early in the 3d with the Colts behind like 35-10. Johnny wasn't even on the program and the PA announcer called him Unitass(emph on last syllable). He brought 'em back within a few points. Bears still won and nobody ever heard of George Shaw again, poor guy. Blanda routinely kicked kickoffs into the stands behind the end zone, but he missed an extra point that day to stop his then-record streak at something like 112. The pro posts were on the goal line! Terry Bradshaw has been vastly underrated. He was a tough guy with skills on excellent teams. My old man says none of 'em were as good as Sid Luckman.

The QB was just like any other player, not specially protected. The DB's had much more leeway in coverage. AND: Id like to emphasize how difficult it was to protect the QB before holding was legalized. The offense had to hit with shoulder, forearm, etc. Touching the defense with open hand was 15-yard-penalty illegal. Having played offensive tackle through two years of college before the rules changed, from my point of view, it's the difference between say dodgeball and tiddlywinks. Today's players are great, but they're playing a different game.

[hit and run]

2004 - New England (AFC) - Bush (R) - Incumbent
2000 - St. Louis (NFC) - Bush (R) - Challenger
1996 - Dallas (NFC) - Clinton (D) - Incumbent
1992 - Washington (NFC) - Clinton (D) - Challenger
1988 - Washington (NFC) - Bush (R) - Incumbent (party)
1984 - LA Raiders (AFC) - Reagan (R) - Incumbent
1980 - Pittsburgh (AFC) - Reagan (R) - Challenger
1976 - Pittsburgh (AFC) - Carter (D) - Challenger
1972 - Dallas (NFC) - Nixon (R) - Incumbent
1968 - Green Bay (NFC) - Nixon (R) - Challenger

OK, 10 elections.

7 Republicans, 3 Democrats
6 NFC, 4 AFC

NFC/R = 4
AFC/R = 3
NFC/D = 2
AFC/D = 1

NFC/Incumbent = 3
NFC/Challenger = 3
AFC/Incumbent = 2
AFC/Challenger = 2

[Jane]

Hit, you killed the Superbowl thread. Harrumph!

[Kevin B]

I heard somewhere that Brady said in media week that he's an Inconvenient Truth fan. He also said he drives a Prius.

Of course he also owns an Audi R8 so he's got the whole Green Hypocracy thing going too.

I was sorta half rooting for the Pats and history till I read that but now I guess I'll have to go for the Giants.

(BTW I was a 49er fan when Montana was throwing to Jerry Rice and have to agree that he was the best.)

[Elliott]

Thank you, Hit and Run.

[clarice]

If this doesn't cause PUK to lead a march of pike carriers to London, nothing will:

One wonders what the public policy considerations of this muddled edict were--besides buying votes, that is:

[quote]Husbands with multiple wives have been given the go-ahead to claim extra welfare benefits following a year-long Government review, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal. Even though bigamy is a crime in Britain, the decision by ministers means that polygamous marriages can now be recognised formally by the state, so long as the weddings took place in countries where the arrangement is legal. The outcome will chiefly benefit Muslim men with more than one wife, as is permitted under Islamic law. (Snip) The decision has been condemned by the Tories...[/quote]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=IH3BTVES3SUJPQFIQMGCFFWAVCBQUIV0?xml=/news/2008/02/03/nbenefit103.xml>Multicult suicide

[Ralph L]

Anduril, do you remember how much the press touted the Clintons' non-interest in money in the early 90's? I smelt a fish.

[Other Tom]

Larry, it sure was a different game. I played freshman ball at the Naval Academy in the '58 season as an offensive guard and inside linebacker. We went both ways. Offensive linemen couldn't extend their arms out in front of them. The fundamental move for interior defensive linemen the instant the ball was snapped was the headslap to the guy opposite you, as hard as you could. An occasional variant was the forearm shiver.

As an illustration of how the '78 rules changes affected the pro game, I heard the other day that when Roger Staubach retired from the Cowboys at the end of the '79 season, he held the all-time career passer rating record: it was 83.4. I also heard perhaps ten years ago that of the fifteen all-time QB leaders in avg. yards per game, only one--Dan Fouts--had played a single down before '78. And I'm sure Fouts is no longer in the top 15.

On the other hand, these guys today are so much bigger, faster and stronger than anyone in my day that I think we'd be risking death going out on the field with them. Of course, I'll be 67 years old this month...

[hit and run]

Jane:
Hit, you killed the Superbowl thread. Harrumph!

What?!?!?!?!

Someone asks a question.

I go to the frickin' trouble to answer it.

And he thanks me.

Yet I KILLED THE SUPER BOWL THREAD?!!!?!!!?!?!?!?!?

I mean, double HARRUMPH squared!!!!!

I'm taking my ball and I'm going home.

[hit and run]

Other Tom:
Of course, I'll be 67 years old this month...

Hey!!! me too!!!

Well, not 67. I'm a few years shy of that.

And "this month" could be narrowed to "this day".

But who's counting?

Oh, BTW, I saw my shadow this morning. FWIW.

[Walter]

Clarice,

Keep passing the open windows.

Remember, we need you on this wall here.

Concerned, but confident in your strength and resilience,

Walt

[Walter]

Happy Birthday Hit and Run and Other Tom!

• and Mr. Dobbs
• and Mr. Mustin

as well!

[centralcal]

Happy Birthday, Hit and Other Tom! And, wishes for many more.

[Other Tom]

Thanks, Walter.

And Hit, my understanding is that if you see your shadow on this day you are supposed to go back inside and have a drink.

[hit and run]

Other Tom -- yes, I have spent the whole day inside drinking. -ing. Not a drink. drink...ing.

I am, as of today, a "generation" younger than maryerose.

Walter...dagnabbit, I am kicking myself...I am trying to go back and find your email in previous thread....and I'm coming up empty. I trusted way too much in my google abilities and now have been proven fallible in them.

Your choice....leave your crypted email here again...or email me a jomhitandrun @ gmail.com ... or say to heck with that flake, I'm kayaking without him!

Hey! I remember first name schuster...but I can't remeber what came after.

I BLAME MID-LIFE CRISIS!!!!!

[kim]

Slingin' Sammy.
=========

[Walter]

Hit,

It's firstname.schuster@gmail.com.

Actually, I was beginning to be a bit overwhelmed with the speed that you were able to demonstrate in referencing prior comments. cboldt had a tool for finding his stuff on freeper, but I've yet to see a good one using google and typepad.

Think we can entice Tom (and maybe OT, he was in the brownwater Navy, wasn't he?) to come?

[kim]

Ronan! Or how about the motorcyclist delivering flowers.
============================

[Elliott]

Happy birthday, Hit and Run!

Happy birthmonth, Other Tom!

[hit and run]

Walter -- I sent you an email.

Think we can entice Tom (and maybe OT, he was in the brownwater Navy, wasn't he?) to come?

No. I think they are way past their prime and happy to watch the whipper snappers like us live life like they only dream of anymore.

(I keed. I keed. Other Tom has lived life like I only wish I had the guts to even fall asleep at night dreaming about. TM? I don't know...but it's certanly more than I've done!)

[maryrose]

Happy Birthday H&R and Other Tom!
You guys are two of my favorite posters. Many happy returns and tip a few for me. Why am I not surprised you were both born on Groundhog's Day...

[Jane]

Oh geez Hit, it's your birthday, I'm celebrating on your behalf, - Happy Birthday, and OT tell us the day so I can celebrate. Or if it's better I will celebrate all month long.

[Brainster]

Other Tom, you cannot compare Namath's stats to modern stats, because the rules changes in 1978 and 1979 immediately boosted passing statistics a great deal; about 10 points in passer rating for the average quarterback, so that none of the old guys look that great anymore despite the obvious fact that they were for their times.

You can adjust for that, and you'd find that Namath was slightly above average for his time. But he was definitely a star, and his passing stats from 1966-72 were quite good with the exception of too many interceptions, although again, those would have to be adjusted way downwards to account for rules changes in the game.

I observed Namath very carefully in those years as I was a Jets fan. He was the quickest dropback passer I ever saw, even with the knees; he set up instantly and saw the field well. And lord, did he have an arm.

In 1967, he became the only NFL or AFL passer to throw for 4000 yards during a 14-game season. And in 1968, the Jets pulled off one of the miracle games of all time in Super Bowl III. Yeah, Randy Beverly doesn't get enough credit for his part in that game, but Namath played very well, and did make the guarantee.

He's a marginal Hall of Famer, I grant you. But he was a star, and he instantly gave the AFL much-needed credibility twice; when he signed with the Jets and when he led them to the Super Bowl win.

[MayBee]

Many Happy Birthday wishes! I adore you guys!

[Ann]

Happy Birthday Guys!
Here's to many, many, many more!

[hit and run]

MayBee:
Many Happy Birthday wishes! I adore you guys!

And I adore you! I see what's going on in the other thread. I will state here and now and forever and always -- MayBee is all that and a gazillion bag of chips.

I will come back to that thread to defend you if I ever feel it necessary. I know you don't need me to defend you. But I will, if I should.

And to all other well-wishers, thanks in advance, in reverse and in perpetuity.

JOM is a community unlike any other and I am the one moreso than any other who is privileged to be a part of it.

[Other Tom]

I agree with everything you said about B'way Joe, Brainster. My cousin and I got Chargers season tickets for the 1969 season, and wouldn't have done so except the Jets were on the schedule, and they were coming off you-know-what. I couldn't take my eyes off the guy (it was like watching DiMaggio when I was ten), and his delivery and the arc of the ball were lovely to behold, but he did get picked four times that day. Part of the beauty of the guy was that stuff like that never fazed him. And there's no doubt that today's stats can't be sensibly compared to the ones back then, there were plenty of his contempories who simply played the position better. But none of them had his flair, and they all owe him a debt of gratitude. Cool guy.

[MayBee]

AI will state here and now and forever and always -- MayBee is all that and a gazillion bag of chips.

xoxxooxo.
I'm fine, but thanks buddy.

[hit and run]

Other Tom:
But none of them had his flair, and they all owe him a debt of gratitude. Cool guy.

...and how many of them tried to kiss Suzy Kolber on national tv.

Balls of steel.

...balls of steel soaked in alcohol.

Hey, who am I to judge, just because I haven't been on national tv? What he did was mild compared to what I would likely do.

[sbw]

Hit, what you say about the JOM community is true... all the more so because people here, as in any good family, are willing to THWACK you down to size.

[Other Tom]

The Suzy Kolber thing was painful to see. Worse yet, a couple of months later he tried to make light of it in SportsCenter or one of those things, and he made it a lot worse. But I'll forgive him just about anything, and I hope Suzy does too.

Now, let us move on to what counts: Pats 38, Giants 23, and it will cease being very interesting before the third quarter is very old.

Greatest team in the history of American football.

[Elliott]

Bold predictions are TM's department, so I will offer a foolish prediction: Giants 27, Patriots 24 and there will be no shutting up the insufferable '72 Dolphins.

[Walter]

Time, Elliott*, time.

You and I will grow terribly old before the current Patriots pass from the scene. The '72 Dolphins are leaving us rapidly.

Let us treasure them for a few years yet, and then be FREE from unsufferable excellence!

------

* Can you believe I actually spelled it correctly? Perhaps it is the dawn of a new tradition.

[Elliott]

Hello there, Walter. It's been good to see you around lately.

What most impresses me is that you were daring enough to add the subscription to your comment. I would have been a bit nervous while waiting for something like that to post.

[scoopa]

HUGE Patriots fan here and YES - Brady is the best evah. But...he needs to dump Giselle. She's a bad influence on him (French fashions, designer clothes and the worst....GLOBAL WARMNING). Give me a break. Go American Tom!

[Elliott]

Walter, it occurs to me that the fellow in the traffic ticket story you posted would have been well advised to heed the advice of Mrs. Thornhill: "Roger, pay the two dollars."

[Jane]

WAKE UP! It's SUPER SUNDAY! I'm soooooo excited!

[Jane]

I guess that should be SuperBOWL Sunday.

[Porchlight]

The big day! I hope I get to actually watch the game this year instead of chasing after my kids at the party. Not much chance of that though.

[Larry]

Happy birthday, you two. O T, you young whippersnapper! I'm 6 months older than you. USAF Academy '62. Played '58 and '59 both ways, too. Limited subs something like 2 each play? I remember how hard offense was and how fun defense. I lost a robe to my old HS buddy, Perry Beem, USNA '61. Dadgum Joe Bellino (sic?).

We always forget Fouts. My opinion, he and Staubach were both fantastic.

[Other Tom]

Amazing, Larry--I was '62 also (a year behind Bellino). They played the first Navy-AF game his final year, and Joe scored three TD's in a 35-3 victory. After a time there came a terrible spell when you guys won almost every year.

My recollection is that in the '58 season you couldn't even do the one substitution--the QB played defense along with everybody else. (I remember seeing Joe Tranchini get knocked silly tackling Nick Pietrosante of ND. He got up and went into the ND huddle as if he were going to call the next play.)I think in '59 they allowed one sub per change of possession so as to get the QB out of there. I know that continued at least through '60, when Bellino intercepted a pass to ice the Army game.

Playing two ways had a number of interesting effects. First you wouldn't have 350-pound linemen, because there's no way they could go down under punts, for example. Also, I remember Navy suited only 33 guys then--if you had fifteen or so really quality players, you could be in the top ten, which we were (OK, top twenty) for most of my four years and a while after (with Staubach).

On another thread I posted (late) a response to your Q about Navy fighter pilots and attack pilots...

[Other Tom]

Jane, I'll be thinking about you all day--I'm in your corner on this one.

[Jane]

Thanks OT. I'm watching "Patriots Game Day" as I write this, Brady and Moss talking about how smart each other is. You just gotta love those guys.

I'll be off to a party in another 5 hours, and hopefully the celebrating that will ensue will not be premature. Usually I have the Superbowl party and I'm so glad I get to watch instead this year.

[jainphx]

I'm sorry, even an average QB could be good behind that line. Here is the main reason for the success of NE Pats. That is the best offensive line I have ever seen.

[Other Tom]

I've always thought Moss was a smart guy. Seems to have grown up a lot, which is nice to see. "Straight cash, homey."

[MayBee]

Jane- I envy you having a team you love in the Super Bowl. Imagine being a Lions fan.

[clarice]

Good luck, Jane!

[Porchlight]

If Moss has grown up, I'm glad to hear it. As a Vikings fan I was relieved to see the back of him, despite his great talent.

I have to agree about the Pats' offensive line. That kind of protection could boost many a QB to greatness.

Late birthday wishes to Hit and Run and OT!

[Larry]

Thanks, O T. I saw your fighter pilot reply and replied. Seems like they must have allowed some subs. Most kickers were, um, strange back then, too. The '58 Falcons, in only their second season, were #6 in the final AP poll. #2 Iowa tied us, our mutual only record blemish. Then TCU tied us in the Cotton Bowl, leaving us 9-0-2. As the last man standing after every cut, it was my privilege to hold blocking pads for the 1st team and occasionally scrimmage (OUCH!) against them. Some of these dudes had as many as 3 varsity letters from other div 1 schools BEFORE they enrolled at USAFA, making them equivalent of pros 3 or 4 years later. Something in NCAA rules allowed it since we hadn't graduated a class yet. Despite the pain, a very special cameraderie arose between those outstanding jocks and us po lil ole 4th classmen on the last team. If they see me before I see them at a gathering, they make first contact.

[Other Tom]

Yeah--I just can't remember how they handled kickers in the '58 season. I also don't remember how long you had to stay out if you left the game (I don't think it was like baseball).

I went in at age 17, right out of high school, and was one of only two guys on the 88-man squad who had done so. All the other guys had service time, or at least one year of college ball under their belts.

I'm not sure that anybody else could completely fill Brady's shoes, but I do think that is a great offensive line.

Let's get it teed up!

[Jane]

Good luck, Jane!

Thanks guys. The pressure is palpable. I can't imagine what it would be like if I was actually a real, life-long devoted fan. I feel almost guilty enjoying this season so much given my utter lack of devotion in years past. Well, who better?

[Larry]

Lawd, I didn't remember Griese started the SB their perfect season! Still Morall carrying them from game five, when Griese's leg was broken, to the SB was awesome. Imagine the Pats playing 2/3 of the season without Brady. Morall was better than the average backup, would have started on lots of teams. Phins were lucky to have him. No-name defense. Hmmmmmm. Only Anderson and Buoniconti come immediately to mind.

Big plays win in the SB. Pats have more big play players.

[Other Tom]

As chance would have it, it's a real New England football day here in San Diego County. Low clouds, blustery winds and rain as game time approaches.

Time to get out of these wet clothes and into a dry Martini.

[MayBee]

I feel almost guilty enjoying this season so much given my utter lack of devotion in years past.

Being a fair weather fan is much better, mental-health wise. All of the pleasure, none of the trauma.

[MayBee]

Oh Walter- that was sweet, especially coming from you. You and I both know I'm an idiot, but it's nice to have smart friends backing me up.
xoxoxo, m

[Jane]

Hey before I leave for my party, does anyone remember who had a relative in a band, that was competing tonite, and what band it was? I want to root for them.

[Larry]

Being a fair weather fan is much better, mental-health wise. All of the pleasure, none of the trauma. Posted by: MayBee | February 03, 2008 at 04:02 PM

Now you tell me. After 67+ years rooting for Cubs and Bears.

[Other Tom]

The reason there wasn't much dropoff from Griese to Morrall was that Griese was a genuine pedestrian QB--absolutely amazing that he is in the Hall of Fame. And Morrall had a very fine NFL pedigree at the time he was asked to step in.

As for whether Brady's backup could do the same, there seems to be a variety of opinion. Some seem to suggest that, given the Pats' offensive line, anybody could do it. Others seem to have the opposite view. None of us knows, one way or another. We do know that in their march to their perfect season, the '72 Dolphins beat exactly one--read it again, that's "one"--team in the regular season that had a winning record, and that record was 8-6. Contrast that with the litany of power teams the Pats have beaten this year: eight victories against seven different playoff teams.

As for Brady's backup, his name is Matt Cassel. Thus far since escaping puberty he has managed to be the backup for Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Tom Brady. That's two Heisman Trophy winners and an immortal. Think maybe he wishes he'd been somewhere else?

[FE]

It's too bad we can't help all the Muslim women in the M.E. Balls.

[maryrose]

Don't tell Jane but I am rooting for the Giants..

[clarice]

You're not an idiot,MayBee and I regret I am a bit slow on the draw--Walter beat me.

[centralcal]

I don't know diddlesquat about football. I am rooting for the Giants only because I like the names the mother of the Mannings chose - Eli and Peyton. Sounds pretty cool to me.

My sons are divided - one for the Patriots, one for the Giants. What's a mother to do?

[clarice]

Tell each he's your favorite but he's not to tell the other this big secret.

[vnjagvet]

Great first half. I think this is going to be an historic game whatever the outcome.

If the Pats win, they get instant immortality. If the Giants win, so do they.

Questions for the second half:

Will the Giants wear down on defense?

Will the "genius" Belechick come up with antidotes to Giants' defensive schemes?

Will the Giants' receivers catch the d*** ball?

We'll soon see.

[centralcal]

Ah, Clarice, I KNEW you'd have an answer!

[JM Hanes]

YES!

[glasater]

Thank goodness NE finally scored--I didn't know what Jane would do if they lost.

[JM Hanes]

NO!

[glasater]

Wow!! The Giants have just had a stunning comeback.

[glasater]

What are we going to do for Jane?

[Soylent Red]

Today was a good day.

Sorry Jane.

[Jane]

Boy that sucked.

[sbw]

What a wonderful game! Yay, Giants!

[Larry]

Terrific ball game. Gratz to both teams.

[Jane]

Oh the Pats really sucked. I didn't think they played well at all. But the Giants player great, and broke my heart.