Only thing better than watching the Colts lose..

[bobsticks]

... As much as I hate the Giants, I was really getting tired of hearing about how great the Patriots are, how wonderful Tom Brady is, and how much of a genius Bellechick (spelling?) is, and they can kiss my rear. I was glad to see them lose.

Swish

...completely apathetic. Folks here in some backwater, quasi-paternalistic, hillbilly way adopted Eli Manning for no other reason than his relation to Peyton..."weyall, uh huh uh huh, mebbe at least one Manning should win..." What the hell's that?

It turned out to be a good game and I'm glad I watched, but in the end I had the same emotional involvement as watching a latenight ESPN replay of the 1993 World's Strongest Man Competition...And the winner is...Magnus ver Magnussen!! Yay.

[MindGoneHaywire]

>Belichick is the most significant person on either squad who's really due for a bad game.

4th & 13?

?!?

Am I the only one who was really, really surprised at that?

[3-LockBox]

I'm disappointed because I did want the Pats to win, but I'm glad the game played out the way it did. The Pats can't blame it on distractions, bad officiating, or injuries. The Giants just flat out played them. Brady looked average. The Pat's lack of a running game was a glaring weakness. Some really questionable play calling as well (going for it on 4th and long). They seemed to be trying to force the issue, abandoning their rather successful short passing game and kept trying for the homerun ball...like they wanted to make sure no one would say they cheated if they won. And the Pats defense looked old and tired in the 4th quarter. They didn't choke though; they had a chance to win and they should have won, but couldn't stop Manning at the end of the fourth. The Giants played a great game on both sides of the ball, but their defensive front four has to be one of the best ever. Strahan might only be the third or fourth best player on that line. Now lets see if Coughlin can keep them together.

[Troy]

I can't disagree that the Pats were long overdue for a loss and that with 20/20 hindsight anyone could see it coming, but jeez, how do you go 18-0 and then lose the superbowl? I just don't know what to make of that.

Oh christ, and so many of the obnoxious New Yorkers I know are absolutely insufferable today. No MGH, not you, but why do so many fans act like they were on the field themselves? Puffed-up douchbags . . .

I though Petty was a crushing bore. Sleepy countrified ballads by arthritic statues are not what I want from a SB halftime show. Especially after the spectacle that was Prince last year.

[MindGoneHaywire]

Bad winners are obnoxious. Watching the Yankees win a few wasn't something where I thought it was necessary to be a jerk, even considering the rivalry with the Red Sox. There were no riots in Boston this past October, were there? I hope not. I hated seeing that in 2004, though after 86 years, perhaps it was to have been expected more than in college towns when teams win the NCAA basketball or football championships.

Outside of fans going on the field, I don't think there were riots here in 1969 for the Mets or Jets, or the late 70s Yankees. And there was no violence during the Yankees' championship run, though there may have perhaps been an incident or two. And none last night that I know of.

Tomorrow's parade is something that concerns me. Lower Broadway is not in any condition to host a Canyon Of Heroes Parade. The streets are all torn up, some are closed off, it's still the same mess it's been since 9/11, though you don't hear much about it. There are some local scandals involving how little has been done around here & how hazardous some of the streets actually are, or at least difficult to navigate. I hope nobody gets hurt, really, not from violence, but from the physical aspect, logistics...parades typically attract at least a million people. I can't imagine that the area is in any condition to hold that many people.

As for the game...what do you think Tiki Barber is thinking right now?

I'm a little surprised the game played out as it did; Plaxico Burress destroyed the Packers after they chose to cover him with Al Harris, creating a huge mismatch. Belichick overcompensated, so while they covered Burress well the entire game, it left too many opportunities for Manning to hit secondary targets. He's become too good to assume that he can't win even if he can't throw to his most dangerous receiver.

As for Brady, I think it was a major mistake to not try to establish more of a running game, or at least low-risk plays like screens. I don't think the adjustments the Pats made were sufficient, considering their superior level of talent on both sides of the ball. Brady was turned loose in a situation where their offense might've had a better chance attacking from another angle.

I'm not a coach or professional analyst, but I don't think it's a reach to suggest that Coughlin thoroughly outcoached Belichick, which speaks directly to what I said two weeks ago, and I'm not trying to be an 'I told you so' d*ck, not at all. If anything, I'm surprised. But hell...wasn't Belichick's refusing to remain on the field for the last-second play extremely classless?

I'm not sure I agree that anyone could see it coming. I still think that regular season was the best I've ever seen, so I'm as shocked as anyone else. I do think the Pats were better than the '72 Dolphins, but considering their performance declined game after game in the playoffs, perhaps they were just out of steam. But then I think the '85 Bears were better than those Dolphins, loss or no loss. Add the best of the Steelers SB winners (probably the 1978 team) along with the best of the 49ers teams (1984, most likely), and, along with this year's Pats, I think those are probably the five best teams of the Super Bowl era (difficult to include the 60s Packers only because it is tough to gauge their performance against the AFL teams they beat since you're factoring in a fairly unknown quantity).

Man...this one is sweet.

[3-LockBox]

Belichick out coached himself. Or, he had a lot on his mind. Or the Patriots just ran out of gas. Let's face it, they looked like they could get beat the last 5 or 6 games they played. But not all is lost for the Patriots. If memory serves me correctly, they're still in the AFC East. And they play the NFC and AFC West next year. There is no reason why they shouldn't expect to win another 12 or 13 games next year. And I'm not worrried about what NY fans are going to say. The Giants were road warriors this year because they had to be. They were crucified by fans and media alike. If Eli Manning wanted to stand up on a podium and tell reporters to kiss his butt (which they will anyway) and walk off they'd be hard pressed to complain (but complain indignantly they would). They can have their parade, but if I were a NY Giant, I'd take the accolades, but check my back every so often for a handle sticking out. I am not bothered by this win at all, as it was pretty cool watching Eli's ugly duckling transformation. Sure there was some luck involved, but when is luck never a factor? New England's ran out. But this isn't the upset everyone is saying it is, nor is it a choke job by the Pats. There is just too much talent in the NFL for teams to suck the way they do at times. This season, and its ending, shows how important desire and determination is besides talent. Last night, the Giants had more grit and determination.

[Swish]

I am a HUGE Dallas Cowboy fan...and you know that Slosheroo and Swishy. I believe the reason you are making alot of these statements and posting pix is to see if you can flush me out. :0 Well you won...I am here now to kick your bottoms.

My dad started taking me to games (when they were the Dallas Texans) before I could officially walk. Tony Romo is the best thing to happen to this team in many years. This guy truly loves the game ~ even before he began making mega millions. Regarding T.O. ~ say all that you will, make fun of him crying, but I enjoyed his participation this year and I love that he is a team player...Jones simply removed Parcells, and T.O. became a much better player. I love the fact that he would get choked up defending his quarterback and friend over a STUPID accusation that the media ran with (most of this media probably evolved out of New York or Phillie, right?).

Personally, I think the Eagles STINK (aka SUCK) and I cannot stand this team, have never liked them or the Washington Redskins. This is a rivalry that goes deep, and we will kick all your bottoms next year.

I am now pulling for Brett Favre. Hopefully, he will send the two-timing, multiple baby-making, no responsiblity machine Brady back to his homeland with his tail between his legs. :-)

How 'bout them apples from a good little Southern Baptist girl?

Happy New Year and Love To All,
Ag

...had to widen the seats in the new stadium.

But seriously, the Eagles has a lousy year but were pretty much in every game but one, losing most by 7 or less. However, beating Dallas on their home turf and making Romo look like crap was tons of fun. I can't wait to make T.O. cry again. He's getting near the breaking point and will be off the deep end with one more loss to Philly.

Swish

[Rich-n-Texas]

That's all well and good Swish, but the Eagles had the Pats right where they wanted them in their game earlier in the season until bonehead Feely threw it all away. That game really pi$$ed me off. I sure hope McNabb gets his sh!t together next season.

[MindGoneHaywire]

If you read Troy's comments about the Pats toying with the teams that played them closely, like the Eagles & the Ravens, what he's saying makes sense. That magic nearly ran out in the last regular-season game, and was finally spent by last night. They were a worn-out team. The conditions didn't seem to be optimal, either--I heard the announcers talking about how it was really humid in there, and in the 4th quarter they were showing some Giants having to come off the field for a play here or there, mostly D-line I think.

My point is, I wouldn't call Feeley a bonehead. The team the Pats were even at that point were still the team I had decided were the best team I'd ever seen. What's amazing about the loss is that they did everything right--except pace themselves. The decline in performance in each successive game in the playoffs speaks to that.

I do think it's interesting--and this is in no way a knock on the Eagles, just an observation--that of the 8 teams who have won 3 Super Bowls, 3 are from the NFC East. Actually, if anything, it's a compliment, since one could make a case that they've had some extremely difficult competition.

[3-LockBox]

I do think it's interesting--and this is in no way a knock on the Eagles, just an observation--that of the 8 teams who have won 3 Super Bowls, 3 are from the NFC East. Actually, if anything, it's a compliment, since one could make a case that they've had some extremely difficult competition.

That's why I think its going to be easier for the Pats to get back than the Giants. Dallas is still a good team. The Redskins can be a good team, if the front office gets it together - they may even have the Giants 'D' coordinator for a head coach.

The Eagles are in a funk they may or may not be able to shake. If they can pull themselves together and adopt the Giants' "us against the world" mentality, then they could easily be a factor next year. Then again, the NFC east might mirror the NCAA southeast conference, where talent laden teams beat up on each other and knock each other out of contention.