2017 NFL Season Thread

[JBatmanFan05]

For me, facing the Giants in the 17-0 season was a scary thing. I consider the Giants run about the best ever in football because of what they had to overcome. If memory serves correctly they nearly beat the Patriots in the last game of the season and a meaningless game for the Giants. I believe the Giants played a wild card game and won.

Yea, it's BS to say that first Giants SB game was perceived to be a cake walk. The Giants looked beastly at the end of the season and many many knew they'd bring the physicality. One of the best 6th seed teams I can remember. Last game of reg season...38-35 Pats over Giants, I remember the game well. Brady deep bombs to Moss were like the only thing that saved the Pats in the game. One of the best week 17 games I can remember in NFL history.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

I agree with this. The only issue I have with that spectacular 'Brady comeback' was that the stupid Falcons were entirely and wholly complicit in that comeback. It was more about what the Falcons didn't do than what Brady actually pulled off. The Patriots were getting their balls beat like they've never had done in a playoff game let alone in a Superbowl and dumbass Kyle Shanahan must have had a couple grand on the New England. Him and his old man are both shams in my eyes.

The Patriots having a reputation is one thing but it's quantitative, it's wins and losses, just like everybody else. I do feel they play up to a sort of mystique to the weak. Chuck Pagano played scared when the Colts met the Pats. The part of him that sidesteps a fight was magnified once Belichick was across the field. There was a mix of that that effected the Falcons last year once the wheels began to come off. Some people believe in momentum and some don't (I do) but once things got to clicking for the Pats in the 4th quarter the nerves and execution of the Falcons began to falter and just put the fire under New England.

I do think Pederson played his game but he also played the Patriots and I agree with the other poster that, against another team, he would have done things differently. That is one of the biggest reasons why Belichick is so successful, he schemes SO WELL for the opposing team. Most teams do what they do and play how they play against certain players but like Petyon used to do when he was QB on the Colts- he knew how your Defense moved and he was able to carve the **** out of many, many teams. Pederson had the talent to pull it off too now but he hit the Pats right in the mouth and didn't stop until it was all zeros. Pats didn't even lead until after the half and I feel outside of a brief flash of offense, The Eagles actually won pretty handily.

Irony of ironies: While everyone is saying Pederson had balls of steel for his bold playcalling Sunday night, including that trickeration TD pass to Foles at the end of the first half, people have roasted Pete Carroll for throwing the ball on the New England one yard line late in XLIX, only to be intercepted (another irony, the hero of that game, Malcolm Butler who picked off that pass is a Patriot pariah today) instead of giving it to Marshawn Lynch and letting him go Beast Mode and ram it in for the game winning score. I guess it's all about the coach and the situation.

[DungeonmasterJim]

Hearing on WEEI Boston Sports radio today that a 'source' is reporting to one of the talk show hosts that Belichik wanted to bench Malcolm Butler for the AFC Championship game and had to be talked out of it. And that Belichik told Patricia that Butler wasn't going to play at the Super Bowl.

Also hearing still Butler had the flu, missed meetings, had bad practices, missed curfews as well.

The only think I'm confident on is that Butler will not be a New England Patriot next season.

[BeastieRunner]

Hearing on WEEI Boston Sports radio today that a 'source' is reporting to one of the talk show hosts that Belichik wanted to bench Malcolm Butler for the AFC Championship game and had to be talked out of it. And that Belichik told Patricia that Butler wasn't going to play at the Super Bowl.

Also hearing still Butler had the flu, missed meetings, had bad practices, missed curfews as well.

The only think I'm confident on is that Butler will not be a New England Patriot next season.

He also played like garbage this year.

And Bill tends to bench players that ask for money before they perform.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Hearing on WEEI Boston Sports radio today that a 'source' is reporting to one of the talk show hosts that Belichik wanted to bench Malcolm Butler for the AFC Championship game and had to be talked out of it. And that Belichik told Patricia that Butler wasn't going to play at the Super Bowl.

Also hearing still Butler had the flu, missed meetings, had bad practices, missed curfews as well.

The only think I'm confident on is that Butler will not be a New England Patriot next season.

Belichick would have over looked the flu and him coming back. But missing team meetings , bad practices and curfews...yeah no way he lets someone play for that. And yeah its a given , New England will not be keeping Butler next year.

[Scott Taylor]

Belichick would have over looked the flu and him coming back. But missing team meetings , bad practices and curfews...yeah no way he lets someone play for that. And yeah its a given , New England will not be keeping Butler next year.

Yep. Bill Belichick values discipline and expects it from all his players. But he also truly believes that he can make things work on his team without the benefit of marquee players. And most of the time he is right. Heck, he was arguably right for the Super Bowl by going to Rowe. Rowe did a great job, most of the time he just had to cover these amazing passes where the ball dropped into a pancake-sized hole right in front of the receivers. Also, Rowe was the hero CB who won the game against Pittsburgh, practically, with a key tipped ball that got intercepted. Not convinced Butler would have made the difference.

[JBatmanFan05]

What's interesting is that Belichick has to be partially lying about this not being disciplinary related. It seems he essentially is using "poor practices" or this flu thing to try to cover up punishment for concerning disciplinary infractions.

Maryjane and curfew are serious speculations. Along with contract grumbling, poor practices, etc.

Even if Butler wouldn't have made a difference in the game's outcome, it's an interesting story about Bill and how the team handles issues with players.

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

Yea, it's BS to say that first Giants SB game was perceived to be a cake walk. The Giants looked beastly at the end of the season and many many knew they'd bring the physicality. One of the best 6th seed teams I can remember. Last game of reg season...38-35 Pats over Giants, I remember the game well. Brady deep bombs to Moss were like the only thing that saved the Pats in the game. One of the best week 17 games I can remember in NFL history.

It's really wasn't BS. The spread was Patriots by 12. The Patriots never played a Super Bowl where they were favored by more than 7. Nobody thought the Giants would win that game. And the media coverage going into the game was heavily one sided.

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

Irony of ironies: While everyone is saying Pederson had balls of steel for his bold playcalling Sunday night, including that trickeration TD pass to Foles at the end of the first half, people have roasted Pete Carroll for throwing the ball on the New England one yard line late in XLIX, only to be intercepted (another irony, the hero of that game, Malcolm Butler who picked off that pass is a Patriot pariah today) instead of giving it to Marshawn Lynch and letting him go Beast Mode and ram it in for the game winning score. I guess it's all about the coach and the situation.

Other irony. People roasted Quinn for calling pass plays while the Falcons essentially had the game won because they were in field goal range.

[Osiris-Rex]

Deadspin has a great article up arguing why Jeff Fisher might be one of the worst coaches in the NFL.

It's not just that the Rams under-achieved for years, and the minute Fisher's gone they became a powerhouse team... it's the QBs he coached the past few years.

Jared Goff- One disastrous rookie year under Fisher, this season under McVay he looked like a worthy #1 overall pick.
Case Keenum- Looked worse than pedestrian as the Rams QB under Fisher, this season with Minnesota, he takes over for Sam Bradford after one game, and leads the Vikings with their defense all the way to the NFC Championship game.
Nick Foles- Went to the Rams in the Sam Bradford trade with Philly. Went from being a hot young risking star at QB to a train wreck with a 69.0 QB rating in 11 games. Barely gets to play the next season in KC (3 TD, 0 INT) and then takes over for Carson Wentz midway through this year and leads the Eagles to the Super Bowl.

Three other coaches have taken on Fisher's wasted opportunities and found success with them.

Never did know the reason the Eagles traded Foles. He was doing great and then just dropped out of sight.

The Bills streak of four straight SB losses were also all to NFC East teams.

And three of the Broncos five losses were to NFC teams, Cowboys, Giants, Redskins. Redskins was probably the most shocking loss.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Never did know the reason the Eagles traded Foles. He was doing great and then just dropped out of sight.
.

Lurie backed Chip Kelly in 2014 after the season where Foles had a great year. Anyhow Kelly decided to cut DeSean Jackson for really no one knows . But the entire way Kelly never liked Foles and felt he fit the offense. Even when the guy threw 27 TD's and 2 Ints in a season. That year he cut Jackson a big complaint was Philly needed offensive lineman and they didn't do anything , which led Foles to go through 8 games and get the **** beat outta him.

Kelly with all the power was able to trade Foles and McCoy away for players he claimed fit his offense. (Both are now gone comically)

[Sacred Knight]

Pretty much all those early SB losses were pretty much to script except XXII, yep. As a fan my team has three titles. As a kid I never thought I'd see one, so I am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. But if you wanted to twist my arm...I would somewhat wish that the Broncos would buck the trend of insisting on losing the Super Bowl BIG. I mean when they lose, they freaking LOSE. But, when they win, there's always something big historically behind it, so I don't think I'd make the trade.


Not digging deep though, and just looking at pure W/L, I can't say I'm not a little happy that Denver is not alone now in the 5 loss category. NE certainly competed better in all their losses, but I don't care, I'm just glad they don't hold that negative distinction alone! lol

[BeastieRunner]

Pretty much all those early SB losses were pretty much to script except XXII, yep. As a fan my team has three titles. As a kid I never thought I'd see one, so I am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. But if you wanted to twist my arm...I would somewhat wish that the Broncos would buck the trend of insisting on losing the Super Bowl BIG. I mean when they lose, they freaking LOSE. But, when they win, there's always something big historically behind it, so I don't think I'd make the trade.


Not digging deep though, and just looking at pure W/L, I can't say I'm not a little happy that Denver is not alone now in the 5 loss category. NE certainly competed better in all their losses, but I don't care, I'm just glad they don't hold that negative distinction alone! lol

I don't see how losing the Super Bowl is a negative.

YOU WERE IN THE SUPER BOWL.

Second best in the league and best in your conference.

[JBatmanFan05]

It's really wasn't BS. The spread was Patriots by 12. The Patriots never played a Super Bowl where they were favored by more than 7. Nobody thought the Giants would win that game. And the media coverage going into the game was heavily one sided.

That may be fair, but I know I and many (if only a minority) sports pundits weren't writing off NYG at all. What I mean is that while many may not have heard or much credited some minority prognosticators that predicted the Giants would be more of a force to be reckoned with than it appeared, I definitely was listening to those voices and not dismissing NYG. They had this "x factor" that I rarely see in 6th seed teams entering the playoffs. They felt tough, felt hot. I felt the same about the Packers the year they won, they played Atlanta at one point the playoffs who had a way better record and I just knew GB would down Atlanta despite how it looked on paper. But some 6th seed SB winners I didn't see coming (2005 Steelers surprised me).

[TheInvisibleMan]

looks like Josh McDaniels will NOT be joining the Colts and staying in New England