Did the Best Team Sunday Win The Super Bowl? (1 Viewer)

[Joe Bryant]

Spinnoff of the "Patriots choked" tangent. I see a lot of people saying that. I don't know that's the case.

Did the best team Sunday night win?

I highlight that because that's really all that matters. Not the best team this year. Not the best team in the playoffs. The best team Sunday night.

J

 

[Macdaddy_2004]

Absolutely

The giants played a better game. On offence and defence.

The 4th quarter proved to be the most important quarter and the giants won.

End of story.

 

[Road Warriors]

The Giants were the better team on the field last night.

I've refrained in commenting in some of the Choker comment threads, as the tone was decidely piling on, but the thought I had was calling the Pats chokers diminishes what the Giants did.

The Giants went out and took that game, dominated the LOS and beat the Patriots, straight up.

 

[Ghost Rider]

Absolutely. Giants were clearly the best team Sunday and deserved to win.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

If you play this game ten times, NE probably wins seven or eight of those games. I think they were the better team in some theoretical sense, much as the Rams were the better team when NE upset them several years ago.

Having said that, the Giants clearly outplayed the Patriots last night, and they were the best team for that particular 60 minutes of football.

 

[Despyzer]

Considering how close the score was and the number of lead changes in the 4th quarter, I have to wonder how anyone could say the Giants were CLEARLY the better team. Their defense was clearly dominant, but the offense seemed mostly impotent.

 

[Workhorse]

AbsolutelyThe giants played a better game. On offence and defence.The 4th quarter proved to be the msot important quarter and the giants won.End of story.

Even though a bounce of the ball here or there on that final drive would have changed the outcome, the Giants were a much more physical team on both sides of the ball last night. As we all know, outhitting the other guy over a 60-minute ballgame makes all the difference. "Choked"?? C'mon. That's just plain foolish. Did New England "choke" the Giants into being uber-physical in the trenches all night? Did the Pats "choke" on defense when two guys (Manning and Tyree) were on either end of one of the most exciting, improbable plays in Super Bowl History? A play where the Patriots defense did everything right but just got beat on two amazing athletic efforts? That's not choking. That's getting outplayed. Period.

 

[Fantaholic]

I have to give credit when it is due. The Giants deserved to win. Their defensive line treated the Pats O-line like little school girls all game long.

To say that they are the better team is sort of ridiculous when you consider that last week we were still discussing whether or no this Pats team was the best of all time. If the Giants are the better team then we would have to be considering them as being the best team of all time. Are we?

 

[GregR_2]

I think the Giants were the best team on this specific Sunday. But if the two teams as they exist at this week in the season, were to play a series of 20 games, I think the Pats probably win about 12-13 of them.

But when I talk about who was the best team, I tend to refer to who is more likely to win in the series of games, rather than who won on an exact specific night.

 

[B-Deep]

I have to give credit when it is due. The Giants deserved to win. Their defensive line treated the Pats O-line like little school girls all game long. To say that they are the better team is sort of ridiculous when you consider that last week we were still discussing whether or no this Pats team was the best of all time. If the Giants are the better team then we would have to be considering them as being the best team of all time. Are we?

No, "we" were just prematture in discussing the pats in that mannerthey are no longer in the conversation either.

 

[nyftbl_giants]

Absolutely. Giants won.

This wasnt an inexperienced playoff opponent that beats themselves. It was the unbeaten juggernaut with one of the best money players in the game.

We won that bad boy outright.

 

[jonessed]

The Giants played a great game and deserved to win, but the Pats played with little to no intensity as well. I think it was probably a combination of both.

 

[wharf rat]

Every team has the same goal at the beginning of the season... win the Super Bowl.

Only 1 team will succesfully accomplish this goal and all other will fail.

That Super Bowl winning team is the best team in the league, nothing else matters.

 

[switz]

I think the Giants were the better team Sunday night. And I emphasize team, because the PAtriots had more talent at pretty much every position across the board. But the Patriots leaned too much on Tom Brady. I don't think the Pats choked, I think Brady did.

 

[Godsbrother]

I voted the Giants were definitely the better team on Sunday but I do think the Patriots choked as well.

 

[fred_1_15301]

I have to give credit when it is due. The Giants deserved to win. Their defensive line treated the Pats O-line like little school girls all game long. To say that they are the better team is sort of ridiculous when you consider that last week we were still discussing whether or no this Pats team was the best of all time. If the Giants are the better team then we would have to be considering them as being the best team of all time. Are we?

Did you read the original post. The question was "Did the best team SUNDAY NIGHT win"? Nobody is saying that the Giants are a better team than the Pats and nobody is saying that the Giants team is one of the greatest overall. What people are saying is that the Giants were the better team Sunday night. I'm not sure how you could argue that......

 

[Sheriff66]

The better team was outplayed last night, and N.E. choked, not to say the G-Men aren't a really good team that hit it's stride at the right time. I think you have to consider that N.E. was almost a 2 TD favorite going into this game, and BB made a few questionable decisions. The persuit of perfection seemed to get in the way of the ultimate goal, which is the SB, and anything less than a SB win by this team to me is considered a choke.

 

[Fantaholic]

I think the Giants were the better team Sunday night. And I emphasize team, because the PAtriots had more talent at pretty much every position across the board. But the Patriots leaned too much on Tom Brady. I don't think the Pats choked, I think Brady did.

Wow! Switz, I usually agree with a lot of what you post, but you're way off here. Brady played incredible under the circumstances. He didn't turn the ball over once, either by fumbling or throwing an interception, under what was a relentless pass rush all game. He brought them down the field and scored to put them in a position to win at then end, and they came up short. This game was 100% won in the trenches. The only ones that should be hanging their heads today is the pats O-line. Brady has nothing to be ashamed of in my opinion.

 

[Jagerbomber]

The Giants played a great game and deserved to win, but the Pats played with little to no intensity as well. I think it was probably a combination of both.

I'm annoyed by the whole "no intensity" bit. What kind of motivation did they need to play with intensity? I don't get how Moss can say that. If you can't muster up intensity when history is staring you in the face why bother showing up?As for the original question, the Patriots are more talented on the offensive side of the ball. I think both defenses are about even in terms of personnel. But I don't think the Patriots choked at all, it was a pretty even game.

 

[fred_1_15301]

I think the Giants were the better team Sunday night. And I emphasize team, because the PAtriots had more talent at pretty much every position across the board. But the Patriots leaned too much on Tom Brady. I don't think the Pats choked, I think Brady did.

Wow! Switz, I usually agree with a lot of what you post, but you're way off here. Brady played incredible under the circumstances. He didn't turn the ball over once, either by fumbling or throwing an interception, under what was a relentless pass rush all game. He brought them down the field and scored to put them in a position to win at then end, and they came up short. This game was 100% won in the trenches. The only ones that should be hanging their heads today is the pats O-line. Brady has nothing to be ashamed of in my opinion.

My God welcome to Big Ben's world EVERY GAME. Brady looked flustered the first time he was pressured all season. Did Brady choke? Probably not but to say that he played "incredible under the circumstances" is crazy.....

 

[Joe Bryant]

I think the Giants were the better team Sunday night. And I emphasize team, because the PAtriots had more talent at pretty much every position across the board. But the Patriots leaned too much on Tom Brady. I don't think the Pats choked, I think Brady did.

Wow! Switz, I usually agree with a lot of what you post, but you're way off here. Brady played incredible under the circumstances. He didn't turn the ball over once, either by fumbling or throwing an interception, under what was a relentless pass rush all game. He brought them down the field and scored to put them in a position to win at then end, and they came up short. This game was 100% won in the trenches. The only ones that should be hanging their heads today is the pats O-line. Brady has nothing to be ashamed of in my opinion.

My God welcome to Big Ben's world EVERY GAME. Brady looked flustered the first time he was pressured all season. Did Brady choke? Probably not but to say that he played "incredible under the circumstances" is crazy.....

I think this is an area worth exploring. Brady was always the first in line to give credit to his OL. But I think we saw last night just how important that is. As Brady said during the year, it's not hard to play QB when you have that much time. And in the same way, maybe some of these QBs we criticize aren't as bad as their OL's make them look.J

 

[Jason Wood]

I hate the Giants, I thought it would be a blowout...that said, how anyone could've watched that game and not come away thinking the Giants outplayed the Pats and deserved the victory is

 

[Rhino]

I don't like the wording of the answers... no one "deserves" to win. Either you play hard enough to win, or you lose. To say that the Giants did anything other than "earn" their win over the Patriots is an insult to the effort they put out on Sunday.

A football season is a marathon, not a sprint. The Pats came out of the gate so fast - had this game been played in Week 4 or 5 I don't think it would have been near the same outcome. But the Giants grew as a team from September thru January, and the Patriots faded - or at the very least didn't improve. I'm very impressed at the job that whole team did this season - players and coaches alike - to just get better every week and to play their hearts out every game.

Big congrats to the Giants and their fans. Absolutely earned their championship and they should savor every moment of it.

 

[Christo]

I think the Giants were the better team Sunday night. And I emphasize team, because the PAtriots had more talent at pretty much every position across the board. But the Patriots leaned too much on Tom Brady. I don't think the Pats choked, I think Brady did.

No, the Pats O-line choked.

 

[Fantaholic]

I think the Giants were the better team Sunday night. And I emphasize team, because the PAtriots had more talent at pretty much every position across the board. But the Patriots leaned too much on Tom Brady. I don't think the Pats choked, I think Brady did.

Wow! Switz, I usually agree with a lot of what you post, but you're way off here. Brady played incredible under the circumstances. He didn't turn the ball over once, either by fumbling or throwing an interception, under what was a relentless pass rush all game. He brought them down the field and scored to put them in a position to win at then end, and they came up short. This game was 100% won in the trenches. The only ones that should be hanging their heads today is the pats O-line. Brady has nothing to be ashamed of in my opinion.

My God welcome to Big Ben's world EVERY GAME. Brady looked flustered the first time he was pressured all season. Did Brady choke? Probably not but to say that he played "incredible under the circumstances" is crazy.....

Whoever it is that you may think is the best QB of all time, put them behind center for the Patriots last night and they would have looked flustered too. A passing attack is all about protection my friend. No one can throw effectively while being rushed like that. My point was that many QB's under that duress would have turned the ball over by either thrwoing an INT or simply fumbling it on one of the many hits. Brady protected the ball and gave us a chance to win at the end of the game. People, I am not trying to take anything away from the Giants. The Partiots were man-handled. Plain and simple.

 

[Workhorse]

I think the Patriots improved on defense quite a bit this postseason. They only allowed 4 TDs over the course of 3 playoff games.

 

[Redwes25]

I think the Giants were the better team Sunday night. And I emphasize team, because the PAtriots had more talent at pretty much every position across the board. But the Patriots leaned too much on Tom Brady. I don't think the Pats choked, I think Brady did.

Wow! Switz, I usually agree with a lot of what you post, but you're way off here. Brady played incredible under the circumstances. He didn't turn the ball over once, either by fumbling or throwing an interception, under what was a relentless pass rush all game. He brought them down the field and scored to put them in a position to win at then end, and they came up short. This game was 100% won in the trenches. The only ones that should be hanging their heads today is the pats O-line. Brady has nothing to be ashamed of in my opinion.

Brady fumbled once at the end of the first half when Tuck sacked him and stripped the ball.

 

[Mikey16x]

Clearly outcoached.... the pats were. They tried to come out with the run... we shut that down. Then they tried the screen passes... stopped that... and the fact that our D-line was on tom brady within 2 seconds of a snap... made randy moss/gaffney/stallworth (all their deepthreat weapons) of no use.... and i think deion sanders put it the best... we learned wes welker can move the chains... but he cannot beat you.

overall, this was an exciting superbowl... but the game is won and lost in the trenches... osi, tuck, strahan, alford, cofield all proved to be too much for the patriots O-line... and jesus am i happy we locked up tuck for the next 5 years... he's is/going to be a stud!

 

[Fantaholic]

I think the Giants were the better team Sunday night. And I emphasize team, because the PAtriots had more talent at pretty much every position across the board. But the Patriots leaned too much on Tom Brady. I don't think the Pats choked, I think Brady did.

No, the Pats O-line choked.

To say a whole team choked when it was solely their O-Line is untrue.

 

[Fantaholic]

I think the Giants were the better team Sunday night. And I emphasize team, because the PAtriots had more talent at pretty much every position across the board. But the Patriots leaned too much on Tom Brady. I don't think the Pats choked, I think Brady did.

Wow! Switz, I usually agree with a lot of what you post, but you're way off here. Brady played incredible under the circumstances. He didn't turn the ball over once, either by fumbling or throwing an interception, under what was a relentless pass rush all game. He brought them down the field and scored to put them in a position to win at then end, and they came up short. This game was 100% won in the trenches. The only ones that should be hanging their heads today is the pats O-line. Brady has nothing to be ashamed of in my opinion.

Brady fumbled once at the end of the first half when Tuck sacked him and stripped the ball.

My bad. Senior moment induced by excessive amounts of alcohol.

 

[rick6668]

I think the Giants were the better team Sunday night. And I emphasize team, because the PAtriots had more talent at pretty much every position across the board. But the Patriots leaned too much on Tom Brady. I don't think the Pats choked, I think Brady did.

Wow! Switz, I usually agree with a lot of what you post, but you're way off here. Brady played incredible under the circumstances. He didn't turn the ball over once, either by fumbling or throwing an interception, under what was a relentless pass rush all game. He brought them down the field and scored to put them in a position to win at then end, and they came up short. This game was 100% won in the trenches. The only ones that should be hanging their heads today is the pats O-line. Brady has nothing to be ashamed of in my opinion.

 

[Anarchy99]

I have seen every Pats game in the Brady Belichick era. NE was outplayed, out coached, out muscled, and out intimidated. That is the first time in a long time where they did not look right for almost the entire game.

And if not for the incredible Manning/Tyree play that took what easily could have been a 4th and 17 at the NYG 32 to a 1st and 10 at the NE 24. We will never know what would have happened, but IMO if that play never happened the outcome could easily have been different.

While we have come to know BB as a tactical genious, IMO he did not make many adjustments to better handle the intense pass rush (more shot gun, more TE/RB blocking, shorter routes, more screens, moving the pocket and rolling out, etc.).

 

[ScottNorwood]

Was anybody like me and started cranking the theme song from Karate Kid "You're the best!" during that final Giant's drive? Man, we were doing crane kicks all night!

 

[nyftbl_giants]

I think the Giants were the better team Sunday night. And I emphasize team, because the PAtriots had more talent at pretty much every position across the board. But the Patriots leaned too much on Tom Brady. I don't think the Pats choked, I think Brady did.

No, the Pats O-line choked.

Of all positions to choke the O line imho is the least likely to do so. Its a grind, a put your head down and do your job position. They flat out got handled. When your getting the pressure on the ends that we were getting and then add a man possesed in tuck, it was just too much to deal with and they made very little adjustment.

 

[ChrisHenrysDD]

I think the Giants were the better team Sunday night. And I emphasize team, because the PAtriots had more talent at pretty much every position across the board. But the Patriots leaned too much on Tom Brady. I don't think the Pats choked, I think Brady did.

Wow! Switz, I usually agree with a lot of what you post, but you're way off here. Brady played incredible under the circumstances. He didn't turn the ball over once, either by fumbling or throwing an interception, under what was a relentless pass rush all game. He brought them down the field and scored to put them in a position to win at then end, and they came up short. This game was 100% won in the trenches. The only ones that should be hanging their heads today is the pats O-line. Brady has nothing to be ashamed of in my opinion.

My God welcome to Big Ben's world EVERY GAME. Brady looked flustered the first time he was pressured all season. Did Brady choke? Probably not but to say that he played "incredible under the circumstances" is crazy.....

Ding! Ding! Ding! Brady puts up 14 points with "THE BEST OFFENSE EVA!" and he played great under the circumstances? I made a post questioning whether or not I'd rather have Roethlisberger or Brady if they're both going to be playing with traffic cones for an o-line about 2 months ago and I got crucified.And Brady did turn the ball over by fumbling as the Patriots were driving right before half-time.

 

[Spartans Rule]

I think the Giants were the better team Sunday night. And I emphasize team, because the PAtriots had more talent at pretty much every position across the board. But the Patriots leaned too much on Tom Brady. I don't think the Pats choked, I think Brady did.

No, the Pats O-line choked.

I agree. Pats O-Line underperformed significantly.Arguably the best unit in the league all year, and they couldn't establish the run or protect Brady.

 

[munga30]

Spinnoff of the "Patriots choked" tangent. I see a lot of people saying that. I don't know that's the case.

Did the best team Sunday night win?

I highlight that because that's really all that matters. Not the best team this year. Not the best team in the playoffs. The best team Sunday night.

J

:circular:

 

[timintey]

I hate this whole "If they played 10 times team A would win 8 of them" argument. It doesn't work that way. It's only one game, winner take all and the Giants were better prepared for it.

 

[fred_1_15301]

I think the Giants were the better team Sunday night. And I emphasize team, because the PAtriots had more talent at pretty much every position across the board. But the Patriots leaned too much on Tom Brady. I don't think the Pats choked, I think Brady did.

Wow! Switz, I usually agree with a lot of what you post, but you're way off here. Brady played incredible under the circumstances. He didn't turn the ball over once, either by fumbling or throwing an interception, under what was a relentless pass rush all game. He brought them down the field and scored to put them in a position to win at then end, and they came up short. This game was 100% won in the trenches. The only ones that should be hanging their heads today is the pats O-line. Brady has nothing to be ashamed of in my opinion.

My God welcome to Big Ben's world EVERY GAME. Brady looked flustered the first time he was pressured all season. Did Brady choke? Probably not but to say that he played "incredible under the circumstances" is crazy.....

Whoever it is that you may think is the best QB of all time, put them behind center for the Patriots last night and they would have looked flustered too. A passing attack is all about protection my friend. No one can throw effectively while being rushed like that. My point was that many QB's under that duress would have turned the ball over by either thrwoing an INT or simply fumbling it on one of the many hits. Brady protected the ball and gave us a chance to win at the end of the game. People, I am not trying to take anything away from the Giants. The Partiots were man-handled. Plain and simple.

My only point is that some other qbs in the league haven't had the luxury of a great offensive line this season and still find ways to make plays. Big Ben is a prime example of a player who was under duress almost every snap and still played great. I'm not trying to say that Ben is in the same league as Brady. I'm just trying to say that it is possible to play at a high level even without protection. I'm sure a lot of this had to due with the fact that he hasn't been in this position all season but Brady really did look flustered out there.

 

[the spanker]

Why is this even being discussed? I must of missed something. Giants shut Pats down and made plays.

Of course the better team (Giants) won and that won't be discussed in the record book

 

[redman]

Yes, the best team won. The Giants finished by playing the best five games of their season, including winning three consecutive road games in the playoffs.

Meanwhile, the Patriots have spent two months playing their worst football of the season.

18-0 versus 13-6 going into this game didn't remotely capture the momentum of the respective teams IMHO.

 

[Shutterbug]

Absolutely!

 

[switz]

I think the Giants were the better team Sunday night. And I emphasize team, because the PAtriots had more talent at pretty much every position across the board. But the Patriots leaned too much on Tom Brady. I don't think the Pats choked, I think Brady did.

No, the Pats O-line choked.

To say a whole team choked when it was solely their O-Line is untrue.

It was more than the OL. The only guy that didn't choke was Welker, who played his heart out. Watson totally disappeared. That Samuel drop. The player who fell ont he Fumble and couldn't secure it. The list goes on... the entire PAts (minus Welker) choked.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

Not only were the Giants clearly the better team, but I think the fact that the Packers took the Giants to OT while the Pats were vanquished in regulation proves conclusively that the NFC had the two best teams in the NFL this season.

 

[redman]

I think the Giants were the better team Sunday night. And I emphasize team, because the PAtriots had more talent at pretty much every position across the board. But the Patriots leaned too much on Tom Brady. I don't think the Pats choked, I think Brady did.

No, the Pats O-line choked.

To say a whole team choked when it was solely their O-Line is untrue.

It was more than the OL. The only guy that didn't choke was Welker, who played his heart out. Watson totally disappeared. That Samuel drop. The player who fell ont he Fumble and couldn't secure it. The list goes on... the entire PAts (minus Welker) choked.

When a D-line is playing as well as the Giants' line was, that's not an o-line choke job, that's just D-line dominance. I thought the play calling on the Pats was uninspired, and they never seemed to adjust. Brady looked rattled the entire day, and his passing accuracy was horrendous for him beyond 10 yards, even on plays where he wasn't even touched. The Patriots D missed making some plays, but generally got worn down by a very physical offense.

Brady was the guy who I thought came closest to "choking".

 

[Serenity Now]

The Giants defensive line came up HUGE yesterday, hurrying, sacking and hitting Brady more than he'd been all season long. I suppose it's fair to say that it was also a combo of the Pats offensive line sucking big time yesterday too, but I personally give the Giants all the credit there.

The Pats were largely the same team, the Giants took it away from them, plain and simple.

 

[Serenity Now]

Not only were the Giants clearly the better team, but I think the fact that the Packers took the Giants to OT while the Pats were vanquished in regulation proves conclusively that the NFC had the two best teams in the NFL this season.

Well...no. Over the course of the season itself, there was still no match to the Pats. They beat Dallas and NY during the regular season. They beat every opponent they faced.The Giants got hot and clicked right when they needed to and went on an amazing streak. Whoever said the loss of Shockey made the difference for the team, I agree. Shockey is a terrific player but such a strong personality..maybe too strong.

 

[Godsbrother]

Brady played incredible under the circumstances.

Disagree. Brady is a great quarterback but he isn't use to pressure. He finally faced a decent pass rush and looked quite ordinary to me.

The only ones that should be hanging their heads today is the pats O-line.

If you are looking to blame someone I think there is plenty to go around. In addition to the o-line folding and Brady's lackluster performance, the Pats coaching staff abandoned the run way too early and their defense let the Giants mount two fourth quarter TD drives.

 

[dgreen]

None of those poll options are appropriate, IMO.

The Giants simply match-up well with the Patriots. In one sense, that means they're better. But, when you look at the whole picture (season), it's hard to say the Giants are better.

College football is designed to proclaim who the best is. The NFL is designed to proclaim who the champion is. There's a difference.

 

[RudeDog]

I have to give credit when it is due. The Giants deserved to win. Their defensive line treated the Pats O-line like little school girls all game long. To say that they are the better team is sort of ridiculous when you consider that last week we were still discussing whether or no this Pats team was the best of all time. If the Giants are the better team then we would have to be considering them as being the best team of all time. Are we?

The only ones "discussing" whether the Pats were the greatest of all time were the Pats fans. The rest of us were just tired of your foolish claims.