***Official Super Bowl LII Thread*** - Eagles vs Patriots (1 Viewer)

[jonessed]

Quick question (I hope) - on New England's "trick play" last night it was mentioned that the play only worked if Brady was in shotgun.  Why's that?  Or did I misunderstand what they said? 

Being in shotgun made him an eligible receiver.  He’s just a back in the backfield at that point.  He wouldn’t have been if he was under center.  

It worked that way for both Brady and Foles.

 

[fruity pebbles]

Watching the end again. What a great Hail Mary pass. Guess nothing should happen on a Hail Mary but Gronk should have come down with that.

 

[Doug B]

Belicheck was outcoached all night

If he was outcoached, I don't think it was anything drastic.

The Malcolm Butler benching is getting A LOT more run than I thought it would. It was the topic of today's MMQB column in SI, with one Eagles coach and WR Torrey Smith implying that the Butler benching helped them win. The writer, Andy Benoit, pointed out that without Butler, two defensive backfield positions were compromised -- a CB normally used in the slot was forced to play outside for a half (Rowe?) and that was how Jeffrey went off early:

Butler’s absence was huge. Not only was Chung, a safety, now essentially the No. 3 corner caught in a tough slot matchup against the shiftier Nelson Agholor, but the usual slot corner, Eric Rowe, was isolated on the outside. Downgrades resonated at two positions.

Belichick will never be able to explain that benching satisfactorily after a loss. You win, you're a genius no matter what you do. But if you lose ... those 50-50 calls are the marks of a dunce.

 

[mquinnjr]

Congrats @mquinnjr my man  

You the man @Doctor Detroit

 

[Rodrigo Duterte]

I've been thinking about how bb will attack this deep eagles line.  I think the answer is to change personnel groupings until you get a mismatch and then go no huddle. You can't tire out the defensive line rotation but you can attack the ones who are in right now, and the patriots can get a substitution from no huddle without the eagles being able to match it by bringing in or removing an extra tight end lined up out wide. 

Right on.

 

[need2know]

My message for PHI fans ... from an experienced NE fan;

Although the anticipation is hard to take, savor these days leading up to the big game.

Once the game starts, it will go by really fast. Then suddenly you will realize that it's the 3rd qtr and your team just went down 25-3.

... and you wish you could go back. Back to these days before the game. Back to the celebrating of such a well played championship game. Back to speculations, what if's, and who will's, that you predicted would happen.

All of that coming crashing down and all of your "child on Christmas eve" exuberance is flipped upside down to a dark felling like some big bald muscle-head just slept with your girlfriend ... and she's not sorry ... and you sit silent and miserable because there is nothing you can do about it. So you just stare at the other teams players and coaches on tv ... yucking  it up, celebrating, all smiles and laughing.

That is, unless you have the GOAT on your team ...  and the other team has knuckleheads calling plays.

and Prince Brady rides in on a white unicorn farrtin rainbows ... a TD and 2 points, there's a chance? ...then another TD and 2 points later, TIE FREIKIN GAME! what are the odds? ... ...  and he pulls you from your deepest misery .... to an unexpected place of sports fan exuberance that you've never known nor ever deserved.

So you eat that rainbow of goodness right from the source ... for the next 12 months. So Delicious.

How you feeling this morning bub?  

At least you still got that 40 year old goat on your team

 

[Godsbrother]

Watching the end again. What a great Hail Mary pass. Guess nothing should happen on a Hail Mary but Gronk should have come down with that.

Gronk is a great player, perhaps the best TE ever, but he whines an awful lot.  To be fair most receivers do but it is a bit more annoying when the guy whining is a giant compared to everyone around him.  

 

[Doug B]

Watching the end again. What a great Hail Mary pass. Guess nothing should happen on a Hail Mary but Gronk should have come down with that.

There were four Eagles around him, and at least two of them got their hands higher than Gronk's. All humans have limitations ... there's no "should have" with a Hail Mary. A completed Hail Mary is always a luck-out, and never a play to take for granted.

 

[fruity pebbles]

There were four Eagles around him, and at least two of them got their hands higher than Gronk's. All humans have limitations ... there's no "should have" with a Hail Mary. A completed Hail Mary is always a luck-out, and never a play to take for granted.

Isn’t that kinda what I said? It was more about the pass than Gronk. 

 

[KarmaPolice]

On the Pats side the no M.Butler will always be a huge wtf that will probably never be fully answered from Hoodie.  

Didn't like the Brady as wr play either, seemed unnecessary and they probably new they were going for it on 4th down too. Also that BS on the last kickoff seemed to lose them precious field position and time. 

Comes down to a few of those plays and the Eagles made the right calls and executed, the Pats didn't.  Usually it's the reverse in big games.  

 

[Doug B]

There were four Eagles around him, and at least two of them got their hands higher than Gronk's. All humans have limitations ... there's no "should have" with a Hail Mary. A completed Hail Mary is always a luck-out, and never a play to take for granted.

Isn’t that kinda what I said? It was more about the pass than Gronk. 

I took "... but Gronk should have come down with that" to mean that you thought Gronk messed up in some manner.

 

[matttyl]

Being in shotgun made him an eligible receiver.  He’s just a back in the backfield at that point.  He wouldn’t have been if he was under center.  

It worked that way for both Brady and Foles.

Huh, I didn't know that.  Thank you.

 

[Doug B]

Pats fan posted on the Saints board:

Pats fan here. The fanbase as a whole is [flippin'] livid and wants an explanation for Butler not starting. Although he was sick earlier, I have a sneaking suspicion this was one of those stern Dad routine disciplinary moves by Belichick, and if so, it directly cost us a ring.

Butler had a down season. He is an emotional player but also a very good corner when he's on his game. If it comes out he was benched pregame like I keep seeing due to something other than performance, I hope he goes to the Saints, lights it up, and Bill gets kicked in the [phallus].

What do we think about "directly cost [them] a ring"? A scapegoating exaggeration? Or does the guy have a hint of a point?

 

[Doug B]

Hmmm ... someone else posted that Butler was warming up with the first-teamers right before the game. Evidence that the benching was truly last-minute.

 

[GoBirds]

Pats fan posted on the Saints board:

What do we think about "directly cost [them] a ring"? A scapegoating exaggeration? Or does the guy have a hint of a point?

Go find some tissues, you just lost to a backup QB. 

 

[Anarchy99]

On the Pats side the no M.Butler will always be a huge wtf that will probably never be fully answered from Hoodie.  

Didn't like the Brady as wr play either, seemed unnecessary and they probably new they were going for it on 4th down too. Also that BS on the last kickoff seemed to lose them precious field position and time. 

Comes down to a few of those plays and the Eagles made the right calls and executed, the Pats didn't.  Usually it's the reverse in big games.  

NE seems to always end up in some tough time management situations in big games. Do you hurry up and maybe try to eke out one extra possession? When do you use your timeouts? Do you not use your timeouts at all? Do you or don't you spike the ball? There is no magic in some of these decisions. You may need the extra seconds back if you let the clock run . . . or you may wish you used up more clock and left the other team with no time. It's very fluid situation, as you don't know if your defense will get a stop . . . or give up a 70 yard play (like against PIT this year).

 

[KarmaPolice]

Pats fan posted on the Saints board:

What do we think about "directly cost [them] a ring"? A scapegoating exaggeration? Or does the guy have a hint of a point?

It is hard to imagine that he wouldn't have helped with that poor D play last night.  Nothing else, it has Gilmore on Jeffrey all game and let them focus a tad more on Ertz? 

It's just one stop on those 4th down plays that helps turn the tide a bit for NE

 

[babydemon90]

Side note:  Did Brady seriously run into the tunnel to put without congratulating Nick Foles?  I mean, Matt Ryan congratulated Brady last year after that let down.  If it's classless when Cam Newton does it, it's classless when Brady does.

 

[ShamrockPride]

Side note:  Did Brady seriously run into the tunnel to put without congratulating Nick Foles?  I mean, Matt Ryan congratulated Brady last year after that let down.  If it's classless when Cam Newton does it, it's classless when Brady does.

Brady is white though, it's just his competitive juices flowing that led to a poor moment on his part.

 

[need2know]

Nick foles just beat the Patriots in the Superbowl

 

[JuniorNB]

Brady is white though, it's just his competitive juices flowing that led to a poor moment on his part.

Brady is no longer a football player, he's a celebrity who plays football. It's all about him. I doubt he consciously 'blew off Foles', just simply knew the game was over and his team lost so he ran off thinking of only himself. Just didn't give Foles, or anyone else, a thought. That's Tom being Tom.

 

[GoBirds]

Side note:  Did Brady seriously run into the tunnel to put without congratulating Nick Foles?  I mean, Matt Ryan congratulated Brady last year after that let down.  If it's classless when Cam Newton does it, it's classless when Brady does.

Didn’t know that, what a tool if so. 

 

[Donkey Derp]

Pats fan posted on the Saints board:

What do we think about "directly cost [them] a ring"? A scapegoating exaggeration? Or does the guy have a hint of a point?

If outrageous team rules help win the Patriots more titles than not then they are worth it.

 

[Anarchy99]

Pats fan posted on the Saints board:

What do we think about "directly cost [them] a ring"? A scapegoating exaggeration? Or does the guy have a hint of a point?

For starters, we don't know why Butler didn't play. But he had been a disappointment a lot of games this year and there were multiple times where he was just plain torched. In the SB, he couldn't have covered Jeffrey (6 inches shorter and 40+ pounds lighter). Size wise he matched up better against Agholor or Smith, but maybe NE thought they were likely faster or quicker. Maybe they really did think he would be a liability. I doubt that, and I expect that there is more to this story that we may never know.

 

[babydemon90]

Brady is no longer a football player, he's a celebrity who plays football. It's all about him. I doubt he consciously 'blew off Foles', just simply knew the game was over and his team lost so he ran off thinking of only himself. That's Tom being Tom.

So, classless.  Tremendous QB of course.  

 

[Ditkaless Wonders]

Didn’t know that, what a tool if so. 

I blame Wes Welker.

 

[simey]

Side note:  Did Brady seriously run into the tunnel to put without congratulating Nick Foles?  I mean, Matt Ryan congratulated Brady last year after that let down.  If it's classless when Cam Newton does it, it's classless when Brady does.

  Cam congratulated Peyton after their Super Bowl.

 

[bostonfred]

Disappointed if he didn't shake.  I'm as big a Brady honk as there is but if anyone deserved a post game handshake it was foles. Kid played lights out on the biggest stage for a team he used to start for, got dumped from, came back to as a backup, led to a Superbowl, and knew going into the game he was about to get dumped again.  He was awesome. 

 

[fred_1_15301]

Didn’t know that, what a tool if so. 

Not one bit surprised that Brady would do this. 

 

[babydemon90]

  Cam congratulated Peyton after their Super Bowl.

Yea, I didn't mean a specific instance, just in general Cam gets a bad rap for pouting when his team loses. Thanks for pointing this out though - basically just Brady being all about himself.

 

[Man In The Box]

Let's call things the way things were. Neither defense showed up or made many adjustments. The better team won, but PHI allowed 75 more yards than NE did. The Eagles defense was nothing to write home about. They got a big turnover when they needed it, but the rest of the game they were not all that great.

Yep. Felt like I was watching a Big 12 game. 

 

[tjnc09]

Go find some tissues, you just lost to a backup QB. 

the guy threw for 29 TDs and 2 INTs in 2013 including 7 TDs against Oakland.  Put up 38 points against a great Minnesota defense this year.  

 

[GoBirds]

the guy threw for 29 TDs and 2 INTs in 2013 including 7 TDs against Oakland.  Put up 38 points against a great Minnesota defense this year.  

 Check your calendar, it’s 2018 

Why don’t you Update is on Foles achievements since 2013 and then breakdown Brady career achievements for us. But sure, poor Patriots. 

 

[Insein]

The word is no one knows much at this point. One thought someone had was he missed the team flight to MIN earlier in the week and that might be against team rules. 

But B.B. and Patricia both said he was not benched for disciplinary reasons. If he had been, they would have known that ahead of time. The whole thing is really odd. 

That's going to be one of those nagging mysteries. I wonder if even Butler knows. So weird.

 

[need2know]

NE seems to always end up in some tough time management situations in big games. Do you hurry up and maybe try to eke out one extra possession? When do you use your timeouts? Do you not use your timeouts at all? Do you or don't you spike the ball? There is no magic in some of these decisions. You may need the extra seconds back if you let the clock run . . . or you may wish you used up more clock and left the other team with no time. It's very fluid situation, as you don't know if your defense will get a stop . . . or give up a 70 yard play (like against PIT this year).

It's called football

 

[babydemon90]

That's going to be one of those nagging mysteries. I wonder if even Butler knows. So weird.

Oh, he knows.  

If he didn't start because Belichek thought the matchup was a bad one - sure, I can see that.  But once the defense is unable to do anything, you try him out, because it can't be worse.  The only way he sees ZERO snaps is if Belichek made that decision before the game, and decided to stick with it.  That isn't a  "based on matchups" call.  Something happened.

 

[tjnc09]

 Check your calendar, it’s 2018 

Why don’t you Update is on Foles achievements since 2013 and then breakdown Brady career achievements for us. But sure, poor Patriots. 

You probably should learn to read since I included his impressive game against Minnesota this year as well.  Yeah, let's compare Foles to a QB who has been in the league for almost 20 years.  Logic seems difficult for you.

 

[tjnc09]

Tom Brady was once a backup QB.  He must be ####### terrible.

 

[GoBirds]

You probably should learn to read since I included his impressive game against Minnesota this year as well.  Yeah, let's compare Foles to a QB who has been in the league for almost 20 years.  Logic seems difficult for you.

If you need me to send you some tissues too because a WR got hurt or you think you are a better coach than B.B. and a benched CB would have won the Super Bowl I’ll get those in the mail to you. Fact is they lost to a backup at the most important position and a team that overcame many other injuries and much bigger obstacles. You quoting stats from 5 years ago and one game makes you look like a clown. I guess they’ve just been resting him for the last few years as a backup so he didn’t get tired this last month.  

 

[GroveDiesel]

Where were the great def adjustments?  Mia 

Honestly, defenders seemed to be in place for the Pats most of the time, but either runners broke tackles or Foles made ridiculous throws.

On the other hand, the Pats had receivers open by 5-10 yards an unreal number of times last night.

 

[Insein]

Pats fan posted on the Saints board:

What do we think about "directly cost [them] a ring"? A scapegoating exaggeration? Or does the guy have a hint of a point?

It would have been tighter but Eagles weren't being denied last night. They'd have found a way.

 

[tjnc09]

If you need me to send you some tissues too because a WR got hurt or you think you are a better coach than B.B. and a benched CB would have won the Super Bowl I’ll get those in the mail to you. Fact is they lost to a backup at the most important position and a team that overcame many other injuries and much bigger obstacles. You quoting stats from 5 years ago and one game makes you look like a clown. I guess they’ve just been resting him for the last few years as a backup so he didn’t get tired this last month.  

I can tell from how you write your posts you aren't very bright. 

 

[GoBirds]

I can tell from how you write your posts you aren't very bright. 

My 6 year old also turns to insults when he can’t handle disappointment, good luck with your excuses. 

 

[SHIZNITTTT]

Didn't really care who won or lost the game yesterday until I saw Tom Brady run out of the tunnel without his helmet on.   Every other player on the Patriots had their helmet on, but I guess Tom Brady was shooting a Pantene commercial.    It was while watching his hair bounce up and down on his head that I wanted to see Tom Brady lose.   Sorry Pats fans. 

 

[tjnc09]

My 6 year old also turns to insults when he can’t handle disappointment, good luck with your excuses. 

I'm not a Patriots fan.  

 

[tjnc09]

I'm devastated to be called a clown by someone who can't write a proper sentence.  

 

[GoBirds]

I'm not a Patriots fan.  

Then no idea why your acting like a child over a poorly supported argument but have fun with it with someone else. 

 

[GoBirds]

Didn't really care who won or lost the game yesterday until I saw Tom Brady run out of the tunnel without his helmet on.   Every other player on the Patriots had their helmet on, but I guess Tom Brady was shooting a Pantene commercial.    It was while watching his hair bounce up and down on his head that I wanted to see Tom Brady lose.   Sorry Pats fans. 

Did you see his outfit before the game?

 

[tjnc09]

Then no idea why your acting like a child over a poorly supported argument but have fun with it with someone else. 

your 

 

[Workhorse]

It would have been tighter but Eagles weren't being denied last night. They'd have found a way.

I feel this way also. In fact, if Brady had taken the Pats down the field with under 2 minutes left for the go-ahead TD, Foles very well could have orchestrated a last second FG drive to win.