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NFL 2012 Week 14/15 The Unfrozen Tundra


Howdyphillip

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What's amazing about the Patriots offense has to be the consistency in offensive line. for 10 years, I think they've never been worse than average and they have third string guards playing without completely embarrassing themselves.

One of the many things I love about Belichick is he often does something which I can't understand why other coaches don't try: he does substitution drills mid-game, pulling 2-3 linemen at a time in the middle of a drive, just to get them used to playing cold. He doesn't just do this in practice or the pre-season - he'll do it in blowouts during the regular season. It's a valuable exercise, and keeps his players sharp.

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I think my Colts could grab the AFC south from the Texans. This is the first time this season this seems to be more than wishful thinking.

Didn't realize the Texans play the Colts twice in the final three weeks of the season. Crazy!

For years they said I was crazy! Well, who's crazy now!?!

Let no joyfull voice be heard! Let no man look into the sky with hope! For the Texans. Are. Overrated!

That said, our Colts are a freak anomaly. However, if the 7-9 Seahawks could upset the Saints a few years back, it's not inconceivable that we could do the same to a lucky division-winning team in the AFC. Or, considering how the Texans are playing, it might even be the Colts at home as the #3 or #4 seed.

If the Texans are what I think they are, then whether the Colts, Texans, or both make the playoffs. The AFC South remains a weak-ass division. Just the way I like it.

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The NFL.com description of the game right now is "after burning the Texans for 6 Touchdowns, the Patriots have turned it into a shootout." I call 42-14 a blowout. Yes, there are the letters "o.u.t." at the end, but they are two very different things.

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Is Brady the best there ever was at avoiding interceptions? I thought his 0.8 INT% in 2010 was a historical fluke, except... he's at 0.9% this season. And it's not like he's playing a ball-control offense. That is absurd.

Looking it up, pretty much. As a comparison Peyton Manning's only had one season with under 10 INTs (9). He's at 2.7% for his career. Brees is at 2.7%. Montana is at 2.6%

Brady is at 2.1%

...and so far Rodgers is at 1.8%.

ETA: Not appearing on this list: Favre, Brett, Grossman, Rex.

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woo! Thank you Danny Woodhead for fumbling that would-be Tom Brady TD pass. I beat my money league opponent by 2 points!

"My Danny Woodhead. That's not even a joke, I just think he's a good player. Wanna name my penis after him!"

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Every time I see Matt Patricia, the Pats' DC, on the sideline, I do a double-take, because it looks like one of the meatheads from the end zone seats snuck onto the field and grabbed a clipboard to pretend like he belongs.

He's doing a good job. He keeps this up, he'll have a job coaching the Browns waiting for him.

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A pretty satisfying game tonight, as a Pats fan. Loved to see the run game continuing to perform, the continued improvement in the secondary, big stops by the front 7, increased involvement for Brandon Lloyd. Disliked all the drops and so many missed passes from Brady, and seeing Brady take so many hits. Brady said something in passing that was mentioned in the postgame show -- lopsided as the score was, the Pats left a bunch of points on the field.

And they've got the 49ers next week! Exciting! A chance to measure themselves against the putative best of both conferences.

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It is frustrating to root against the Patriots, especially when they are playing in Foxborough. That team is nearly perfect. It certainly appears to me that we may be seeing this team play in yet another Superbowl this year.

I am at a loss as how they do it year in and year out. I completely understood the dynasties before the salary cap as the teams with the most money would just pay the best players. This run is over a decade now, and they have done it with completely different players and completely different coaches with the exception of Brady and Belichek. While I will readily admit (begrudgingly of course) that those two are probably the best at their positions that the game has seen, there just has to be something else going on for this incredible run they have had.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

I wrote a long post the other day defending Bronn when he was called a troll. I got around halfway in, and was so tired coming off a 24 hour shift that I couldn't finish it and then deleted it. The gist of it was that we can have vastly different opinions and still respect each other. I also talked about this thread being more conductive by good nature jibbing as it was a sports thread, and that is part of the territory. If I stepped over any lines, then I apologize.

Speaking of jibbing, Final thoughts...

Sivin called out early that the Colts would make the playoffs, and Denver would be the number one seed, and here we are with three weeks left, and there is still a possibility of that happening.. Sivin being right about a football prediction just may be a sign that this Mayan thing may have some merit.

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Were I a Colts fan, I would be unhappy with tonight's game. We already knew the Texans weren't a flawless team. But tonight they were humiliated. And they are at their core still a very good team. A good team that has been embarrassed will come back the next week at their peak. Expect a bloodbath next week.

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Somewhere in Denver, Peyton Manning is saying to himself, “You know what? It’s okay just being the Comeback Player of the Year…”

In an effort to summon Rockroi from the hyperbaric chamber in which he spends much of the NFL regular season, I will say this:

(Yeah, sorry; been busy, but I have tried to do the one-post a week, but its been hard with the work and all )

(blah blah blah why doesn’t Brady have 5 SB rings when nobody else playing has more than 2… blah blah blah… )

Look, here is the one thing to look at:

if Asante Samuel learns how to catch, we are not having this discussion.

If Wes Welker remembers how to catch, we are not having this discussion.

The one discussion we can have is that no QB played both “game manager” and “balls-out gunslinger” better than Brady. Nobody ever did both as well. Brady has mastered passing for huge numbers AND avoiding the INTs.

Is Brady the best there ever was at avoiding interceptions? I thought his 0.8 INT% in 2010 was a historical fluke, except... he's at 0.9% this season. And it's not like he's playing a ball-control offense. That is absurd.

Yeah, but according to some he’s lost a step…. I swear to God this is the 8th year running of us having this EXACT conversation.

This was a complete and total ass kicking. And most of that happened on the LoS and on defense. This was a guttier, tougher, harsher team than Pats fans have seen out of the Pats since… maybe 2006 (AFC Playoff game against the Chargers). They just beat up the Texans and made that whole team- back-to-front – quit. Give up, tuck their tails between their collective legs and tap the fuck out. That team did not just stopped; the Pats made them stop.

I thought that the D looked amazing. Foster, Johnson, Shaub all had big problems. This was the #2 offense in the league and it collapsed. I thought Wilfork and Love played super hard and I thought the Defensive Backfield looked great. Dennard and McCourty and EVEN KYLE ARRIGNTON looked great. But the guy who looked especially keyed in was Mayo who seemed to be in on every single tackle the whole game.

And then there is the guy who stirs the drink. Brady was the best QB in football this week in completely dissecting one of the best defenses in the league and doing it effortlessly (and without his most potent offensive weapon). And he incorporated almost everyone- Welker, Lloyd, Hernandez, and even “fresh-off-the-scrap-heap” Donte Stallowrth, etc. The running game had 4 yards a carry (Well, Ridley, Vereen and Bolden each had over 4 yards a carry). And when push came to shove, when it mattered most, Brady put up his best game against the best team in his conference.

That’s what the MVP does.

I watched the whole game just in awe. I expected the game to come down to “the team with the ball last wins” sort of back-and-forth affair. And that looked foolish when the Texans just left Hernandez uncovered ion the goal line (yeah, Wade, you may want to look into that). They just made it all look so easy, and even when they sputtered in the 3rd Quarter, it all made sense when Stallworth had the one-handed TD grab. I bet that San Fran can put up a better fight next week. By default, they would almost have to.

And this maybe does not matter. The Pats have to play perfectly from here on out to retain the #2 slot. They cannot sputter against the 49’ers or Denver will leap over them (no faith in the team formerly known as the Ravens). So, yeah, its not over by a long shot.

But somewhere in the back of all your minds … you heard that Imperial March… didn’t you?

Yeah… you did…

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Yeah, also, the Colts have smoke-and-mirrors-ed it against a lot of very mediocre teams. The Packers win was good, but the Colts just aren't. That offensive line is so bad I don't know what to say about it. Just a turnstile up the middle. Luck is good at shifting in the pocket to buy the reciever an extra five yards to create separation, but I'm pretty sure I saw him get hit as he finished his drop a couple of times.

ETA: I was most impressed that the Patriots just came out in the second half and fucking boatraced them. After the three early scores, the Houston D seemed like it was finding a rhythm somewhat (part of that was drops by Lloyd and, uh, Lloyd, but part of it was just efficient run play and forcing Brady into shorter passes to defended receivers). And if that had continued the rest of the game, maybe Houston grinds back into it and at least makes the final score respectable. But New England basically said "fuck that" and just dropped the hammer on them in the second half.

One thing from Rock's post, though- was Houston really the #2 offense in the league before this game? By what metric? Jesus, you can make statistics say anything. I can think of probably five offenses I'd rather have just off the top of my head.

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(Yeah, sorry; been busy, but I have tried to do the one-post a week, but its been hard with the work and all )

Hey, you been making that one post count. Good stuff.

And Manning v. Brady in the AFC Championship Game is feeling more inevitable, isn't it?

ETA: Wait, unless they finish #2 and #3 which is looking likely if Houston doesn't slip up. Fuck, Peyton Manning's a smart guy. Wouldn't it then make sense to throw this game against the Ravens to slide into the #4 spot? Then they go to Houston in round 2 which I'm sure every Broncos fan would prefer...assuming the Ravens won their wildcard game which is no guarantee. Getting ahead of myself of course but considering how top heavy the AFC has been this year, hard not to think about it.

Fuck, all things being equal, looks like Broncos v. Pats is happening in the divisional round and it's likely up to SF who will decide where it is played.

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One thing from Rock's post, though- was Houston really the #2 offense in the league before this game? By what metric? Jesus, you can make statistics say anything. I can think of probably five offenses I'd rather have just off the top of my head.

That was something from the pregame stats -- Houston is #2 in points and #5 in yards, I believe, or at least was before this game. The Pats are first in both, and improved their margin this week.

And Manning v. Brady in the AFC Championship Game is feeling more inevitable, isn't it?

Yes, and even more grist for the "a franchise QB is everything" argument.

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One thing from Rock's post, though- was Houston really the #2 offense in the league before this game? By what metric? Jesus, you can make statistics say anything. I can think of probably five offenses I'd rather have just off the top of my head.

Yeah think Dante's right about points scored coming into the week.

Though to note FO had Houston as the #11 offense coming into that week.That's going down.

They also had Houston as the #2 defense. That's going down.

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Yeah, but according to some he’s lost a step...

But, he has lost a step - er, a few m/s of velocity. He doesn't throw it as hard as he used to, and he's not throwing it well deep. The amazing thing is that it just doesn't matter - his placement is better than it ever was, and his decision making is better than it ever was. His body doesn't do what it used to, and he's managed to compensate for it. More than compensate for it.

I habitually root against Brady, Belichick, and the Pats, but I have to admire them as well. Given the cap constraints, this easily goes down as the greatest dynasty ever in my opinion.

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