Top 10 Reasons Why New England lost...

[Vallon]

#10 - The physicality of the New York Giants defensive unit... all around, they smacked New England in the mouth... the way that the Patriots USED to...
#9 - This is related to #10 ... Tom Brady's decision-making and accuracy... This is not some huge code that the Giants cracked ... every coach and analyst that knew anything about New England said time and time again... to beat New England you need TO PRESSURE TOM BRADY. That's what this game was ... and that's why the Giants won. In the past, the Offensive Line of the New England Patriots has been bar-none the best in the NFL. Nobody knew a single name, but these guys were the reason why Brady has 3 rings, and a ticket to Canton, OH when he decides to hang it up. The major criticism of the Patriots last season after their crushing loss to Indianapolis was not a lack of protection for Tom, but a lack of top-notch Pro-Bowl caliber receivers.
So New England goes out and reloads, and replaces guys like Reche Caldwell w/ Randy Moss and Wes Welker.
You have a record breaking offensive season... huge blow outs early on, and yet when it comes down to the final game to clinch it all -- your offensive line is M.I.A.? Did someone actually see them on the field? Maybe they got a flat on the way to the Stadium... You have to give credit to the Giants defense which came up huge ... but how could an offensive line that has been so good for so long, somehow become invisible?
#8 - The "bend don't break" defense is officially broken. Yes, they did stop teams in the red zone, and hold them to field goals... yes they played physical, and kept it a low-scoring affair... But I remember a time when the New England defense didn't just play to hold teams to field goals --- I remember a time when playmakers went after that ball, and stripped that ball... and made that catch. I remember corners and safeties that were feared throughout the NFL... I remember linebackers that were perpetually hanging around the necks of QB's from coast to coast. Where were they tonight? Granted ... some of the legendary heroes of bygone teams remain... Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, Rodney Harrison... even Asante Samuel has stepped it up this year...

... But I find myself missing guys like Ted Johnson, Willie McGinest, Ty Law... and dare I say it... Willie "Make-a-play" Clay. Those were guys that were always coming up with the ball.
#7 - The absence of Rosevelt Colvin... he has been a huge part of the linebacking corps... and fiercely underrated.
#6 - The decision making of Bill Belichick was at times brilliant... and at other times... remarkably amateur. The man is a legend, and a 1st ballot hall-of-famer. The challenge for the "12 men on the field" penalty clearly shows how Bill is an excellent student of the game. What baffles me is why on a 4th and long play in the 4th quarter ... with a 4-point lead, you decide to go for it ... rather than to kick a field goal that would ensure that a touchdown from your opponent would only tie, rather than take a lead late in the game. That to me is something that the Bill Belichick of SB XXXVI, XXXVIII and XXXIX would have never done. Why didn't he? Perhaps it had something to do with the lack of a guy named "Vinatieri"... Who knows?
#5 - The Randy Moss factor... it was obvious that they wanted Randy to be more involved in the game... but as in all of the games in the playoffs, Randy was double-teamed constantly. The only time Randy was successful was running slant routes or screens ... a 10, 15 or 20 yard stab. Randy was successful playing in the roll that Wes Welker has filled so successfully all season long. Randy clearly is not a screen play receiver... he's a deep threat. So time and again late in the game, Tom Brady did what most QB's would do... throw it up and pray to God or Mary... or St-Anthony... hoping somehow that Randy can find it, and pull it in. That happened in the last Patriots/Giants matchup... it did not tonight. No one will deny what Randy Moss did for this team, to get them to the Super Bowl. But I believe that Randy's presence was a detriment to the team tonight for this reason -- they got away from what took them there. Tonight, when they were successful on offense it was when the ball was in the hands of Wes Welker or Kevin Faulk. I don't have the stats in front of me -- but i'm pretty sure if you look up 3rd down conversions ... those names will be at the top of the list. These guys are screen machines ... and it's the almighty screen play that gave Tom so much success this season ALONG WITH the deep threat... ALONG WITH the running play here and there from Maroney. In a pressure situation at the end of the game ... in any one of their 3 prior Super Bowl wins ... they methodically drove down the field and either got a field goal to tie, or a field goal to win. The last one wasn't determined by a field goal at the end ... but a field goal during the game did account for the 3-point victory at the end. So what i'm saying is ... at the end of the game, when you've got 35 seconds to save the S.S. PERFECTION from sinking... you don't go for the deep bomb twice in a row when you know he's covered, and you've got a 10% chance he catches that ball. You work the sidelines, you dump it off to Faulk, he runs out of bounds... You pass to to Welker... same thing. You give the ball to Gostkowski at the closest spot you can give him ... and you give him a shot. They could have did that, and they didn't.... Why, because they had "the deep threat" of Randy Moss. Like it or not, love him or hate him... that option prevented Tom Brady from doing what he did so successfully in the past.
#4 - Using the final time out of the game with seconds to go ... when the clock was already stopped on an incompletion. Granted.. you want to get the play right... But that one time out could have meant the difference... not very likely, but could have come into play. The whole drive at the end in my view was orchestrated extremely poorly by both Brady and Belichick and whoever was calling for those plays.
#3 - The lack of physicality from New England's Defense. 1st off.. the Secondary... Ellis Hobbs, despite coming up with a deflected interception was a liability for the Patriots all year long... He does not match up against the Giants receivers, or any receiver frankly. There were numerous opportunities to make plays tonight... numerous opportunities to change the momentum of the game -- and nearly all were squandered. Even the turnovers that were made ended up producing no points -- and when you're playing in the biggest game of the year -- and really, the biggest game of YOUR LIFE ... that's not acceptable.
I was appalled at the fact that every time the Patriots pressured Manning, somehow, someway he avoided the sack. I'm pretty sure the Pats only took him down once at the end... and that is totally uncharacteristic of a defense that has dominated for so long. The pass rush for New England tonight was horrible...
#2 - Tom Brady seemed lost out there... factors #9 and #10 were a big part of why he was so stunned ... but the calm, cool and collected Brady seemed sluggish at times... he got pissed and blamed his receivers for running the wrong routes, when it looked like Brady was clearly off-target. Maybe he had a point ... maybe he didn't. I'm a huge fan of Tom Brady... I think he has been a model player, on and off the field ... but you have to wonder if the attention that is given to the man has started to weigh on him, and it may be affecting his game-play. Whether or not his ankle was an issue... whether or not he's sending flowers to his Supermodel girlfriend... whether or not she's at the game ... Tom always blocked things out in the past, and stepped up. To be fair --- as wonderful as he is, he is human. I have seen signs of weakness in him throughout this season... especially towards the end. It's a physical game, and everyone has bumps and bruises... everyone plays fatigued to a degree ... but Tom Brady has been anointed as this Super Paladin of Football... the model quarterback, the standard that all should follow. While I would agree that what Tom has achieved is remarkable ... I'm not so certain that he's deserving of the title "Best Ever" ... and that leads me to the #1 reason why New England lost...
#1 - The New England Patriots are NOT, I repeat NOT the greatest team of all-time... Not even by a longshot. Here's why I say that... If you want to mention the New England Patriots in the same breath as the 49ers of the 1980's... the Steelers of the 1970's ... or the Cowboys of the 1990's ... you need to dominate on the biggest stage. New England began their season with a lot of questions about how they would adjust to Randy Moss ... would he be a nuisance like in Oakland and Minnesota? How would New England rebound from "Spygate"? All of those things proved to be a non-factor, and the greatness of New England's new and improved offense quickly became apparent. The team was accused of running up the score... virtually every offensive record was broken.. most points, most touchdowns by a QB... most touchdown receptions from a single receiver, atc... The Patriots set the bar high... and as the pressure mounted, they rose to each new challenge. They had a great year ... performance-wise, statistics-wise ... they're at the top of the heap. But Brady admitted at one point, "we didn't set out to be undefeated, we set out to win the Super Bowl". People forget that the Patriots have won 19 games in a row prior to this run (albeit over the course of 2 seasons). The Patriots organization as a whole has achieved some great things throughout this decade -- but to say they are the "greatest team ever" is foolish. The team that played tonight is far different than the team that won in 2001 -- certain staff, coaches and players remain ... but that team had a far different identity than the one that lost tonight. As a whole some call the Patriots a dynasty for what they've accomplished ... and by all-means, that title is worthy of the organization as a whole... but the team itself is not a dynasty. In my view, a dynasty is a core group of players that year after year dominate, and successfully reach the top ... winning it year after year. New England in an age of free agency has put together the closest thing to a dynasty by successfully interchanging and replacing parts as needed to remain competitive.

There's no reason to believe that the Patriots won't do the same thing next season... They'll address weak spots, and they'll fix it, and may even acquire some big names. But for the Patriots to be called "the Greatest Team of All-Time" ...

-they need to dominate from Week 1 through Week 17... from the Divisional Round to the AFC Championship... and through the Super Bowl. I'm not saying every game has to be a blow out... but if you want to be "THE BEST", you should play like it. You need to be dominant in all-three phases of the game... and right now, even if they had won this game -- they wouldn't be that. The Defense is aging... and as much as we've grown fond of these players ... we need younger, stronger players to play along with veterans. I know Belichick prefers brains over braun ... but it's possible to have both. All the brains in the world didn't stop the physical play of the Giants tonight.
-We need a STRONG offensive line ... or the most talented offense in the world doesn't mean a thing. The most powerful and talented offense tonight was lost ... and unless the offensive line is improved dramatically... New England will not be able go the distance against any team.

I'm heartbroken... I've been a hardcore fan since the early days of Bledsoe, Martin, Meggett and Byars. I remember Glenn and Jefferson, Slade and Milloy. I remember Desmond Howard's return like it was yesterday ... that killed me -- this hurts more. It hurts because the hype was built up so much... PERFECTION... DYNASTY... all the buzz words surrounding the game. This is not a perfect team... far from it. It was the opportunity to go undefeated... to shut up Mercury Morris and Shula and all those lame '72 Dolphins who never miss an opportunity to talk about how great they were. We (meaning the Patriots and the fans) had been here before .. we've won Championships... but this was history, this was the chance to shut up everyone who doubted that the Patriots were for real. For all the people chanting "cheater"... for all the asterisk people... For all the people who doubted the greatness of Tom Brady. Well ya know what... I have my doubts too...

But what I know is... the work is not yet over...
Bill Belichick is not hanging it up...
Tom Brady is not hanging it up...
There's gas in the tank...

New England will be back... next year... the year after... who knows? But they'll be back... and they'll be better.

Will they have another shot at a Perfect season? ... maybe... maybe not. But regardless of what took place tonight ... the Patriots have a great deal of talent to remain competitive. They will make another run, and before it's all said and done... Tom Brady will have the opportunity to be the "Greatest QB" on the "Greatest Team Ever" ... but that day is not today. He's got 3 rings... how many more? 1? 2? Maybe he matches Montana w/ 4... maybe they win 3 more back to back, and he matches Bradshaw w/ 6. Who knows? Who cares?

The bottomline is... regardless of how many rings Tom has... he's a great quarterback who's won 3 championships. The same can be said for many players and coaches that helped to make that happen... and no matter what others say... that will never change.

The future may bring more glory for New England ... that is almost certain... and for us fans, the hope and expectancy that there are chapters left to write... and goals yet to be achieved. I hope that when Tom wins his 6th championship against the Dallas Cowboys ... 52-14... and retires... then they can say "he's the greatest QB, on the greatest team ever".

That's something to look forward to.

--vallon

[Vallon]

Probably won't get much feedback here...

It's Vallonian in the grandest sense of the term... but I needed to vent, and it helped me feel better. So I suppose it served its purpose. I am curious to see what other pats fans think however...

most of which are either A) sleeping or B) drowning their sorrows...

Thankfully I don't have to work in the morning so I can play night owl and read for a lil while longer.

Justin... I know you've got something to say. Hit it up

[fatlip]

the only reason the pats lost to the giants...

#1-infinity: giants are better than the pats

[$lmjimy311]

they arent better, if they were better it would of been a blow out, the teams were equally matched i say it was a close game from the start and a close game until the end

[fatlip]

they arent better, if they were better it would of been a blow out, the teams were equally matched i say it was a close game from the start and a close game until the end

if they were equally matched, the game would have never ended


the giants one because they're better







thats how sports work

[KyleRayner]

HOMOPHONES!

[Vallon]

they arent better, if they were better it would of been a blow out, the teams were equally matched i say it was a close game from the start and a close game until the end

if they were equally matched, the game would have never ended


the giants one because they're better







thats how sports work

Last night the Giants played better, and executed their gameplan better -- and as a result they won the game. In Week 17... the Patriots played better, and beat the Giants. In Football, you're only as good as your last game. The Patriots have shown they were the best by beating everyone they faced. Last night they had the opportunity to do that one last time --- and they failed. So yes, the Giants are clearly a better team by the fact that they won the Super Bowl. They played more physical than the Patriots ... smashmouth football ... and they won the game.

But I think the points I made were valid ones ... more geared towards Pats fans. I give credit where credit is due, I congratulate the Giants and their fans --- I'm just saddened and disappointed with a team that i've followed religiously for as long as i've been following 311.

[fatlip]

they arent better, if they were better it would of been a blow out, the teams were equally matched i say it was a close game from the start and a close game until the end

if they were equally matched, the game would have never ended


the giants one because they're better







thats how sports work

Last night the Giants played better, and executed their gameplan better -- and as a result they won the game. In Week 17... the Patriots played better, and beat the Giants. In Football, you're only as good as your last game. The Patriots have shown they were the best by beating everyone they faced. Last night they had the opportunity to do that one last time --- and they failed. So yes, the Giants are clearly a better team by the fact that they won the Super Bowl. They played more physical than the Patriots ... smashmouth football ... and they won the game.

But I think the points I made were valid ones ... more geared towards Pats fans. I give credit where credit is due, I congratulate the Giants and their fans --- I'm just saddened and disappointed with a team that i've followed religiously for as long as i've been following 311.

i completely agree with you, i was just having fun!

[311junkee]

when ya really break it down the deciding factor was the giants d-line. They were fuckin outstanding. They played like they were possessed. Great fuckin game. Loved every minute of it. Those who love defense i know are with me on that one.

GRATZ ELI! you proved all the naysayin bitches wrong.

Deep down i wanted the pats to win tho