After disposing of that drongo, some more detailed thoughts on the game, as promised, in somewhat random order:
* I thought NE did a real good job on screen passes in the game, which was a way I thought they could do well before the game against the aggressive philadelphia defense.
* The first half was real mish-mash, not as bad a standard of play Joe Buck said it was, but a mixture of some good play, effective D, and missed opportunities (particularly with NE getting no points off those 2 D-Mac picks). The standard of play definitely lifted in the 2nd half though, NE's first drive was aboslutely outstanding and really set the tone for them for the 2nd half, Charlie Weis did a real good job on that drive of putting Branch in the slot, which suits him because of his size and abilities, and that created matchup problems which NE exploited beautifully. And what about Mike Vrabel? A TD catch in 2 straight SBs? Most LBs wouldn't even dare to dream of that!
* Lito Sheppard got beaten like a bongo drum on the Pats first Td, didnt he?
* NE had the better running game, the game they had with the running game was sort of a microcosm of the way they've used it all year...not really hammering Corey Dillon- a well-rounded, very good back- with huge amounts of carries, but using him efficiently. He got a big TD. And Kevin Faulk is a more versatile back these days, not just a third down player. If Philly got a good running game going, it would have been a much closer game. NE defended the run well, with the down linemen tying up blockers and giving second level players a chance to make the tackle for not many yards.
NE's secondary did a pretty good job despite the success of T.O., Pinkston, other PHI receivers and McNabb's 3 TD passes. It doesn't really show numerically much of the time, but they make good plays and limit you. PHI picked on Randall Gay one on one, as they should have, but he made some damn good plays and Samuel I thought had a real good game. Harrison had a solid statistical game ( 7 tackles, 2 Ints) and is really good at reading QBs and breaking on the play, especially for a guy who isn't the most gifted natural athlete. I used to hate him in San Diego because of his dirty hits, but I've gained a lot of respect for him since he came to NE, and you can see from this game why they didn't blitz him as much this year. Interesting see what happened after Eugene Wilsons injury
Dexter Reid turned the wrong way on the Greg Lewis TD, maybe if Wilson was there, he could have made a play on that ball.
McNabb had more of an up and down game than a poor game, but I think he didnt use his feet enough
there were a few plays where he stayed in the pocket when he would have been better served taking off. You cant fault Bradys game much, pretty solid and made a fair few really nice throws.
Russ Hochstein vs Brian Dawkins on the Dillon TD play
.poor Brian was just smothered
had no f**kin chance. :lol:
Philly blitzed surprisingly consistently and probably a bit too much. Generally, the Pats O-line and Brady did a good job of picking it up and avoiding the sack, and generally the Pats o-line did better period, RT Brandon Gorin being the only one who had any real problems, being beaten badly by Burgess a couple of times. Light did a good job on Kearse, who I think they should have played more on the other side, his proper side, where he could have wreaked havoc against Gorin.
On T.O., one cant complain too much about the numbers he put up and he generally looked fine, but he lacked the TD so desperately needed I think.
Geez, NE have a lot of guys able to make plays, dont they? Colvin, Bruschi, Vrabel, Harrison, the list just goes on
Freddie Mitchell= 1 catch. :lol: :lol: :lol:
NE established ascendancy pretty quickly in the second half
this is definitely a team that knows what its doing when it has the lead.
PHIs offense did indeed quite badly lack urgency on their 2nd last offensive possession. With 4 and 5 mins left they should have been in the hurry up, instead, they werent even in it with almost 2 mins left #-o #-o
I think they could have really cost themselves there, because with more time, who knows what they might have been able to make of that final drive?
NE were better coached and their plays were better called overall here.
My MVP feelings are expressed above, but nice numbers, Deion Branch
cant really fault you for that game.
McCartneys halftime hey Jude sendoff was great
overall, he was much better than last years obnoxiously fake, unentertaining garbage.
Overall, this isnt one of the all-time great super bowls, but a decent days entertainment nonetheless
congrats New England, definitely a dynasty and up there with one of the best teams ever to play the sport now.
Quite a moment when Belichick let his guard down the moment he knew the team had achieved its ultimate goal
and a nice group hug there with the departing Crennel and Weis. Ultimately, Phi probably didnt deserve to end up only 3 short, 7 or 8 would have been more appropriate, they just werent quite good enough here. But NE certainly deserved to win.
