Media Crowning Patriots Again

[NCRAVEN]

did you watch it? Pats scored on first two possessions and never looked back. Houston was never in it

We're talking about Miami

[iggyman555]

say what you want bout the pats that Belicheat is one helluva coach.

corrected it for you

[NCRAVEN]

Yes, I understand where you are coming from, but after all Miami is a division rival.
And those games tend to be closer for the most part due to the familiarity of the opponent and the bad blood.
And I actualy agree at this point that the Pats look like they are peaking even without their monster TE.
Everything is working for them including their defense.
They have shored up the backend of the defense, too.

We've seen this from the before... say for about the last 5 years, 20-0 at home in December.

And something crazy like 17-1 over the past 3 years (I think) in December.

They're good no doubt, but teams this league is so different than it used to be. Stomping the Texans doesn't mean they can beat everyone now. I think they may be the best team, by default, in the AFC right now. But that could change next week.

[Ravenswintitle]

We're talking about Miami

that was the first game Brady has ever won at Miami (I think).

[HoustonRaven]

It amazes me that some Ravens fans, of all people, won't let Belichick live down his one transgression, all the while say nothing about the half dozen or so players the Ravens have had, whose one transgression was far worse than cheating on football games.

[NCRAVEN]

It amazes me that some Ravens fans, of all people, won't let Belichick live down his one transgression, all the while say nothing about the half dozen or so players the Ravens have had, whose one transgression was far worse than cheating on football games.

Dude, he cheated, at football. The evidence was destroyed. If he was on the Saints he'd be out of the league.

[HoustonRaven]

Dude, he cheated, at football. The evidence was destroyed. If he was on the Saints he'd be out of the league.

He was caught and paid the penalty.

He didn't destroy the evidence, the league did.

[NCRAVEN]

He was caught and paid the penalty.

He didn't destroy the evidence, the league did.

I know the league did. I am not sure how you feel about, but the league destroying it, tells me their is/was some pretty damning stuff on there.

Seriously though, if this happened now, he'd be out of the league. Just look at the bounty scandal. Whether you agree with the punishment there or not, these two offenses are easily on the same level.

[edgecrusher]

Wouldn't you...Belichick has got that defense clicking finally and they are running it this year like they haven't for several seasons. And last night was without their most dynamic offensive skill player on the field.

Find the weakness

Same as always. Disrupt the timing by jamming the receivers at the line and pressure Brady. Hard to do for four quarters but it happens, usually at the worst time for the Patriots in the playoffs. Every season the Patriots are called unstoppable and yet someone steps up and whips them.

[HoustonRaven]

I know the league did. I am not sure how you feel about, but the league destroying it, tells me their is/was some pretty damning stuff on there.

Seriously though, if this happened now, he'd be out of the league. Just look at the bounty scandal. Whether you agree with the punishment there or not, these two offenses are easily on the same level.

I'm sorry but video taping signals is not on par with a pay-to-injure scheme amongst players and coaches.

Nobody got hurt when Bilichick and his video cronies video taped signals but there is strong evidence to support people actually getting injured from the Saints nonsense (i.e. Farve).

And that's wasn't my point to start with anyway. It's slightly hypocritical when some Ravens fans call him a cheater to this day who are, all the while, mum about a player like Suggs who beat the tar out of some dude with a pipe.

If you're going to be forgiving, at least do so minus the purple glasses. That was my point.

[NCRAVEN]

I'm sorry but video taping signals is not on par with a pay-to-injure scheme amongst players and coaches.

Nobody got hurt when Bilichick and his video cronies video taped signals but there is strong evidence to support people actually getting injured from the Saints nonsense (i.e. Farve).

I mean they are on the same level of cheating the game, or playing outside the rules. You know what happens if you steal signals in baseball, right?

The Saints broke the rules and so did Belichick, who knows how much of an advantage he got from that.

And that's wasn't my point to start with anyway. It's slightly hypocritical when some Ravens fans call him a cheater to this day who are, all the while, mum about a player like Suggs who beat the tar out of some dude with a pipe.

If you're going to be forgiving, at least do so minus the purple glasses. That was my point.

I'll be honest, I have never heard that about Suggs, never. I have no idea what that's about. BUT, if I was to forgive him for that, that would be forgiving him for something personal, not for cheating the game. (BTW - beating a dude with a pipe is far worse, just point out we're talking about two different things)

[DrUnk]

If you wanna crown them, then crown their ass.

[saintmatthew]

We've seen this from the before... say for about the last 5 years, 20-0 at home in December.

For about the last 5 years they're 0-2 on the road in Feb.....

[LC_Ravens_87]

Same as always. Disrupt the timing by jamming the receivers at the line and pressure Brady. Hard to do for four quarters but it happens, usually at the worst time for the Patriots in the playoffs. Every season the Patriots are called unstoppable and yet someone steps up and whips them.

Well it didn't happen last night against the #1 seed in the AFC.

The last time they got whipped in the playoffs was by the Ravens in 2009. Before that they lost by 14 to the Broncos in 2005. I can't find another double digit loss in the playoffs during Tom Brady's run.

Tough to win in the playoffs but the Pats are always right there. So yeah, they and maybe the Giants are as close to unstoppable as it gets in a salary cap NFL.

[edgecrusher]

Well it didn't happen last night against the #1 seed in the AFC.

The last time they got whipped in the playoffs was by the Ravens in 2009. Before that they lost by 14 to the Broncos in 2005. I can't find another double digit loss in the playoffs during Tom Brady's run.

Tough to win in the playoffs but the Pats are always right there. So yeah, they and maybe the Giants are as close to unstoppable as it gets in a salary cap NFL.

Ok, so they (and the Giants?) are "unstoppable" in the sense that they are great teams that are usually stopped? Is that what you mean? The Patriots are beatable just like any other football team. They don't seem any tougher this season than most others. You just have to execute on the plan that everyone uses to beat them. Someone will manage it, if not, they will win the SB.

[HoustonRaven]

I'll be honest, I have never heard that about Suggs, never. I have no idea what that's about.

http://bustedcoverage.com/2008/02/25...ve-never-seen/

[LC_Ravens_87]

Ok, so they (and the Giants?) are "unstoppable" in the sense that they are great teams that are usually stopped? Is that what you mean? The Patriots are beatable just like any other football team. They don't seem any tougher this season than most others. You just have to execute on the plan that everyone uses to beat them. Someone will manage it, if not, they will win the SB.

Take a look at how that secondary is playing, and combine it with the trio of RB's they have this year. Find another Pats team in recent years that has that combo...also take a look at that margin of victory since their bye week.

They've won 5 straight by a combined 106 points.

I don't know, maybe it was the demolition job last night, but to me, this Pats team seems deeper and more balanced on both sides of the ball than in years post 2007.

[bmorecareful]

Simply put, Belichick outcoaches the other guy far more often than not. They take away what the other team does well, then exploit their weakness, wherever it is.

The biggest part of why Belichick is constantly outcoaching everybody is that he is not risk averse at all, and he knows that most other coaches are. You can only beat his offense by playing press man coverage on the receivers and sending the house at Brady, but coaches are terrified of doing that because they'll get blamed if they get burned.

You see traces of that way of thinking all throughout the way the Patriots operate. Belichick never, ever coaches scared, and he punishes other coaches for doing so. Whatever you think of the guy, he is a football genius through and through.

[JAB1985]

It amazes me that some Ravens fans, of all people, won't let Belichick live down his one transgression, all the while say nothing about the half dozen or so players the Ravens have had, whose one transgression was far worse than cheating on football games.

I never understood this. Belicheck is one of, if not, the best coaches in the league and a big supporter of baltimore football (Harbs was his suggestion). They happened to go 18-1 after the findings, so evidently they really didnt need what they found out anyway. Id also be shocked if more teams didnt do it at the time. It wasnt unsimilar to the Bountygate where the league acknowledged it was happening and sent out a memo telling teams to stop it. difference is nobody got hurt by video footage.

[Dirt1]

If Brady were the Ravens, he would make the Ravens OL look like All Pros. He was so decisive with his reads, and got the ball out so fast that the Texans pass rush didn't have time to get to him. Brady made the Patriots OL look a lot better than they are by his play.