NE P wrote:Howdy, as a new Patriots fan I initially didn't want to comment lest I be accused of bias but having seen most of the comments here I decided to add my $0.02.
I'm not sure what your definition of a "new" Patriots fan is, but google your own team's history. I'm thinking you'll find that until relatively recently they had troubles of their own.
Firstly let me say I don't know about wanting to run up the score but I do know the NE team was playing without any mercy. Good or bad it's open to conjecture. As for the issue of running up the score, well I dunno about you lot but speaking for myself, something I find very difficult to reconcile is this: as an adult professional player, being paid millions to do a job I know I would feel like pig vomit if a team is practically handing the ball over to me out of pity because they know (or feel) I'm not good enough to do anything with it.
Well, look into your own team's history and tell me what they're opinion was when they weren't who they are today.
The fact that they respect me well enough not to give me any room whatsoever to even think of mounting any comeback is small consolation...and in my opinion, contrary to what Godfrey says (and I may be the only one who actually thinks this way) but I actually think it is showing disrespect to the game (and paying fans) by not continuing "to play" simply because the game is believed to be won. But hey, that's just me.
Nobody's advocating that they punt on first down here, but going for it on fourth down when you've got nothing left to prove is quite the other.
People forget that this is the same team that blew leads against Indy at the AFC Championship game last January; blew a late 2 score lead against Miami on MNF a couple of years ago. Yeah this was the Skins but hey, you cannot start deciding which team can come back and which can't. Who knew the Dolphins could've come back two years ago? They were only marginally better than the Dolphins of today but a worse team than the Skins so you never can tell.
hmmm, yes blowing a two score lead certainly sucks, we've been there and done that, but google me this Batman, who's blown a 38 point lead entering the fourth quarter? Were they doing that to be insulting to their own defense? I somehow doubt that.
I have a philosophy in life in that I always put myself in other people's situations before passing judgement. All you complaining, search your consciences and ask yourselves if you would've been upset had the situation been reversed and the Skins beat up on NE 52-7 in the exact same way? Would any of you be calling them classless for doing their job or would you all be celebrating like NE fans are now? It's a rhetorical question so no need to answer. Just ask yourselves honestly.
It's really easy to "put yourself in someone else's shoes" when you don't have to wear them. I can't recall a time when I saw us throw out the deep ball while we were up 38 points. I can't recall us going for it on fourth and 2 while holding 5+ touchdown lead...ever. When we beat San Fran a few years ago with our 52 point score we had pulled the gameplan back as far as we could. We went to running plays, and our defense continued to put points up. If a defender returns a ball that's much different than saying let's go with a deep route and see how many touchdowns we can put up on these guys.
As for those talking about karma I would say indeed you have a point. However if there is one thing about the New England team that I give them credit for, it is that they give as good as they take. The will take their defeat like men if karma does pay them back.
Ah, but it probably won't be versus "these guys", let's see what happens when Brady has his leg snapped like a twig, BB retires and the Krafts sell the team. Will those guys still take it like a man when they are suffering for the held over anger left by these guys?
During the seaon they had secondary issues, they have been blown out at home by teams like Indy and San Diego with those team's starters playing to the end despite nursing 3 score leads.
Wow three scores? That's like 21 points right? That is so much like 38 points.
In fact on one occasion Marty Schottleheimer tried to show sympathy by acknowledging their injury woes but they were having none of it saying they need not be pitied despite the fact that the defeat definitely hurt them.
That's funny 'cuz it sound almost like what Gibbs said. What did the Pats fans have to say? I wouldn't know because I wouldn't be caught dead on another team's board, even if I only was there just to gloat.
They do not whine like what I see these players do.
Just wait until they have a reason to
Funny thing is these players (like Godfrey, Crayton and Terrel Owens) now talk smack about hoping to see them again in the Superbowl right after being smacked around...then when they get blitzed again without mercy they will turn around and complain. People always expect the Pats players to be the bigger men...I ask why?
So, you're saying they shouldn't be the bigger men? That not only should they win but they should humiliate their opponents? Why bother acknowledging the other team after the game then? Why shake hands with your defeated opponent and patronize him with an insincere "good game"? Funny how flexing your arm towards your opponents bench nets you a 15-yard unsportsman-like penalty for "taunting" but driving for two more touchdowns while ahead by 38 points should be okay.
They're human too with feelings and read and hear all the smack against them even if they don't respond verbally, they certainly respond on the pitch and take no prisoners there. Most of you have called them cheats and all sorts so why should they ease up? If people diss you this much and you had the opportunity to show them up, will you forgo it?
So, the plan is "we'll make people forget about hating us for being cheats by making them hate us for running the score up on them?" So, not only are they cheats, they are unsportsman-like cheats!
I've heard all sorts of excuses about the Skins game from oh they should've taken a knee. Well, there was 11 minutes still left in the fourth.
Actually I believe the overall opinion at that point in the game was punt on fourth down. You mean to tell me BB was afraid we might score 45 points in 11 minutes? Perhaps he did over-estimate us just a tad...
Wouldn't that just be the worst form of disrespect? Others said well they should've handed it to their full back instead of throwing...well they did that against Dallas a couple of weeks ago, the guy ran it in for a TD and guess what, people still complained like he should've just deliberately fumbled the ball or handed it over.
Actually, I watched that game, and was thrilled about you guys beating the cowgirls...until that play. You forgot to mention that they ran it in with less than a minute to go, Dallas had no time outs and they could have simply knelt on the ball. Game over; Patriots still win. They however decided to push it in one more time, making the game last 10 more minutes than it should have.
Now this time they pass and people still have a problem. They said oh they should've removed Brady...well they did and guess what again, the backup QB comes in and torches Washington...again a problem; then they finally bring in the third QB. Like Bill Parcells said, damned if you do; damned if you don't. Personally I'd have removed Brady if not for anything but the risk of injury...howevber I wont be doing it to show mercy to anyone...certainly no a bunch of overpaid cry babies. And guess what, the backups I send in I will instruct to also play hard so I can assess how good they are in game situations. People forget that these backups too are playing to retain their jobs or even impress and become starters so to tell them to go in and not play is doing them a disservice. Left to me if I'm Belichick and NE, I'll just do what I have to do and leave the rest cos if you start trying to pelase everyone, you'll fail then you'll lose focus and hinder yout team.
Like I said, damned if you do, damned if you don't.
Well, the damned if you do bit is about accurate. Listen, nobody is saying the Patriots didn't deserve to win, they were the better team that day, but by the time I walked away from the TV, Brady had just personally made it 45-0.
Then you expect our players to be happy about it? You expect them to just go "Aw, you guys....". Personally, I want them to be angry, specifically at the Patriots. Your whole argument is very similar to Nelson from the Simpsons and his "Why're you hittin' yourself" schtick.
There are tons of examples where other teams have played with the same ruthlessness yet they never got this much grief. Hence I think there is more to it than meets the eye. Even this same Washington Skins team had run up the score on lots of teams in the past dating back to the mid 80s.
Data please. The closest I can recall was the Superbowl versus the Broncos where we scored 35 points in the second quarter, to make the game 35-10 at the half. We went on to win 42-10 only because we backed off so as not to embarrass them any further. I don't even think there was a single pass thrown by us in that second half.
The Indy Colts team on 04 beat up a lot of teams, most of them badly. I especially remember manning, Harrison, Wayne and Stokley still in the game late in a number of those game throwing for TDs. I can provide the links but I don't think it's necessary because it is out there for anyone who cares to look it up. Yet the only talk back then then was about how Manning's march to breaking the TD record. Dungy was never accused of running up the score. Perhaps because he is a more likeable person than BB. No one was talking about taking out Manning. I think you all are doing a huge disservice to the feat this team is accomplishing by this pettiness cos to be honest that's what it is from where I'm standing. All the aforementioned hypocrisies prove this.
Some of that could be true, but they didn't "run the score up" on us that I recall, and I could care less about Peyton and Dungy.
Personally I think it's even more classless for adult professional players being paid a lot of money to do a job to chastise another adult for doing his own job very well. But then again, what do I know.
Actually very few of our players and none of our coaches feel the same way I do. If they do, they aren't voicing it to the public.
Godfrey being your only example.
Had this game ended 38-0, or even 38-7 I don't think your beloved Patriots would be facing all of this criticism, but you know as well as anybody that they were throwing deep in the fourth with a 38 point lead (and I'll save you the googling time; no one has ever come back from more than 27 points down in the fourth quarter) going for a touchdown when they could have made an easy FG, and going for it again on fourth down to keep a drive alive so they could get yet another touchdown.
Enjoy your team doing well while it lasts. If there is anything that is definately true in this league it's that all glory is fleeting.
Hell, if that were the criteria Emmitt Smith and several of his colleagues would have to resign their jobs.