Super Bowl LI
- Thread starter TarHeelMark
- Start date
Not sure who I want to win in this one. On one hand, it would be funny to watch Goodell hand the trophy to Brady. On the other hand, it would be cool for the Falcons to win their first one and crush @Hark_The_Sound_2010's spirit.
As much of a Brady fanboy as I am, I wouldn't at all mind seeing the Falcons win one. I was on the Falcons bandwagon for several years after Ryan had gotten comfortable. I even called Ryan the next Tom Brady. Then they underachieved for like 3-5 straight years and I was done thinking that Ryan could be special.
I was going to boycott this game b/c I can't stand either team, but I think my appreciation for Brady / Belicheat / Craft supporting Trump, as well as wanting to see Goddell have to hand them the trophy is enough reason for me to tune in.
Atlanta is dead to me though. They can GTH.
Atlanta is dead to me though. They can GTH.
Would like to see the Falcons win but I got no problem with the Patriots either. Just hope it is a good game.
All I'm hoping for is to win some cash. As for the game itself, it might be a great game but I just don't find myself interested whatsoever in the runup to the game. Usually I am. Maybe it's just hangover from the disappointment of last years game.
I could do without all the media hooplah leading up to the game as well. Listening to the stories of "my dad's my hero" and we've worked so hard to get here, and the journalists desperately trying to get anything that amounts to a major story out of some of these guys gets so damn tedious.
As for the game itself - I realize the Falcons don't create much of a buzz being from a somewhat underwhelming sports market, but the spread is close and it should be a good game. The underlying storylines of the game itself are interesting (Can Ryan get his first? Who wins the #1 offense vs. #1 defense matchup? How does the best coach in the game contain the best WR in the game? Does Brady win his 5th to further distance himself from everyone else in the GOAT conversation? Does Goodell soil his drawers when he hands the trophy to Brady?)
I can see how non-football fans might think this one is a snoozer (Small market team vs. a team that's been there 7 times in the last 15 years) - but I'd imagine the football fans can get excited for this one.
As for the game itself - I realize the Falcons don't create much of a buzz being from a somewhat underwhelming sports market, but the spread is close and it should be a good game. The underlying storylines of the game itself are interesting (Can Ryan get his first? Who wins the #1 offense vs. #1 defense matchup? How does the best coach in the game contain the best WR in the game? Does Brady win his 5th to further distance himself from everyone else in the GOAT conversation? Does Goodell soil his drawers when he hands the trophy to Brady?)
I can see how non-football fans might think this one is a snoozer (Small market team vs. a team that's been there 7 times in the last 15 years) - but I'd imagine the football fans can get excited for this one.
Thank you. Most true sports fans understand that the Conference Championship Sunday is the better event(s). The Super Bowl is an over-commercialized party for corporate elitists and complete desperation to appeal to "common" fans and women (commercials).
I like Championship Sunday better myself. I like that it's has a true home and away team, with the home team being rewarded for their regular season play - and allows the fans to see their team play. The fractional amount of media buzz and lack of an elongated overblown halftime show are added benefits.
The Super Bowl crowd will probably only be 20% true Patriots/Falcons fans. The vast majority will be corporate sponsors, people who won tickets in various contests, Houston natives with a little extra cash in their pocket, etc. Seems to take away some of the fun that way.
The games themselves have been better lately (for the most part), but there was a stretch in the 80's / 90's of some gawd-awful games where one team just crapped themselves. What really sucked is that if the same teams played in a normal regular season game, you wouldn't see a 55-10 score. However, after that damn 2 week run-up to the game, just seemed like one was out of sync (or had TOO much time to prepare and out-thunk themselves).
I agree completely. Conference Championship Sunday is infinitely better, IMO.
As high as it is, I like the over.
patriots minus and the over
i enjoy dynasties so i want the patriots win.
i enjoy dynasties so i want the patriots win.
I'm rooting for a Super Bowl first: a scoreless tie where neither team takes the bagel off the board in regulation or in overtime. The only drawback is that both teams, which I despise equally, would get to wear the crown of co-Super Bowl champion.
Does anyone else really hate this matchup?
As a Panthers fan, it couldn't be worse. Our biggest rival is going to win the Super Bowl or the most self righteous, obnoxious fan base on the face of the planet gets bragging rights. I love New England, but I hate Patriots fans.
As a Panthers fan, it couldn't be worse. Our biggest rival is going to win the Super Bowl or the most self righteous, obnoxious fan base on the face of the planet gets bragging rights. I love New England, but I hate Patriots fans.
Shhh...we don't have a rival, man. We're too young as a franchise and not relevant enough.
Ya, the NFL. A small market team with a crappy fan base like the Falcons kinda limits the buzz around the game. Patriots/Cowboys or even Patriots/Packers would have been the ratings bonanza they wanted.
Look, I'm not a Falcons fan and I'm pulling for the Pats but you keep saying Atlanta is a "small market team" when that's just not true.
They're in the Top 10 in the NFL in market size. Also, don't be shocked when the Falcons wins dude. It's a really good matchup for the Falcons. If you look at the analytics, New England's defense being ranked #1 isn't nearly what it's cracked up to be, given their level of competition faced.
However every one of their SB victories was by 3 or 4 points.
Saw something on SI website showing where the Pats could easily be 6-0 or 0-6 in the B&B era, IF about two plays per game went differently.
Atlanta is a big market, but the [professional] sports following in that city is a joke, and thus makes their teams akin to what would be smaller market teams. Maybe it's due to the transient nature of the city, that a bunch of people that live there already have other teams from elsewhere so they don't latch on to the local teams, who knows.
I wouldn't be shocked if the Falcons won. The Patriots are the better team, but as we've seen countless times in sports, the underdogs can have their day too. Believe me, I'm not hanging my hat on the Patriots Defense being #1. They did have a relatively easy schedule, but the strength of schedule metric is somewhat flawed, in that if you go 14-2, you've added 14 losses to your opponents and they therefore look worse, whereas if you go 1-15 you've added 15 wins to your opponents and they therefore look better. What I do know is that the Falcons defense is horrendous, and Matt Ryan hasn't seen lights this bright before.
That's my rationale honestly. A first time head coach and a QB that has never been to a super bowl vs the smartest coach ever and a QB that's been to 7? Yeah it's not hard to figure out why the Patriots win this one.
I don't see the Flacons being able to get to Brady. If they do, they can win. But Tom is so good at reading where the blitz is coming from and adjusting pre-snap. Plus, he gets the ball out of his hands quicker than anyone.
And then yeah, there's that Belichick fellow that pretty much uses NFL games as his personal playground.
Pats win, 33-28
And then yeah, there's that Belichick fellow that pretty much uses NFL games as his personal playground.
Pats win, 33-28
Yep, all of y'all are in for a shock in this one.
Go dig deeper than surface level on the numbers.
- Patriots' adjusted defense (offsetting for their easy schedule) is only 11th best in the league.
- Falcons' offensive points per drive is 3.09 which I believe is the best ever? If not, it's one of the best. I can't remember exact phrasing of article I read.
- Falcons outscored the 2nd most potent offense in the regular season by 71 points.
- As for the Falcons' supposedly "awful defense," look up these numbers since the loss to Kansas City. In their past 6 or so games, they're only giving up like 19 points a game. I'm not gonna do your homework for you. I'm just going off reports I heard on the radio today.
I didn't really watch Atlanta's game against Seattle but versus Green Bay their defense was able to look so good because of 2 plays in the first quarter:
1. Packers first drive they miss a FG.
2. Packers second drive the FB fumbles inside the five yard line.
The game could've easily been tied at 10, and we have the shootout that everyone expected. However, the Falcons drive for another TD to push the lead to 17-0, and now they pin their ears back on D because they know Rodgers has to throw the ball constantly.
The Packers D couldn't stop Atlanta but the Falcons got those two big breaks early which turned the game around. I don't think the Patriots will make those mistakes and Atlanta might find themselves playing from behind. If that's the case, I don't have any faith that Matt Ryan would best Bellicheck.
1. Packers first drive they miss a FG.
2. Packers second drive the FB fumbles inside the five yard line.
The game could've easily been tied at 10, and we have the shootout that everyone expected. However, the Falcons drive for another TD to push the lead to 17-0, and now they pin their ears back on D because they know Rodgers has to throw the ball constantly.
The Packers D couldn't stop Atlanta but the Falcons got those two big breaks early which turned the game around. I don't think the Patriots will make those mistakes and Atlanta might find themselves playing from behind. If that's the case, I don't have any faith that Matt Ryan would best Bellicheck.
I'll counter that with this:
Atlanta has scored a TD on its opening drive in its last 8 straight games. In New England's six super bowls under Belichick, they've never scored a point in the first quarter.
Interesting. If I was Pats and won the toss, I'd still defer and see if Ryan can get past the early game jitters and drive them to a score.
The Panthers had a supposedly unstoppable offense too right? Look what happened.
Now the Patriots D isn't anywhere on the level of Denver's but what this will boil down to is coaching. Very few people out fox Belichick. Only a handful have done it and I can't see Dan Quinn doing it now.
Now the Patriots D isn't anywhere on the level of Denver's but what this will boil down to is coaching. Very few people out fox Belichick. Only a handful have done it and I can't see Dan Quinn doing it now.
Which is why he's undefeated in super bowls. Great coaching helps you get to the Super Bowl. Once you are there all bets are off.
