Some things I noticed watching a second time:
On the 2nd/12 play that resulted in Guyton's RTP penalty during the Vikes' 1st-half TD drive, TBC had Farvequad dead-to-rights, but missed badly. Inexcusable.
Also, Tavaris Jackson's 4th-qtr 40-yd run might not have happened if the practically useless, well overpaid TBC didn't do his perpetually ineffective spin-o-rama, thereby creating the huge lane through which Jackson started his run. If he had just stood his ground, Jackson might've been forced to stay in the pocket a little longer, whereupon he either would've taken another sack or scrambled for not nearly the yardage he ended up gaining.
"Breaking the plane" SUX. There's gotta be a better way to determine TDs than this. Peterson's "TD" on the first play of the 2nd qtr was NOT a TD.
And BTW, AP was down at least a half-yd short of the EZ on the 1st-down run before that, too. Look where his elbow first hits the ground: the ball wasn't close to being over the goal line.
Given the circumstances, Brady might've thrown his best pass of the season when he hit Tate for a TD on their 1st drive of the 2nd half. Terrific vision & awareness.
On the 1st play of their 2nd drive, however, he completely overlooked an open BJGE, to whom he faked a handoff, at least 7 yds down the right hash. Then on 3rd down, he & Branch were def. not on the same page: a kinda open Branch ran a deep post, but Brady threw a deep corner. BTW, Hernandez was so open in the flat, he could've walked to the sticks.
Cunningham really laid a lick on Peterson during McCourty's 3rd qtr INT return. Awesome block. Good block on AP by Meriweather also, at the beginning of the return. And good on McCourty for waiting for BM's block before running full-speed. McCourty's hands are much better than what I was lead to believe, and his football IQ is off the charts.
The play to Bernard Berrian could've been called Incomplete, Catch/fumble, or even Completion/down by contact - it was that close.
Terrific open-field tackle by Ninko on Shiancoe on 3rd/3. Textbook.
On the 4th-down punt, however, Edelman again catches the ball at the 5, whereupon instead of letting the ball (probably) bounce into the EZ, he is promptly tackled at the 9. WTF is he thinking out there?
I don't know why Hernandez cut inside after his 3rd-down catch early in the 4th qtr. He might've been better-off running down the sidelines, then maybe making a move.
Too bad that Dane Fletcher had the ball bounce off his hands & knees after Mesko's punt after the drive stalled. I realize that he's coming fast & furious, but...
After Gerhart's 3rd/10 screen catch/run, I spotted Mayo talking to Crable, and not in a friendly way. I ass-ume that Crab's assignment was to engage the blocker, then follow Gerhart. It's disappointing to see that Chicken Legs still doesn't know what to do out there. Bad whiff by BM (no surprise), but good hustle by TBC to tackle Gerhart from behind.
If Moss had continued to run hard after BM's PI, he would've caught the 3rd/13 pass for a TD.
The Ratio not running hard? What a shock.
Perhaps next time, BM & McC could switch positions so that BM blitzes from the LOS and McC stays in deep coverage. Didn't Ty Law & Rodney Harrison do that sometimes?
Although Pryor's hit on Farvequad was legit, I'm still surprised that the zebras didn't throw the hankies, just because, well, somebody had the nerve to touch a QB, and he's Brett Farve too, d%#*!@t.
But they made up for that during the play by calling a very ticky-tack foul on Wilhite in the EZ but within the 5-yd limit. Reminded me of the call against Vrabel in 2008 vs the j-e-s-t during the OT loss.
(I still say that Bill should've gone for the 2-pt conversion at the end of reg. time, BTW)
Hard to blame Ninko for the TD pass to the FB, though he prob. should've stayed with him & Peterson (who was still right behind the FB) just a bit longer; Cunningham might've caught up to Jackson by then.
If Wilhite turns around at all, he breaks up the 2-pt pass to Harvin, easily. WTF is so damn hard about that, Johnny? McCourty's a rookie, and he already knows how to do it.
The zebras did indeed miss the PI against Welker on the ensuing drive. You could see how pumped he was when he caught the pass on the very next play for a 1st down. "Take that, you blind b!tches" he must've thought, just like the game-clinching catch vs the Clots in 2007.
Brady almost cost his team a Delay of Game when the play clock struck Zero, and he had to yell "Now!" just to get the damn ball. The clock needs to be milked, but Brady cuts it too close too often, and that can either lead to penalties, poor execution, or lethargy.
The next play was the Game-Clincher. Sheriff Woody's moves are sick. Where would we be without him?
I also liked the design of the play; I've seen the Eagles do the same, often to great success.
BJGE def. scored a TD on 3rd/goal. The ball almost touched the back of the goal line when he landed,
never mind if it touched the front of the goal line.
Alge Crumpler is the best blocking TE we've had since Grahambo left. He's doing what decrepit Kyle Brady was supposed to do in 2007, and lethargic Chris Baker last year.
Sheriff Woody & the Law Firm, aka Law & Order.
