Reputations are not taking the field Sunday....(humble pie)

[richpats]

....the players are. Before we all write off Romo as a Grossman in the making, let's not forget some games in our recent history where we were floored by QB's that didn't have great reputations:

2003: at Washington - Patrick Ramsey, WTF?
2004: at Pittsburgh - Rothleisberger was supposed to be a rookie that would be overwhelmed by BB's exotic schemes - he couldn't be stopped all day.
2004: at Miami - AJ Feeley? I know we gave that one away but he still came through in the clutch
2005: at Denver (twice) - both times Plummer was supposed to throw the critical INT, never happened
2006: at Miami - Joey Harrington...ugh
2006: at Indy (AFCCG) - everyone had some doubt about Peyton in the playoffs, we validated the 'choker' label early on and then were betrayed by it

I was excited to see that somebody could make Tony Romo look bad but there is no way we pick him off 5 times Sunday. And if we are all familiar with Tom Brady's career, there is always that ONE game a year where things just fall apart for him (hopefully not Sunday).

If this game is played on paper then Brady and the Pats win going away, but unfortunately the Cowboys will be pumped up and playing in front of a hostile crowd. I expect a really intense battle between 2 really good teams and I'll let their play decide the outcome instead of their reputations.

 

[BradyManny]

Yeah good points, but plenty of QBs have been Belichick'd. See Peyton Manning before 05. It can go either way, and comes down to execution, and besides Seymour, I think we have all the players needed to execute the needed game plan to F up Romo.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Whatever works for you. It's like a finger wagger brigade lives all season to tell us all not to get our hopes up...whereas most of us prefer in a 16 game season to live in the moment and enjoy it.

But reputations in many instances represent tendancies and Bill plans accordingly. Sometimes it's the rest of the matchup that creates a specific or even historical problem (as in Denver and Miami in that period). Sometimes it's limited game tape of a player like Ramsey or Roethlisberger. And sometimes the Patriots team they faced was very different from the one Dallas will face Sunday either due to injuries (including losing your pro bowl CB to a crappy field on the way to another Lombardi or your SS to a knee injury and most of his defensive teamates to the flu), end of season fatigue or lack of talent during a moment in time you are apparently all to willing to recall for your own comparative purposes when we didn't have an offense nearly this talented...

Fans are under no obligation to eat humble pie - that is served inside Gilette.

If Romo plays like he did Monday night he'll get picked several times...If Brady plays like he did Sunday afternoon it might be a game.

I think you're letting reverse hype fear shape your perception of reality. The Pats are a better team on paper and they've been playing better off paper than the team they face this Sunday. And while anything can happen on any given Sunday, it shouldn't be expected to this week.

 

[richpats]

Whatever works for you. It's like a finger wagger brigade lives all season to tell us all not to get our hopes up...whereas most of us prefer in a 16 game season to live in the moment and enjoy it.

I think you're letting reverse hype fear shape your perception of reality. The Pats are a better team on paper and they've been playing better off paper than the team they face this Sunday. And while anything can happen on any given Sunday, it shouldn't be expected to this week.

I've watched the Pats go down too many times as favorites while they have overcome improbable odds as underdogs not to at least show some rational thinking about their games. Cleveland, Buffalo - I enjoy THOSE games. Games like San Diego and Dallas are brutal in the days leading up.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

I've watched the Pats go down too many times as favorites while they have overcome improbable odds as underdogs not to at least show some rational thinking about their games. Cleveland, Buffalo - I enjoy THOSE games.

I don't think you've "watched the Pats go down too many times as favorites" during the Belichick Brady era. Try to avoid the classic Boston Red Sox fan mentality.