Back to the Future: 2001

[godef]

I've had the opportunity to watch most of the games from 2001 in their entirety, and was surprised by a few things...

• Media recognition of Tom Brady began much sooner than I had remembered. Had I not known any better, I would have thought it really came on around the end of the season/beginning of the playoffs. But in fact it was already building some momentum in the San Diego game, and it was in full gear by the first Buffalo game.
• The use of two-way players was already going on thast season. Perhaps most of us remember Bryan Cox and rookie Richard Seymour being used on offense; Cox even caught a pass. But I was stunned to see Terrell Buckley occasionally lining up at wide receiver.
• When arguing the merits of the infamous tuck rule, we all have pointed out how it was called against us in the first Jets game at a crucial point in the game. But I was surprised to find out the rule had been invoked on at least two other occasions. The first being in our favor in the 2nd quarter of the first Bills game, and against our favor in the final play of the first half of the regular season finale against Carolina. Whereas no big fuss was made about it in the Bills game, the announcer of the Carolina game was besides himself that a fumble wasn't called on the play; however, the color commentator nailed it, not even minding the throwing motion had ended but pointing out that the QB had yet to tuck (yes, he used that word) the ball to his body, and that the play was correctly called incomplete.
• Despite the loss, it appears the Patriots made a good national impression against the Rams in Foxboro. ESPN was broadcasting the game hyped it up as a defining battle of the dynasty-in-the-making Rams and the up-and-coming Patriots, and the game lived up to that billing.
• Joe Theisman indicated implicitly through his comments that he thought Bledsoe ought to get his job back when he became healthy again. Given Joe's background, that surprised me a bit. He was not unlike Doug Flutie when he started out professionally, considered too small to be a legit pro QB. He paid his dues and even particiapted on special teams prior to eventually becoming a starter with the Redskins, so I though he might have been one to empathize with Brady's plight more than he did.

 

[wistahpatsfan]

I've had the opportunity to watch most of the games from 2001 in their entirety, and was surprised by a few things...

• Media recognition of Tom Brady began much sooner than I had remembered. Had I not known any better, I would have thought it really came on around the end of the season/beginning of the playoffs. But in fact it was already building some momentum in the San Diego game, and it was in full gear by the first Buffalo game.
• The use of two-way players was already going on thast season. Perhaps most of us remember Bryan Cox and rookie Richard Seymour being used on offense; Cox even caught a pass. But I was stunned to see Terrell Buckley occasionally lining up at wide receiver.
• When arguing the merits of the infamous tuck rule, we all have pointed out how it was called against us in the first Jets game at a crucial point in the game. But I was surprised to find out the rule had been invoked on at least two other occasions. The first being in our favor in the 2nd quarter of the first Bills game, and against our favor in the final play of the first half of the regular season finale against Carolina. Whereas no big fuss was made about it in the Bills game, the announcer of the Carolina game was besides himself that a fumble wasn't called on the play; however, the color commentator nailed it, not even minding the throwing motion had ended but pointing out that the QB had yet to tuck (yes, he used that word) the ball to his body, and that the play was correctly called incomplete.
• Despite the loss, it appears the Patriots made a good national impression against the Rams in Foxboro. ESPN was broadcasting the game hyped it up as a defining battle of the dynasty-in-the-making Rams and the up-and-coming Patriots, and the game lived up to that billing.
• Joe Theisman indicated implicitly through his comments that he thought Bledsoe ought to get his job back when he became healthy again. Given Joe's background, that surprised me a bit. He was not unlike Doug Flutie when he started out professionally, considered too small to be a legit pro QB. He paid his dues and even particiapted on special teams prior to eventually becoming a starter with the Redskins, so I though he might have been one to empathize with Brady's plight more than he did.

I fu-king hate you.
I haven't had time like that since, well...oh yeah - before I was married!
Somebody shoot me!

 

[Seymour93]

• Media recognition of Tom Brady began much sooner than I had remembered. Had I not known any better, I would have thought it really came on around the end of the season/beginning of the playoffs. But in fact it was already building some momentum in the San Diego game, and it was in full gear by the first Buffalo game.

I remember the hype. After the game at Denver where Brady threw 4 INT's everyone thought he wasn't so special after all. :bricks:

• Joe Theisman indicated implicitly through his comments that he thought Bledsoe ought to get his job back when he became healthy again. Given Joe's background, that surprised me a bit. He was not unlike Doug Flutie when he started out professionally, considered too small to be a legit pro QB. He paid his dues and even particiapted on special teams prior to eventually becoming a starter with the Redskins, so I though he might have been one to empathize with Brady's plight more than he did.

Theisman was one of the few neutrals who predicted that we'd beat the Rams in SB XXXVI. Also I remember during the season, for his NFL.com piece, Troy Aikman called us a sleeper and said we could go far in the playoffs.

 

[3 to be 4]

I remember that while most of the negative local media ( morons Dennis and Callahan come most to time since they were the ones i heard first the day after) took the 24-17 loss against the Rams as a horrible display, I felt as the team did ( see the NFL Network Americas Game). I was very psyched that the Patriots held their own against the "unbeatable" Rams and, if not for the Antowain Smith goaline fumble, probably would have beaten them.
even at 5-5 I saw that their remaining schedule had 2 games against terrible teams ( Buffalo and Carolina), winnable home games against the Saints, Browns, Dolphins and only one probable loss ( at Jets) so 10-6 and the playoffs seemed VERY doable. When they went into NY and beat the Jets I think thats when a bit of mania started. 7-5 but the schedule told you 11-5 was very probable.
although even then, WHO ever dreamt of the Super Bowl? I was just happy they were going to be a playoff team again.
as time passes the 2001 post season, not to mention the whole season, becomes even more magical. Oakland game. classic. Pittsburgh game. c'mon, Bledsoe comes back? classic. And SB 36???
unbelievable.

I LOVE the 2001 Patriots forever and ever.

 

[zippo59]

• The use of two-way players was already going on thast season. Perhaps most of us remember Bryan Cox and rookie Richard Seymour being used on offense; Cox even caught a pass. But I was stunned to see Terrell Buckley occasionally lining up at wide receiver.

This doesn't suprise me considering the severe lack of talent on that team. Buckley was probably better than most of the WRs on the team LOL.