So you think it's in his head huh? You think 18-1 keeps him up at night?
I'd love to know the real story behind the scenes. I guess we will have to wait 10 years for someone to write a book.
"This was the quarterback that couldn't be touched," Scott said. "You guys talk about how great he's playing, but you know what Rex pulled out for us were his last three playoff games and what his record was and what his ranking was then."
Yea, I do. And I think that's what Rex told his players, particularly about "funneling the middle".
Pressure up the middle just enough to give him bad flashbacks to SB 42, cover the receivers just enough that he can't get anything off too fast, talk all week about him being an a**hole, how Peyton is a better QB, etc, and let him make mistakes by trying too hard.
The game plan was to exploit a young defensive, and to do just enough to trigger a "deja vu" panic reaction in Tom so that he beat himself more than the Jets beat him.
Tom used to be unflappable - eventually your D is gassed, and he ripped you apart. But now you can check him out of a game early mentally if you hit all the right notes out the gate.
Look, I mean, I think as fans we all like to think these guys we look up to are bigger than these games, that as professionals they can put them to rest and it's just a job, but I'll leave you with this thought:
Was Moss the same after SB 42? After that game, you could take him out early if you hit him hard enough. During 2007, that wasn't the case. His mental "breakdown" happened after that.
Has Belichick been the same since SB 42? In big games, in "personal" games, he tends to out-coach himself, or have problems finding answers to the other teams wrinkles. He gets shocked and doesn't seem to know how to adjust.
Has Brady been the same since SB 42? Pretty obviously no. At least, not when it mattered most.
Welker was about the only constant, though even he seemed checked out today.