Dilfer: Patriots' offense 'exposed' last year

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

Wow.... you should really re-read this post, and focus on the portion I highlighted. It says it all for you, if you'd just bother paying attention to your own words. The rest of your post was just good for giggles, especially after you missed the fatal point to your own argument.

I really don't know what you guys are arguing about, but I see what Flutie's saying. Those signature plays that Manning and Favre run work a lot during the regular season but get returned for touchdowns when the games actually count.

 

[skinnydog]

I think he's vocalizing what a lot of us were seeing last year. I know I'm not alone out here when I got to the point of screaming at the TV watching Brady set up in the Shotgun 3 plays in a row and watching defenses pin their ears back on him.

Very, very true.

 

[skinnydog]

That must be how Stockton and Malone won so many games during their time in the NBA. It was all about the unpredictability. Would the pick and roll take place with 11 seconds left on the clock, or 12?

That just flummoxed opponents. I'm sure it brings up nightmares to them to this very day.

Shaq in his early days was all about the confusion, too. Would he step back for a 3 pointer, hit a fade away, or would he try something a bit more daring like working the post with his size and getting out on the break to terrorize opponents with the sight of a 320 pound man flying down the court? It was always such a 50/50 proposition.

And the counter trey that was hidden among 50,000 other plays run by Gibbs.....

If your are supremely talented and obviously better than the competition (like Shaq or Malone/Stockton or even Gibbs running the counter trey with Riggins), then execution is usually enough to prevail. However, where things are equal or even close to equal the element of surprise becomes much, much more important.