Here's what the Chargers SHOULD be upset about

[Armen Da Pats Fan]

1) A coach who wastes a timeout by challenging the wrong aspect of a play...(on the fumbled INT, if Schottenheimer was gonna challenge anything, it should have been possession, not down by contact, but either one was a reach!)

2) Wide Recievers who drop passes...

3) An All-Pro linebacker (Merriman) & an All-World Tight End (Gates) who get neutralized by the Pats in the biggest game of their careers...

4) Defensive backs who fumble interceptions...

5) Defensive backs who head-butt opposition players right in front of referees to keep dead drives alive...


And here's what they should be grateful for:

1) Refs who overturn fumbles and keep drives alive that lead to touchdowns...

2) Refs who arbitrarily pick up flags on 15-yard personal fouls (facemask)...

 

[BruschiOnTap]

Hear hear!

 

[TomBrady'sGoat]

the wasted timeout (my friend called that he'd really miss that timeout), the fumble after the int (i immediately said that he should just fall to the ground), and the headbutt are 3 horribly boneheaded plays that lead to them losing. that team should look themselves in the mirror, because if they don't make two of those they almost definitely win and the 3rd (the TO) prevented them from at least tying the game.

oh, and all of those dropped passes should be inexcusable. some of them didn't even require pressure. the guys looked tight. if they catch half of the balls they dropped the game isn't very close.

we might as well add gates going out of bounds with no one within 20 yards of him. thank you mr. pro bowl te.

 

[dhamz]

A play no one is talking about:

Game tied, 3rd and 5. Hobbs limps off. The Pats line up on with Scott at one corner on Jackson and Andrews at safety covering Gates.

What do the Chargers do? Go at Asante Samuel who knocks down the pass to Parker.

Chargers punt, Brady to Graham, Brady to Caldwell, FG good, game over.

 

[Pat the Pats Fan]

the interception that turned into a fumble. Hey, it was 4th and 7. If the Pats don't make it, the Chargers get the ball. Instead of intercepting, just knock the ball to the turf and you automatically pick up 10-15 yards of field position and you get the ball on downs.

Situational football.....that's all it was, knowing where you are in the game. The Charger Db didn't, he let his emotion of getting a pick take over what was the right call, bat the ball to the ground, incomplete and change of possession.....

 

[Mosi Moose]

A play no one is talking about:

Game tied, 3rd and 5. Hobbs limps off. The Pats line up on with Scott at one corner on Jackson and Andrews at safety covering Gates.

What do the Chargers do? Go at Asante Samuel who knocks down the pass to Parker.

Chargers punt, Brady to Graham, Brady to Caldwell, FG good, game over.

That's a great point. When I saw #23 on the field, after I stopped myself from throwing up because I had Starks flasbacks, I realized that it was the rookie on Gates. Still don't know why Rivers didn't see that -- but thank God he didn't.

 

[sieglo]

1) A coach who wastes a timeout by challenging the wrong aspect of a play...(on the fumbled INT, if Schottenheimer was gonna challenge anything, it should have been possession, not down by contact, but either one was a reach!)

2) Wide Recievers who drop passes...

3) An All-Pro linebacker (Merriman) & an All-World Tight End (Gates) who get neutralized by the Pats in the biggest game of their careers...

4) Defensive backs who fumble interceptions...

5) Defensive backs who head-butt opposition players right in front of referees to keep dead drives alive...

And they should be gratefull for:

1) Refs who overturn fumbles and keep drievs alive that elad to touchdowns...

2) Refs who arbitrarily pick up flags on 15-yard personal fouls (facemask)...

+1. Post of the day.

 

[AzPatsFan]

the wasted timeout (my friend called that he'd really miss that timeout), the fumble after the int (i immediately said that he should just fall to the ground), and the headbutt are 3 horribly boneheaded plays that lead to them losing. that team should look themselves in the mirror, because if they don't make two of those they almost definitely win and the 3rd (the TO) prevented them from at least tying the game.

oh, and all of those dropped passes should be inexcusable. some of them didn't even require pressure. the guys looked tight. if they catch half of the balls they dropped the game isn't very close.

we might as well add gates going out of bounds with no one within 20 yards of him. thank you mr. pro bowl te.

"On the Gates going out of bounds with no one near" play, the Chargers' fans ought to be grateful the REFs never threw a flag on the most obvious and most classic case of an illegal pick play on the DB covering Gates.

It could be re-used as an instructional aid to up and coming refereees on what an ilegal pick play is.

The pick was wide open with no one else around to confuse the issue, and so thorough that that he picked DB was sprawled out on the ground!

Yes they ought to be thankful on that play, for no "illegal pick" interference call.

 

[DaBruinz]

"On the Gates going out of bounds with no one near" play, the Chargers' fans ought to be grateful the REFs never threw a flag on the most obvious and most classic case of an illegal pick play on the DB covering Gates.

It could be re-used as an instructional aid to up and coming refereees on what an ilegal pick play is.

The pick was wide open with no one else around to confuse the issue, and so thorough that that he picked DB was sprawled out on the ground!

Yes they ought to be thankful on that play, for no "illegal pick" interference call.

Mentioned this yesterday as well. Of course, no SD fan wants to admit that their team did something wrong. Whether it be the SD players stupidly running their mouths prior to the game or all the garbage that their team got away with during the game.

 

[mgteich]

Absolutely right! They should stop focusing on the immature, classless acts of the opposing team's player after the game.

1) A coach who wastes a timeout by challenging the wrong aspect of a play...(on the fumbled INT, if Schottenheimer was gonna challenge anything, it should have been possession, not down by contact, but either one was a reach!)

2) Wide Recievers who drop passes...

3) An All-Pro linebacker (Merriman) & an All-World Tight End (Gates) who get neutralized by the Pats in the biggest game of their careers...

4) Defensive backs who fumble interceptions...

5) Defensive backs who head-butt opposition players right in front of referees to keep dead drives alive...

And they should be gratefull for:

1) Refs who overturn fumbles and keep drievs alive that elad to touchdowns...

2) Refs who arbitrarily pick up flags on 15-yard personal fouls (facemask)...

 

[godef]

Amen Armen

 

[PatsFanInVa]

Another Amen and I'll just add...

With that many flags as we were seeing and emotions that high, I knew there'd be some Bolts fans in here displacing the responsibility of winning the game on anybody but the Bolts... well, it was their responsibility, and they just blew it.

This part applies to all sides, and is so obvious it hardly needs stating:

By the time all is said and done, who got which calls is completely immaterial. Bad calls you can't/didn't challenge, calls that go against you, etc., can not be recorded in a W or L column. End of story.

If you really want to win a game, do it convincingly. Don't beat yourself. Succeed in the red zone. Don't try to look dominant, by flexing and preening. Be dominant.

LT's comments about how "they really didn't stop us" reminds me a lot of Rams fans after SB 36 explaining how they played the better game.

Oh, except that one statistic on the scoreboard.

PFnV

 

[Fanfrom1960]

Absolutely right! They should stop focusing on the immature, classless acts of the opposing team's player after the game.

Nice list, and add the fumbled punt where the Chargers guy should have just scooped the ball in instead of trying to pick it up and run. He was sprawled on the ground fer chrissakes, and in no position to get up and run. I was all thank you, thank you, thank you!

 

[MagicMarker]

I have to say in hindsight, the San Diego player should have knocked the ball down rather than intercepting. But, at the time what do you do? There are over six minutes left and you're only ahead by one score. You still are going to need to get yards and points. If he'd have knocked it down, and the Patriots had come baack and won, everyone would have said "You could have had the interception and run it back".

The result turned out bad, but I don't think it's a no brainer that you just knock it down.

 

[onegameatatime]

the interception that turned into a fumble. Hey, it was 4th and 7. If the Pats don't make it, the Chargers get the ball. Instead of intercepting, just knock the ball to the turf and you automatically pick up 10-15 yards of field position and you get the ball on downs.

Situational football.....that's all it was, knowing where you are in the game. The Charger Db didn't, he let his emotion of getting a pick take over what was the right call, bat the ball to the ground, incomplete and change of possession.....

I don't think this was a bad play by the DB to catch it and not knock it down. It's not like he intercepted at the 2 yard line.

This should go down as a great play by Troy Brown, a great heads-up player.

On Troy and game awareness, I remember that on the (very painful!) Champ Bailey interception, Troy was right there lobbying for a touchback as soon as the play was over.

 

[DarrylS]

While watching the game in a bar in Mexico was sitting to a decent Bolts fan, midway through the 3rd quarter he got up and left... claiming they were going to loose... I guess he understands.

 

[Sean Pa Patriot]

LT should be upset , not the the Pats danced on his turf, but he should be more upset he only toched the ball 8 times in the second half.. And that Marty Schotenhimer is one of the worst playoff coaches in NFL Playoff history.. Nuff Said..

My one key for the victory was Marty Schotenhimer vs Bill Belichick.. I like our chances 100 percent of the time.

 

[MDPATSFAN]

It's a game of inches, yards and seconds.

Throwing the ball to the middle of the field with no timeouts left was collossally stupid.

I recall Troy Brown breaking multiple tackles to get out of bounds during the 2001 playoff run. While AV got the lions share of the glory, Brown's extra effort kept those game winning drives going.

 

[DaBruinz]

I have to say in hindsight, the San Diego player should have knocked the ball down rather than intercepting. But, at the time what do you do? There are over six minutes left and you're only ahead by one score. You still are going to need to get yards and points. If he'd have knocked it down, and the Patriots had come baack and won, everyone would have said "You could have had the interception and run it back".

The result turned out bad, but I don't think it's a no brainer that you just knock it down.

MagicMarker -
The only problem with your thought process is that the interception occured on 4th DOWN. Had he just knocked it down, the Chargers would have had the ball at their 41 yard line. The interception occured at the SD 31 yard line (10 yard difference). So, even if he had gone down, it was a loss of 10 yards. Instead, he tried to go for the glory and ended up looking like a GOAT.

 

[Bargod]

How about catching inetrceptions that were virtual gimmes. How many near interceptions did Bardy throw in the first quarter? I kept thinking that if he keeps this up they aren't going to continue to miss these picks and we were doomed. Who would have thought Brady could throw 3 picks and we still win?