Wrath Mania
Rotational Player and Threatening Starter's Job
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2011
- Messages
- 1,053
- Reaction score
- 1,260
Erstwhile self-proclaimed Belichick consigliere Mike Lombardi has declared that this is a "horrendous" matchup for the Patriots and he expects the Eagles to win "come hell or high water".
Lombardi seems to base this on the fact that the stuff that JAX did in the first half is evidently similar to what Kansas City in week 1, which gave NE so much trouble. Furthermore, he claims that PHI is the best team the Brady-BB era Patriots have faced in the Super Bowl (!!!). I guess Seattle, Atlanta, the '04 Eagles, and the god damn Greatest Show on Turf slipped his mind.
Objectively I don't really see the argument. Sure Philly has looked formidable, and Foles is going to be a starter somewhere next year. But the Patriots defense has come leaps and bounds from week 1, the defense played very well in the second half yesterday. They'll have two weeks to prepare for the read option stuff. TEN ran similar concepts and they had no problem with it. The real issue is how dumpoffs and wheel routes continually exposed our weak linebacking corps--but honestly that was an issue last year too. Thank GOD Sproles is out.
Point being, Lombardi is overselling, probably because he looks like a total ******* for inexplicably trashing on Pederson so much at the start of the year, so now he wants to get back into Philly's good graces (good luck). I listened to GM Street a lot this year just because Lombardi always has a good anecdote or two, but his prognostications seem to always have an agenda (and he wants you think he's way more plugged in than he really is). Keep in mind he also picked Pittsburgh to go to the Super Bowl over New England, so this isn't exactly a vaunted track record we're up against here.
Lombardi seems to base this on the fact that the stuff that JAX did in the first half is evidently similar to what Kansas City in week 1, which gave NE so much trouble. Furthermore, he claims that PHI is the best team the Brady-BB era Patriots have faced in the Super Bowl (!!!). I guess Seattle, Atlanta, the '04 Eagles, and the god damn Greatest Show on Turf slipped his mind.
Objectively I don't really see the argument. Sure Philly has looked formidable, and Foles is going to be a starter somewhere next year. But the Patriots defense has come leaps and bounds from week 1, the defense played very well in the second half yesterday. They'll have two weeks to prepare for the read option stuff. TEN ran similar concepts and they had no problem with it. The real issue is how dumpoffs and wheel routes continually exposed our weak linebacking corps--but honestly that was an issue last year too. Thank GOD Sproles is out.
Point being, Lombardi is overselling, probably because he looks like a total ******* for inexplicably trashing on Pederson so much at the start of the year, so now he wants to get back into Philly's good graces (good luck). I listened to GM Street a lot this year just because Lombardi always has a good anecdote or two, but his prognostications seem to always have an agenda (and he wants you think he's way more plugged in than he really is). Keep in mind he also picked Pittsburgh to go to the Super Bowl over New England, so this isn't exactly a vaunted track record we're up against here.