Patriots Pregame Thread SUPER BOWL PREGAME THREAD - Patriots vs Seahawks 2026 SB - The Rematch

RobertWeathers said:

They lost Rodney, Geno and Poole the 2nd 1/2. Law was banged up. The 2nd 1/2 was a **** show.

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That's a good excuse for giving up a bunch of points. Can only do so much. Wow lol.

John Fox going for two point conversions on multiple occasions killed the Panthers chances. I also thought they should have ran the ball more on that final drive to ensure they scored without leaving the Patriots much time.

There is some irony. Ricky Proehl tied the game with a little over a minute left. Just like he did in SB 36. And just like in SB 36, the Patriots went right down the field for a game winning fg.

DaBruinz said:

Just because you can't stand it, doesn't mean it's not 'reality'.

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As written by media, and believed by opponents, fans and the league.

DaBruinz said:

Yammering about the Patriots being to 20% of all the SB when they stacked 9 of those appearances up in an 18yr span doesn't change history.

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Let's take an accurate look at history:

DaBruinz said:

Let's recap:
From 1960 - 1970 - The Patriots did not have an official "Home Stadium".

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Nomads. Who, in half (five) of the ten AFL seasons, still finished within 1/2-1 1/2 games of the division title and and a spot in the AFL title game, with one appearance - which, like in 1986, was a complete blowout, reinforcing the fan perception you accurately point out.

However, there was no stadium because there was no local government support. That was not the Sullivans' fault. Schaefer Stadium was one of only a half dozen privately funded stadiums in the entire country.

Every Patriots owner has tried to move the team: Orthwein to St. Louis, Kraft to Hartford, and Kiam (with Sullivan) to Jacksonville, at the end. We're still here because Tagliabue didn't want to lose the Boston media market, and Finneran somehow had a change of heart.

DaBruinz said:

From 1967 - 1975, the Pats didn't have a winning season. The BEST they did was 7-7.

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The longest losing streak in Patriots history: Seven (7) seasons.

Not 20. Every other franchise has had multiple consecutive decades of utter futility. True haplessness, on field performance actually worthy of the laughingstock label.

Anyway, the departures of Parilli & Buoniconti began the losing, which ended with Fairbanks.

DaBruinz said:

Then you have how the Pats were duped into trading Nick Buonicotti to the Dolphins for Kim Hammond based only on highlight films of Hammond without actually working the guy out.

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Don't forget about the immortal Clive Rush.

Then, with Grogan, one (1) losing season in a 13 year stretch. However, people either believed the Patriots somehow 'deserved' the Dreith theft, or they denied it happened at all. And the Super Bowl XX blowout again served to satisfy and comfort people in their perception of the Patriots as unworthy. And the Patriots had only themselves to blame for the unhappy endings to the 1985, 1986 & 1988 seasons: Starting Tony Eason each time over astronomically superior, healthy, available quarterbacks.

DaBruinz said:

From 1989 - 1992, they didn't have a winning season and put up 2 of the worst seasons ever with a 1 win season and a 2 win season.

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The Kiam ownership was a mess.

But all he had to do was keep/bring back Flutie, make him the starter and hire a coach who would simply play him, and none of that would have mattered.

The old stadium would have been sold out for every game and the Patriots would have been in the playoffs, at least. Any objective observation of his performance wherever he was and whatever his age screams this, but it obviously required people getting over his stature.

Anyway, 1990-1992. Three (3) seasons. Not twenty.

Coach Parcells deciding to come back here is one of the pivotal moments in franchise history, immediately turning the culture into a winning one and setting the foundation for the greatest sports dynasty of this century so far. It just can't be overstated, regardless of how he left. At the time, Bill's health was improved enough for him to return to the sidelines, he could write his own ticket wherever and New England looked like the least promising or attractive place for him to land. We should be grateful to Willie McDonough for setting up the interview with Orthwein, who was cranky his entire time here after spending a fortune bailing out the Sullivans' enormous debts, and he took it out on the best logo in the sport.

DaBruinz said:

The Pats being given the moniker of "laughing stock" of the league was well earned until the 3rd SB of the Belichick dynasty.

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Don't know if you may be misstating this, but there wasn't anything laughingstock-ish after Brady became the starter. Bill kept his head, kept Brady in there, and they won two out of three titles, both years overcoming adversity and hardship both before and during those regular seasons.

By the third Super Bowl for the 2004 season, the Patriots were considered a model organization.

Of course, this was unacceptable to people used to the false (as far as on field success) laughingstock narrative and their exponentially increasing cacophony of baseless false cheating accusations was rewarded, corroborated and confirmed by Goodell and his minions/henchmen upon his commissionership in 2007. The false laughingstock narrative nurtured and preserved since the merger in 1970 is the foundation for this, which was even outdone seven years later when the Patriots literally did nothing, and were unjustly punished even more as 'repeat offenders'.

This sounds like someone who’s fully planning to play, imo

A little more on maye

NFL Mystique said:

If it's a close game, the element of luck (Tyree, Kearse etc) comes in to play. That can be uncomfortable. The Patriots should play to score at every opportunity and try to blow them out. Seattle will try to do the same.

They need to win or lose this game with their best player (Maye) airing it out like he did during the regular season.

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Yes which Drake Maye shows up. Looks like rain during the day but none at night? All eyes will be on Maye with his first throw. I see vrabel somewhat conservative on offense, let darnold mess up. I think they'll protect the young QB from the nerves initially. Hope they kickoff first

NFL Mystique said:

They need to win or lose this game with their best player (Maye) airing it out like he did during the regular season.

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This shows me you didn't watch much of the regular season. I would say Maye "aired it out" in exactly one game, the Baltimore one where he threw his ONLY 300 yard game, because he had to as they were behind. You look at his stats it's honestly a wonder in efficiency cuz game in and game out he was right around 22/29 250 yards with 2 TDs no picks and 30-40 yards rushing. That's the stat line I want from Drake this week. We get that we win. He needs to be what he was all season, which is when he takes his shots he hits them, but he isn't the guy that throws it up 45 times a game.

ausbacker said:

If the Pats rattle Darnold early and wipe out Walker, the ghosts will win the game for the Pats.

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Has anyone else been watching the player and coach press pool appearances on NFLN? What a waste of everyone's time -- nothing but platitudes and cliches. And Maye sounded like he just downed a dozen shots of espresso.

Tunescribe said:

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He kinda looks like he's still wearing the Jete uniform.

pazrul72 said:

This shows me you didn't watch much of the regular season. I would say Maye "aired it out" in exactly one game, the Baltimore one where he threw his ONLY 300 yard game, because he had to as they were behind. You look at his stats it's honestly a wonder in efficiency cuz game in and game out he was right around 22/29 250 yards with 2 TDs no picks and 30-40 yards rushing. That's the stat line I want from Drake this week. We get that we win. He needs to be what he was all season, which is when he takes his shots he hits them, but he isn't the guy that throws it up 45 times a game.

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I'm convinced the Patriots will be able to run the ball.

Haters will say he gave a win to his childhood team.

Question of the day at the media access to the Patriots: Is the Super Bowl a must win game?

Rob0729 said:

Question of the day at the media access to the Patriots: Is the Super Bowl a must win game?

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I honestly wish Vrabel had answered him with some sarcasm or just said "Next Question".

Whomever that was that asked that question needs to be relegated to reporting from outside the parking lot for every December home game for the Packers for the next 5 years.

Tunescribe said:

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Darnold ain't fraid of no Ghost.

DaBruinz said:

I honestly wish Vrabel had answered him with some sarcasm or just said "Next Question".

Whomever that was that asked that question needs to be relegated to reporting from outside the parking lot for every December home game for the Packers for the next 5 years.

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A scowl and a snort would have been appropriate...

Double TE said:

Charlie Kirk's org

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Oh ****, ok. Yeah, I'll stick with the bad half time show :laugh:

WOW.. According to ESPN. Milt Williams has 57 pressures in 3 games this post-season. That's the 5th most since ESPN started tracking it in 2009. That's 19 per game..

Pressures is the total of Sacks, +QB Hits + Hurries.

To give some perspective on that number:
Hebert has 31 pass attempts (6 sacks, 2 by Williams)
JC Stroud had 47 pass attempts (3 sacks)
Stidham had 31 pass attempts (3 sacks)

57 pressures on 109 pass attempts. That's 55 %. Just by Williams.

DaBruinz said:

WOW.. According to ESPN. Milt Williams has 57 pressures in 3 games this post-season. That's the 5th most since ESPN started tracking it in 2009. That's 19 per game..

Pressures is the total of Sacks, +QB Hits + Hurries.

To give some perspective on that number:
Hebert has 31 pass attempts (6 sacks, 2 by Williams)
JC Stroud had 47 pass attempts (3 sacks)
Stidham had 31 pass attempts (3 sacks)

57 pressures on 109 pass attempts. That's 55 %. Just by Williams.

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Well, that was a fantastic FA signing.