Don Banks: Be cool or concerned?

[SVN]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/don_banks/08/22/patriots/index.html

 

[Richter]

Re: Don Banks:Be cool or concerned ?

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/don_banks/08/22/patriots/index.html

Don Banks usually takes a rational approach to the Patriots, so this is no surprise. He's saying the same things that people who know what they're talking about are saying - it's just the preseason, the team isn't putting its best players out there, injuries are being handled carefully to manage for the regular season, and that there are a bunch of young players looking ready to step up. This article should allow people to chill out some, since it's coming from a "reputable" source.

 

[Pat the Pats Fan]

• Reason to chill: Teams in the AFC East don't exactly have what you would call a murderer's row to plow through this season. The Patriots' home schedule includes all of one team that made the '07 playoffs, and that's Pittsburgh in Week 13. Everybody knows the Patriots will always beat the Steelers, even if the game were held somewhere along the perpetually under-construction Pennsylvania Turnpike.


This has got all the Steeler fans in my office fired up.......

 

[oldskool138]

• Reason to chill: Teams in the AFC East don't exactly have what you would call a murderer's row to plow through this season. The Patriots' home schedule includes all of one team that made the '07 playoffs, and that's Pittsburgh in Week 13. Everybody knows the Patriots will always beat the Steelers, even if the game were held somewhere along the perpetually under-construction Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Heinz Field looks like a perpetually under-construction Turnpike.

 

[DaBruinz]

I think that Banks was letting the Jets lover in him stand out with this:

The Jets are better at guard, linebacker and defensive tackle, and they finally got themselves a quarterback who can win a big game in Brett Favre.

1) Faneca is how old again? He certainly wasn't his All-Pro self last season.

2) I guess they can consider Pace an upgrade.

3)Not sure how they can consider Jenkins an upgrade when he's never played NT before.

4) When was the last time FAVRE was the reason for the Packers winning a big game? Not in their last 3 play-off trips...

 

[Richter]

• Reason to chill: Teams in the AFC East don't exactly have what you would call a murderer's row to plow through this season. The Patriots' home schedule includes all of one team that made the '07 playoffs, and that's Pittsburgh in Week 13. Everybody knows the Patriots will always beat the Steelers, even if the game were held somewhere along the perpetually under-construction Pennsylvania Turnpike.


This has got all the Steeler fans in my office fired up.......

That reminds me of the time I watched the Pats destroy the Steelers in Pittsburgh in the AFC Championship game in 2004 at a bar in Denver. The Steelers fans there were talking a lot of smack before the game started. By the second quarter, one of the most obnoxious patrons, a middle aged woman with a borderline fe-mullet, was nearly in tears, and she looks at me and goes, "Why can't you just let us win one of these games? Why can't we have something too?" It was HILARIOUS. I just told her to get used to it, her team was always going to lose to the Patriots in a fair contest.

 

[patsfaninpittsburgh]

It was even funnier in section 210 at Heinz Field. Actually, the 2004 was pretty much expected to be a Pats romp. Nobody in my area actually thought the Steelers would win so it was more of the "Big Bad Patriots" doing what they do. The 2001 game was the real kicker. A guy sitting in back of me actually started crying.

I bought him an IC Light to promote harmony in the NFL fanbase.

 

[Richter]

It was even funnier in section 210 at Heinz Field. Actually, the 2004 was pretty much expected to be a Pats romp. Nobody in my area actually thought the Steelers would win so it was more of the "Big Bad Patriots" doing what they do. The 2001 game was the real kicker. A guy sitting in back of me actually started crying.

I bought him an IC Light to promote harmony in the NFL fanbase.

I can't speak for where you were, but at every turn that year, all I heard about was how the Steelers were going to crush the Patriots, that they already beat them once that year, that they were 15-1 and had home field advantage, that Roethlisberger was the next coming of Terry Bradshaw mixed with Joe Montana and Dan Marino. The Steelers fans were absolutely obnoxious about it, they thought the game was in the bag. Which is what made it so delicious to watch them go down in flames.

 

[primetime]

That reminds me of the time I watched the Pats destroy the Steelers in Pittsburgh in the AFC Championship game in 2004 at a bar in Denver.

Well that's ironic. I'm surprised the Broncos fans there didn't point out that the Patriots couldn't beat the Broncos to save their lives either.

 

[richpats]

I can't speak for where you were, but at every turn that year, all I heard about was how the Steelers were going to crush the Patriots, that they already beat them once that year, that they were 15-1 and had home field advantage, that Roethlisberger was the next coming of Terry Bradshaw mixed with Joe Montana and Dan Marino. The Steelers fans were absolutely obnoxious about it, they thought the game was in the bag. Which is what made it so delicious to watch them go down in flames.

The Pats were favored by 3 in that game....over a team that went 15-1 and beat the Pats convincingly that year. I recall a lot of people (including myself) were expecting a close one - couldn't believe the Pats just took it to 'em like that in probably one of the best matchups in NFL history.

 

[lostjumper]

Wow, a decent, seemingly well though out unbiased article. These are so rare these days. If this would be on espn, every point would include a shot at the patriots about spygate and cheating.

 

[SVN]

I can't speak for where you were, but at every turn that year, all I heard about was how the Steelers were going to crush the Patriots, that they already beat them once that year, that they were 15-1 and had home field advantage, that Roethlisberger was the next coming of Terry Bradshaw mixed with Joe Montana and Dan Marino. The Steelers fans were absolutely obnoxious about it, they thought the game was in the bag. Which is what made it so delicious to watch them go down in flames.

a lot of it is also media driven. remember last yr when nbc mediots were suggesting that the best team in the nfl may not be the pats or colts but the steelers . And whenever they talk about a pats/steelers matchup they go crazy over how the ZONE BLITZ is so unique that the pats wouldve never seen before and then 3 "analysts" will get up and explain the QB wont know "who is coming and who is dropping back" and all that crap. Next day you end up seeing 34-13 pats.

 

[Richter]

Well that's ironic. I'm surprised the Broncos fans there didn't point out that the Patriots couldn't beat the Broncos to save their lives either.

Hah, that's funny. You made a joke about the Broncos having fans.