Events that could have changed our 6-3 SB record in the Brady BB era

[patriot1136]

Not sure if this was mentioned or not, but what about the 1 or 2 TD's in the Philly Super Bowl? One of those should have been overturned. That could have changed the momentum of the game. Obviously, Malcolm Butler playing would have helped

 

[Steve102]

If Bledsoe doesn't get injured, does Bill bench the newly signed $100M QB?

Had the Pats won the Super Bowl in 2007, they get the Thursday opening night game and it's possible they don't play KC. And if even if they did, that Bernard Pollard play probably doesn't happen as everything changes. As long as they avoided Baltimore, they would've easily made it out of the AFC.

However, had Plaxico Burress not shot himself in the leg, Giants easily make it out of the NFC as they were on a tear.

I am a firm believer that Bledsoe was going to get benched sometime 2001-03. I believe Mo Lewis sped up the timeline.

 

[BostonWolverine]

Yup that was Drew Bennett. Heart stopper. A catch and not only are the Titans at the Pats 15 yard line with time left but they also have timeouts. I'm not sure they would have been kept out of the end zone there. Pats were that close to having their season end way sooner than deserved.

I met my wife in Aug 2004. I trash talked her about the Bennett drop during our first conversation (after learning she was a Titans fan). Luckily she didn’t kick me to the curb after that!

 

[PATSNUTme]

People keep bringing up the Butler benching. But the Eagle OL had their way with the Patriots front seven. If they ever laid a glove on Foles, I don't remember it. To me that was the difference in that game.

 

[stinkypete]

As my friend said after the Philly game, "we lost two we should have won, and we won two that we should've lost".

 

[RobertWeathers]

I am a firm believer that Bledsoe was going to get benched sometime 2001-03. I believe Mo Lewis sped up the timeline.

I remember driving in the car during the "Dale and Neumie Show" on EEI and on Mondays they had the "Touchdown Twins" on (Kevin Manninx and Ron Hobson). Anyways Hobson said a high-ranking Patriots official told him Bill was ready to start Tom vs Indy even if he didn't get hurt. If you may recall that was one of Drew's worst games as a pro. Mental mistakes all over the place.

At the time Hobson was very close to Scott Pioli. They had some charity thing together. I forget.

Now "Ready" does not mean "Would have" but if we go along with what Hobbie said and believe it was Pioli who shared with him that info, it stands to reason it was a matter of time before Tom started in 2001.

 

[IllegalContact]

and

We probably win 2007 and 2012 with a different OC. We win 2017 if Malcolm Butler plays.

.

and lose 2001 repeatedly if not for tuck rule, special teams, and a pick 6
and lose 2014 if not for a crazy-*ss INT
and lose 2016 if not for a crazy-*ss catch by Edelman
and lose 2018 if not for a crazy-*ss defensive scheme

it takes a f*cking team, so no......Brady really did nothing by himself.....GFY if you don't agree

 

[IllegalContact]

none of this happens if the Browns draft Brady instead of Spergon Wynn.....hell, even Tom Brady doesn't happen

 

[PaulThePat]

I'd have taken six before we had one. Nothing more to say.

 

[The Brandon Five]

I'd have taken six before we had one. Nothing more to say.

I would have taken one before we had one! Six? I would have thought you were nuts if you told me that.

 

[PaulThePat]

I would have taken one before we had one! Six? I would have thought you were nuts if you told me that.

Indeed. We've won six rings. Life is too short to waste time torturing yourself with helmet catches.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

A very good reminder of how hard it is to get through a Division round, win a Conference Championship Game and then finally win the Lombardi. We all have our favorite or "worstest" moments.

Bringing home the bling takes a combination of (obviously) a really good team playing a great game, but also a lucky break or two and calls that could have gone the other way. Pats fans never forgot Ben Dreith and "Roughing the Passer" in the 1976 Division game and Oakland fans will never forget Walt Coleman and the "Tuck" in the 2000/01 Division game (of course I believe that Tommy was tucking the ball and Sugar Bear was innocent).

The fact that the Pats got to the mountaintop nine times in 19 years during the Brady-Bellichick era and went 6--3 when they got there is mind boggling. Think about it. With 16 teams in the AFC, they went to almost half of the SB's during that period and, with 32 teams in the League, won about a third of all the SB's that were played. "Never say never," but I don't think that feat will ever be matched.

 

[everlong]

Good list. Ones I haven't seen.

2007 Stephen Neil getting hurt in the SB. The offense was moving the ball before that happened. It totally changed the balance of power between the lines.

2008 Bernard Pollard takes out Brady. Seriously who was going to beat them? The Steelers? LOL. The Cardinals who lost by 40 something granted in the snow?

2012 Bernard Pollard again. When he corn holed Ridley in the ear hole of his helmet that game totally changed. That hit is illegal in today's game.

 

[Nikolai]

That 2015 team was special. Only the 2007 and 2004 teams were clearly better. The Dion Lewis injury kicked off the worst odd-year injury luck the Pats have ever had.

I didn't see it mentioned, but if Ghost makes the XP in the AFCCG that year, we're probably on to Cam Newton and the overrated Panthers.

 

[captain stone]

Apologies if some of the following have already been mentioned (I skipped posts 2-40)...

2006:
BOGUS OPI on Troy Brown
Jeff Saturday's TD...a pre-2005 Tedy Bruschi grabs that fumble
BOGUS DPI on Ellis Hobbs
Brady not seeing a WIDE OPEN Bug Eyes earlier...WTF was he doing under Center on 1st/15 anyway?!?
...then no DPI called in the EZ on the dude CLEARLY holding Bug Eyes' arm

2007:
Steven Neal's injury
Pierre Woods not being a Man
Hochstein & OxyKaczur being all-day sieves, especially on 3rd/7...which then became 4th/13...
...which then became Bill eschewing a 48-yard FG attempt
Rodney's failed INT just before the 2-minute warning (a replay of which has NEVER been shown, ANYWHERE)
Stomper's failed INT
Moss not trying hard enough on the bomb
Brady not seeing a WIDE OPEN Receiver underneath (same play, or proceeding play?)

2011:
BOGUS intentional grounding penalty
Too Many Men when the Vagiants fumbled in the RZ
Brady not seeing an Open Edelman on 3rd/4 inside the 10
The Receiver Drop (NOT a Brady miss)...followed immediately by the Twig Drop

2015:
Harper's Muff
On-sides KO (?!?) to the Fecals after going up 14-0
Not taking the ball in OT vs JETE
Gostkowski's Unforgivable missed XP
HORRIBLE 4th-down play-calling/not trying FG attempts in the 4th quarter

2017:
No Hightower
Malcolm Butler out, Jonny Badmostly in
GARBAGE 3rd-down play-calling during the first half
Gostkowski, again


I can also include events from the 2005, 2010, 2012 & 2019 seasons/POs, but you get the point...

 

[TheRainMaker]

Cam Newton and the overrated Panthers.

Panthers were a good team and Cam had a great year, he just folded like a lawn chair.

 

[TheRainMaker]

2012 Bernard Pollard again. When he corn holed Ridley in the ear hole of his helmet that game totally changed. That hit is illegal in today's game.

I knew Ridley was asking for trouble trying to play hero when taking on Pollard.

 

[doesntmatter1]

I'm over almost all of these accept the Butler benching. It felt like we threw the game away before it even started. Yeah lets just bench a playmaker(sb 49 hero) who is perfectly healthy and crying for all to see. Yeah that's normal.

We get investigated for the most bogus things like deflategate but nothing about this because it didn't benefit us. This honestly felt suuper shady to me and made me feel as if bB had money on the Eagles that day. To watch our defense suck the whole game and not even put him in the 4th quarter etc. And then to not give an explanation....WOW. If I didn't love BB, I would be on board with making him go under oath and explain that day. Was it gambling? Did you help Butler hide a body? WHAT?

 

[sb1]

I'm over almost all of these accept the Butler benching. It felt like we threw the game away before it even started. Yeah lets just bench a playmaker(sb 49 hero) who is perfectly healthy and crying for all to see. Yeah that's normal.

We get investigated for the most bogus things like deflategate but nothing about this because it didn't benefit us. This honestly felt suuper shady to me and made me feel as if bB had money on the Eagles that day. To watch our defense suck the whole game and not even put him in the 4th quarter etc. And then to not give an explanation....WOW. If I didn't love BB, I would be on board with making him go under oath and explain that day. Was it gambling? Did you help Butler hide a body? WHAT?

And for "football reasons"? BS. He didn't have to be dominant like Deion Sanders in his prime in that game. But I'm sure he could make one or two plays on third down that clowns like Richards couldn't? One or two plays turning an Eagles score into a punt would have been the difference.

I wish we find out the real reason for that and get closure on it.

 

[Nikolai]

Panthers were a good team and Cam had a great year, he just folded like a lawn chair.

All very true, but there are plenty of things like this out there:

Top 10 NFL teams of the decade: 2013 Seattle Seahawks No. 1

2) 2015 Carolina Panthers​

Like Denver two years prior, the 2015 Carolina Panthers failed to make good on an incredibly promising regular season, falling to the Broncos in a dispiriting flop of a Super Bowl. Aside from the sour ending, however, this team put together one of the best regular-season campaigns of the decade.

They were good but second best in the 2010s?