Flashback: when the Pats danced on the Chargers logo and made Tomlinson cry about it

[PatsDeb]

Enjoy!

Regards,
Chris

Thanks for the memories! A few things stand out - our run D wasn't so hot, and Brady had a bad game (3 picks and about 3 other almost picks). But, our team never quit and won the game. Go Patriots!!

 

[Kontradiction]

Thanks for the memories! A few things stand out - our run D wasn't so hot, and Brady had a bad game (3 picks and about 3 other almost picks). But, our team never quit and won the game. Go Patriots!!

Eh, nobody's run D looked good against Tomlinson that year. He was dominant.

 

[RobertWeathers]

I was a heavily weed smoking college kid two years out of high school and delivering pizzas to make a couple of bucks. I’ll be 33 in July.

...and look where we are now - a combined 92k posts on patsfans.com

How we actually do well in life and make a living takes a great deal of time management!

 

[1960Pats]

When that game was played I had a 4 year old, 2 year old and a 3 month old.

And now the oldest drives.

Insane.

My kids were old then and they're even older now.

 

[captain stone]

...One last thing to note—how good Gost looked in the postseason as a rookie. It really makes you wonder why Belichick didn’t attempt the FG the next year in the SB loss to the Giants, considering how he had proven himself in the 2006 playoffs. It may have been one of the biggest blunders of Belichick’s coaching career. There must have been more to that situation, like an injury that hadn’t been discussed. I’d love to know the answer.

I wonder if that answer partly lies with Bill losing confidence in our choke-ass PK after he sailed out of bounds the kick-off following our TD to start the 2nd quarter.

 

[chris_in_sunnyvale]

Wow. I remembered how lucky we were to get out of there with a win, but seeing it again amplifies those feelings. Thank goodness for gaffes by SD and our strong defense that year, because Brady didn’t play well, and that’s putting it mildly.

Jabar Gaffney was the man during this game. It’s amazing to think how quickly he and Brady were able to get on the same page. That TD drive at the end of the half was clutch. Crazy to think that Gates is actually still playing, and also how quickly Rivers seems to get the ball out with that odd looking delivery. They were able to get to him with some timely blitzes. Let’s hope that’s the case again on Sunday.

One last thing to note—how good Gost looked in the postseason as a rookie. It really makes you wonder why Belichick didn’t attempt the FG the next year in the SB loss to the Giants, considering how he had proven himself in the 2006 playoffs. It may have been one of the biggest blunders of Belichick’s coaching career. There must have been more to that situation, like an injury that hadn’t been discussed. I’d love to know the answer.

The gamebook is available online and helps fill in the gaps the video leaves open. It's really hammers home how much the Pats offense struggled (lots of 3 and outs or otherwise short drives), how SD shot themselves in the foot a handful of times, how monstrous the Pats TD drive before the half was and how everything went NE's way after the McCree play. I don't believe in mystique, but if there was any case for "The Patriots Mystique" affecting a game, this one makes you wonder.

Regards,
Chris

 

[chris_in_sunnyvale]

Posted today. Interesting read, particularly the takes by the Chargers players that day:

An oral history of the Patriots-Chargers 2006 AFC divisional round classic

Regards,
Chris

 

[SVN]

Merriman hasn't forgotten '06 loss to Pats