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.