upstater1
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So, I watched all 15 playoff games from the Super Bowl winning seasons.
I really enjoyed doing this, much more than I thought I would. Some takeaways:
1. The hitting is a night and day difference. When people say Brady played in an era when the QB was protected, they need to be reminded that the first 10 years of his career, QBs were hit very hard. And so were receivers. Headshots, launching, just a much rougher version of the sport. Night and day.
2. The Titans game in 2003 was gut wrenching. That may be the game that I thought the Patriots were practically done for.
3. While the 2017 SB against Atlanta is easily the most exciting game of them all, the best game might have been the 2003 SB against Carolina. It had more high level plays than the 2017 SB with players from both teams making multiple spectacular plays. And that game had it all, a defensive slugfest for the first 29 minutes, then an unreal aerial attack by both teams for 31 minutes. Receivers for both teams made outstanding catches on balls that were thrown with incredible accuracy.
4. I tended to remember the Panthers offense taking off when we lost Rodney to a broken arm. Much to my surprise, Rodney broke his arm on the last Carolina series with under 2 minutes left, so Carolina really did throw all those yards against our outstanding defense.
5. Jake Delhomme's performance was the best ever by an opposing QB against the Patriots in the playoffs, nipping Peyton's 2006 performance. It was better than Nick Foles's performance. Delhomme threw the ball through tight windows with outstanding velocity and accuracy. He threw perfect balls downfield with touch. He stood in the pocket and took hard hits. He showed more guts than any opposing QB I remember.
6. By his third season, Tom Brady was already Tom Brady. You can see it against the Colts in 03 and especially the Super Bowl. And his downfield throws were beautiful and on point, deadly accurate. Not a dink and dunker, despite what anyone says. He was godly in that 2003 Super Bowl, and he really saved the defense's bacon. If not for the sheer improbability of the 2017 Super Bowl, the 2003 game would rank as the best for me.
7. I can't believe Adam Vinatieri missed 2 field goals in the first half with the first one being a mere chip shot. Wow.
8. Penalties. No one seems to remember really questionable penalties that the Patriots overcame back then. In the Tennessee game, the Titans were dead in the water on a 4th down play, when Richard Seymour was called for a late hit on the passer. Replays showed Seymour got to McNair a split second after McNair released the ball, and there was no headshot, at least nothing comparable to what dozens of replays showed on other sacks. Also, Troy Brown in the Carolina Super Bowl was called for offensive PI on a really questionable call, putting the Patriots into 3rd and long while down to the Panthers late in the 4th qtr. Brown came back between 2 defenders and high pointed the ball, there was outstanding accuracy by Brady, or perhaps even a bit of a reckless throw since the defender had position and somehow Brown snatched it right out of his hands to convert a crucial 4th down that enabled the Patriots go ahead TD. Anyway, looking back, you see so many egregious calls that would have been talked about endlessly today, or else forgotten instantly because they went against the Patriots.
9. Can't believe Peyton threw 4 INTs in the 2003 AFCCG. 3 of them to Ty Law. Manning was destroyed that game. The Colts were depants'd.
10. I found the entirety of the 2004 playoffs anticlimactic compared to the 2003 playoffs, where all 3 games had big drama. The Titans were very close to upsetting the Patriots. The Patriots throttled everyone's favorite Colts team, while the SB was a classic. In contrast, I seemed to forget how in hand the Patriots had the 2004 SB. Never mind the score, the Patriots were simply not threatened by that Eagles team, and yes I realize the last drive could have been disastrous, but somehow that whole game seemed like a slow and patient suffocation of the Eagles.
11. What an incredibly smart player that McGinest was. He had a talent for diagnosing opposing plays.
I really enjoyed doing this, much more than I thought I would. Some takeaways:
1. The hitting is a night and day difference. When people say Brady played in an era when the QB was protected, they need to be reminded that the first 10 years of his career, QBs were hit very hard. And so were receivers. Headshots, launching, just a much rougher version of the sport. Night and day.
2. The Titans game in 2003 was gut wrenching. That may be the game that I thought the Patriots were practically done for.
3. While the 2017 SB against Atlanta is easily the most exciting game of them all, the best game might have been the 2003 SB against Carolina. It had more high level plays than the 2017 SB with players from both teams making multiple spectacular plays. And that game had it all, a defensive slugfest for the first 29 minutes, then an unreal aerial attack by both teams for 31 minutes. Receivers for both teams made outstanding catches on balls that were thrown with incredible accuracy.
4. I tended to remember the Panthers offense taking off when we lost Rodney to a broken arm. Much to my surprise, Rodney broke his arm on the last Carolina series with under 2 minutes left, so Carolina really did throw all those yards against our outstanding defense.
5. Jake Delhomme's performance was the best ever by an opposing QB against the Patriots in the playoffs, nipping Peyton's 2006 performance. It was better than Nick Foles's performance. Delhomme threw the ball through tight windows with outstanding velocity and accuracy. He threw perfect balls downfield with touch. He stood in the pocket and took hard hits. He showed more guts than any opposing QB I remember.
6. By his third season, Tom Brady was already Tom Brady. You can see it against the Colts in 03 and especially the Super Bowl. And his downfield throws were beautiful and on point, deadly accurate. Not a dink and dunker, despite what anyone says. He was godly in that 2003 Super Bowl, and he really saved the defense's bacon. If not for the sheer improbability of the 2017 Super Bowl, the 2003 game would rank as the best for me.
7. I can't believe Adam Vinatieri missed 2 field goals in the first half with the first one being a mere chip shot. Wow.
8. Penalties. No one seems to remember really questionable penalties that the Patriots overcame back then. In the Tennessee game, the Titans were dead in the water on a 4th down play, when Richard Seymour was called for a late hit on the passer. Replays showed Seymour got to McNair a split second after McNair released the ball, and there was no headshot, at least nothing comparable to what dozens of replays showed on other sacks. Also, Troy Brown in the Carolina Super Bowl was called for offensive PI on a really questionable call, putting the Patriots into 3rd and long while down to the Panthers late in the 4th qtr. Brown came back between 2 defenders and high pointed the ball, there was outstanding accuracy by Brady, or perhaps even a bit of a reckless throw since the defender had position and somehow Brown snatched it right out of his hands to convert a crucial 4th down that enabled the Patriots go ahead TD. Anyway, looking back, you see so many egregious calls that would have been talked about endlessly today, or else forgotten instantly because they went against the Patriots.
9. Can't believe Peyton threw 4 INTs in the 2003 AFCCG. 3 of them to Ty Law. Manning was destroyed that game. The Colts were depants'd.
10. I found the entirety of the 2004 playoffs anticlimactic compared to the 2003 playoffs, where all 3 games had big drama. The Titans were very close to upsetting the Patriots. The Patriots throttled everyone's favorite Colts team, while the SB was a classic. In contrast, I seemed to forget how in hand the Patriots had the 2004 SB. Never mind the score, the Patriots were simply not threatened by that Eagles team, and yes I realize the last drive could have been disastrous, but somehow that whole game seemed like a slow and patient suffocation of the Eagles.
11. What an incredibly smart player that McGinest was. He had a talent for diagnosing opposing plays.
