you're not going to like this : Hail Mary PI on Hogan

[TN patriot fan]

Let's call it for what it is: the game was fixed. Not one PI call the whole game and there were multiple times the Eagles did it, including a blatant one against Gronk in the first half where Gronk couldn't believe it didn't get called. There was the wildly blatant pick on an Ertz pass as noted above; there were the two touchdowns that Collinsworth told all the world he expected to be overturned, and they weren't; there was the constant holding by the Eagles; there was the helmet-to-helmet that took out Cooks. Call a handful of five-yard penalties against the Eagles at times when it doesn't matter so the casual observer who doesn't know the rules sees that the Eagles had more penalties than the Pats and thinks it's an honest game, all while ignoring dozens of bigger penalties that made the difference in the game, and calling two non-touchdowns scores. This game was fixed as surely as the 2008 game where 200 million people got to hear Troy Aikman ask repeatedly why the clock wasn't running as the Giants got thirty extra seconds to drive down the field for the winning score.

 

[brdmaverick]

Ok, so maybe a tick early but what about the one on gronk early in the game where he was clearly bumped early with no call? Looks like to me they were letting them play and were only going to call egregious plays, which is how it should be.

Right, he got there a bit early and clearly influenced the receiver's ability to make the catch.

And my point of posting was not to be irate that more flags should have been thrown, but more just a 'The refs were letting the players play all night. Some potential penalties would have worked in our favor, but others could have been called on us too (that weren't). So in the end I think that as a non story."

There is no dispute: clement bobbled, regrasped, and only got one foot down. That is just a fact that as is as indisputable as dion lewis not losing control of the ball, with his knee down vs jax.

I agree 100% on the clement TD call. I think that should have been incomplete. No argument from me there.

(I do think Dion Lewis fumbled in the AFC Championship game and was very active in a thread stating my case, but let's stay focused on the Super Bowl. The Lewis fumble is old news.)

 

[tasmlab]

Hoping a hail marry seals it probably isn't the best plan to win a football game.

I think they like to start shooting the confetti canons pretty quickly and give everyone their end of game moment. It seemed that way last year when White made it in but was hard to see.

 

[Lavictoire]

I always wonder rather than the Hail Mary why not try that old Miami play they threw in against the Chargers..

Have Gronk stop short catch a ball around the 15 with Dola trailing, the D converges on Gronk and he pitches to Dola who runs it in..

this play just a bit deeper:

If I was Kraft you would be my new Offensive Coordinator.

 

[mosslost]

If I was Kraft you would be my new Offensive Coordinator.

If Brady has the time it would work...

Gronk sprinting as hard as he can Brady times the throw right, Gronk stops.. like around the 15, have like Dorsett and White/Dola running deep left to end zone to draw some heat.. have Dola/White or whoever running more to the right and behind of Gronk.

The moment the ball is getting to the stopped short Gronk, the trailer gets ready...

Gronk catches it short of end zone, fakes a little bit like he is going to lean and plow toward end zone, he should have barely enough time to do this since he stopped short...

ALL the defensive players nearby will converge toward him..

just as they converge toward them, and running trailer Dola/White gets the pitch from Gronk..

Who takes it easily into the end zone...

 

[PatsFanSince74]

I don't know what odds I'd have given you, but if you had offered me a bet that the Pats would score 33 points in Regulation, enough to win any SB in which they have played in the BB/TB era, and still lose the game, I'd probably have been out some serious money on Sunday night.

I really don't think we should be looking to place blame anywhere but on the Defense and maybe a little on Special Teams, for the loss.

In this particular case, the best that happens is five yards and a do-over for another Hail Mary.

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

I see it this way and it was my biggest complaint about 2007.

You play to the way the refs are calling the game. They call it tight, then you play mistake free. If they are letting you play, then get away with whatever you can (test it out on plays that won't cost you too much).

That's what coaches should do. I think BB did this the last 2-3 SBs, so good on him for that. and good on the Eagles for doing it too.

 

[Simpelton]

Both teams got away with murder at times in that game. It's just a thing. They didn't want yellow handkerchiefs to determine the outcome of the game.