Sports commentators need slapping a lot of the time.

It's a damn football game, not an empire.

huh? i mustve missed that.

It was something a NESN announcer said after the Pats loss, but I'm sure many other reporters/commentators/columnists are saying similar stupid things. New England never had a dynasty. They had some very good teams who came through for quite awhile. Losing a single playoff game doesn't dismantle the team anymore than winning one more "continues the dynasty." They could just as easily come back next year and win the next Superbowl. Or not.

But this "what went wrong" handwringing is stupid. What went wrong is one bad game. Nothing more complicated than that.

Did anybody ever find out what caused that sideline fight between McGinest and Izzo?

I think New England has/had a dynasty but I really don't think it's over. They just had a bad year with all the injuries and such.

We agree for once.

I think the first SB was a fluke/destiny thing, then they missed the playoffs, but then continued to add players and get better.

Reminds me of the 9ers of the 80s, and I STILL wouldn't have bet aginst them in that game, and won't bet against them when they make the playoffs next year.

which would explain why larry fucking izzo was even in the game at that point.

obviously the turnovers are to blame, but it has to be said that being put in a hole on the road by a horrendous call changed everything. also, the elam kick that made it 10 instead of 7 wouldn't have been good from 5 yards back, which is where it would have been if the obvious false start was called. lastly, bailey was hit in between the 1 and 2 yard line. that ball clearly did not go directly out of bounds, and troy brown's reaction tells me all i need to know, so erase that touchdown too and the pats should have won the game even though they turned to ball over so much.

so, i point my fingers at the horrible officials. it's not enough that the rules are changed when the colts complain about the pats being too physical. now it's that the rules don't apply to denver.

at least the nfl didn't have it's dream of peyton winning the superbowl come true. talk about unable to win the big game. that guy can't even get to the big game. what a douchebag.

oh, and one more thing. there was an obvious hold at the top of the screen on plummer's first completion that wasn't called. the ref's didn't seem to miss anything when it happened on the pat's side.

and, one more thing... the bailey fumble should have been given to the pats as a make up call even if it didn't go out of the end zone, which it did.

fuck the nfl, fuck the broncos, and mark my words that the patriots will win the superbowl next year after they add a rb and a mlb.

wow, i sense some dislike of peyton manning.

i certainly don't like that the nfl changes rules because one team complains in an obvous attempt to help peyton win and he still can't do it. what a pussy. i'm sorry that the nfl doesn't like to see the pats dominate, but why don't they just fix the game for the colts like they did for the broncos if they want the colts to win seeing as they can't do it on their own.

I nominate Mark E. Smith:

http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2005/11/m ... th_re.html

Organized conspiracies by the NFL so that one player can win? gimme a break.

are you talking to me or are you talking to joey porter?

"I know they wanted Indy to win this game," Porter told The New York Times. "The whole world loves Peyton Manning, but come on man, don't take the game away from us.

"I felt they were cheating us. When the interception happened, everybody in the world knew that was an interception. Don't cheat us that bad. When they did that, they really want Peyton Manning and these guys to win the Super Bowl. They are just going to straight take it for them. I felt that they were like 'We don't even care if you know we're cheating. We're cheating for them.' "

ALSO...

from the washington post, in case you think i am making shit up...

"The Colts' complaints about some apparent defensive-holding infractions that went uncalled in the final minutes of their loss at New England in last season's AFC title game were a catalyst to the offseason directive by the league's competition committee for officials to crack down on clutching-and-grabbing tactics by defensive backs. And the stricter rules enforcement that resulted played a major role in this season's league-wide offensive exploits, which included quarterback Peyton Manning breaking Dan Marino's 20-year-old NFL single-season record for touchdown passes."

and lastly, if you think the league is interested in the patriots winning any more, think again. there is no question what those refs in denver were up to.

I actually enjoy watching the Pats play but Jesus Christ, could Phil Simms and Jim Nance have been fawning over them more during that game? They sounded like they were foaming at the mouth and masturbating in the booth like a couple of chimps at the zoo over every nuance of The Patriots.....They gave Denver zero credit. The Patriots radio broadcast was probably more objective.

peyton's a highly-talented crybaby. i always enjoy his yearly playoff exit.

His quote "We had some protection issues." pissed me off. Peyton has been treated like a princess by his offensive line. Geebuz, if he had played for Cincinnati during the 90's he would be living on a ventilator and be fed thru a tube by now.

It's good to see Eli has taken some lumps to get where he is now.

Whoever's listening. Both are ridiculous. I guess Bettis put it on the ground in the last two minutes because he wanted to see Peyton win, too. But that Vandervagt, he don't like Peyton.

good point. every random aspect of the game can't be controlled, so it's impossible that the league is making an effort to favor a team. i don't see the logic.

also, someone needs to fix their avatar because this thread will barely open.

They didn't. Who is "they"?



I guess that official made a rule up when he said that Polamalu lost control before his knee was off the ground.



Good point. because the Colts are the only passing team in the NFL. This clearly benefits just them. All of the teams left in the playoffs rely primarily on the run and play action, so it obviously worked.



And you're from where?

plus i remember that game.
and it was DISGUSTING what the Pats CB's were doing.

they had to do something about it.

and i can't stand the Colts.

man, a pat's fan complaining about the refs is HILLARIOUS.

I wonder how Andy Rooney thinks of the NFL-sponsored quest for a Peyton Manning Super Bowl ring.

i don't think this a valid point considering the pats turned the ball over FIVE times. i think that & a solid DEN defense had more to do with their loss than any suspicions regarding the refs