via: profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/02/12/mike-pereira-eagles-were-in-illegal-formation-on-philly-special/
On second thought, maybe the Philly Special shouldn’t have counted. After Nick Foles caught a touchdown on fourth down in Super Bowl LII, PFT asked the NFL for clarification about whether the Eagles were lined up in an illegal formation. A league source said the NFL views it as a “judgment call.” But FOX rules analyst Mike Pereira, the league’s former head of officiating, said the officiating crew, including down judge Jerry Bergman, got it wrong. “I know the league came out and said that it’s a judgment call, which it is,” Pereira said, via Clark Judge of the Talk of Fame Network. “The down judge, who was the one that [the play] was on his side of the field, they felt that it was his judgment, and [receiver Alshon Jeffrey] was close enough. Well, he wasn’t. They lined up wrong. “Not only that, it’s a trick play. And if you’re going to run a trick-type play, then you have to be lined up properly. You could either have six men on the line, or you could have an ineligible number lined up at the end of the line, which was the case. I know what the league has said, but they would have been a lot more comfortable if they would have called an illegal formation. “We always use a yard [within the line of scrimmage], maybe a yard-and-a-half. But that’s two [yards], and even a little bit beyond two. It’s kind of one of those that has no effect on the play. I get it. But they didn’t line up properly. And it really should’ve been called.” A penalty would have backed up the Eagles to the New England 6, with Doug Pederson facing a tougher fourth-down decision from there. But as Eagles fans are sure to say, it’s history now. Over a week has passed since the Patriots lost Super Bowl LII, but that doesn't mean people have stopped talking about the game. That was a really lame opener to this story because no shit, that's how the Super Bowl works, but just go with it. IMO the biggest story line from the game was and always will be the mysterious benching of Super Bowl legend Malcolm Butler, we still don't know all the details, and probably never will. I'll never understand how he didn't get a chance to play when the secondary was getting scorched like the California countryside, but this is not what my blog is about. No, no, no friends, it's about the Philly Special; the Eagles 4th down touchdown call at the end of the first half that will be remembered from this game as its signature play for the rest of history. Pretty sure I didn't use that ; correctly but unfortunately there's no way to know for sure. It now appears that play technically should not have counted. Well, that news really came out while the game was still in play, but now the story has really picked up some steam. When the game was still in play former Patriot linebacker, and three time Super Bowl champion Matt Chatham pointed out on twitter that the Eagles ran the play from an illegal formation.
Rather than delete it and lose those precious retweets and favorites (I still call them favorites, not likes) Chatham later noted that he meant TD not TS which I felt important because it could've very easily have been confused with the stock symbol for Tenaris, or the porn abbreviation for transsexual. I felt it was important also include that tweet in this blog so you too would know he meant touchdown in this instance.
I mean it's pretty obvious if you know anything about football that illegal formation has to be called. My Grandmother who doesn't even watch football could clearly tell that was illegal formation. I'm sure she would've been screaming at the television "HE'S TOO FAR OFF THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE! THROW THE FLAG YOU RAT BASTARD!" had she been watching the game instead of the Hallmark Network. Oh well.
It was clear as day. As obvious as a slap in the face. I knew it, you knew it, everybody knew it. But it doesn't change anything, the Eagles won and Pats lost. Just another Oscar Martinez actually moment for Pats fans to have another little tidbit in excuse making for losing to Philly trash who was playing with a back-up QB.
Instead that Philly trash gets the Lombardi and t-shirt glory.
Suuuuuuuuuuuure, had this play been called back as it should've been by competent officials who weren't mesmerized by this snazzy trick-play, then the Eagles would've most certainly opted to kick a field goal. Assuming they make it, which was no guarantee given the special teams miscues by both teams that would've given them a 6 point lead as opposed to a two score 10 point lead which was all the difference in the game as the Patriots allowed points on all but two Philadelphia drives during the contest. That would've certainly changed the complexion of the second half, but sometimes that's how the cookie crumbles. I just personally would've rather not known about this news, because even though I know it had no outcome on the plays success, rules are rules, it was an illegal formation. Had it been called correctly it would've changed everything, but it's too late, can't do anything now. It just makes the loss hurt even more. There's nothing you can do now except complain, which I will gladly do. Finding out that the play shouldn't have counted after the fact is like finding out 20 years later that the girl you had a crush on in high school that you never had the balls to ask out because you were a scared little 16 year old also had a crush on you. Now you're almost 40 and married to the wrong woman thinking "what if?" It just makes you feel even worse thinking what could've been... While yes, technically it was an illegal formation and should've been a five yard penalty it doesn't change anything. The Eagles won and the Pats lost. Simple as that. Even though the Patriots defense essentially made it seem like the Eagles were playing against air, they still had a chance to win this game thanks to Tom Brady, who shredded one of the best defenses in the NFL for an Super Bowl record 613 yards of offense, 505 which came directly from his right arm. It sucks because talking about this makes you sound like a sore loser, and be even more hated as a Patriot fan (although let's be honest nothing is going to change that). You can call Patriots fans sore losers in this situation, but there are plenty of reasons to be upset about this game. There were two questionable touchdown calls for the Eagles, the whole Malcolm Butler fiasco, and now the news that the Philly Special shouldn't have counted. Yes I know the Patriots have been the most successful organization of the new Millennium, they have soooo many Super Bowls that there have been multiple "where do we put our new banner?" problems. But given Brady's age and the uncertainty surrounding this franchise going forward, it makes this loss sting even more. I would've much rather have gone on living in a world where the Philly Special was just the Philly Special, and not the illegal formation trick-play that changed the course of Super Bowl, and NFL history. But whatever.
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I know this happened way earlier today, but I just couldn't let this one slip through the cracks. I was mesmerized when I first saw this.
It's no secret that Donald Trump has some of the most ridiculous hair in the history of hair. Many would call it bad hair. I would say I fall into that demographic, I'm not special here, just trying to give you the most accurate statistics that are readily available. I think his hair stinks on ice. Many have thought this for a minute, long before he became one of the most hated men on earth. If there was a Mount Rushmore of bad hair Donald would most certainly be the George Washington of the group. Donnie Boy would be right up there with Mark Davis, Scarlett Johansson (honestly baby what're you doing?) and Elfrid Payton in my personal Mount Rushmore of bad "celebrity" hair.
I'll let do decide who gets to be the Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln in this situation.
But this may be the worst 45's hair has ever looked. At first when I saw the video I thought the back of his head was bald and my brain was officially in a pretzel. For all these years I had always assumed that Donny used the hair on the back of his head to create his infamous comb-over-forward quaff situation. Figured his hair on the back of his head was two and half feet long to make it all work. After first glimpsing my brownies (eyes) on the monstrosity that is this video I thought he had alopecia, which usually is no laughing matter. It made zero sense. Where does his hair come from if he's bald on nearly 70% of his cabeza? Upon further review it looks like he's not bald on the back of his head, he just has the fairest colored hair of all time, it's basically transparent. He's like Andre from The League with clear hair.
Regardless, it was a horrible look, and I'm confused AF. From far away it looks like he legitimately has no hair on the back of his head. Then if you zoom in you can see his thin, thin, clear hair. His hair is like a work of art in the sense that it must've taken a long time to create and I don't fucking understand it at all no matter how much you try to explain it to me. I'm sorry but abstract expressionism is not art.
Say whatever you want about the guy but he has enough money to take care of his situation if he really wanted to. So why doesn't he do something about it? To me the only explanation at this point is that it's too late in the game. He can't just show up out of the blue with Fabio flow. That would be very suspicious behavior, even by Trump's standards. He's just had the nest for so long that it's officially part of who he is. Before Trump was President I feel like that'd be the first thing that came to mind when someone mentioned his name was his hair, even before the money and "you're fired!". At this point it's like his signature so he can't just fix it now, he wouldn't be The Donald anymore. Like once I read (nbd) that Stephen Hawking as technology advanced was offered a less robotic, more human sounding voice machine but said/typed with his eyes that didn't want it because that robot sound has become his signature. So maybe Trump's bad hair is his robot voice? Either way Trumps hair STINKS! P U, thank God I wasn't eating when I first saw this video or I would've throw up. via: www.yahoo.com/news/california-bakery-refuse-cakes-same-035822734.html An attorney for a same-sex couple who were denied a wedding cake by a California bakery says they’ll continue to fight after a judge issued a preliminary injunction ruling in the baker’s favor Monday. Mireya and Eileen Rodriguez-Del Rio first spoke out against Bakersfield’s Tastries Bakery in August, claiming the company’s owner, Cathy Miller, turned them away when they told her they were seeking a wedding cake. At the time, Miller didn’t deny the couple’s claims, stating that her Christian faith “will not allow me to participate in things that I feel are wrong.” In an eight-page ruling on Monday, Kern County Superior Court Judge David Lampe said Miller could continue to refuse to make wedding cakes for same-sex couples, as such confections were a form of “artistic expression” and “expressive conduct” and therefore protected by the First Amendment. California’s Department of Fair Housing had been seeking an injunction that would either force Miller to prepare wedding cakes for same-sex couples, or force her to stop selling them entirely. Lampe denied this request, and said his decision hinged on the fact that Miller had not yet prepared the wedding cake, The Bakersfield Californian reports. It would have been a discriminatory act, however, if the cake had been on display in the shop and Miller had refused to sell it to the Rodriguez-Del Rios. “The difference here is that the cake in question is not yet baked,” the judge wrote. “The state asks this court to compel Miller to use her talents to design and create a cake she has not yet conceived with the knowledge that her work will be displayed in celebration of a marital union her religion forbids.” Miller, he added, “provided for an alternative means for potential customers to receive the product they desire through the services of another talent” when she recommended the Rodriguez-Del Rios visit a different bakery. The next hearing in the case is set for June. Miller praised Lampe’s ruling, telling The Bakersfield Californian, “I am very happy to serve everything from my cases to anybody. But I cannot be a part of a celebration that goes against my lord and savior.” Patricia Ziegler-Lopez, who is representing the Rodriguez-Del Rios, told 23 ABC News in a statement that her clients were “disappointed, but not surprised” by the ruling against the preliminary injunction, and stressed, “There is no lawsuit filed yet.” “Our fight against bigotry and discrimination is only beginning,” she added. The news comes as the Supreme Court prepares to grapple with a similar, albeit more high-profile, case. This spring, justices are set to rule on the case of Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, and will decide whether Colorado baker Jack Phillips was illegally discriminating against a same-sex couple when he refused to create a cake for their wedding ceremony. LGBTQ rights advocates say that decision will be the most significant for the queer community since the 2015 ruling on marriage equality. I get it that this is a serious issue, but I'm sorry the idea of going to court over fucking cakes is hilarious to me. Am I The Only One who finds this very silly? Like at the end of the day we're fighting over dessert, if that isn't the most American story of all time then idk what is. Suuuure, there are much deeper issues in this case, but at the end of the day someone doesn't want to make a cake for you. There are bigger fish to fry, or in this case, cakes to bake. While I get that the couple in this case is trying to fight for equality I don't understand why they don't just go to another shop? It's fucking California, the gayest state in our union. Home of the Castro. I've never stepped foot in California but I picture it as this gay utopia full of people too busy worrying about their state falling off into the Pacific Ocean to give two shits about who you're sleeping with. Plus I'm pretty sure there are bakeries every quarter mile or so as well. It's all tech companies, yoga studios and bakeries. Get in your Fast Car and drive three blocks, I'm sure you'll find someone more than willing to take your business and make you a lesbian cake for your special pant suit day. Why poke the homophobic bear here? Haven't you how you don't fuck with people who handle your food? Even if you somehow won this case why would you want to give your business to a homophobic bakery? Like if I was a gay dude I would want to support pro gay companies. Just seems to make sense. If they don't wanna serve you, fuck them, take your disposable no children income and go somewhere else. Don't you think if the baker is legally forced to bake for you against her will she's probz gonna mess with it?
What I don't understand are these people who put their "values" over money, the most valuable thing of all. Fuck that shit. I'm a dude who has a price for anything. I'd sell a kidney tomorrow for the right price. Like as I type this I'm get pissed at how stupid these people are economically. It makes me mad that I wasn't alive during the Civil Rights Era because I could've gotten rich. I would've been a great business man back then profiting off of idiot racists who want to cut their potential market down by 10% by not allowing black people to eat there. Idgaf what color you are, as long as your money is green. Same should go for the gays, who cares if you agree with them or not, get your money and call it a day. Song: Rose-Colored Boy Artist: Paramore Album: After Laughter I loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeee this video. Hayley as an early 80's news anchor definitely does it for me, I can't imagine we'll get a legit answer from Bill Belichick as to why Malcolm Butler was benched during Super Bowl LII but Malcolm put his side of the story out there on twitter and instagram. — Malcolm CB Butler (@Mac_BZ) February 6, 2018
Talk about class by Malcolm Butler here.
He could've bashed Belichick and I don't think anybody would blame him. He's not coming back next year, and has been treated like absolute dog shit all year. Belichick really does have no loyalty. Does Super Bowl 49 mean nothing to him? He's earned the right to compete with his teammates and got it taken away for a reason that we'll never know. I believe what he said. Malcolm is a free agent, and clearly will be looking for another job, it would make him look pretty bad, and probably cost in free agency if it comes out he's lying here and had broken curfew or gone to the Rick Ross concert after dropping this post. Since I highly doubt he'd want to take money out of his pocket, since he's been vastly underpaid in New England I doubt that's going to happen. I'm siding with him in this situation 100%, and honestly nothing can really change that. I don't care what could've possibly done to warrant the benching, unless it's murder or rape it's not worth losing a fucking Super Bowl over. Honestly I could look past murder depending on the circumstances. We know the Ravens do. Let's not forget that Chandler Jones still played in the 2015 playoffs after showing up at a police station high on fake weed with no shoes. I'm just so fucking mad about this whole ordeal, I know Belichick will never tell the truth but fans of this team deserve to know what reason led to benching Malcolm Butler in the Super Bowl. I get the whole "In Bill We Trust" cult, and I've drank the kool-aid a time or two before, but I'll never understand how anybody could be on his side here. Coaching is about making adjustments and he did not make one. Like what's the worst that happens if you throw Malcolm out there? You give up another 3rd down conversion? I'll never understand the logic here for as long as I live. Bill owes it to the people who support this team, and really just all people in general to know why this happened. I'm really starting to think he's sabotaging the franchise for being forced to trade jimmy G. But he fucking owes it to the fans to for once in his career give a legit answer to a legit question. To quote Nancy Kerrigan who is back in the news thanks to the film "I, Tonya"
Why did you bench Malcolm Butler?
Why did you not give him a chance after Richards, Rowe and Bademosi were playing like absolute shit? And for good measure why are you so against having a fucking pass rush on this team? Without fans the NFL doesn't exist, and he doesn't have a job. They are who the game is for. If nobody cared or watched the NFL it wouldn't exist. That's why half the WNBA franchises have folded. Nobody cared about them, they didn't make money, so they ceased to exist. He owes it to the people who invest their time, money and emotions into this team as to why he decided to roll out some special teams scrubs over the man who has done nothing but produce for this team and has been a vital part of the roster for four years. I understand why he acts the way he does at times to not give teams bulletin board material and shit like that, but he has to give a legitimate reason as to why Malcolm Butler didn't play a single defensive snap. I said it in my blog yesterday and truly believe it, if any other coach pulls this stunt they get fired. I'd love to know how the guys in the locker-room feel about this. Belichick's ego and arrogance cost them a ring. This is how you lose a locker room. Seattle still hasn't recovered from Pete Carroll deciding to throw it against Malcolm Butler in Super Bowl 49. Look who liked this post on IG. That dude who threw for 505 yards in the Super Bowl, yet it still wasn't enough because his team has a JV defense that allowed a fucking scrub backup to look like Joe Montana. I love being a Patriots fan. It's a gigantic piece of who I am, and my identity. The team represent where I'm from, they've been a bonding point for friendships and family relationships. I realize how "lucky" I am to be the age I am during this period. From 4th grade until now they've been on one of the greatest runs in sports history. Essentially my entire conscience life. I like many Patriot fans have been "spoiled". This reign of success is only rivaled by the Yankees back when black people weren't allowed to play and Red Auerbach Celtics' of the 1950's and 60's when the NBA had a like 8 teams and sports were not nearly as big as they are now in the legion of daily life, pop culture, and economics. What the New England Patriots have done in the NFL from 2001 to current day will never be rivaled by another NFL team, it can't be. 15 Division Titles, a dozen trips to the AFC Championship Game, 8 Conference Championships and 5 Super Bowl wins. That's impressive over a 50 year span, the Pats did that during one player's career. There are people who will say what Joe Montana or Michael Jordan did was better because they never lost in the championship. Those people are idiots. 5-3 in Super Bowls is way more more impressive than 4-0. It's more wins and more appearances. Think of that in the simplest of terms: years. Four years of Montana's career he made the Super Bowl. Double that for Brady. Plus it's a team game. Quarterback is usually the biggest factor in a win or a loss, but it's not the only factor. The Patriots's defense was a lot more responsible for the Patriots win in Super Bowl 36 than Brady but that's credited as a win to him. On Sunday Brady had one of the best statistical performances in NFL history where his team didn't punt once, and lost because his defense allowed 41 points. An argument can be made which career (Montana vs. Brady) you'd rather have (unlike Eli vs Tom is-asking-would-you-rather-have-tom-bradys-or-eli-mannings-super-bowl-career-the-dumbest-question-of-all-time.html) but making it to a championship and losing IMO is a million times more impressive than not making it all. I bet Dan Fouts or Warren Moon would've loved to lose a Super Bowl. The Patriots loss in Super Bowl LII on Sunday gave the Brady-Belichick combination a round 10 playoff losses during this run. All of which are unique in their own way, much like championships. If the combo never wins another championship again they will still go down as the great player-coach combo of all time, however, even with their nearly two decade run of unprecedented success, it could've been more. I'm sure fans of other franchises will get pissed at this notion, but there is a serious argument to be made that this combo has underachieved during this run. They did go a decade between championships. 5 rings could easily be 7 or 8. In this list I'll look back at the 10 playoff losses of the Brady-Belichick era and rank them from least to most painful/devastating IMO. Many factors go into a "devastating" loss. When I think of playoff devastation what come to mind are things like expectation, opportunity, opponent, and road beyond that game (if necessary). Yes this team has won 5 Super Bowls and I am incredibly happy to have gotten to experience them, but they have also had their lions' share of playoff misery. While a couple of these losses didn't stink too bad, overall when the Patriots lose, it's in rather dramatic fashion. Super Bowl LII was still fucking devastating, especially given the circumstances even though they've won 5 times before. Yes you're grateful for those, but it doesn't make losing any less shitty. Now that the combo has a "perfect" round number of playoff losses I figured this was a great opportunity to countdown the defeats. Here they are, the 10 most painful/devastating whatever you wanna call it playoff losses of the Brady-Belichick era. 10. 2005 AFC Divisional Playoffs: Denver Broncos 27, New England Patriots 13 In 2005 the Patriots were coming off of back-to-back Super Bowl wins, but clearly were not the same team that they were in the two previous seasons. Much of the same core was still there but Ty Law was a Jet. Tedy Bruschi had suffered a stroke and missed a large part of the season. Rodney Harrison missed pretty much the entire season to injury as well. The team battled consistency most of the year, as they alternated win, loss, win, loss etc. for the first 9 games of the year. They found a way to finish at 10-6 and win the AFC East for 3rd straight year. In a rather forgettable season my two biggest memories are the Flutie drop-kick and Deion Branch coming up 2 yards short of being a 1,000 yard receiver. As a 4 seed the Pats faced off against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Wild-Card round. The Jags went 12-4 in '05 but were on the road as non division winner. Patriots handled them 28-3 improving Brady's playoff record to 10-0. The next week the Brady-Belichick Patriots went to Denver where they were defeated by the score of 27-13. The game turned when trailing 10-6 in the 3rd quarter Brady threw a near pick-6 to Champ Bailey but was rundown by Ben Watson at the 1 yard line in one of the greatest hustle plays in NFL history. Denver would punch it in from short and it was pretty much game over from there. The 2005 Patriots never really had a chance at winning a championship, and got beaten rather convincingly in this playoff game. What does suck is had they won they would've played the Steelers at home in the AFC Title game. Having beaten the eventual Super Bowl champs in Pittsburgh earlier that year, maybe they do it again and are back in their third straight Super Bowl? From a combination of time passed since this game, legitimate expectations of the team and many more considerably devastating defeats coming in future years the 2005 Divisional Round in Denver lands at #10. 9. 2009 AFC Wild Card Playoffs: Baltimore Ravens 33, New England Patriots 14 In Brady's first year back after tearing his ACL in the 08 season opener the Patriots actually had a worse record than they did the year without Brady but still won the AFC East at 10-6. 09 was a rocky year for the Patriots, they beat up on lesser teams, highlighted by their 59-0 dismantling of the Titans in the snow where Brady had one of the best stasticial performances of his career. But they lost the famous 4th and 2 game to the Colts in November and got pummeled by the eventual Super Bowl champion Saints on MNF in week 12. After losing Wes Welker in the season finale the team's Super Bowl aspirations took a major hit. While I didn't expect them to win the Super Bowl, I did think they'd beat the Ravens in the playoffs. A team they beat earlier in the regular season. The Patriots had never lost a home playoff game under Brady and Belichick, and the team hadn't lost a home playoff game since 1978. From the first play of the game it was clear that would not happen as the Ravens laid the hammer down on New England from the jump. The Ravens running game and defense absolutely dominated the Patriots. It was 24-0 after the first quarter, and even with Tom Brady that was too much for the Pats to overcome, Joe Flacco pretty much was just there to hand off the Ray Rice, as he had 1970's stat line of 4-10 passing for 34 yards and pick. Bob Griese-esk. People may forget that Julian Edelman took over for the injured Welker and scored the Patriots two touchdowns in this game. Edelman saw more time on offense as a rookie than he would in any other season until 2013 when he took over for Welker for good after he left for Denver. The 09 Pats were not a legitimate Super Bowl team, getting blown out was not fun, but knowing your fate early made the inevitable much more easy to take. Obviously losing to the scumbag Ravens sucks, but getting blown out makes it a lot easier to swallow. Baltimore was the better team on this day from start to finish, they dominated in pretty much every single stat you can dominate in except for passing yards. 8. 2013 AFC Championship Game: Denver Broncos 26 New England Patriots 16 2013 was a weird year for the Patriots. It was a time of transition as many of the stars from the 2010-12 core left the team for a variety of reasons. Wes Welker joined the Broncos, Danny Woodhead went to San Diego, and Aaron Hernandez went to prison for murder. Tom Brady had his worst season in years. It was the 2nd of 4 straight 12-4 campaigns for the Pats, but they could've easily been a 9-7 team in 2013. The year was highlighted by three amazing comebacks at home against the Saints, Broncos and Browns. In the AFC Championship Game the Patriots entered as underdogs as they went into Mile High to take on the record setting Denver Broncos and league MVP Peyton Manning, who broke Tom Brady's regular season passing touchdown record of 50 by tossing 55 duck ball floater TDs in his last great full season. After losing Gronk to a torn ACL against the Browns the Patriots Super Bowl chances went out the window. The game wasn't even as close, they lost by 10 but it felt like 20+. Denver absolutely dominated this game, Wes Welker knocked out Aqib Talib and Peyton Manning shredded the New England secondary for 400 yards. The Patriots were battling injuries on offense, I can remember fucking Matt Slater playing WR in the AFC title game, what a joke. Trailing 23-3 the Patriots made it semi interesting in the 4th quarter. Down 26-10 late the Patriots still battled, and had a chance to make it one score game after Brady scrambled for a 5 yard touchdown to make the score 26-16. But after failing on the 2 point conversion the game was pretty much over as they trailed by 10 with a little over 3 minutes left. It sucked to lose to Peyton again, especially after beating the Broncos in such a dramatic fashion earlier in the season, but the Broncos were an all time team in 2013. Yes they got absolutely dominated by the Seahawks in the Super Bowl, but that can't completely take away from how good that Denver offense was. The Patriots deserved to lose this game by how they performed, the only reason they game is higher than the two before it is because it was an AFC Championship game. 7. 2012 AFC Championship Game: Baltimore Ravens 28, New England Patriots 13. Despite losing by two touchdowns what really bothers me about this game is the missed opportunities. This game was closer than the score would indicate. The Patriots were the 2 seed in 2012 and had things gone to plan would've gone on the road for the AFC Championship Game. At the time it looked like the Ravens did them a favor by knocking out the 13-3 Denver Broncos, giving the Patriots an extra home playoff game. In what was referred to as "Ray Lewis' Retirement Party" by Patriots fans, it ended up being a home playoff loss, the 3rd in 4 years for New England. Not fun. The Patriots had the league's best offense in 2012. 1st in both yards and points. In the AFC Championship they were held to just 13 points as they stalled in no-mans land in Ravens' territory. They were shut out in the 2nd half as Terrell Suggs so eloquently stated, as he usually does, in the post game. The Pats moved the ball, but couldn't finish drives. They either punted, turned the ball over, or had turnover on downs 5 times deep in Baltimore territory. This included punts from the Ravens' 35 and 34 yard lines. I was that game and it was sooooo fucking frustrating. Gotta give Gostkowski (who was still good back then) a chance. We also saw Aqib Talib get injured in the AFC championship game, that is when the game turned as the Flacco lit up the Patriots banged up secondary in the 3rd and 4th quarters scoring 21 straight points. The Patriots led 13-7 at halftime and lost. it was the first time the Brady-Belichick Patriots had ever lost a home game in which they were leading at halftime. What made this lose hurt so much as I previously said were the missed opportunities. They just couldn't finish drives. Losing at home to a hated rival in a game they were supposed to win blew, Patriots were 7.5 point favorites going in. Tickets to this game were part of my Christmas present, it almost made me wish I was Jewish. 6. 2010 AFC Divisional Playoffs: New York Jets 28, New England Patriots 21 The 2010 Patriots get forgotten because of this game, but they had an all-time offense in 2010 and were a ton of fun to watch. It was the first year of Gronk, Hernandez, and a unknown running back from a division two school named Danny Woodhead. Brady won his 2nd league MVP award with a ridiculous 36-4 TD to INT ratio. If you reduce the fraction it's 9:1, which is pretty good. What puts this game higher than AFC Championship Games to me is how shocking it truly was. The Patriots went 14-2 in the regular season and had won 8 straight games going into the playoffs. A month and a half earlier they dismantled this same 2010 "Let's go eat a God-damn snack" Jets team 45-3 on Monday Night Football. It's the loser Jets we're talking about, there's no way they're going to come into Foxboro and win a playoff game. That's exactly what happened. In Rex Ryan's finest moment as an NFL head coach the Jets shocked the Patriots at home. Brady threw his first interception since week 5 on the opening drive. Mark Sanchez had one of the best games of his career as he threw for 3 touchdowns and the Jets just dominated the Patriots. Simple as that. Old fashion ass kicking by a more physical team. I can remember getting a brief glimmer of hope after the Pats scored a touchdown and two pointer to get within 3, making the score 14-11, but then the Jets went down and scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive which kind of sucked the air out of the game. The game wasn't even as close as the score indicates. Brady hit Deion Branch with like 30 seconds left to make it a one score game, but at that point they needed a miracle just to force OT which obviously didn't happen. This loss stung for a while since it was against the fucking Jets, at home, in a game that nobody expected them to lose, especially after beating this same team by 42 points just a few weeks before. TBH I think about the 2010 Patriots a lot. They were one of my favorite Patriots' teams of this era, and introduced us the way too short era of the two headed monster Gronk and Hernandez TE match-up. Oh and they traded Randy Moss away too which fucking sucked. To add insult to injury the Patriots beat all 4 teams that played in Conference Championship Weekend (Steelers, Jets, Packers, and Bears) in the regular season in 2010. This was a team that should've at the very least played in a Super Bowl. Watching the Jets do that stupid fucking celebration on Gillette killed a piece of me that I'll never get back. 5. 2015 AFC Championship Game: Denver Broncos 20, New England Patriots 18 In 2015 this game should have been played in New England. After starting 10-0 the Patriots finished the season 12-4. They blew a game in Denver against Brock Osweiler that sent this team into a spiral. Lost the next week at home to a mediocre Eagles team, won two straight, then lost two straight to the Jets and Dolphins which ultimately cost them the #1 seed and a chance to host the AFC Championship Game. Going into this game I thought the Broncos had no chance. I bet a lot of money I didn't have on the Patriots to cover which made this loss hurt even more. When Stephen Gostkowski missed his first extra point since 2006 you knew it was going to be a long day. The 2015 Broncos defense was one of the best of all time, they showed it in the playoffs, especially in this game. They carried the ghost of Peyton Manning to the Super Bowl. The Orange Crush 2.0 beat up Brady all game, his banged up offensive line did him no favors. Brady was sacked him 4 times, and threw 2 picks. Von Miller had monster day, sacking Brady 2.5 times and had an interception that gave the Broncos the ball inside the red zone and led to their 2nd touchdown. Despite a monster showing by the Denver defense, Peyton Manning in the second half did absolutely nothing and kept the Patriots in the game. The Patriots forced seven Bronco 3 and outs. They just couldn't capitalize on offense until it was too late. Down 20-12 in the 4th quarter, TWICE the Patriots opted to go for it instead of kicking relatively short field goals. I think the Gostkowski missed XP played a major factor in that decision. I kept telling the people I was with you gotta kick here because you don't want you season to come down to a two point conversion and that they'd get the ball back since Manning was doing nothing in the 4th quarter. Guess what? They failed both times....then the season came down to a two point conversion, which they failed. In this game Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski had one of the best forgotten drives in NFL history. Trailing by 8 they twice converted on 4th down to keep the season alive. On 4th and 10 from midfield Brady hit Gronk on a 40 yard pass to get to the Broncos' 10 yard line. Then on 4th and goal he found Gronk for a TD to make the score 20-18. Brady threw a pick on the 2 point play and the season was over. I watched that game at watch party at some bar in North Kingstown and that final series was an absolute roller coaster with 50ish Patriot fans. Pats went from dead, to alive, to dead, to alive, to dead AF in like a minute 40 seconds of real time. Had the Patriots kicked a field goal on either of the failed fourth down attempts I believe they win this game. Instead Manning "beat" Brady for the final time, and the Broncos ended up winning the Super Bowl giving Manning a 3-2 edge in playoff games after Brady won the first 2. 4. Super Bowl XLVI: New York Giants 21,New England Patriots 17 2011 was a historic year for the Patriots offense, led by Rob Gronkowski setting all sorts of records with 18 touchdowns and over 90 receptions from the tight end spot. Unfortunately he was not at full strength in this game, had he been I believe the Patriots win this game. The Patriots got off to a horrible start with a questionable safety on a intentional grounding call. By the end of the first quarter it was 9-0 Giants. But as Tom Brady does, he brought the Patriots back. They lead 10-9 at half time after Danny Woodhead scored a touchdown late in the 2nd quarter. The Patriots came out of halftime guns-a-blazzing as Aaron Hernandez (get it?) scored to make the score 17-9. I can remember this exact moment being where I truly started to believe they were going to end their, at this point 8 year Super Bowl drought. I was getting emotional. It was way too early but I was just so excited, I had been waiting for so long (8 years!). Brady at one point had like 16 straight completions until he got hit by Justin Tuck and was a little off for the rest of the game. He threw a bad pick on a pass intended for Rob Gronkowski, who at full strength probably makes the play. The Giants chipped away with a pair of field goals to make the score 17-15. This game will always be remembered by two plays. The catch Mario Manningham made, and the one that Wes Welker didn't. If you someone says "Welker drop" you know exactly what play they're referring to. With 4:06 remaining in the game, up 17-15 the Pats were on the Giants 44 yard line. It's 2nd and 11. Wes Welker drops a Tom Brady pass that would've at the very least milked another minute or two off the clock and led to a field goal attempt. Instead he dropped it, and the Patriots ended up punting. The pass wasn't perfect, but Welker had two hands on the ball. He has to come up with that catch. Literally letting one slip away to a fucking 9-7 really hurt. That's what sucked the most about the Patriots Giants Super Bowl losses is that they lost to fucking miracle teams that barely made the playoffs. The Patriots easily could've won this game, and despite all the "this game isn't about revenge" bullshit they were saying all week leading up to it, it would've been awesome to beat the Giants in the Super Bowl after what happened in 2007. They let this one get away. 3. Super Bowl LII: Philadelphia Eagles 41, New England Patriots 33 Missed 26 yard field on a 4th and 1 that they maybe should've gone for. Missed extra point. Brady dropped pass. Questionable failed 4th down call in field goal range. Literally the worst defensive performance in Super Bowl history, and they left their star all-pro CB on the bench for the entire game. They lost to a fucking backup quarterback. This is one of most devastating losses in franchise history. Super Bowl LII is going to hurt for a v long time. We still don't know the whole Malcolm Butler story, but it doesn't matter. He has to play. Even if the reason he was benched was justified, after how bad they were playing defensively, you HAVE TO give him a chance in the 2nd half. Bill Belichick did his entire organization a disservice and I don't think I'm over exaggerating when I say it could lead to the dismantlement of this dynasty. The negative repercussions for how he treated Malcolm Butler are going to adversely impact players potentially signing here. As horrible as the defense played, the Patriots did have a narrow lead in the 4th quarter, then had a chance down 5 to win it. You can blame Brady for fumbling if you want, but the game shouldn't have ever came down to that. There were questionable calls, apparently the "Philly Special" play had an illegal formation, but none of that should've mattered. If the defense gives you even a D+ effort the Patriots win this game. Obviously the Eagles played very well, and Doug Pederson coached his ass off, but to me this game will forever be one that the Patriots blew. It's like 55% Patriots lost it, 45% Eagles won it. The Eagles as a team are more talented than the Patriots but Tom Brady did pretty much all you could ask for him against one of the best defenses in the NFL. If this loss ends up being the final Super Bowl appearance for the Brady-Belichick Patriots it has a chance to leap frog #2. 2. 2006 AFC Championship Game: Indianapolis Colts 38, New England Patriots 34 Before there was 28-3, ten years later there was 21-3. The Patriots had a 21-3 point lead against the Indianapolis Colts in Indy. This was just a wacky game, THREE linemen scored touchdowns. You'll probably never see that again in a playoff game. This loss is to me the 2nd most devastating loss of the era for multiple reasons. 1. Blew a 18 point lead with the 2nd best defense in the NFL, and Tom Brady leading the offense. 2. Directly led to Peyton Manning winning his only Super Bowl while with the Colts, this is when Peyton Manning still was considered a playoff loser, he got rid of that title against the Pats. 3. Lost out on a chance to play the Rex Grossman Bears in the Super Bowl...aka win the Super Bowl. With a little over 3 minutes left the Patriots had the ball near midfield with a chance to ice the game. They went three and out, gave up the game winning touchdown with 1 minute left to play. Even after blowing the lead late in the 4th quarter, the Patriots still had a chance to win. With 24 seconds left on the Colts 45 yard line Brady threw and interception that iced the game for the Colts. The Super Bowl losses obviously kill, but given how great the Patriots looked in the first half it seemed like they were destine to win their 4th Super Bowl in 6 seasons. Instead they needed wait another 8 seasons. I was a freshmen in high school when this loss happened and cared even more about the Pats then than I do now so personally this loss will always be one of the worst. I feel like it gets a little forgotten because of all the Super Bowls and time that has passed but this was a game the Patriots really let get away, they should've played in Super Bowl XLI. 1. Super Bowl XLII: New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 The easy answer for #1 should come as no surprise to anybody. Going into Super Bowl XLII the Patriots were 18-0, one win away from the perfect season.
In 2007 the Patriots offense broke nearly every record imaginable, but they also had 4th best total defense in the NFL. This team was loaded everywhere, and they were 2 minutes away from being the greatest team of all time. The Giants defensive line dominated this game, but the Patriots had their fair share of mistakes that cost them. Pretty sure they were off sides on a fumble that would've given them the ball in Giants territory. I know for a fact on their opening drive out of halftime the Patriots went for it on 4th and FUCKING 13 from the Giants 31 yard line. Maybe the cockiest, and also dumbest 4th down call of all time. Kick the fucking field goal. It's 4th and 13. Made no sense to me then, and a decade later I still don't get it. Tom Brady did not have a great performance, but he did find Randy Moss in the end zone with 2:42 to give the Patriots the lead. It was a low scoring defensive affair, obviously you want the greatest offense in league history at the time to do more, but that Giants front four absolutely dominated. We all know what happened next. Asante Samuel missed a game sealing interception, next play Eli Manning and David Tyree link up for the most improbably play in NFL history, then they have Ellis Hobbs who is like 4 feet tall on an island against Plaxico and as they say, the rest is history. Despite an off day, the Patriots still nearly did what it takes to pull off the perfect season. Thanks to a little bit of luck they didn't. You could say it all evens out based on Super Bowls 49 and 51 but to all Patriots fans Super Bowl 42 will without a doubt always be the most devastating loss in franchise history. Song: If I Ever Feel Better Artist: Phoenix Album: United
Look the Eagles won last night, congrats to them. They made more plays than the Patriots and because of that, they are Super Bowl champs. I think Doug Pederson coached his ass off. 100% out-coached the "greatest coach in the history of the league" Bill Belichick. Pederson was the anti-Doug Marrone last night, Marrone who kneeled on the ball going into the half of the AFC Championship game with 55 seconds and two time outs remaining coached not to lose, and it ultimately cost his team a chance in playing in this game. Pederson on the other hand went balls to the wall against the Patriots on the biggest stage in sports. The trick play on 4th and goal, and going for it on 4th and short in their own territory on their final touchdown drive made all the difference in the game and because of that the Eagles are Super Bowl champs. All that being said, I truly believe if Malcolm Butler plays the Patriots win that game, yes they made a lot of other mistakes last night, Gostkowski was dredful, Brady did fumble (even though he's the major reason the Patriots had a chance last night) but to me benching Butler was idiotic. To inexplicably bench their 2nd best corner just before the biggest of the season will forever to many people be why the Patriots lost this game. Everybody is speculating as to why Belichick did it, there are reports that Butler missed the team flight out to Minnesota, had been caught with weed, and told off coaches. Whatever it was, I believe this decision cost the Patriots a Super Bowl. Maybe the Eagles still pull it off if he's out there, but as someone who has watched essentially every snap of this season even though Butler has had a rocky year, he's still one of the best defenders on this team. You gotta use all your available assets, and they didn't. Butler had been on the field pretty much every defensive play this season and the two seasons before that, then in the Super Bowl plays 1 snap on punt return.
Then for some reason Bill Belichick decides to not use him for a single defensive snap in the mother fucking Super Bowl. One of the few above-average players on a defense that frankly is full of below-average players did not get a chance to help his team win.
He was replaced by special-team BUMS like Jordan Richard and Johnson Bademosi. Both were ineffective at best, and can be blamed heavily for the outcome of the game. The missed tackle by Bademosi on 3rd down ended up leading to a touchdown drive for the Eagles.
I have been saying all year that the Pats don't have the defense to win a Super Bowl and that turned out to be true last night. They didn't pressure Foles AT ALL. Forced one punt all night, missed a bunch of tackles, allowed 41 fucking points and 538 yards to Nick Foles and the Eagles. Disgusting, it's gonna sting for a while. They didn't deserve to win playing like that...yet they were still in the game thanks to a monster effort by Tom Brady. Despite being horrible they still could've won this game! That's what makes it so hard to swallow.
Everybody wants to know what Butler could've possibly done to cause Belichick to bench one of his best defensive players in the biggest game of the year. He and Matt Patricia kept giving the same canned answers about it being "best thing for the team" and that "it's the packages" when asked why. It's complete and utter bull shit. The fans who live and die with this team deserve to know.
Idk what Malcolm did. Maybe he did break team rules? Maybe he did miss the plane? Maybe he did got caught with weed?
Who gives a shit? This isn't the NCAA where a championship can get vacated, even if he did commit a crime or something you gotta let him play. I don't care if he fucked Belichick's girlfriend in front of him, he has to play. At what point is ego and proving a point worth it? Apparently Belichick would rather lose a Super Bowl than give him, even if it's what's best for the football team. I just do not understand the rationale. As a coach it's your job to do everything you possibly can do to win, and Belichick did not do that last night. It's as simple as that. He left one in the chamber. Belichick essentially saw a house catch on fire and just stood there let it burn to the ground despite having a fully functioning hose with next to him. Even if he was getting benched for disciplinary reasons at some point you need to realize wining a Super Bowl is the most important thing. I'd love to know what the players in that locker-room had to say about this decision. Belichick has seemingly been out to get Butler all season. He dangled his name in trade talks multiple times, gave a huge contract to Stephon Gilmore instead of him, and has just not been appreciative to what he's meant to this organization at all. Malcolm Butler is why this team won Super Bowl 49. Brady was incredible that night, but w/o Butler making the play of the decade Seattle are Super Bowl 49 champions. Even if he did something worth a benching, at one point do you value discipline over what's best for the entire team? Stuff like this divides a locker room. Former Patriots corner back Brandon Browner was going off on Instragram about that very topic last night...and current (granted he's on the IR) Patriot linebacker Dont'a Hightower liked it.
I get it you want to prove a point and show how important discipline is, but this is not the fucking time. Plus they were going to let Butler go this off-season anyways, I think you can justify playing one of your best players in this game despite whatever he may have done then let him walk, don't even offer him a bullshit "no chance he accepts this, but we're just making a gesture" contract. What could he have possibly done that was bad enough to bench him but not bad enough to make him in-active for the game? Why even waste the roster spot with him?
Belichick's ego and arrogance cost the Patriots a Super Bowl. Plain and simple. It's not the first time either, the last 4 years have been great and I'm so happy we has Patriot fans have gotten to experience but all this in "Bill We Trust" and he can do no wrong narrative is simply not true. There have been multiple personnel mistakes that he's made that have costed this team the possibility of winning even more Super Bowls. He makes mistakes all the time, but benching Malcolm Butler and not giving him a single snap on defense is without a doubt the biggest. If he wasn't Bill Belichick and this was another city or a different team people would be calling for his job. To me allowing your defense to get torched all night when you have a fully capable former all-pro CB just sitting on the sidelines is inexcusable and a firable offense. This is the worst coaching decision in Boston history since Grady Little left Pedro in too long back in 03. I think it's arguably worse because at least that situation Grady was willing to die with arguably the greatest pitcher of his generation. Here Belichick benched the man who literally stole him a Super Bowl and had played at a pro-bowl caliber level during his time in New England just to flex on the team and show his authority. The Patriots defense was fucking atrocious last night, the personnel is a joke. The front 7 got literally no pressure on Foles all night and then you mix in a secondary with special teams guys playing in roles they never have before tbh they're lucky they gave up only 41 points. Malcolm Butler was one of the few bright spots on this defense, yet despite giving up huge yardage consistently throughout the game, they never put him in. We'll never know if the Patriots would've won with Malcolm Butler, but I sure as hell would've liked to see. Obviously Belichick has been a great coach for this franchise, and is probably the best of all time, but this move no matter the circumstances simply wasn't worth it. It potentially took the ring off of 53 men's finger and instead gave it to Philly trash who literally ate horse shit to celebrate.
Song: Last Resort Artist: Papa Roach Album: Infest Almost positive I've used this as a SOD b4 and I really try to not do that buttttt, I am not happy today after events that transpired last night that I am about to get to shortly so let's enjoy this classic song about killing yourself! |
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