Are you ready for some FOOTBALL - Playoff Edition

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by -Jrabbit
Pats didn't take care of the ball. Very uncharacteristic.
And hard to blame on injuries or the departure of Weiss and Crennell.

Which injuries were there in this playoff game? I thought that everyone was back and that was why the Pats were supposed to destroy the Broncoes (as everyone was saying).

[Koyaanisqatsi]

They still had a bunch of people on IR, including six DBs. That wasn't the problem, though, they just had a bad game and couldn't hold on to the ball for some reason. They always play badly in Denver.

I don't mind the loss that much given the success they've had lately, though I am kind of annoyed about how they lost. They just seemed to come apart once the bad calls started to go against them, which they haven't done in the past. Now, admittedly, they were some really bad calls, but if the refs were gift wrapping the game for the Broncos then the Pats were certainly helping them do it.

[-Jrabbit]

Sava, I hope you have The Shirt ready...

[Jaguar]

I didn't want the Pats to lose, and I don't think they should have, but it's nice to have the Pats fans shut up for once.

[Zopperoni]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
Which injuries were there in this playoff game?

Rodney Harrison as most notable one.

I'm not surprised about the outcome although I thought the scoreline would be a lot closer. The Bailey INT at 6-10 was a huge blow.

Still I'm not disappointed. A lot of teams would not have reached this stage under the same circumstances.

[Jaguar]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10824976/

INDIANAPOLIS - Joey Porter can talk all he wants, but the Indianapolis Colts aren’t about to get into a shouting match with the Pittsburgh linebacker.

On Wednesday, Porter criticized the Colts for playing “soft” in their first meeting this season and challenged them to play smash-mouth football in Sunday’s divisional playoff game. On Thursday, Colts players responded quietly, letting the usually stoic Tony Dungy handle it.

“I’m going to have to go back and watch the tape again after what Joey Porter said because I guess I didn’t see it the same way he did,” Dungy said Thursday as he held a yellow videotape in his hand. “But I don’t think you can beat Pittsburgh without being a tough team.”

Porter enjoys jousting with opponents.

In 2004, he was actually ejected before a game against Cleveland when he and Browns running back William Green started throwing punches in warmups. When the Steelers visited Indy in November, Porter apparently taunted Colts players in warmups, too — something the Colts later cited as motivation in their 26-7 rout.

This time, Porter started sparring even earlier. He criticized the Colts for relying on trickery to win games rather than slugging it out and called Edgerrin James’ 124-yard performance in November a “cheap 100.” It was the first time the Steelers allowed a runner to top 100 yards in 23 games.

“They don’t want to just sit there, line up and play football,” Porter told The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “They want to try to catch you off guard. They don’t want to play smash-mouth football, they want to trick you. ... They want to catch you substituting. Know what I mean? They don’t want to just call a play, get up there and run a play. They want to make you think. They want it to be a thinking game instead of a football game.”

What a ****ing moron.

[reismark]

Originally posted by Koyaanisqatsi
I don't mind the loss that much given the success they've had lately, though I am kind of annoyed about how they lost. They just seemed to come apart once the bad calls started to go against them, which they haven't done in the past. Now, admittedly, they were some really bad calls, but if the refs were gift wrapping the game for the Broncos then the Pats were certainly helping them do it.

It was pretty clear at the end of the first half that the refs *were* gift-wrapping the game for the Broncos, as if they make the right calls in the key situations (calling pass interference on LELIE rather than Samuel for blatantly pushing off, and calling that missed false start on the field goal, which would've put them out of range), that halftime score would've been very different (namely, Patriots 3, Broncos 0). But I agree that the Patriots' poor play last night is as much to blame for the loss as the refs are.

[Jaguar]

The refs were terrible, but ultimately the Patriots dropped the ball, literally and figuratively.

[Koyaanisqatsi]

Originally posted by reismark
It was pretty clear at the end of the first half that the refs *were* gift-wrapping the game for the Broncos, as if they make the right calls in the key situations (calling pass interference on LELIE rather than Samuel for blatantly pushing off, and calling that missed false start on the field goal, which would've put them out of range), that halftime score would've been very different (namely, Patriots 3, Broncos 0).

To tell you the truth, as bad as those were, I was more upset by the call on the Bailey fumble. Bailey was knocked through the pylon, and the ball was thrown forward from his hand--I'm not sure how they say the ball didn't go through the end zone. If nothing else, they had the chance to make up for screwing Asante at the end of the first half and didn't take it (I don't like 'make up' calls, but given how often they happen, I'd think it would have happened there...)

Ben Watson is my new hero, though. How does a 253lb TE run down Champ Bailey coming from across the field? Bailey may have slowed down because he was gassed at the end, but Watson ran a lot further and a lot faster and still made the play.

[reismark]

I agree, Koyaanisqatsi - in all likely, Bailey did fumble the ball through the end zone (and he would've deserved it too - keep pushing until the end!). Unfortunately, the refs were correct in not reversing the call according to the replay rules - there was nothing definitive in any of the views that were shown that clearly depicted such a trajectory, and that's the standard for an overturn - irrefutable visual evidence. Sometimes all we can do is wish that the refs would've gotten the call right in the first place.

[Koyaanisqatsi]

Yeah, I know the replay wasn't enough, but the initial call should have been made differently.

Speaking of that though, how does the rule work? Announcers are always trotting out the bit about the goal line extending out of bounds, but does that not apply for the purposes of a fumble?

[Tuberski]

Originally posted by Kalius
Hunter Smith releases his first single

http://www.bobandtom.com/av/Hunter_The_Punter.mp3

OMG! INDY HAS ANOTHER RON ARTEST! ANOTHER PLAYER MORE INTERESTED IN HIS PERSONAL MUSIC CAREER THAN PLAYING! OMG NO!!!!!

Most Accurate Holder!



Great song. Wish I had Bob and Tom down here.

ACK!

[Sava]

Originally posted by -Jrabbit
Sava, I hope you have The Shirt ready...

but I have a dilemma... my dad bought me a new one...

SHOULD I WEAR THE OLD ONE OR THE NEW ONE???

[Jaguar]

OLD SHIRT OLD SHIRT

[Ming]

Old Shirt...

Well, two great games today. The Indy game will be a nice appetizer until the main event later today.

da BEARS!