Give the Patriots their Due!

schwarcw

Great team, great season, some phenomenal players, coach, well I'll not get into the cheating thing, but he is a very good coach. Best team ever?? Don't think so. I hate coming off like a die hard Steeler fan, most of my family is in Boston, but I've grown to love the Steelers over the years. Brady had had a much better year or career than Bradshaw ever dreamed about. But ponder some other events of the Steeler "dynasty' (four Super bowl wins in 6 years)

I hate to sound like the old timer that I am. But 32 years ago, some rule changes happened in pro football that forever changed the game. Some of our good Polkies like Bagged Lancer, Audiobliss, Nadams and others may have been still in the womb.

The reason for the rule changes??? The Pittsburgh Steelers. Three major rule changes went into effect in 1977 because the NFL Competition committee proposed changes during the Winter meetings that were unanimously approved by the the 27 team. (the Steeler objected). The following was changed:

1. No more head slap. Steelers LC Greenwood and Joe Greene could stun offensive lineman (the white flash in the head) just enough to get into the backfield to stuff the running back or sack the quarterback. They were masters at it, fake with one hand and then come with the other. Both these men were 6'5" (275 Greene) to 6' 8", 260 (Greenwood) at a time when most offensive lineman were around 245 - 250 lbs. Large for their day, but small in comparison to todays players. Fred Dean was also a master at this.

2. One bump rule Defensive backs could only bump once within the first five yards. Pre 1977 Steeler DBs continuously accosted receivers down the sidelines knocking them on their **** out of the field of play. There goes the passing game.

3. Blocking Offensive lineman were now permitted to move their elbows and arms out beyond their shoulders, effectively allowing a "hook' or hold.

Sure, other teams used these same tactics, they were not nearly as effective. The Steeler had perfected the teaching of these skills and recruited players who were good at them.

Why did this happen? In 1976 Terry Bradshaw missed 9 consecutive games games with a concussion (remember Turkey Jones, Tour?), The Steelers won 9 straight, six by shutout, allowing less than 150 total offensive yards per game. No team has even come close to this level of performance in more than 30 years. Owners were concerned that the Steelers had found an "unfair" advantage in their tactics they and rules needed to be changed.

I doubt there will be any rule changes in 2008. Only some Congressional hearings into "potential" cheating by some NFL teams.

The Pats have won three Super Bowls in a game that the players have become bigger, faster, stronger and smarter. I'll still take the '76 Steelers.

vonnie123

Steelers of that era didn't have near as good of video equipment either! Even though I am not a Eli Manning or Giants fan, it was nice to see the PATS come up short. The Giants executed when they had to, and made it count when they needed it most.

BaggedLancer

In 1977 I was still an accident waiting to happen......

bobman1235

Two words - free agency.

It's nearly impossible to actually compare the feats of teams from different eras. We have this ... NEED to qualify everything and RANK everything, who knows who was best? There's no way to know, and there's no way we're ever really going to know. We can count Super Bowls (in which case all the 4-SB dynasties are "winning" since the Pats blew it this year), but once we tie that, what do we do? We seem to just revert to nostalgia, and whoever the dynasty was when you were younger is the one you believe is the best. 70's Steelers, 80's Niners, 90's Cowboys. Pick some random criteria like "my team could punch people in the head really well" and then don't budge on your opinion.

What's impressive about the Patriots is they're keeping a strong team together during a salary cap era, when most teams struggle to keep more than their core players. Only the Cowboys really had a dynasty during that era, and it was still fledgling at that point.

We'll never know when we see a team that is the "best ever" because it's not something you can really rationally judge, but you have to recognize when a team does something impressive, and something only one other team has ever done (maintain a championship-caliber team over a 5- or 6- year span in the salary cap era).

engtaz

I am a fan of the GM. Probably or actually the best in the business.


engtaz
Go Buccanners

RuSsMaN

F the Patriots.

tonyb

BaggedLancer wrote: »

In 1977 I was still an accident waiting to happen......

....and you still are.:D

schwarcw

The point of my post was not who's dynasty was the best or which team was the best etc. I doubt the '76 Steelers could beat the Pats, 49er's or even the 2007 Dolphins. The game has changed so much. Much of the changes came to be because of the '76 Steelers. Who by the way, didn't win the '76 Super Bowl, they lost the AFC championship to Oakland. Both of their 1,000 yd runners (Harris and Bleier) had injuries,

The point was that they were so good at that time, all the other teams in the league petitioned Pete Rozelle to change the rules in order to neutralize the Steelers. No one is trying to change the rules becuae of the way the pat's play. Most want the Pat's to play by the rules, which is something they've proven to bend a little.

The one thing we have learned about dynasties like the Packers, Steelers, 49er's, and the Cowboy's is that they always end. I'll even put the Buffalo Bills in there. They never won the big one, but they went to four straight Super Bowls, quite a feat in it's own right. Dynasties always end, it's never a sudden decline, but a painfully slow death. Sunday may have been the beginning of the end for the Pats.

shack

The Pats had an excellent season.

Bottom line...they finished....

18 and DOH!

schwarcw

The 1985 Chicago Bears and the 1984 San Francisco 49er's were both 18-1, and won the Super Bowl.

tbyrne

They got their due all year while they were running up the score on a bunch of weak-sistered teams. Now the Giants get their due.

shack

schwarcw wrote: »

The 1985 Chicago Bears and the 1984 San Francisco 49er's were both 18-1, and won the Super Bowl.

One big difference. The "1" didn't happen on the last game.

Sami

shack wrote: »

One big difference. The "1" didn't happen on the last game.

Yep, and that's why they have a championship to show for it. Quite a bigger accomplishment than the Pats run.

reeltrouble1

schwarcw wrote: »

The 1985 Chicago Bears and the 1984 San Francisco 49er's were both 18-1, and won the Super Bowl.

Go Bears.

RT1

Demiurge

Give the Patriots their Due!

They left their "Due" on the field in the form of a big steaming ****.

Flush'em.

PhantomOG

I just love the whole prediction and Tom Brady laughing about only scoring 17 points.... too funny!

jflail2

You might want a second slice Bill...

AsSiMiLaTeD

By default, I tend to do / think / like the opposite of what the majority around me does. That probably explains what I've always hated the Cowboys and been a 49ers fan, living in Dallas my entire life. That's snobbish, but that discussion is for another time...

So, if enough people continue bagging on the Patriots I'll probably end up rooting for them next year. I still think Belichick is an ****, but the players I think handled the loss with class and i actually have more respect for Brady now than before the game.

dorokusai

The dynasty is over, screw them.

Go Steelers!

polktiger

Aside from the me being a Steelers fan and have an ethical obligation to dislike the Pats. Since I live in SC, I really have no Pats fans around me, but my dislike for the Pats has really grown over the last couple years, and I simply call it the "Duke Syndrome."

Every year Duke and Coach K are shoved down our throats by the likes of Dicky V and ESPN as what is good any holy in college basketball. The constant badgering gets old, and I look for Duke to lose just to momentarily shut up the media. In player quotes I even get the impression that Duke players really think they are as great as they are made out to be.

I get the same thing with the Pats. All season it is Pats, Pats, Pats. Over the last couple years, the Pats have been the gold standard. Pats are great. Bill is in the discussion of greatest coaches of all time. Blah, Blah Blah. Then I hear about the 19-0 book deals, trademarking 19-0, inviting Giants players to the celebration parties, etc. I am glad the lost. I am not a giants fan, obviously, and I have no reason to really hate the Pats, but the media love affair with them has me dispising them. Unrational, sure. Immature, sure. The truth, yes.

auto_pilot

The Patriots had a great season...one for the ages. However, I think losing the Ravens game would have done them some good. It would have lowered the expectations, and such. And given the Pats a better perspective on the their end goal...winning the Superbowl. They looked very beatable in the playoffs and the final games of the season.

I'm just suprised they didn't make the 2nd half adjustments they are famous for making when the chips are on the table and the game is on the line...I mean no max protect to stop the rush???

IMHO...they fell victim to something they normally don't do...HUBRIS.

TroyD

You know, all this talk about the Pats....look at where it's coming from. It ain't from the coach or any of the players. The media blathers on and on about them and yet people get pissed about the media saturation of all Pats all the time.

Have you guys really ever HEARD Belichick or the Patriots ever say anything really outrageous or self serving? Probably the most self serving comment I've heard all year was when Brady said something about NY holding them to 17 points (which, at the time, had a lot of merit since nobody had done it).

Yeah, I get it, lots of people are happy the Pats lost...however, on the other side of the coin, I don't see a lot of gracious winning going on, either.

BDT

tx_polkhead

I have heard that the spygate charges will pale in comparison to the charges that will come when the video/media coordinator form previous seasons finally gets a chance to speak. We live in a time that we laugh off cheating, with it's only cheating if you get caught, or if your not cheating your not trying hard enough... Karma gets the last laugh. lights the match and walks away whistling...

GaryZ06

Bottom line....The one and ONLY....1972 Miami Dolphins

obieone

NOT trying to discount what the Giants did but...
Y'all want to know WHY the Pat's lost?.....Because Belicheck's 'Kool-aid' wore off due to the media! I heard he completely went BALISTIC during one of the practices this week, because the team didn't seem to be taking it that seriously.
I don't make any predictions, but, come next season he's probaly gonna be showing that SB game EVERY week.
BTW, I am a Pats fan but, IMHO, their record was 17-2. They beat the Ravens on PAPER ONLY!

tbyrne

The only downside to the Patriots loss is that the '72 Dolphins will continue to believe they were the greatest team ever.:rolleyes:

GaryZ06

tbyrne wrote: »

The only downside to the Patriots loss is that the '72 Dolphins will continue to believe they were the greatest team ever.:rolleyes:

The greatest team or not they are the ONLY undefeated team in NFL history....plain and simple

tommyboy

Even if the patriots defense would have stopped Eli in their final drive and won the super bowl, I still wouldn't pick them as the best single season team ever. The 1985 bears would still be my tops. Yes, they lost one (meaningless) game, but when it count, they dominated. Hell, look at their 3 playoff games that year. Only 10 points allowed and two shutouts. Can't get much better than that.