Sorry Fenway think the Seahawks have that sense of invincibility with their escape win against GB.
For the record, no rooting interest for either being a Chicago Raiders fan. LOL!
I will however, be rooting convienently for my square numbers to hit
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Niether?
I have not interest in either of these teams. So I will go with the NFC and root for the Hawks. Plus being from Ohio, how can I root for a Michigan boy. 
Sorry Fenway think the Seahawks have that sense of invincibility with their escape win against GB.
For the record, no rooting interest for either being a Chicago Raiders fan. LOL!
I will however, be rooting convienently for my square numbers to hit
If you go through the history of Super Bowls, more are routs than close games. The "point spread" rarely comes into play--pick the winner, you win. So you ask yourself, which team is more likely to win by a huge margin over the team? In this case that answer is the Patriots.
Don't care about either team. As my kid is a Sparty I need to root against the guy from Ann Arbor so I guess its the Seahawks. Have a tough time with that as I can't stand a few of the Seahawk players.
I've been a Pats fan my whole life even when they sucked...and they sucked bad when I was a kid. Not so much in recent history. In my lifetime, I never thought the Pats would win a Super Bowl before the Red Sox won a World Series. The real betting action will be on how many Woodford Reserve bourbons I drink on Sunday during the game. I'm going to be on edge the whole game after watching what the Seahawks did to Green Bay. I'll take the Pats by a whisker.
but.....
I'm a huge Russell Wilson fan. He is from my hometown, and I've been following his college and Pro career. Great kid and role model. I want the Pats to win, but Russell Wilson to have an unbelievable game. Pats 21-20.
I've been a Pats fan my whole life even when they sucked...and they sucked bad when I was a kid. Not so much in recent history. In my lifetime, I never thought the Pats would win a Super Bowl before the Red Sox won a World Series. The real betting action will be on how many Woodford Reserve bourbons I drink on Sunday during the game. I'm going to be on edge the whole game after watching what the Seahawks did to Green Bay. I'll take the Pats by a whisker.
but.....
I'm a huge Russell Wilson fan. He is from my hometown, and I've been following his college and Pro career. Great kid and role model. I want the Pats to win, but Russell Wilson to have an unbelievable game. Pats 21-20.
Oh the Good old days when the Pats had this guy on their helmet.
When I was a kid the Patriots did worse than suck. They were a joke. We used to sneak into games at Harvard and BC. It was easy. The Patriots probably told security to let us sneak in so there would be fans in the seats. I was at the snowball game against the Vikings at Harvard. My biggest memory as a kid was a pregnant lady beating the piss out of a (guessing) twelve year old over a ball on an extra point. This was before end zone nets. My two biggest football memories were Carl Garrett running for 41 yards on 3rd and 38 and Plunkett to Vataha for 88 yards and a TD to beat the Baltimore Colts. Schaeffer Stadium was a joke. It was the world's biggest high school stadium. It was 60,000 bleacher seats.
Now as for the game Sunday. This is a very evenly matched game. I wouldn't bet any more than I was willing to accept losing. The game could very well be decided by a field goal. Worst case, one team will be ahead by ten points late in the game and maybe get another closing touchdown after one team goes for it in their own territory.
For the Patriots, their offensive line has to hold up. Stork's health could be a key to this game. For the Seahawks they have to be careful they don't get beat to death on short slants. I expect Brady to get hit more than often but get the passes off. It will be interesting to see how the Patriots rush Wilson. Where he excels is when he creates more time than usual with his legs.
Patriots deflate the Seahawks 27-24. If I was a Seahawks fan I would probably see it the other way.
Greatest thing about the superbowl is football season is over and the light is at the end of the tunnel.
20 DAYS TO PITCHERS AND CATCHERS!!!
I'll give my waning enthusiasm to Seahawks.
The Pats are wicked pissa so there is no doubt in my Massachusetts mind that they will win by 10. And I have something to confess, I'm the locker room guy!! 34-24 XLIX Champs, now we can call them a dynasty.
....... My two biggest football memories were Carl Garrett running for 41 yards on 3rd and 38 and Plunkett to Vataha for 88 yards and a TD to beat the Baltimore Colts. Schaeffer Stadium was a joke. It was the world's biggest high school stadium. It was 60,000 bleacher seats.
Ah yes RJM....that was the Patriots "golden age of suck".
My greatest childhood Pats memory was turning the corner at a Stop and Shop grocery store to literally run into John Hannah. He was freaking huge. Of course he seemed bigger to me as a 10 year, but was the size of a Volkswagen. Conversely, I remember the crowd going crazy at games when "Mini" Mack Herron would return punts or kickoffs because that was about all the Patriots had to cheer about in those days and the only way they were going to score. He was tiny and quick as a flea.
Before I answer this, can someone please tell me the p.s.i. in each team's footballs?
When Herron was on the Patriots they were starting to get good in the 70s. Chuck Fairbanks had taken over as Coach/GM. In addition to Herron they had Sam (Bam) Cunningham, Andy Johnson and Don Calhoun. The Tuck call with Brady versus the Raiders was karma for the phantom roughing the passer call on Ray Hamilton against Kenny Stabler in 1976.
ESPN: Worst calls in sports history - dishonorable mention
With the Patriots up by three points in final two minutes, referee Ben Dreith calls roughing the passer on New England's Sugar Bear Hamilton after he hits Oakland QB Ken Stabler in 1976 NFL playoffs. Raiders go on to score a touchdown in the final minute to win 21-17, and go on to win the Super Bowl.
Before I answer this, can someone please tell me the p.s.i. in each team's footballs?
New tv show next season ... PSI: Foxborough
LOL!!! Now, that's funny!
..........just run the ball. You have the best running back in the game and you have the best running quarterback in the game. Just run the ball.
One timeout with that much time you can get three plays. Run a play, call timeout and in the timeout call two plays. Spread the field to get people out of the box and then run the zone read. This gives you two options to run the ball one each play.
If for whatever reason that you think passing the ball makes sense and you want to run a pick play then have the slot and wide out cross with the slot running a corner route. Yes it takes more time but you either get the TD or overthrow it so it falls incomplete. Throwing over the middle creates too many problems - jumped route (like what happened) or deflected ball gets intercepted because that's where all the defense is playing.
RJM - did you have inside information? 10 point differential? 27-24 final - that's a prediction worthy of perhaps buying some lottery tickets this week - heck you never know!
Absolutely shocked that Seahawks didn't run Lynch... As a Pats fan I certainly felt - oh here we go again with that catch on the sideline... But Seattle mismanaged the final 2 minutes. Forced to take a timeout with just under 2 minutes when they couldn't change to a different play once Wilson saw the D... That's a timeout they probably could have used with a 2nd and goal from the 1. The reason for the pass on that play - they were using it as an extra timeout *if* the ball wasn't caught, then they go to Lynch on 3rd and 4th, but you have to *get there* first. As the Seahawks got the ball with 2 minutes left I said to those around me - this reminds me of Titans/Rams SB XXXIV where the receiver was literally 1 yard short of the goal line, stretching his arm out trying to reach it as time expire. I said either the Seahawks were going to come up short by 1 yard or score from 1 yard out with Lynch.
It's like a baseball coach of a #1 seed not throwing his #1 in the first round of the playoffs... Gotta go with your best option sometimes.
I guarantee you that if Belichick had Marshawn Lynch in his backfield he would have run the ball. No doubt in mind whatsoever. Seattle screwed the pooch.
Pete Carroll - he annoys me for a lot of reasons. His job should be thinking for his team the whole time what he is going to be doing in the final minutes to win the game. Yet, as best I can tell, the guy spent the whole game mugging for the cameras (as he always seems to do). Can't even let his quarterback run onto field each series - he has to get five yards out ahead of him to "consult" for all the world to see. It seems so obvious - run the ball. Had to be "cute" and they got burned. Hubris will do that to you. His explanation after the game was ludicrous. Said they were trying to waste a play????
I guarantee you that if Belichick had Marshawn Lynch in his backfield he would have run the ball. No doubt in mind whatsoever. Seattle screwed the pooch.
Agree. I don't get calling a pass play. Even if NE is stacked to stop the run. Go manno to manno and give the ball to Lynch or at least run the read option or use Lynch as a fake up the middle and let Wilson roll out to pass or run for the score. If Lynch or Wilson doesn't make it, you burn the timeout and still have two chances to win. That slant play was just too risky.
Not a fan of either team, but overall it was a good game. Didn't really care who won.
CD - Carroll has always mugged for the camera - even when he coached college.
I don't think the thought process was that crazy. Pass on 2nd down. If it works great if not you are at 3rd down That gives you 2 cracks with Lynch and that timeout.
He was playing the 3 plays instead of 2 odds. He did a lousy job of explaining it and I wouldn't have messed with the pass. Running with either Wilson or Lynch was probably the winning play.
But don't forget Carroll laid the foundation of the Patriots that Belichek won with, did a monster job at So Cal and took a franchise with very little history and made it one of the powers in the league over the last 20 years.
If you want to ding the style points because he is not Tom Landry - OK. But there is no denying that if you want to be in the hunt - he is going to be that guy for you. The Browns, Jags, Lions or maybe 15-20 other teams would take him in a heartbeat if they could get him.
Didn't have a dog in the race, but still ended up on my knees whimpering. Only needed a Seattle TD in that last drive (+ extra point) to clear $500 in a local pool. Arghhh!
Viewpoint from Seattle, "...worst call in Super Bowl history":
Actually the worse call was going for the TD before the Half. But because it worked..he is "gutsy" or "genius" there. That was a "game-changer"...gives Seattle the momentum after getting outplayed majority of the 1st half.
Two hours latter he is the biggest bum of all time...FOR DOING THE SAME THING.
If it had gone in reverse and Seattle gets nothing at the end of the first half...the last drive is window dressing because Seattle is down 11.
I guess you have to decide if you want your stupid with a gutsy, genius wrapper.... or not.
Well if you're talking worst call... Gotta hand that one to Collinsworth who's blathering about Matthews (Seattle #13) being the MVP of the game before the Patriots of course scored 14... I wish we could get a "national" color guy who wasn't so unabashedly anti New England (or one team for that matter). Just "do your job" and be a professional.
Carroll just snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, but I do agree that call at the end of the first half was "gutsy", but we also know 2 plays could easily be run in 6 seconds, so to me a bullet pass to the edge is a whole lot better odds than a snap pass in traffic where *anything* could (and did) happen.
I agree with your point. With six seconds you have the chance to kick the FG on a quick incomplete. But if anything goes wrong, tip, bad snap, bobbled snap or a pick he gets nothing and with no TO no room for error.
My point is that everyone focuses on the last few plays but everything leading up to that matters.
Crazy stuff like Brady's first pick resulting in the injury of the CB that the Pats then were able to pick at the replacement rest of the game. Stopping Lynch on 3rd and 1 on the 5 in the 3rd Quarter so the game was not a tie at the end so a field goal would win. Each of these plays changes the game as much as a unheard of guy making a great play to intercept a pass at the end does.
As for Collingsworth I think he is OK. I liked Madden better because Madden understood better than anyone before or since that the game should be fun. Everything he did or said was not end of the world serious. Most importantly - even though he knew his stuff and everyone knew it - he didn't take himself that seriously. It is why he is the best that ever did it in any sport IMO. Tough act to follow at any rate.
Collinsworth annoys the heck out of me. But maybe thats cause I grew up in Cincinnati? 
Well if you're talking worst call... Gotta hand that one to Collinsworth who's blathering about Matthews (Seattle #13) being the MVP of the game before the Patriots of course scored 14... I wish we could get a "national" color guy who wasn't so unabashedly anti New England (or one team for that matter). Just "do your job" and be a professional.
Carroll just snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, but I do agree that call at the end of the first half was "gutsy", but we also know 2 plays could easily be run in 6 seconds, so to me a bullet pass to the edge is a whole lot better odds than a snap pass in traffic where *anything* could (and did) happen.
Yeah, I would have wanted a pass to the sideline, not in the middle.
It was one of those plays where if it worked, Carroll is a genius. When it doesn't, he's a goat.
I don't think the thought process was that crazy. Pass on 2nd down. If it works great if not you are at 3rd down That gives you 2 cracks with Lynch and that timeout.
He was playing the 3 plays instead of 2 odds. He did a lousy job of explaining it and I wouldn't have messed with the pass. Running with either Wilson or Lynch was probably the winning play.
But don't forget Carroll laid the foundation of the Patriots that Belichek won with, did a monster job at So Cal and took a franchise with very little history and made it one of the powers in the league over the last 20 years.
If you want to ding the style points because he is not Tom Landry - OK. But there is no denying that if you want to be in the hunt - he is going to be that guy for you. The Browns, Jags, Lions or maybe 15-20 other teams would take him in a heartbeat if they could get him.
Carroll didn't lay the foundation for Belichick. Parcells laid the foundation. Carroll didn't win. He was out.
Pete Carroll isn't coaching in Seattle because he wanted to return to the pros. He's in Seattle because he got USC on probation then ran away. He's a coward. If he was a man he would have stayed through the probation and righted the ship. But without the post season there was no glory for him. Without tv appearances there was no camera to mug for.
There's a saying players win games and coaches lose them. Players make plays. Coaches make mistakes. Yesterday was a perfect example of trying to outsmart the opposition rather than going with your strength. There was a good article on this in the Boston Herald today.
"Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell decided at that point to turn a fifth grade science project into The Manhattan Project."
An Epic Bad Call by Seahawks Aided Patriots
Actually the worse call was going for the TD before the Half. But because it worked..he is "gutsy" or "genius" there. That was a "game-changer"...gives Seattle the momentum after getting outplayed majority of the 1st half.
Two hours latter he is the biggest bum of all time...FOR DOING THE SAME THING.
If it had gone in reverse and Seattle gets nothing at the end of the first half...the last drive is window dressing because Seattle is down 11.
I guess you have to decide if you want your stupid with a gutsy, genius wrapper.... or not.
The first half call would have only been a risk had Wilson been sacked. There were two seconds on the clock after the touchdown.
Malcolm Butler is now part of Boston sports lore with Havicek, Orr, Fisk, Henderson and even Dave Roberts (over one stolen base).
Butler stoled the ball. It's all over! It's all over!
I've been reading people blaming Wilson because he threw the pass but it's none of his fault. He actually made a great pass. He put the ball where the receiver would have been. Butler just jumped the route so well there was no chance the receiver could get there.
I wonder what the repercussions would be if Wilson would have changed the play to a run on his own? Would anybody have admitted to it?
Actually the worse call was going for the TD before the Half. But because it worked..he is "gutsy" or "genius" there. That was a "game-changer"...gives Seattle the momentum after getting outplayed majority of the 1st half.
<That TD right before the half was certainly a "game changer" for me. I had NE 4 SEAT 4.. Nice "repeat of those #s in 3rd Quarter too>
Interesting information and opinions on the pass call and interception ...
- Lynch was 1-5 scoring this year in carries from the one.
- Lynch has fumbled twelve times in the past three years. Three were on carries from the one.
- Zero passes from the one were intercepted this year.
- Kearse set a horrible pick on Butler.
- Lockette wasn't aggressive to the ball to at least cause an incomplete pass.
- Butler sold out on one guess, was more aggressive than Lockette and he was right.
Why people hate Boston teams and their fans ...
NY can have their ticker tape parade through the Wall St canyon.
Nothing beats a Duck Boat Parade. Our family was there for the 2004 parade and it really was one of the loudest outdoor events I can remember.... When we woke the boys up at 6AM to go to Boston they were very unhappy, but they didn't want to leave when the parade ended. Then when they saw their picture in Johnny Damon's book standing in the crowd - well it's something they'll never forget. It truly was a in your lifetime type experience.
Malcolm Butler is now part of Boston sports lore with Havicek, Orr, Fisk, Henderson and even Dave Roberts (over one stolen base).
Butler stoled the ball. It's all over! It's all over!
RJM,
Don't forget when Bird stole the inbounds pass from Isiah (and passed to DJ on the cut to the basket) in the NBA Finals. OMG, it is great to hear Johnny Most on the call.
I think passing in that situation was genius,but I'm a pats fan and won the final score in the pool. No regrets.
Malcolm Butler is now part of Boston sports lore with Havicek, Orr, Fisk, Henderson and even Dave Roberts (over one stolen base).
Butler stoled the ball. It's all over! It's all over!
RJM,
Don't forget when Bird stole the inbounds pass from Isiah (and passed to DJ on the cut to the basket) in the NBA Finals. OMG, it is great to hear Johnny Most on the call.
I agree with you. But it doesn't seem to be in the memory of the average fan and sports lore. The guy who got the short end of the history stick is Bernie Carbo. Without his three run homer to dead center there's no Fisk homer.
