Sisyphean Bills

So, your position is it was a smart call because it could've been a different call altogether? As far as execution, Seattle was blowing the Patriots off the line of scrimmage. Add that the refs were letting all but the most flagrant things go, and you just have the line clutch and grab and watch either Marshawn or Wilson score. Winning the game, they look pretty smart too.

It's horrific because of the situation. The one thing you absolutely cannot afford is an interception. It simply cannot happen. There is aggressive calls and then there are stupid calls. This wasn't aggressive. It was stupid. It flushed a season's worth of hard work down the toilet.

Phil Jackson laments letting Kobe take final shot in 7th game of Finals. Drew up the 3-pointer for Ilunga-Mbenga instead. No one read ever.

I wonder what the success rate of running a rub and slant play to a 90# WR was against a defense expecting it. (Edit: I found he's listed at a generous 211#.)

Bevell needs to go back and look at the tape. "The look we wanted" had Butler lined up such that the rub Kearse tried to develop never happened. Knowing what was coming, Butler got a phenomenal jump on the route and blow up the receiver at the spot. And caught the ball as well. Lockette is not Gronkowski. He's not going to pancake anyone there. You're not going to get a flag in the Super Bowl either. Horrific call any way you look at it.

With the entire season on the line, trying to jam the ball into a dixie cup sized window to a string-bean WR just doesn't make sense. (Lockette is not Gronk.) Throw it to the flat or a high fade in the corner if you think you have to throw it. They had downs and time. It's ridiculous to put the entire season of hard work up for grabs. You lose the ball there, you lose, deserve to lose, and people inside and outside the build lose confidence in your ability to make intelligent decisions. Also, yes, it was clear from the way it developed that the Patriots* had seen that play before and were totally prepared to defend it. Wilson could've maybe put the ball a little more behind the WR, perhaps, but the guy was going to be blown up, no question. Should never have taken the ball out of their best player's hands. It was a stupid call.

It looked like he got his bell rung to me. But then he was gimping around and they said his hip was messed up. Could've been both. (Everything they do for a long while will be under a black cloud of cheating. Goodell must be so proud of himself.) Speaking of Collinsworth. Was he hitting the sauce in the pre-game? Some of the technical details he threw out there were really ridiculous. I mean, I'm ok if he wants to call some contact incidental or hand-fighting, but to pretend there was no contact at all by simply declaring "nothing to see here" as you are watching the guys push each other in the replay ... that's just goofy.

The Patriots go above and beyond to follow all the rules. This is well understood by everyone living in New England.

It's actually not complicated. The two guys on the end of the line are eligible, the rest are not. You must have 7 guys on the LOS. The Mickey Mouse stuff the Patriots pulled in the previous games involved the numbers being worn by the players lined up in eligible and ineligible positions. Edelman wears an eligible number, so it is totally fine for him to be eligible.

Beats me. That's what I see too. And the ball is sitting on the 5 yard line at the snap.

I watched the scoring play on nfl.com and amnot sure what you guys are talking about. The Patriots had a TE on the right side of the formation and LaFell lined up as the split end on the left. They had 2 flankers lined up inside LaFell also on the left. Are you saying Edelman reported as ineligible? Trips left is not unusual or illegal. That class of formation was used thousands of times this past season by every team in the NFL.

No. LaFell covered the LT. The formation was legal.

Pete Carroll almost has to fire him. It was clear the team was in full-on mutiny at the end.

So does Darrell "Moron" Bevell.

Stupid.

All you need is a QB and a little Windex.

The refs just need to slow the Patriots down and make sure they themselves know who is eligible and ineligible from one play to the next. Letting the Patriots do whatever they want on an "honor system" and as fast as they want to do it can be against the letter and the spirit of the rules, respectively.

What? Do people really think the Seahawks are mad he doesn't want to talk to the media? What are they going to cut him before the Super Bowl or something? Because he didn't thoughtfully answer "What planet would you like to live on?" Actually, the guy is a leader and highly liked in his locker room. In fact, his kiss-off routine to the NFL could be said to be brilliant. It plants an "Us versus The World" mindset with his team. Something that they have a chance to ride to a second straight championship in the era of one-in-a-rows.

Why not wait until after the draft? They can take away draft picks that don't make the team as a plausible punishment.

I'm not sure they've interviewed enough ball boys yet. There are probably retired former ball boys from NFL Europe on the input radar.

I'd want to disrupt the timing though so Brady can't just turn and throw. Make him pat the ball behind a 3 or 4 man line and see if the ref throws a flag for tucking him into the turf.

I can't believe you guys don't buy the "lone wolf ball boy" story.

Well, he does have a Snickers commercial.

Not saying it was or wasn't, but Blount can only deny it. Not to protect the Cheatriots, but to give himself any hope of having an NFL career anywhere should Belicheat let him go again.

Makes sense. Wouldn't want anybody inflating them or something.