Man, this one is hard to take

[ice2145]

I dislike the Patriots as much as anyone. I'm not happy with what happened. However, I refuse to let myself get angry. I'd say I'm more disappointed than angry. As a football fan, it is really difficult not to give the whole Patriot organization its props. Brady is a GOAT and without a doubt the best QB I have ever seen. Belicheck is an amazing coach and no one is even close to him. The Falcons blew it but the Patriots still had to deliver and finish. Was there any doubt Brady would lead his team to the game trying TD. Answer is no...I don't hate the Patriots players. It's the Patriot fans I have a hard time with. Nevertheless, we are witnessing a dynasty with one of the all time great QB and coach. I feel incredibly envious...

[CSBill]

I might be done. I'll still keep my seasons and go to a couple games but for whatever reason this one is hurting me bad. Hopefully it wears off by the schedule release and this is an afterthought but !@#$ing a... it was a bad year of football capped by what's going to lead to a 6 month puke fest from the media. Is it really worth 5+ grand a year and a lot of time and frustration? I dunno, this just plain sucks

 

No, we might as well admit we are watching the greatest of all time, and we can't beat it, so enjoy it.

It's relevant because prices went down because pats were back. People want to see other teams compete. And you are right, I'm never paying that kind of $ to go to a super bowl

 

The prices were driven up by the luniticCowboy fans, the game was in Houston, not that far from Cowboy nation. As someone who had no rooting interest, it was an incredibly fun game to watch. When they scored and made it 28-9, I said out loud, watch them come back.

[Wayne Arnold]

I wasn't exactly rooting for the Patriots. But I also wasn't upset that they won. At least the list of Super Bowl champions doesn't get bigger while the Bills remain absent from it.

 

But I do feel bad for Falcons fans. They had their hearts ripped out last night. Painful.

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

I wasn't exactly rooting for the Patriots. But I also wasn't upset that they won. At least the list of Super Bowl champions doesn't get bigger while the Bills remain absent from it.

 

But I do feel bad for Falcons fans. They had their hearts ripped out last night. Painful.

Not worse than 25. Nothing will ever be worse than 25.

[Dorkington]

I change my mind... might as well tank until Brady and Belichick retire. We're never going to go anywhere until they leave.

[sherpa]

It doesn't matter.

Atlanta won the popular vote.

[John in Jax]

u have to admire NE though. they have far from the best talent. They are just way way smarter than everyone else.The NFL is a dumb league.The players are not bright and the coaching is poor

Agree with this 100%. I have said this in this forum many times before, and then some folks come along and tell me I'm crazy, and that these coaches are geniuses, and the "average Joe"....who has been watching the game for 30+ years.....has no idea how difficult it is to coach. Uh huh, right. After seeing Atlanta's last 2 drives last night, it's almost as if the coaches were trying to lose the game.

[WhitewalkerInPhilly]

The league is awful right now. No truly great teams aside from New England so games don't feel big.

 

In Montana's day you had the Cowboys and Redskins.

 

Peyton vs Brady was always fun but that's over. Now it's Brady vs whoever and it's just not a good product. Nobody is up to the task of stepping up.

 

I've made this rant before, but the NFL has hurt their product and are afraid to move back to fix it.

 

We have Madden-ized the game. The NFL has made a conscious choice about what was going to win games, and it's high volumes of passing with a lot of scoring. And it's what fans think they want. If you don't believe me, drag up the logs from last year and listen to people talking about a very tight game and defensive struggle might have been the worst of all time.

 

The Atlanta defense played in epic fashion at points last night and it didn't matter. I was cringing as they got three straight third down conversions off of holding penalties, including one that turned a 3rd and 9 to a 1st and 10. Atlanta held up as well as it did calling itself the fastest defense in football, and they kept making plays. However, when you only need one slip, or one big penalty to let the offense have one bite at the apple, it rewards high volume offenses. You give put first downs for a tug on the jersey at 5.1 yards. Offensive pass interference occurs regularly but typically gets overlooked as "playing for the ball" when similar behavior gets a flag on defense. Roughing the passer gets called (on QBs not named Cam Newton) for legal hits while they are holding the ball behind the line of scrimmage or released it a hair before impact. Defenseless receiver rules tend to penalize hard hits at the moment of the catch to jar the ball loose, while waiting that second gives them the first down anyway.

 

The upshot is that, typically (there are exceptions) the team with the most prolific passer wins that game. If you have an above average quarterback, you win a lot of games. When you have someone like Tom Brady, or Aaron Rodgers you can drag whatever is around you to the playoffs, where you have a chance. Rodgers pretty much dragged his team there while it was falling apart around him. Second tier guys like Big Ben and Matt Ryan and Drew Brees and Andy Dalton and Andrew Luck and Cam Newton and Russel Wilson can all get you there if you have half decent pieces around them. And hey, if you get all the right pieces maybe they can slam home a win, so you better pay them like kings so they stay.

 

So you pay them like kings to stay, which cuts up most of your cap room. And that drives up the market so guys like Ryan Tannehill and Tyrod Taylor and Ryan Fitzpatrick and Alex Smith will always find work. Because hey, if you get a similar group of pieces that let someone else win the big one, and then one of these, at least you are competitive, right? And that's what lets Brock Osweiler walk into the contract he got, for a team whose defense bailed him out.

 

So much has become trying to find the next Brady or Rodgers that guys who normally would sit on the bench for a couple of years now get thrown out hoping they are the next big thing. Teams have stripped colleges of guys who might have come back for a fourth or fifth year. There is no immediate help on the horizon.

 

Now, the simplest thing would be to go back to 90s/early 2000s era football. But they won't. Fans want gaudy numbers, and then complain about how mediocre and lopsided the league is. CTE findings mean that tackling is likely going to be reduced, not increased. So I don't know what to tell you.

[Wayne Arnold]

Not worse than 25. Nothing will ever be worse than 25.

 

It's very comparable. Bills were never ahead by 25 points.

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

I feel pretty good today. I had no doubt the patriots were going to win that game and therefore felt nothing when they came back. Atlanta is Meh, so couldn't care less about them.

[plenzmd1]

I feel pretty good today. I had no doubt the patriots were going to win that game and therefore felt nothing when they came back. Atlanta is Meh, so couldn't care less about them.

I was very angry last night...bet way more than I should have on the Falcons...I am still staggered by the play calling.

 

as someone mentioned, my hate is as much for the fans..I have too many as friends, and they were unbearable last night...and will be till they put me in the grave.

[BarleyNY]

Up against the background of the total s**t show transpiring in this country, this is barely registering with me. Oh, another Pats Super Bowl win. Well, I guess that sucks. And now back to my country falling apart at the seams. Sorry, kids.......

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

And now back to my country falling apart at the seams.

 

Drama much?

 

[Southern Bills Fan]

Up against the background of the total s**t show transpiring in this country, this is barely registering with me. Oh, another Pats Super Bowl win. Well, I guess that sucks. And now back to my country falling apart at the seams. Sorry, kids.......

Ok Hillary. I thought you were a fake Giants fan.

[Wayne Arnold]

 

I've made this rant before, but the NFL has hurt their product and are afraid to move back to fix it.

 

We have Madden-ized the game. The NFL has made a conscious choice about what was going to win games, and it's high volumes of passing with a lot of scoring. And it's what fans think they want. If you don't believe me, drag up the logs from last year and listen to people talking about a very tight game and defensive struggle might have been the worst of all time.

 

The Atlanta defense played in epic fashion at points last night and it didn't matter. I was cringing as they got three straight third down conversions off of holding penalties, including one that turned a 3rd and 9 to a 1st and 10. Atlanta held up as well as it did calling itself the fastest defense in football, and they kept making plays. However, when you only need one slip, or one big penalty to let the offense have one bite at the apple, it rewards high volume offenses. You give put first downs for a tug on the jersey at 5.1 yards. Offensive pass interference occurs regularly but typically gets overlooked as "playing for the ball" when similar behavior gets a flag on defense. Roughing the passer gets called (on QBs not named Cam Newton) for legal hits while they are holding the ball behind the line of scrimmage or released it a hair before impact. Defenseless receiver rules tend to penalize hard hits at the moment of the catch to jar the ball loose, while waiting that second gives them the first down anyway.

 

The upshot is that, typically (there are exceptions) the team with the most prolific passer wins that game. If you have an above average quarterback, you win a lot of games. When you have someone like Tom Brady, or Aaron Rodgers you can drag whatever is around you to the playoffs, where you have a chance. Rodgers pretty much dragged his team there while it was falling apart around him. Second tier guys like Big Ben and Matt Ryan and Drew Brees and Andy Dalton and Andrew Luck and Cam Newton and Russel Wilson can all get you there if you have half decent pieces around them. And hey, if you get all the right pieces maybe they can slam home a win, so you better pay them like kings so they stay.

 

So you pay them like kings to stay, which cuts up most of your cap room. And that drives up the market so guys like Ryan Tannehill and Tyrod Taylor and Ryan Fitzpatrick and Alex Smith will always find work. Because hey, if you get a similar group of pieces that let someone else win the big one, and then one of these, at least you are competitive, right? And that's what lets Brock Osweiler walk into the contract he got, for a team whose defense bailed him out.

 

So much has become trying to find the next Brady or Rodgers that guys who normally would sit on the bench for a couple of years now get thrown out hoping they are the next big thing. Teams have stripped colleges of guys who might have come back for a fourth or fifth year. There is no immediate help on the horizon.

 

Now, the simplest thing would be to go back to 90s/early 2000s era football. But they won't. Fans want gaudy numbers, and then complain about how mediocre and lopsided the league is. CTE findings mean that tackling is likely going to be reduced, not increased. So I don't know what to tell you.

 

Much of your post is accurate but I also think overstated. If what you say was completely true then the Saints and Chargers wouldn't suck. It's still the ultimate team sport. It's just much easier with a great quarterback. But that's always been the case to a certain degree.

[iinii]

They are who we thought they were

[Bills!Win!]

Our only hope is that jack eichel is the next tom brady/Sidney Crosby and wins a Stanley cup in his second year and just dominates at such a young age for a long time. Hey, it happened to those guys, why not us?

 

THAT. Will make us forget

Edited February 6, 2017 by Bills!Win!

[Gordio]

I was very angry last night...bet way more than I should have on the Falcons...I am still staggered by the play calling.

 

as someone mentioned, my hate is as much for the fans..I have too many as friends, and they were unbearable last night...and will be till they put me in the grave.

 

 

I bet way more than I should of on the Patriots so that tempered my disdain for the them/the league in general. That is after I got absolutely pounded by the book Saturday in college hoops. So as you could imagine I was sweating bullets throughout that game. As far as the Pats winning, I am really numb to the whole NFL right now. Who cares, no matter what the Bills do they are not going to be able to compete with Brady & BB. Let the pat fans have their fun for the next 5 years, all good things come to an end. It will be fun once their dynasty comes to an end. Pat fans are so spoiled they won't know how to handle it & my guess is Patriot place will become a ghost town.

[plenzmd1]

Up against the background of the total s**t show transpiring in this country, this is barely registering with me. Oh, another Pats Super Bowl win. Well, I guess that sucks. And now back to my country falling apart at the seams. Sorry, kids.......

Then get the frack of a football message board...i mean really?

[DC Bills Fan]

Yeah, the Edelman catch was scripted.

 

You really think that the NFL wanted Roger to have to be on that podium with the Pats last night?

 

 

Read between the lines of what I'm trying to say. As someone said earlier the WWE is less scripted. You get that?