Who Needs Balance?
Popular belief heading into any game against this Seattle defense is that you needed to be balanced and establish a run game in order to beat the Seahawks. The Chiefs and Cowboys did it during the regular season and were successful. It seemed as though the Pats were trying to follow that same blueprint at the start of the game. Then, in a brilliant coaching decision brought on in part by the score, the Pats just spread out Seattle and chose to count on their pass catchers to create separation against man to man coverage. Julian Edelman was all over the place and Shane Vereen was practically uncoverable, particularly when the Pats needed a simple four or five yard gain. They directly challenged the Legion of Boom, and the Legion let down their team.
Tom Brady's Legacy
Whether you love him or hate him, I think that we have to consider Brady the best of all time after last night's performance. It wasn't just that the Pats got the win, it was the fact that Brady went 37/50 for 328 yards and four TDs against one of the best defenses of all time. He is now the only quarterback to have played in six Super Bowls, and is tied with Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw for most Super Bowl wins by a quarterback (4). He has survived in the league for 15 years and has played at an extremely high level since becoming the starter in place of Drew Bledsoe. He has had all this success while playing with marginal talent.
Randy Moss and Rob Gronkowski are the only two offensive weapons that I would consider to be elite players that Tom Brady has played with. He only got to play with Moss for two years, as 2008 was the year Brady got injured in the season opener and missed the whole year. He has only gotten to play with Gronk for four and a half years as last year was when Gronk's knee got destroyed. Even with a revolving door of skill players, Brady's numbers and wins stay constant. There's something to say for that kind of consistency.
Julian Edelman Concussion
With the NFL cracking down on concussions and dangerous hits, I felt like this was a completely blown situation and was missed in the coverage of this game. It happened in the fourth quarter as Brady stepped up in the pocket and delivered an absolute bullet to Edelman. He caught it, took a monster hit from Kam Chancellor, tried to maintain his balance, then ran for a few extra yards before going down (the spot of the ball was eventually moved back to where he originally got hit). Here's the video of the play in case you forgot about it.
After watching that, tell me how that is not an illegal hit by Kam, and how Edelman is not showing clear signs of some kind of concussion. Kam leaves his feet and leads with the crown of his helmet. That is exactly the kind of hit the NFL is trying to eliminate. Then, it seems like Edelman is going to be okay, but starts to get wobbly while running for extra yards. I didn't think he went down because he couldn't get more yards (he had the angle on the outside), but rather because he knew he was in a bit of trouble. It was even more obvious when he tried to get up, and had a hard time doing so. Instead of going off for treatment, Edelman stayed in the game and caught a crucial third down pass for 21 yards. One play later and Brady throws the TD pass to Danny Amendola to cut the Seahawk lead to three. Does the game turn out differently if Edelman comes off? Hard to say. What I do know is that if the NFL is serious about concussions and dangerous play, they need to be willing to crack down on it even in the biggest of games.
Call At The End
Shock and confusion are words that come to mind when the Pats intercepted the ball at the goal line to win the game. The Seahawks needed one yard and had a human bowling ball in the backfield. If Marshawn Lynch gets any kind of forward momentum, he will simply fall into the endzone. When they lined up in shotgun on second down, I thought for sure that the read option was coming. The Pats had done well against Lynch on the option, but Russell Wilson had been able to run free. Instead, it's a pass that is read beautifully by Malcolm Butler and picked off to end the game.
While Pete Carroll is getting much of the blame, I feel like Russell Wilson is being let off a hook that he shouldn't be let off of. The concept of the play wasn't terrible. They had Ricardo Lockette coming right behind Jermaine Kearse. Kearse wasn't even looking for the ball as his only responsibility was to block his man, which he did. Lockette got the separation they were looking for, but Butler was screaming downhill on that slant pattern the entire time. Wilson had to have read that and thrown the ball either behind Lockette a touch, gone to another read, or thrown it away. I know they needed a TD there, but there was still plenty of time left considering they were at the one yard line. Living to fight another day rather than trying to go for broke on that one play would have been the wiser decision. Speaking of Russell Wilson...
Russell Wilson
Much like how I think the hate for Brady has gone too far, I think the praise for Wilson has also gone too far. His numbers look decent from last night (247 yards, 2 TDs, 1 interception), but it took a jump ball to Chris Matthews and a miracle catch by Jermaine Kearse to help his numbers look so good. He threw a pick at the worst possible time to go along with four other interceptions that he has thrown this postseason. Experts continue to push him for MVP year after year, and now that a contract extension seems likely, people believe he should get a mega contract and be paid like one of the best QBs in the league. I would beg to differ.
He is still not a polished quarterback from the pocket. He will still throw baffling interceptions, but luckily has an elite defense to bail him out. He is also blessed with an elite running game to help take some of the pressure off of him. When looking at his individual passing stats, however, those would tell me that he doesn't deserve the big contract he will be seeking. He has never thrown for over 4,000 yards in a season during an era in which elite QBs do that with ease. This season there were 11 quarterbacks who threw for more than 4,000 yards. He threw for a mere 20 passing TDs which was good for 16th in the league behind the likes of Ryan Tannehill and Derek Carr. Wilson's one saving grace is that he doesn't turn the ball over, but that again goes back to his defense. He can afford to be cautious with the football as punting and allowing the defense to take over isn't the worst thing in the world. Teams like Dallas and Green Bay don't have that same luxury. He is only in his third year in the league so there's still time to grow, but I believe that once that defense deteriorates, so will Wilson's stats and wins.
Doug Baldwin
As someone who doesn't like the Seahawks, you would think that my least favorite player on their team would be Richard Sherman. Nope. It's this jabroni known as Doug Baldwin. He continues to talk about how he and the rest of the Seahawk receiving corps get disrespected. He actually had the gall to demand an apology from Hall of Famer Chris Carter when Carter made comments about how weak the Seahawk receivers are. Baldwin kept repeating that people need to look at the facts, but the facts actually work against him.
He has never topped 825 yards receiving in a single season. In fact, in 2012 in 14 games played, Baldwin racked up a hilarious 366 yards receiving. What's more hilarious is that Calvin Johnson, one of the truly elite receivers in the game, put up 329 yards in a single game just one year later against the Cowboys. Baldwin has also never topped five receiving TDs in a single season. 45 players caught more than five receiving TDs this year. If you're going to talk that kind of trash, you'd better be able to back it up. Richard Sherman can, while Baldwin just looks like a fool.
Who Is Team Of This Decade?
I know we're only halfway through it, but I feel like no team has really established itself as being the team of the 2010s. The 2000s you had the Pats, the 90s had the Cowboys, the 80s had the Niners, and the 70s had the Steelers. The only two teams that have even played in more than one Super Bowl this decade were the two teams that played last night. In the 2000s, four teams made the Super Bowl at least twice with the Pats making it four times, the Steelers making it twice, the Giants making it twice, and the Rams making it twice. I think the window is still open for both the Seahawks and Pats to declare themselves the team of this decade, but there are a few others that could make a strong push the next few years.
The Packers have already made it to and won the Super Bowl this decade, and I expect them to be back soon. Heck, they were the wackiest finish ever from playing in the Super Bowl this year. The Colts have already made it to the Super Bowl this decade before falling to the Saints, and now they have one of the best QBs in the league in Andrew Luck. They need massive help on their offensive line, but the defense is underrated and Luck is still getting better. The Steelers, the team that lost to the Packers in the Super Bowl this decade, also have a nice situation brewing. They have an explosive offense and young pieces on a defense that improved as the year went on. Look for one of these teams to perhaps make a push, but Seattle and New England have to be the front runners for team of this decade as of right now.
Way Too Early Super Bowl Picks
Just one day after Super Bowl 49, I think it's time to make a way too early, sure to be wrong pick for Super Bowl 50. Obviously a lot can change with free agency and the draft, but I'm going to predict a San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos Super Bowl. Hard to believe given the years that they had, but hear me out. The Niners might be the most talented 8-8 team ever. They have a dynamic QB, weapons on the outside, a great offensive line, and a defense that was still elite as they finished fifth in overall defense despite significant injuries (NaVarro Bowman, Patrick Willis). The Broncos, similar to the Niners, are an extremely individually talented squad who just put up some eggs at the end of the year. They have four of the best defensive players in the league in DeMarcus Ware, Von Miller, Aqib Talib, and TJ Ward, and four of the best offensive players in the league in Demariyus Thomas, Julius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, and Peyton Manning. Gary Kubiak was a great hire and should prevent the kind of offensive mire the Broncos suffered at the end of this season.
Favorite Commercials
I'm going to ignore the touchy feely commercials (Budweiser puppy) and the extremely dark commercials (Nationwide) and focus on the more light hearted ones. My favorites had to be the Fiat commercial, the Doritos plane commercial, and, while not a commercial per se, I'll always get hyped for anything that has to do with Jurassic Park.
Matty O
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