WWW.RIDESIDE.NET

Posted by ConorClockwise on 2007-01-15 05:35:51 +0000

Troy Brown MVP. Sub-par officiating. What's LT's deal?

Posted by Epoisses on 2007-01-15 05:54:13 +0000

"But I'm the MVP!"

Posted by tendiamonds on 2007-01-15 14:05:23 +0000

I don't watch a lot of football, but I've chosen to hop on the bandwagon, and I've watched about half, in bits and pieces, of the last two games. Yesterday's game, was crap. The Pats played pretty bad football. Brady was terrible, except in the last few minutes, which, of course, is his specialty. (shining when it matters) The fact is, the Chargers really blew this game. They had been dominating the Pats, and then they got sloppy in the last quarter. The Pats were lucky that the Chargers handed them this game. In the end, the W is all that matters, and an ugly win is just as good as a masterpiece. This will not hold up next week when Vinatieri kicks 17 field goals.

Posted by G lib on 2007-01-15 14:07:21 +0000

I watched the second half (the horror!) and completely agree. A nailbiter, even for someone who didn't know what a two point conversion was until last night. Someone in our house row was having a playoff party and had invited a whole bunch of dude-guys. Every time I went outside I heard "DEFENSE!" clap clap "DEFENSE!" clap clap and other 'guys having aneurisms' yelling. Sounded like fun.

Posted by MF DU on 2007-01-15 14:11:53 +0000

Maddie Nigs and I were tapdancing (literally) - The replays looked cool, though.

Posted by tgl on 2007-01-15 14:51:15 +0000

That's all it was, the Patriots did not lose. I wouldn't say they were horrible though, especially on defense. Pretty good to keep the Chargers to 10 points below their home average. Defense won this game as much as anybody. Well, the Brown strip and Caldwell recovery was a big factor. But even if the interception did result in a change of possession --sticklers will claim it resulted in two changes of possession-- I'd be confident that the defense would have forced the Chargers 3-and-out, and there'd be another last gasp drive to tie it. Don't know how the thing might have looked in overtime though... 3 interceptions should cost you a W, this time it didn't. Which is more a reflection on the Chargers than anything else, so maybe the Chargers lost more than the Patriots won. Mad props to Matt Light for shutting down Shawne Merriman. Adam & Steve Bowl.

Posted by Epoisses on 2007-01-15 15:27:55 +0000

A week of spin and rehash begins now.

Posted by ConorClockwise on 2007-01-15 16:51:28 +0000

Agreed. Except for the fact the Pats won, it was an astonishingly ugly game. Brady's first two interceptions were some of the worst I've ever seen in a playoff game. Schottsie is done.

Posted by tendiamonds on 2007-01-15 17:01:23 +0000

Totally. If he called, "Give LT the ball" on every non 4th down, they would have won the game, even if the Pats knew he was going to do that.

Posted by Epoisses on 2007-01-15 17:01:32 +0000

Ugly, but amazing from a dramatic standpoint.

Posted by tgl on 2007-01-16 23:55:13 +0000

Brady's first two interceptions were among the worst in playoff history? CC, please. At least one of them was caused by a hit to the arm. What about Brady's two interceptions in last year's playoff game at Denver?

Posted by Epoisses on 2007-01-17 06:24:10 +0000

From TMQ: The faces of the Chargers' players suggested they expected to win by 20 points, and when LaDainian Tomlinson scored to make it 21-13 with eight minutes to go, they decided to act as if they were ahead by 20 points. With eight minutes remaining, the Bolts were celebrating on the sidelines, and the clueless Schottenheimer did not tell them to get their heads back in the game. Schottenheimer was oblivious to the 16-ton weight about to be dropped on his head -- even though the opponent was the most efficient, unflappable team in NFL history! When New England's players saw some Chargers celebrating on the sidelines with eight minutes remaining as if it was already over, and realized the clueless Schottenheimer was oblivious, they smelled blood. I'll never forget the look on Michael Jordan's face when he saw Charles Barkley start to dance and clown around with a minute left in an NBA Finals game that Barkley thought Phoenix had already won. Jordan smelled blood, and a moment later the NBA crown was his.