Monday, February 6, 2017

Post Super Bowl LI Thoughts

To understand the context of this writing, you might want to read this post first.

I did not follow the game on tv. I followed it using twitter and yahoo sport boxscore. And I was working at my fulltime job. But, when you are a football nut, well.. it is easier to imagine and imagination is better than the real thing :P

I was pleasantly surprised about the first half, when the Falcons raced to a 21-3 lead at half-time. As I read it, the Falcons D played exactly how I thought they would. They have a fast defense, so straight up they gave the Pats O a hard time. However, Bill and his team are one of the best, if not the best, at making half-time adjustments. It is a marathon, not a sprint. It is always in the second half when the truth would appear.

As the comeback began in the second half, I kept thinking about how the Falcons would respond, And to a certain extent, at critical moments, brain freeze happens, affecting the coaches and players. The Pats do that to you. Like I said to a bunch of friends during half-time, mental strength is one thing they have over opponents, especially when no 12 is playing in the zone.

A disclaimer: My feelings about the Pats success are like my previous posts. I have read extensively about them, especially Bill n Brady. For me, Spygate will continue be an asterisk on the Pats and to a lesser degree, Bill and Brady. Deflategate, in my opinion, is miniscule, but for me, it was as if Goodell was atoning for how Spygate was handled. But, overall, credit to both of them, as their partnership brings successto the Pats, and I do not think any Pats fans will disagree, It's like Joe Cool and Bill Walsh, but better.

Ok, continue.

Some of the writers said that the Falcons committed the big mistake in play-calling, after the major Julio Jones catch. I agree and again, this highlights the difference that the Pats have over their opponents, when pressure is on, they keep it simple, as simplicity makes handling pressure easier. It is similar to Darrell Bevell's call 2 Superbowls ago... u had a short distance to win the game, you could have run it in with the Beast, yet you chose to pass ... in this case, 3 simple runs would have eaten up the clock ...

The moment it went to OT, and the Pats won the toss, I knew it was game over. It makes a difference when the leaders at the helm, are Belichik and Brady.


I feel for the players of Atlanta. Make no major excuse, this was a MAJOR choke, and the fingers, open and hidden will be all over. How they rebound after this ... am not really sure... as they will be losing their OC Kyle Shanahan to the Niners as head coach (it's a given).

For the Pats, well, cannot say that much more what have been said. This is the crowning glory for the franchise, and they deserve to win it. I can bitch a bit more about here and there, but fair play, they WON, and winning's winning. Will there be more Super Bowls in the future? As long as Bill n TB12 are together, I would not rule it out.

So, congratulations New England Patriots on their Super Bowl LI win :)

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