The Dolphins Make Me Cry.com - Forums

I don't think ANYBODY here predicted the Falcons would make it. 

I certainly did not.

I don't seem them giving NE a battle.

If they want to they can start by playing defense, something Pittsburgh did not seem to want to do in the AFCCG. 

Ugh, I can't believe I get to spend two weeks seeing GOAT hashtags on facebook.

It's LOAT.

Anyway on to my prediction:

Patriots: 24 Falcons: 7

Chris "7-11" Hogan with 180 yards and 2 scores in the AFCCG.

Either Belichick is secretly the god of GMs, or Brady can take literally any set of receivers and turn them into bosses.

I think part of it is Belichick and Brady. I think the other part is that we don't evaluate and develop out players properly. Too many leave us and go on to flourish elsewhere.

A bit of both.  Brady's greatest talent is his ability to quickly develop the needed chemistry with any and all receivers.  And BB has been able to take guys that others didn't want and elevate their game.  Leading rusher in the game was cut by the Steelers.

Both Pappy and Mac

I don't think Josh McDaniels gets enough credit. I'm willing to bet Brady's best years were under him.

If Atlanta's defensive front plays Brady like they did Rodger's then Atlanta could win. Get to Brady and you win. If you don't it could be a beat down.

I mean...they WERE favored and at home.

I think that a lot of people just thought the Packers were hot and on a run.  Atlanta is the better overall team.

So:
-The Patriots get homefield throughout because Derek Carr breaks his leg.
-The Raiders are the only team that could stop them realistically and they are done because of the injury.
-Patriots get to face the Texans which is LOL.
-Patriots then face the Steelers without Le'evon Bell due to injury.

Has there ever been an easier path to the Superbowl than this one? The whole conference took a knee. Let's see if Matt Ryan falls into a volcano before the Superbowl.

The Patriots are the best team in football.  It's not about an easy path.  They are surgical and boring.  They hit 7 yard slants.  If you cover the slant, they throw outs.  If you cover both, they go over the top.

They are a well-oiled, boring, methodical machine. 

They are going to do that to almost every team in the league, and have been for years.

I wouldn't disagree with that, but even great teams stumble every now and then when challenged. You don't win every game against a 12-4 team. That's been my problem with them for years, where is the challenge? I know there is nothing you can do about it with the AFC East being a disgrace and no other teams consistently being good, but it's still ridiculous to watch.

The Patriots have won the Super Bowl one time in the last 12 years and you're asking where the challenge is?

From what I saw yesterday, it was nothing special in terms of quarterbacking.  Hogan was usually so wide open that any quarterback could have connected with him.

Brady's most underappreciated talent is his ability to avoid sacks and buy time, though he really had no need for that yesterday.

Also, don't forget how clutch NE's defense has been in the playoffs, as they were yesterday, holding the Steelers out of the end zone on first and goal from the half yard line, and last week against the Texans, twice holding the Texans out of the end zone after turnovers.

Remember with Jimmy G and some other guy, the Patriots were three and one and two of those wins were against playoff teams. 

I think the pressure of playing the Patriots gets into teams' heads.

For what it's worth, this version of the Patriots is less frustrating (as a Dolphins' fan) than the early-2000s version, who would simply sit around and wait for teams to beat themselves en route to a 17-10 victory.

Actually the 72 Dolphins hold the record for easiest path to the super bowl in fact the single weakest SOS of any team whatsoever.

Yeah, but they did it with Earl Morrell doing most of the QB'ing.

I remember those days.

Also, pulling so many close games out because the other team decided to mess up.

Three consecutive games in 2003.

Texans, which Houston choked away and should have won

Colts, who called the second dumbest goal line play in history (later surpassed by the Seahawks)

Dolphins, Jay Fiedler fumbling the ball after getting hit by Rodney Harrison even though he clearly saw him coming).  Honestly, they should have just kneeled three times and kicked the field goal to tie it at 3.  That would have been better.  Apparently Dolphins quarterbacks just don't know how to protect a football.  He saw Harrison coming right at him.  He could have quickly cocked his arm, brought it forward, let Harrison hit him, and BOOM, incomplete pass (the tuck rule had not been expunged yet). 

^^^^

Winning and losing those games are all about teamwork and coaching.  Patriots do a better job of staying focused regardless of score than other teams. 

Browns lockeroom tweet had no bearing on the game, but when he was pouting on the sideline after the Steelers scored a TD, because he wanted the ball thrown to him is a problem.

Brady has had 5 seasons with a passer rating over 100.  2 of them Josh was not with the Patriots.  Granted his two best season 2007 and 2016 Josh was OC.

Yup Brady's second best season was at age 39. 

^^^^

Nobody is denying Brady is not the one of the greatest, if not the greatest of all time.

What many people don't like is how Patriots fans love to tell just about every other teams fans that their quarterback sucks because he simply does not have the margin for error Brady has benefited from throughout his career. 

Just for the record I have never said Tannihill sucks.  I think he has been unfairly misaligned because off weaknesses in the OL.

When I say Patriots fans, I don't necessarily mean you.

And it's not really Tannehill I was referring to.  It is quarterbacks like Marino and Manning, who often get unfairly labeled as chokers.

Getting back to the super bowl.  Every year 30 fan bases need to pick a side.  I am not surprised most are going with Atlanta, the NEP have become football's New York Yankees the team everyone loves to hate. 

However,  Rodger Godell is hated so much there is a decent number of fans rooting for the Patriots because they know it will be ackward for the commish if he has to hand the Lombardi to Brady and Belichick. 

The big difference between the Patriots and the Yankees is that the Yankees always got the calls in the postseason.

The Patriots on the other, usually don't get the calls and have been on the wrong end of bad calls in several postseason games. 

Gonna hate myself for asking but what calls have the Yankees always got in the postseason? That is kind of a blanket statement that is a lie.

Team once in the World Series either lost or swept their opponent for the most part. Not a case where 1 call helped them win something tight.

1996 ALCS  game 1:  The infamous Jeffrey Maier play against the Orioles.  Tied the game at 4 and the Yankees eventually won in extra innings.

1998 World Series game 1:  The score was tied 5-5 with two out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh.  Mark Langston struck out Tino Martinez on a 2-2 pitch right down the middle, but the ump called it a ball.  The next pitch, Martinez hit a grand slam.

1999 ALCS game 4.  Chuck Knoblauch tried to tag Jose Offerman and missed him completely but the ump called him out anyway.  This ended the Red Sox hope for a comeback.

Then again, actually posting facts to support your claim does not seem to be popular around here does it?

And how about Super Bowl XXXVI, where NE DBs mugged the STL receivers for the entire game?
How about the 2003 AFC Championship, where they did the same against the Colts?
How about the play that started their entire championship run?

(http://sports.cbsimg.net/images/blogs/charles-woodson-on-brady-01192014.jpg)

Let me guess, the Tino Martinez pitch was indisputably a strike but the call that was ruled a fumble on the field could never be considered anything but an incomplete pass?

The first one you can make a point on. The last 2 are a joke and shows you are lost.  I mean balls and strikes you want to argue? Every team gets a break on ONE PITCH in a game. And the pitch you are referencing is a borderline pitch that could easily have gone either way. It didn't turn the entire world series and hand the Yankees a World Championship. The Yankees won 114 regular season game, won their division by 22 games, then won 11 more in the postseason that year, that one pitch in Game 1 didn't help them win the world series. That is beyond stupid!  Thinking one pitch and a ball/strike call in Game 1 helped one team win a world series is stupid. I guess that one pitch prevented SD from winning any of the remaining games in the series.
 
Again, the 1999 ALCS the Yankees didn't win that series over one missed tag call, which wasn't a missed tag call Offerman went out of the baseline which is why he was called out. Understand the rules of baseball then get back to me. Also, the Red Sox lost the series 4-1....ONE play didn't cost them the entire series.

How about the play that started the entire championship run?

That play was the correct call.  The rule may have been bad, but the correct call was made.  It was not a fumble.  If you read the rule you will see why it was an incomplete pass. 

As for Super Bowl 36, you can make a point on one play on the Rams first drive when a clear non-call on a defensive holding was made.  But I have watched the game and I could not find any others that affected the game. 

Also in those years, aggressive play in the secondary was considered normal and allowed.

Edit:  Let me answer it another way for you.  Yes, that can never be considered anything but an incomplete pass BECAUSE IT WAS AN INCOMPLETE PASS.   Just like the Music City Miracle can never be considered anything but a backwards pass BECAUSE IT WAS A BACKWARDS PASS. 

It was a missed call

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_American_League_Championship_Series#cite_note-7 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_American_League_Championship_Series#cite_note-7)

As for the Tino Martinez pitch, I just watched a video and it looks clearly like it is at knee high height

Anyway, the point is the Yankees got the breaks, the Patriots usually don't

I have not decided if I am going to watch the game this year. 

That Seattle game was the most painful thing I have ever watched.

Even more painful than any Dolphins loss I have ever seen. 

1 ball and strike call isn't "getting the breaks". You can sit here and argue balls and strikes all day long on the majority of pitches in every game all season. And you still don't understand the running out of the baseline rule, putting a wikipedia link probably written by some 16 year old pimply faced loser in his basement as your "support" is funny.  BYE FELICIA

Dude it's just football, don't let it affect you emotionally. Be a man, be an adult!