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Slowly recovering from a massive-celebratory hangover. Where to start?At approximately 5:30 PM on Sunday, I ran out of fingernails...

Conference Championship Redux: Patriots, Giants Punch Tickets to Arizona

by Sean Crowe (Senior Writer)

16

766 reads

Sports

January 21, 2008


Slowly recovering from a massive-celebratory hangover. 

Where to start?

At approximately 5:30 PM on Sunday, I ran out of fingernails.  

In desperation, I made the switch to toenails, which caused me to pull a hamstring (my four year old makes it look so easy). 

When that happened I had no choice but to start drinking heavily.

OK, I was already drinking heavily, but at least at that point I had a legit reason.


AFC Championship Thoughts

-After the Steelers game, when the anti-Lawrence Maroney bandwagon was rolling at full speed, I said “I’m still convinced that if they needed 25 carries, 120 yards he could do it.”

Lawrence Maroney in the playoffs:  23 carries per game, 122 yards per game.

-What can you say about the job Kevin Faulk did on Sunday?  Big third down catch after big third down catch, with none bigger than the diving circus catch to extend the game ending drive late in the fourth quarter.

Maroney and Faulk combined to lead the Patriots in rushing and receiving, respectively.

Not a bad day for the Patriots’ running backs.

-Let me get this straight.  Philip Rivers plays with two sprained MCLs and a partially torn ACL. Gates plays with a dislocated toe, but LaDainian Tomlinson can’t play with a sprained knee?

That’s not a very classy way to have your season end, LT.

I agree with Deion Sanders (and trust me, I don’t say that often)—no surgery for LT, no respect from me.  If your knee is not hanging from a thread (and I mean Robert Edwards at a beach flag football game type thread), you play in the AFC championship game.

Anything less is cowardly and inexcusable.

-Welcome back Norv Turner!   Where to start...

1) Punting from the Patriots’ 35 yard line in the fourth quarter when you’re down two scores?  Genius!
   
2) Leaving yourself with only one timeout in the last five minutes of a relatively close playoff game?  Brilliant!
   
3) Calling a slow developing, off-tackle run on third and less-than-one inside the five yard line?  Tremendous!
   
4) Staying in the nickel the entire nine minute, game ending drive even though the Patriots were featuring three tight-end sets and doing nothing but running the ball?  Fantastic!
   
5) Putting linebackers man-to-man on Welker during his touchdown, Gaffney during his touchdown, and Faulk the entire fourth quarter?  Stupendous!

It’s good to have the old Norv back.  I missed him.

-Tom Brady picked a good time to have his worst game of the season.  Hopefully it’s out of his system, as their opponent in the Super Bowl isn’t going to sit back in the nickel and watch their poor DBs get run over by Maroney for an entire half.

 

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16 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment

  1. Anonymous about 1 year ago

    The off tackle run wasn't an off tackle run. It was a run up the middle. M Turner said after the game he broke it outside because Seau blew it up.

    The Patriots threw it lot on that 9 minute drive. Not sure what you're talking about.

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    • Sean Crowe about 1 year ago

      The Pats ran the ball 8 out of 13 plays, including 6 straight. They didn't throw a single pass after the 5 minute mark.

      As for the off-tackle run, that's a crock. You don't pull the left guard if you're running up the middle. It was an off-tackle run. Seau busted through the hole left when the guard pulled. If they were running up the middle, the guard and center would pushed forward instead of purposely opening up the hole for defenders to run through.

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    • Aron Glatzer about 1 year ago

      Go PAts!

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  2. Chris Radez about 1 year ago

    Nice analysis, and congrats on your recent promotion to Columnist. How much they paying you now? We need to compare paychecks...

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  3. David Williams about 1 year ago

    A quarterback can play with knee injuries much easier than a running back can. Anyone who has played running back would know. You have to maintain a flexed balance and have to be able to cut on the time...something that a person with a hyperextended knee can't do half as well. LT with a bum knee equates to Phil Rivers having a bum right elbow. You just aren't nearly as effective when your best asset is hindered.

    As you noticed, Rivers's mobility was seriously limited. But he can drop back and throw so it's OK for him to play since he's not a runner. Just look at the Vince Young situation when he got hurt. One would think that a quad injury shouldn't ever prevent anyone from playing with the playoffs on the line but not when your quad is the most "important" part of your body...meaning, Vince Young can't run as well because of this injury and running is a major part of his game so this injury is more significant to him than it would be to someone like Rivers.

    I'm not going to blame LT for not playing...he wasn't the one who made the decision to bench him anyways (Norv did). And to be honest, if I had a guy like Turner who would start for probably half the NFL teams right now, I would've played mostly a healthy Michael Turner.

    So while we disagree about that, you're spot on about Norv. Even when he has a good season, he still finds a way to mess everything up in the end

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    • Sean Crowe about 1 year ago

      I heard it was LT who made the decision, not Norv.

      Do you really think Norv is a strong enough head coach to keep LT out if LT wanted back in?

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  4. John McClory about 1 year ago

    NORV IS WHO WE THOUGHT HE WAS! YOU WANNA CROWN HIS ASS? THEN CROWN HIM!

    Good stuff. I honestly thought the Chargers would go back to SD with their heads low and mouths shut.

    Boy, was I wrong. They can't resist lashing out at the Pats. They find something every year. It's almost impressive.

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  5. Paul Gotham about 1 year ago

    2000 Giants???? Hmmm... I'm sufferin' from namnesia:).

    Go easy on ol' Norv. Even Nantz mentioned he couldn't have been prepared for the three tight end set.

    Great analysis.

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    • Sean Crowe about 1 year ago

      I'm not saying he should have spent time prepping for it, but maybe try throwing another big body out there to try to stop it??

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  6. Shari Toomey about 1 year ago

    Good stuff...

    I agree that Favre had a great season, but this game was not his best. On the other hand- I know I would not want to be on the receiving end of a 400MPH Favre pass in sub-zero temperatures.

    Norv Turner- What happened dude?

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  7. Anonymous about 1 year ago

    Hey MC....Bryan here (I'm at school and too lazy to sign in) I have to say that when Tynes missed those two kicks, I was spouting the "Help from above" line for Brett Favre, but when you stop the Giants, and get a 4th and 1....take the punt not the penalty. The fact that the Packers on that drive let the Giants get a second life (back in the 4th quarter) by declining on the penalty, was a grave mistake (I was saying this BEFORE the defensive pass interference penalty happened) so I think it's safe to say that McCarthy had a Norv Turner moment.

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  8. Bryan Thiel about 1 year ago

    Hey MC....Bryan here (I'm at school and too lazy to sign in) I have to say that when Tynes missed those two kicks, I was spouting the "Help from above" line for Brett Favre, but when you stop the Giants, and get a 4th and 1....take the punt not the penalty. The fact that the Packers on that drive let the Giants get a second life (back in the 4th quarter) by declining on the penalty, was a grave mistake (I was saying this BEFORE the defensive pass interference penalty happened) so I think it's safe to say that McCarthy had a Norv Turner moment.

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    • Sean Crowe about 1 year ago

      I can't bring myself to get too down on the Packers, outside the whole not running the ball thing. It was too cold. Too cold to play, too cold to coach....

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  9. Educated Bet about 1 year ago

    Patriots, Giants Patriots, Giants Patriots, Giants and for the next two weeks every time you turn on ESPN or go online you will see something new or there will be talk of these two teams. So I will go with the flow. From now until the Super Bowl I will try to talk about something different with these two teams. I would first like to say that as I am reading some articles on these teams and some of the analysts are already picking the Giants in an upset…I am here to tell you that there will not be an upset at all! Do I think that Giants will be in the game yes but I don’t think they will cover. The Patriots will get a last minute touchdown to win by about 2 scores.
    Peace...Iron MIke

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  10. nick bowen about 1 year ago

    I just wrote about how the pats fans shouldnt worry about the pats losing.for that you definetly have a great ending with the giants season ending like it did in 2000 ooh say a 34 to 7 beatdown by the ravens and pats definently fits

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