So how 'bout dem......

[JaiDee]

Ahhhhhh, after a weekend of very little sleep I must say it was well worth it!

My favorite team has reached the title game for the 5th time in 11 years, beating a Baltimore team who was well up to the task of handing them their heads. A game of inches indeed; if that receiver had grabbed that touchdown catch just a bit more firmly they would be going to the big game, not the Pats. Great play by free agent Sterling Moore though, getting his hands in there just enough to knock it away.

As for the kick by Billy Cundiff looking for an overtime game; not even close, and he is entering the witness protection program in the Baltimore area as we speak.

Giants - Niners......it was difficult pulling an all-nighter and staying awake until 11am to see this one end, but it was worth it! Truthfully, I was pulling for the Niners because as a Patriots fan BOTH NY teams are our sworn enemies [not to mention those damn Yankees], and also because they would be the easier team to beat in the SB. But good one on the Giants; coming back from a 7-7 record to get into the playoffs and now getting to the final game in a rematch of the excellent 2008 game. They are peaking right now and Manning is playing his best football ever, he should shred the Patsies defense {is THAT what they call that abomination?} so it will just be up to Brady to come to the forefront and show us his "A" game and put up more points than they do.

These 2 weeks can't go by fast enough! GO PATS!!!

[Snick]

Funny, you said you were "pulling for the Niners because as a Patriots fan BOTH NY teams are our sworn enemies".

But I was pulling for the Pats to win, so I could watch the Giants beat them again like last time.

Go Giants

[JaiDee]

If the Giants pull off another upset I will be suicidal.

good thing I live in a place with no tall buildings, eh??

From Wiki;

''The six quarterbacks drafted ahead of Tom Brady in 2000 were:''

Chad Pennington, Marshall - Drafted by the New York Jets in Round 1, Pick 18.

Giovanni Carmazzi, Hofstra - Drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in Round 3, Pick 65.

Chris Redman, Louisville - Drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in Round 3, Pick 75.

Tee Martin, Tennessee - Drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in Round 5, Pick 163.

Marc Bulger, West Virginia - Drafted by the New Orleans Saints in Round 6, Pick 168.

Spergon Wynn, SW Texas State - Drafted by the Cleveland Browns in Round 6, Pick 183.

Jeeessh, what a shame for 4 of these playoff teams, as well as the Jets who almost got in. They'd all be IN the super bowl in 2 weeks rather than watching it on their sofa's.

If Brady wins this one, his 4th in 5 tries, not to mention all the other records he will have broken by the time he retires in 2015 or so, I think it would be fair to say these 6 teams all passed on the best QB of all time.

[duke007]

I'll be rooting for the New England Patriots (reasons in the Whats your Team thread)

It will be an early call for me to watch it in Pattaya (6-30am), but its gonna be well worth it to see some of you U S of A guys getting well into the Superbowl in one of the bars

[Lefty]

If the Giants pull off another upset I will be suicidal.

good thing I live in a place with no tall buildings, eh??

From Wiki;

''The six quarterbacks drafted ahead of Tom Brady in 2000 were:''

Chad Pennington, Marshall - Drafted by the New York Jets in Round 1, Pick 18.

Giovanni Carmazzi, Hofstra - Drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in Round 3, Pick 65.

Chris Redman, Louisville - Drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in Round 3, Pick 75.

Tee Martin, Tennessee - Drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in Round 5, Pick 163.

Marc Bulger, West Virginia - Drafted by the New Orleans Saints in Round 6, Pick 168.

Spergon Wynn, SW Texas State - Drafted by the Cleveland Browns in Round 6, Pick 183.

Jeeessh, what a shame for 4 of these playoff teams, as well as the Jets who almost got in. They'd all be IN the super bowl in 2 weeks rather than watching it on their sofa's.

If Brady wins this one, his 4th in 5 tries, not to mention all the other records he will have broken by the time he retires in 2015 or so, I think it would be fair to say these 6 teams all passed on the best QB of all time.

SO WHAT? THE PATS PASSED ON HIM 5 TIMES THEMSELVES. IT WASN'T LIKE THEY HAD SOME GREAT GRAND PLAN TO WAIT AND TAKE HIM IN THE 6TH ROUND. THEY ADMIT IF THEY HAD ANY CLUE HE WAS GOING TO TURN OUT LIKE HE DID, THEY'D HAVE TAKEN HIM MUCH EARLIER. THE PATS THEMSELVES ADMIT THEY WERE LUCKY TO HAVE PICKED HIM. 31 TEAMS PASSED HIM OVER 6 TIMES, THE PATS PASSED HIM OVER 5 TIMES.

JUST ACCEPT YOUR FUCKING LUCK WHILE U GOT IT, DON'T GLOAT, IT AIN'T NICE TO GLOAT. WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AROUND.

[TEXASMAC]

JaiDee, your quarterback went the GREATEST College in these United States. The UNIVERSITY of MICHIGAN !!! :goodjob:

[JaiDee]

I read a good story recently about his years at Michigan, how he was never given the starting job without having to work for it every year and how Drew Henson was the chosen one, etc...... good article, and it says Brady is still that way; he feels like even to this day he has to prove himself game in and game out.

If you are a Michigan fan, you will like this one Mac;

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1193473/1/index.htm

Patriots did indeed pass on the pseudo-backup from Michigan for 5 rounds, but remember at the time they had an overall number one pick and a franchise QB in his prime in Drew Bledsoe so no quarterback was needed. They prolly picked up Brady as an afterthought, someone to hold the clipboard for a few years and play on the practice squad, etc......if anyone said they expected THIS out of him, they'd be lying.

yeah, I suppose gloating when things are going your way is not fair, but I am quite sure Niners fans were doing it in the eighties and the 90's and I KNOW the steeler fans were doing it in the 70's because I lived through that as a youngster, all my neighbors were steeler fans while the patriots absolutely SUCKED. So it feels good to be on the winning side - for a change.

[TEXASMAC]

Henson failed at playing 3rd base for the NY Yankees then he failed at being QB for the Cowboys. He was probably from Ohio. :ass: to the Buckeye state.

[pdogg]

I'm glad the Giants are playing the Patriots instead of the Ravens. Now the Giants would have an easier time against the Ravens but I want to play the Patriots cause they're the best.

There's this perception that the Giants got lucky in the Super Bowl against the Pats a few years ago, the Tyree catch when it looked as if Eli would be sacked, but somehow good teams get lucky.

My pick Giants 27 Patriots 20.

[JaiDee]

Giants are peaking at the best time possible.....

Patriots are on a mission to avenge the loss from 4 years ago....

should be an excellent game, I am literally counting down the hours!!

Patriots 31 - Giants 27

[JaiDee]

I am thinking the Grownkowski injury is good for the Pats.

Because despite the Giants coaches reminding their secondary guys that he is a huge threat regardless of his ankle sprain, in their minds that injury makes him a bit weaker and they may focus on him just a bit less.

Big mistake; I am guessing Gronk has another monster game, 7 or 8 grabs for 100+ yards and he plays like his usual self.

only 13 hours to go!!!!!!!!!!

[deepthroat]

Patriots. Brady has something to prove, and I think they have the experience, weapons and coaching that give them the edge.

[DownLoLarry]

Big mistake; I am guessing Gronk has another monster game, 7 or 8 grabs for 100+ yards and he plays like his usual self.

Interesting take here.

Coaches often talk about playing with pain and the will to win blah blah.

I think every player is motivated for the Super Bowl and it comes down to weather or not the body is capable of performing.

3. The Gronk factor: As everyone knows, Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski has a high ankle sprain. Those normally require 4-6 weeks to heal, but Gronkowski was able to get back on the field for the fourth quarter of the AFC Championship Game. Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said the Giants will have several contingency plans for dealing with Gronk. The Patriots also will have several plans, because Gronk plans to play. It might be too much to ask him to run seam routes down the field, given his injury. He can still be effective in the short zone and in the red zone, where he towers over defenders. More of the receiving load will fall on Welker and tight end Aaron Hernandez. Part of the contingency plan for the Patriots revolves around how Gronk will respond in the first half and what to do in the second. It was fitting that the Patriots practiced a 31-minute halftime break during Wednesday's practice because Gronkowski will have to deal with his ankle injury at the half. Normal halftimes are 12 minutes. As Dwight Freeney of the Colts found out in Super Bowl XLIV, you can play a great first half with a bad leg injury, but the pain medication wears off and injured legs can stiffen during a long halftime. The Pats might have to get the most out of Gronk in the first half.

[JaiDee]

wow - that was a game for the ages!!

same as last time.... too bad the good guys { :)} couldn't come out on top but it was entertaining, that's for sure

For some reason this one isn't quite as hard to take as the last one, but is still a let-down for sure.

Anyway, the Giants deserved it with that last long drive, so Brady and Belichick and crew will have to wait another year or two now to try and get another one, chances like these just don't come along very often, ask Green Bay and New Orleans

[pdogg]

Down to the wire, the final Hail Mary could have given the game to the Pats.

Anyone notice jason Tuck Giant #91 giving a low wai to his friends in Pattaya?

[JaiDee]

Down to the wire, the final Hail Mary could have given the game to the Pats.

Anyone notice jason Tuck Giant #91 giving a low wai to his friends in Pattaya?

I think he actually did it TWICE!

Sunee plaza off-season sightings can't be far behind now....

I see in the press now that Welker is taking some heat for 'dropping' the ball that could have effectively put the Pats in the position to run out the clock with just under 4 minutes left. Funny, I saw it as a bad pass by Brady in which Welker was turned around completely and would have had to make a circus catch.

[JaiDee]

well, maybe 50/50....but it was certainly 'high and outside', Wes shouldn't be so hard on himself for not being able to pull it in. Sad thing is, for Pats fans anyway, is he was wide open and a solid connection here practically seals the win, G-men only had 1 TO left at that point.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=or1nSVUJeq8

[pdogg]

well, maybe 50/50....but it was certainly 'high and outside', Wes shouldn't be so hard on himself for not being able to pull it in. Sad thing is, for Pats fans anyway, is he was wide open and a solid connection here practically seals the win, G-men only had 1 TO left at that point.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=or1nSVUJeq8

Having a prob seeing the video, if it's the play i remember Welker seemed completely off balance perhaps cause the play is overthrown. At any rate fundamentally different than a bad hands thing.

Yes, I saw the wai twice.

Here's the replay schedule. Maybe FF will show it on request.

Other showings

When Channel Whats on

8 Feb 4:00 pm Astro SuperSport 2 NFL Super Bowl XLVI from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.

11 Feb 7:00 am Astro SuperSport 2 NFL Super Bowl XLVI from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.

13 Feb 11:59 pm Astro SuperSport 2 NFL Super Bowl XLVI from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.

On the hi def channel.

6 Feb 10:00 pm Astro SuperSport HD 2 NFL Super Bowl XLVI: New York Giants v New England Patriots from Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis.

7 Feb 1:00 pm Astro SuperSport HD 2 NFL Super Bowl XLVI: New York Giants v New England Patriots from Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis.

[Snick]

Great Game, this is one year when it was really the two best teams facing off against each other.

A big thanks to Nok at La Bamba who let us watch the game at 6am (and thanks to the other girls who we displaced from watch Fashion TV when we arrived).

I saw the Wais, that was 'interesting'. But he did have good form.

Best image of the day...."I made a touchdown with my Ass"

[Snick]

P.S. Ferris Bueller commercial was a letdown.

Would have been much funnier if they had a 40 year old Ferris Bueller (with wife Sloane) taking a day off work. Instead of it being Matthew Broderick.

[RocketSquirrel]

Superbowl Sports Bar

Black leatherette and brown velour seating.

Seats 11 (when proprietress is not sleeping on 2 of the seats)

42" HDTV

Airconditioned

Snacks and Refreshments (if you bring your own)

Newly decorated with Thai flora (and some small "fauna" that I saw running around)

Thai OSHA approved wiring and "certified" fire extinguisher.

Recently cleaned.

call Nok for reservations

[Lefty]

Boston media is very harsh. Totally uncalled for IMO.

http://articles.boston.com/2012-02-05/sports/31027533_1_tom-brady-wes-welker-patriots

[JaiDee]

Wow, that really IS a scathing article; but being from the area I can tell you that no one knows who the hell Eric Wilbur is; if it was written by Gerry Callahan or Bob Ryan or Dan Shaughnessy from the Globe or the Herald the article would mean a lot more to a lot more people.

I spent a good portion of yesterday reading articles from most sources; NYC, Boston, even from other big cities and pool reporters like AP and USA Today, etc......and no one [except this clown] put that much crap on Brady. He just comes across as a whiner and a jealous Brady- hater.

He can't take all the blame....the safety WAS a bone-headed play but it was early, they had 55 minutes to recover from that. The overthrow to Welker was the real killer IMO; if he lobs that in there they could have run out the clock with just 1 first down or kicked a field goal with under 2 minutes making it VERY difficult for Eli to come down and get a TD.

PD - I can watch the game again anytime on NFL.com, including right now if I choose; but I am not a masochist! Once was enough, and I have replayed the Welker video 3 or 4 times; funny thing is, he never catches it no matter how many times I replay it.

Better luck next year or 3, they may have one more in 'em with this squad and with a good draft.

[pdogg]

Best image of the day...."I made a touchdown with my Ass"

An interesting play as he was trying not to score and instead be on the one inch line.

So maybe instead of running the play, just take a knee.

But ya know, I could live with Brady completing the final Hair Mary and winning. Much more difficult to take is not trying for a TD and blowing the chip shot field goal.

@ JaiDee, theoretical physicists might say there is a parallel universe where he makes the catch....and if he did it would be a great catch. And perhaps you or I would be living in the Playboy Mansion. :D

[JaiDee]

So maybe instead of running the play, just take a knee.

I read somewhere that Eli told him right as he handed it off "Don't score" - but of course as a professional who has been trained to go straight ahead to paydirt on EVERY play, it's hard to just lay down and NOT score, know what I mean?

Tell ya' what....if the Pats somehow came back and got a TD in 57 seconds Bradshaw would be the one in Welker's shoes right now, pinning the loss on himself for not being able to stop himself from falling in.

I also saw a few words about Belichick being unethical for letting them score, integrity of the game nonsense, blah blah......but of course that was their only option, a field goal from there was a virtual certainty. Even before the timeout I was thinking it, " just let 'em punch it in here so Brady will have some time for a comeback" but it still surprised the hell out of me when Belichick actually did it, you rarely see that.

One thing we haven't mentioned yet is the Manningham catch.....holy shit, like Collinsworth said, that one will be replayed for the next 50 years of SB highlights. One of the best catches I have ever seen, both feet in and full control all the way through, with 2 defenders right on him like glue. Even a non-Giants fan has to appreciate that grab.