The Patriots broke/tied all sorts of records this past weekend, but in the end....it don't mean a thing without that ring. Right now it looks like the Colts and Chargers could give them a run for their money in the AFC portion of the playoffs. Below is the video of Tom Brady 49th and 50th TD passes of the season, both to Randy Moss. Brady passed Peyton Manning for most passing TD's in a season and Moss passes Jerry Rice for most TD receptions in a season....For those of you who didn't watch the game, Moss flat out dropped a bomb the play before he caught the 50th. Probably one of the worst drops I've ever seen.
to moss's credit, that pass was really underthrown. still, he should have caught.
and i'm not an asterisk guy (can we retire the word 'asterisk?' at least for 2008), but moss's 23 TD's don't REALLY count to me. jerry rice only had 12 games for his 22 TD's.
can't fault you there. He might be the greatest football player of all time.
Bruce Paine
said
comparing records is not necessary. When Manning threw 49 he didn't play more than a series in the last game since their seed was locked up, and he didn't throw more than twice. Because Manning threw 49 in 15 games and Brady threw 50 in 16 doesn't mean that I won't acknowledge his record. I could also say that the Pats were TRYING to break it, and that Manning just did because it happened in the course of their season. The fact is that they DID, and that is the new record and that is it. The pats had to throw as much as they did this season to win, I dont think they would be 16-0 if they didn't. They mmight not have had to keep Brady in for all those 4th quarters, they might have been able to run out some games where they decided to score a couple more times when they were already up big, but they didn't and it doesnt matter. New record, screw the asterisk. Football is football.
Bruce Paine
said
one reality about Moss though, before he came to New England, was that he had focus issues. He does not, simply does not have the hands of Rice, Harrison, or Carter. Those three guys are the best hands to ever play, period, and Moss is not in their league in terms of catching. Sure he has the highlights and the one handers to say that he is capable of being in their league, but having "hands" is as much a matter of focus as it is grip. There is plenty of film from his Viking and Raider days to indicate that Moss is not in their calibre.
Obviously there have been about a thousand columns written about the Pats over the past few days and in one of the most interesting one's that I read it said that the Pats weren't necessarily keeping guys in to go for records or things like that but that they were so embarrassed that they let the Colts beat them in the AFC Championship Game after being up 21-3. Belichick thought that the Pats didn't play 60 minutes of football in that game since they were up and their lack of focus had something to do with the Colts coming back and winning....So, he told the players that they were playing 60 minutes a game all year long so that they would learn to play all 60 minutes, without any let-up, so that the same thing wouldn't happen again.
Kind of interesting. I went looking for the link but couldn't find it since I've been around like 500 sites over the past few days..
Bruce Paine
said
I don't know, sounds like shenanigans to me. I think they were out to break records because they knew with the weakness of their divisional schedule they could. I think they threw all day because they could and they went for the throat and ran it up because they wanted to put up the numbers and make a statement. Guess what, it worked. I don't hold it against them, but lets call a spade a spade. When you are up thirty and you have all your offensive starters in and you go for it on fourth twice so you can throw a td on the goal line with 2 minutes left I think you are out there for the numbers.
Bill Belichick's mantra with his team all season has been "60 minutes,'' dating back to last year's AFC Championship Game, when the Patriots blew a 21-3 lead with 31 minutes left and lost to the Colts. That kind of second-half lethargy wasn't going to happen to the Patriots again. And so instead of waltzing through second-half blowouts this year, New England instead kept the foot on the gas, because Belichick felt the team was better prepping for January football by playing full games instead of partial ones.
Jeremiah
said
A few points from a Pats fan about above discussion:
1) If it makes Grifter feel any better they'll always mention that Rice has the most TD's in 12 games. They did it plenty of times this year and they'll keep doing it.
2} Moss is in the top 5 ever at WR. Rice is #1 no doubt but the order of 2-5 I think is debatable.
3) WR's have gone 4 games with out a TD before so saying Moss's record doesn't count is like saying if their were 24 games in a season the Pats would have gone 24-0. Both are likely true, Rice would probably have more TD's and the Pats probably would go 24-0 but you don't know cause those games were never played so you just have to go with plain and simple records which were broken. Same goes for how many TD's Manning would have had, probability and fact are two different things.
Ish
said
That is silly. Moss is the best physical specimen of a receiver ever. He's fast, tall, strong and can jump. He definitely has as good as hands as,probably better than, Rice. you acknowledge all the one hand catches. I guess he has the best HAND ever! His only minor, minor physical flaw is that he has trouble going down to get an under thrown ball because his legs are so long. That's what happend on that one drop. He might not break all of Rice's records but I think he will be the best ever when he retires.
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to moss's credit, that pass was really underthrown. still, he should have caught.
and i'm not an asterisk guy (can we retire the word 'asterisk?' at least for 2008), but moss's 23 TD's don't REALLY count to me. jerry rice only had 12 games for his 22 TD's.
yes, i'm a 49ers groupie...
they have to count, it's not like they didn't happen. You can say that Rice's record is more impressive and I wouldn't disagree with you.
That pass hit him dead in the hands. He should catch that 100 out of 100 times.
i know.
i'm just a rice-o-phile.
can't fault you there. He might be the greatest football player of all time.
comparing records is not necessary. When Manning threw 49 he didn't play more than a series in the last game since their seed was locked up, and he didn't throw more than twice. Because Manning threw 49 in 15 games and Brady threw 50 in 16 doesn't mean that I won't acknowledge his record. I could also say that the Pats were TRYING to break it, and that Manning just did because it happened in the course of their season. The fact is that they DID, and that is the new record and that is it. The pats had to throw as much as they did this season to win, I dont think they would be 16-0 if they didn't. They mmight not have had to keep Brady in for all those 4th quarters, they might have been able to run out some games where they decided to score a couple more times when they were already up big, but they didn't and it doesnt matter. New record, screw the asterisk. Football is football.
one reality about Moss though, before he came to New England, was that he had focus issues. He does not, simply does not have the hands of Rice, Harrison, or Carter. Those three guys are the best hands to ever play, period, and Moss is not in their league in terms of catching. Sure he has the highlights and the one handers to say that he is capable of being in their league, but having "hands" is as much a matter of focus as it is grip. There is plenty of film from his Viking and Raider days to indicate that Moss is not in their calibre.
Obviously there have been about a thousand columns written about the Pats over the past few days and in one of the most interesting one's that I read it said that the Pats weren't necessarily keeping guys in to go for records or things like that but that they were so embarrassed that they let the Colts beat them in the AFC Championship Game after being up 21-3. Belichick thought that the Pats didn't play 60 minutes of football in that game since they were up and their lack of focus had something to do with the Colts coming back and winning....So, he told the players that they were playing 60 minutes a game all year long so that they would learn to play all 60 minutes, without any let-up, so that the same thing wouldn't happen again.
Kind of interesting. I went looking for the link but couldn't find it since I've been around like 500 sites over the past few days..
I don't know, sounds like shenanigans to me. I think they were out to break records because they knew with the weakness of their divisional schedule they could. I think they threw all day because they could and they went for the throat and ran it up because they wanted to put up the numbers and make a statement. Guess what, it worked. I don't hold it against them, but lets call a spade a spade. When you are up thirty and you have all your offensive starters in and you go for it on fourth twice so you can throw a td on the goal line with 2 minutes left I think you are out there for the numbers.
Here it is, don't laugh, by Peter King: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/peter_king/12/30/week17/1.html
Bill Belichick's mantra with his team all season has been "60 minutes,'' dating back to last year's AFC Championship Game, when the Patriots blew a 21-3 lead with 31 minutes left and lost to the Colts. That kind of second-half lethargy wasn't going to happen to the Patriots again. And so instead of waltzing through second-half blowouts this year, New England instead kept the foot on the gas, because Belichick felt the team was better prepping for January football by playing full games instead of partial ones.
A few points from a Pats fan about above discussion:
1) If it makes Grifter feel any better they'll always mention that Rice has the most TD's in 12 games. They did it plenty of times this year and they'll keep doing it.
2} Moss is in the top 5 ever at WR. Rice is #1 no doubt but the order of 2-5 I think is debatable.
3) WR's have gone 4 games with out a TD before so saying Moss's record doesn't count is like saying if their were 24 games in a season the Pats would have gone 24-0. Both are likely true, Rice would probably have more TD's and the Pats probably would go 24-0 but you don't know cause those games were never played so you just have to go with plain and simple records which were broken. Same goes for how many TD's Manning would have had, probability and fact are two different things.
That is silly. Moss is the best physical specimen of a receiver ever. He's fast, tall, strong and can jump. He definitely has as good as hands as,probably better than, Rice. you acknowledge all the one hand catches. I guess he has the best HAND ever! His only minor, minor physical flaw is that he has trouble going down to get an under thrown ball because his legs are so long. That's what happend on that one drop. He might not break all of Rice's records but I think he will be the best ever when he retires.