Just read the first paragraph, and know it is going to be good.
Wanted to get it up here to get other opinions.... This is how it starts.
Super Bowl XLIX was like the last episode of The Sopranos (and I’m not the only one who thought so). I will always remember watching it, I will always be dumbfounded by the ending and I needed 48 hours to figure out what I thought happened. What was Bill Belichick doing? What was Seattle doing? What was EVERYONE doing? This isn’t a retro diary, it’s a retro retro diary. It’s time to relive, regurgitate, recelebrate and re-heart-attack the final 12 minutes of Super Bowl XLIX.
I never met a hater better than me. I am on twitter
Just read the first paragraph, and know it is going to be good.
Wanted to get it up here to get other opinions.... This is how it starts.
Super Bowl XLIX was like the last episode of The Sopranos (and I’m not the only one who thought so). I will always remember watching it, I will always be dumbfounded by the ending and I needed 48 hours to figure out what I thought happened. What was Bill Belichick doing? What was Seattle doing? What was EVERYONE doing? This isn’t a retro diary, it’s a retro retro diary. It’s time to relive, regurgitate, recelebrate and re-heart-attack the final 12 minutes of Super Bowl XLIX.
best commentary i read about the sopranos final was something along the lines of: so many people were pissed off about the sopranos finale because it presented them with the reality that they spent so much time watching the show, and they didn't understand what it was about.
best commentary i read about the sopranos final was something along the lines of: so many people were pissed off about the sopranos finale because it presented them with the reality that they spent so much time watching the show, and they didn't understand what it was about.
The only thing I want to read from Bill Simmons is the proof he allegedly has of Roger Goodell lying about the Ray Rice debacle and how he was going to tell the world the truth about Goodell if he got suspended by ESPN for him calling him a liar.
The only thing I want to read from Bill Simmons is the proof he allegedly has of Roger Goodell lying about the Ray Rice debacle and how he was going to tell the world the truth about Goodell if he got suspended by ESPN for him calling him a liar.
I still think calling the timeout gives you a better chance to win, but if he did do it on purpose, he deserves a lot of credit.
Watching the play in slow motion over and over convinces me that NE did know it was coming. The way Browner jams Kearse IN BACK of the line of scrimmage to give Butler a clear lane is the key.
I never met a hater better than me. I am on twitter
I still think calling the timeout gives you a better chance to win, but if he did do it on purpose, he deserves a lot of credit.
Watching the play in slow motion over and over convinces me that NE did know it was coming. The way Browner jams Kearse IN BACK of the line of scrimmage to give Butler a clear lane is the key.
butler had to know it was coming. that play is too quick to react and get in front of the receiver for the INT. at best, you might get a hand in there if you are reacting.
butler had to know it was coming. that play is too quick to react and get in front of the receiver for the INT. at best, you might get a hand in there if you are reacting.
It’s like God decided, “What could be worse than the Helmet Catch? What
if I created a catch under the exact same circumstances, with the exact
same stakes,in the exact same building, with the exact same defense out
there, only this time, the football hits seven body parts before it’s
caught? Would that clinch Tyree 2.0 status? Should I throw in a couple
more body parts, or are we good with seven?”
It’s like God decided, “What could be worse than the Helmet Catch? What
if I created a catch under the exact same circumstances, with the exact
same stakes,in the exact same building, with the exact same defense out
there, only this time, the football hits seven body parts before it’s
caught? Would that clinch Tyree 2.0 status? Should I throw in a couple
more body parts, or are we good with seven?”
He nailed it. Everybody read, "The Book of Basketball", ? Simmons knows more pro hoop than anybody ever. Great, fun book. The stuff about Wilt is classic!!
He nailed it. Everybody read, "The Book of Basketball", ? Simmons knows more pro hoop than anybody ever. Great, fun book. The stuff about Wilt is classic!!
0:58 (Second-and-goal, NE 1): Wait, they’re not calling timeout.
[...]
Here’s what we know: Seattle had already wasted two timeouts, so it
had to pass on second or third down. If it ran Lynch on second down and
didn’t score, it would have had to burn the third timeout and pass on
third down, too.
But the Seahawks were expecting Belichick to call timeout.
Only he didn’t. Remember that seemingly unimportant timeout that Brady
wasted? That made it impossible for New England to stop the clock three
times. This was now a poker game. What do you do when you know you have
the lousier hand? You bluff.
I believe he hatched this plan during Seattle’s second timeout: If Lynch doesn’t score on first down, here’s what I am doing next.
He liked having those 50-50 pass odds on second down. He wanted the
game to speed up. He wanted confusion and chaos. He wanted that in-game
pressure to tilt Seattle’s way. If you’ve ever been at the Super Bowl
for a big win-or-go-home drive inside the 10, it’s more chaotic than
you’d ever imagine. I remember being there when the 2012 Niners drove
for a first-and-goal against the Ravens, seemed like they were scoring,
failed on first down and then, suddenly, the energy in the building
changed. Everything got tense. You could feel it. Like being on a
speedboat that’s going a little too fast.
Belichick made an emergency plan, felt that in-stadium energy shifting after Lynch’s first-down run, then thought to himself, One
timeout, one yard to go. They’re passing — either a quick slant or
Wilson rolling out. We spent the whole week practicing how to defend
both plays. We can absolutely stop this.12 Remember, Butler told reporters afterward that they’d specifically practiced to defend THIS PASS PLAY. And remember …
[...]
If you’re Wilson, don’t you happily throw that ball every time? Can’t we
just say that Butler made an all-time unbelievable play? If Revis made
it, wouldn’t it have been treated differently?
0:58 (Second-and-goal, NE 1): Wait, they’re not calling timeout.
[...]
Here’s what we know: Seattle had already wasted two timeouts, so it
had to pass on second or third down. If it ran Lynch on second down and
didn’t score, it would have had to burn the third timeout and pass on
third down, too.
But the Seahawks were expecting Belichick to call timeout.
Only he didn’t. Remember that seemingly unimportant timeout that Brady
wasted? That made it impossible for New England to stop the clock three
times. This was now a poker game. What do you do when you know you have
the lousier hand? You bluff.
I believe he hatched this plan during Seattle’s second timeout: If Lynch doesn’t score on first down, here’s what I am doing next.
He liked having those 50-50 pass odds on second down. He wanted the
game to speed up. He wanted confusion and chaos. He wanted that in-game
pressure to tilt Seattle’s way. If you’ve ever been at the Super Bowl
for a big win-or-go-home drive inside the 10, it’s more chaotic than
you’d ever imagine. I remember being there when the 2012 Niners drove
for a first-and-goal against the Ravens, seemed like they were scoring,
failed on first down and then, suddenly, the energy in the building
changed. Everything got tense. You could feel it. Like being on a
speedboat that’s going a little too fast.
Belichick made an emergency plan, felt that in-stadium energy shifting after Lynch’s first-down run, then thought to himself, One
timeout, one yard to go. They’re passing — either a quick slant or
Wilson rolling out. We spent the whole week practicing how to defend
both plays. We can absolutely stop this.12 Remember, Butler told reporters afterward that they’d specifically practiced to defend THIS PASS PLAY. And remember …
[...]
If you’re Wilson, don’t you happily throw that ball every time? Can’t we
just say that Butler made an all-time unbelievable play? If Revis made
it, wouldn’t it have been treated differently?
I love how reporters today (at least that's what Bill Simmons claims to be) don't do much research (even with the the internet available to them). Here is what Bellecheat himself said, and his version of the story sounds a lot more realistic to me. There is not a hint that he thought all the things Bill claims he must have been thinking.
Appearing on WEEI-FM in Boston on Tuesday, Belichick said he considered calling a timeout, only to change his mind at the last second.
"We put our goal-line defense in probably around the same time they were sending in their multiple receiver group, and that's kind of what we wanted to be in there, to make sure they didn't run the ball in," Belichick said, per ESPN.com's Mike Reiss.
"I'd like to think had they tried to run the ball against our goal-line defense, with three receivers on the field -- we couldn't ask for any more than that in terms of trying to stop the running game," Belichick said. "We saw that matchup and we certainly gave some consideration to taking a timeout there and leaving some time on the clock. I don't know if that would have been a bad thing to do. It might have been a good thing to do. But it just seemed like -- in the flow of the game -- that we were OK with where we were."
Belichick can say whatever he wants, but the decision to let the clock burn away was controversial. It's extremely rare not to see a timeout called in that type of late-game scenario.
The Patriots did make one final adjustment, though, sending Butler in for linebacker Akeem Ayers just before the snap.
I love how reporters today (at least that's what Bill Simmons claims to be) don't do much research (even with the the internet available to them). Here is what Bellecheat himself said, and his version of the story sounds a lot more realistic to me. There is not a hint that he thought all the things Bill claims he must have been thinking.
Appearing on WEEI-FM in Boston on Tuesday, Belichick said he considered calling a timeout, only to change his mind at the last second.
"We put our goal-line defense in probably around the same time they were sending in their multiple receiver group, and that's kind of what we wanted to be in there, to make sure they didn't run the ball in," Belichick said, per ESPN.com's Mike Reiss.
"I'd like to think had they tried to run the ball against our goal-line defense, with three receivers on the field -- we couldn't ask for any more than that in terms of trying to stop the running game," Belichick said. "We saw that matchup and we certainly gave some consideration to taking a timeout there and leaving some time on the clock. I don't know if that would have been a bad thing to do. It might have been a good thing to do. But it just seemed like -- in the flow of the game -- that we were OK with where we were."
Belichick can say whatever he wants, but the decision to let the clock burn away was controversial. It's extremely rare not to see a timeout called in that type of late-game scenario.
The Patriots did make one final adjustment, though, sending Butler in for linebacker Akeem Ayers just before the snap.
I love how reporters today (at least that's what Bill Simmons claims to be) don't do much research (even with the the internet available to them). Here is what Bellecheat himself said, and his version of the story sounds a lot more realistic to me. There is not a hint that he thought all the things Bill claims he must have been thinking.
Appearing on WEEI-FM in Boston on Tuesday, Belichick said he considered calling a timeout, only to change his mind at the last second.
"We put our goal-line defense in probably around the same time they were sending in their multiple receiver group, and that's kind of what we wanted to be in there, to make sure they didn't run the ball in," Belichick said, per ESPN.com's Mike Reiss.
"I'd like to think had they tried to run the ball against our goal-line defense, with three receivers on the field -- we couldn't ask for any more than that in terms of trying to stop the running game," Belichick said. "We saw that matchup and we certainly gave some consideration to taking a timeout there and leaving some time on the clock. I don't know if that would have been a bad thing to do. It might have been a good thing to do. But it just seemed like -- in the flow of the game -- that we were OK with where we were."
Belichick can say whatever he wants, but the decision to let the clock burn away was controversial. It's extremely rare not to see a timeout called in that type of late-game scenario.
The Patriots did make one final adjustment, though, sending Butler in for linebacker Akeem Ayers just before the snap.
The rest, of course, is history.
Sounds logically.
But I guess Belichick thought about what can happen if the Seahawks score with 40-55 seconds left on the clock. There is no way he believed in his offense to march downfield to settle up for a managable field goal within 40 seconds.
Butler said they had practiced for that specific goal line pass type of play.
I love how reporters today (at least that's what Bill Simmons claims to be) don't do much research (even with the the internet available to them). Here is what Bellecheat himself said, and his version of the story sounds a lot more realistic to me. There is not a hint that he thought all the things Bill claims he must have been thinking.
Appearing on WEEI-FM in Boston on Tuesday, Belichick said he considered calling a timeout, only to change his mind at the last second.
"We put our goal-line defense in probably around the same time they were sending in their multiple receiver group, and that's kind of what we wanted to be in there, to make sure they didn't run the ball in," Belichick said, per ESPN.com's Mike Reiss.
"I'd like to think had they tried to run the ball against our goal-line defense, with three receivers on the field -- we couldn't ask for any more than that in terms of trying to stop the running game," Belichick said. "We saw that matchup and we certainly gave some consideration to taking a timeout there and leaving some time on the clock. I don't know if that would have been a bad thing to do. It might have been a good thing to do. But it just seemed like -- in the flow of the game -- that we were OK with where we were."
Belichick can say whatever he wants, but the decision to let the clock burn away was controversial. It's extremely rare not to see a timeout called in that type of late-game scenario.
The Patriots did make one final adjustment, though, sending Butler in for linebacker Akeem Ayers just before the snap.
The rest, of course, is history.
Sounds logically.
But I guess Belichick thought about what can happen if the Seahawks score with 40-55 seconds left on the clock. There is no way he believed in his offense to march downfield to settle up for a managable field goal within 40 seconds.
Butler said they had practiced for that specific goal line pass type of play.
That was just a typical kind of move by the genius to not call a timeout. Belichick KNOWS everything about the game of football and no one can compare. There won't be any single situation in the game that he or his team will never not be ready for. In that last minute of chaos and confusion, the patriots were sitting around pouring out cups of tea on the sideline while waiting for the Seahawks to bust. And that they did! Reference to the grant land article for when he wrote about the poker game that was being played out. Anyone that has ever played poker and is good enough to win understands the cool and calm that is a necessity to keep under control the emotions that impedes good judgement. That is the Patriots in a nutshell, and that is why people will hate the patriots; because just when you think you're going to beat them, you don't know yet that you already lost.
That was just a typical kind of move by the genius to not call a timeout. Belichick KNOWS everything about the game of football and no one can compare. There won't be any single situation in the game that he or his team will never not be ready for. In that last minute of chaos and confusion, the patriots were sitting around pouring out cups of tea on the sideline while waiting for the Seahawks to bust. And that they did! Reference to the grant land article for when he wrote about the poker game that was being played out. Anyone that has ever played poker and is good enough to win understands the cool and calm that is a necessity to keep under control the emotions that impedes good judgement. That is the Patriots in a nutshell, and that is why people will hate the patriots; because just when you think you're going to beat them, you don't know yet that you already lost.
But I guess Belichick thought about what can happen if the Seahawks score with 40-55 seconds left on the clock. There is no way he believed in his offense to march downfield to settle up for a managable field goal within 40 seconds.
Butler said they had practiced for that specific goal line pass type of play.
But I guess Belichick thought about what can happen if the Seahawks score with 40-55 seconds left on the clock. There is no way he believed in his offense to march downfield to settle up for a managable field goal within 40 seconds.
Butler said they had practiced for that specific goal line pass type of play.
Belichick SHOULD have called timeout. He got lucky. Or he is psychic.
He deserves some credit for being comfortable that his team was ready to defend that play, but you don't call timeout only if you are sure you are going to get a turnover! He still needed to plan for the high probability that he wasn’t going to get a turnover. And that would mean calling timeout, even if it meant giving Seattle time to re-think things.
Maybe he was so happy that they were going to pass that he let it happen. But 98% of the time it will be incomplete or TD or something else and then time for two more runs.
Belichick SHOULD have called timeout. He got lucky. Or he is psychic.
He deserves some credit for being comfortable that his team was ready to defend that play, but you don't call timeout only if you are sure you are going to get a turnover! He still needed to plan for the high probability that he wasn’t going to get a turnover. And that would mean calling timeout, even if it meant giving Seattle time to re-think things.
Maybe he was so happy that they were going to pass that he let it happen. But 98% of the time it will be incomplete or TD or something else and then time for two more runs.
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