Game Thread SUPERBOWL LIII - New England Patriots VS Los Angeles Rams

Guarding them wasn't the problem except apparently, they couldn't figure out how to stay on Edelman (That dude is lightning quick my goodness).
The problem was the Patriots defense had them all sort of figured out. I think people really have glossed over the Cooper Kupp injury look at their offense with him vs without him. Kupp is their version of Edelman, Combine that with Gurley's problems, that team really had some issues. Patriots were the better team.

 

I agree that was a terrible call, although technically in the rule book it specifically says you can't use your arm like a club and make contact. The one from the Super Bowl was called correctly though.

 

ok....just the NBA defenders have their hands tied behind their backs now.
Its about selling tickets and revenue not just safety and the offensive side of a football and basketbball is what sells TV viewership. Listen to how many people are complaining that it was a boring game.
I don't mind a low scoring game with smash mouth football and basketball.

 

Agreed....take out their best player due to nagging injury and one of their top WR's and the Pats were the better team.. Huzzah!

 

So you think they should just keep allowing stuff like that until someone dies on the field? Or even after that happens should they still man up and stop being pussies?

 

Well, I'm not a fan of either so I don't really care. I enjoyed the Superbowl but it's probably from a place of that I spend Superbowl Sunday with my kids and my parents it's family time for me. We played games and kept the kids entertained while the game was on. I also kind of like watching good defenses play, I have always appreciated good defense a lot.

 

I'm about balance, some of the collisions can be addressed but they cant take basic tackling from the game without giving the offense way to much advantage. Im ok with certain guidelines given to defenders to help protect deaths and bad injuries, but some of the calls are very subjective. There will always be violent tackling because the game is fast, big players but they are very well conditioned too.
That particular play wasn't dangerous in my mind its was actually pretty light considering the condition, gear and adrenaline. Its one of those subjective call.

 

I’m a Brady fan and therefore a Pats fan for a little while longer. Wasn’t boring at all. Game was a nail biter the whole way and in doubt still with 4 minutes to play. I’m sure Rams fans weren’t bored either. Frustrating & agonizing but not boring.

 

Today at the office, every single person had the same variation of comment. "How boring....what a terrible Super Bowl." Purely anecdotal, but it was 100%.

 

And it doesn’t even have to be helmet to helmet. Can’t hit the head or neck area with anything on a defenseless player.

 

Well if it was two teams I didn’t care about then yeah I want a 47 to 45 game too. But it was down to the wire and it was some amazing defensive game plans to hold those two offenses down. To each his/her own.

 

In basketball there's still a lot of scoring relative to other sports even if it's a huge "defensive" battle. Plus, big blocked shots are extremely exciting to watch, and about as excited as a big hit in football. Yet blocks are more plentiful and usually aren't penalized and don't almost kill someone.

 

He could be slowing down but IMO there not much evidence of that.

This year? His QB rating is average for his career and better than 9 of 18 of his younger years.

Tonight? Small sample. QB rating for last two games was a paltry 75. Two games before that 120. Variance.

Talent? Pats are a great team overall but he did not have a great receiver core this year. Vs Rams he basically had 1.5 guys who could get open.

Obviously he’s gonna slow down pretty soon. Maybe not yet though. We’ll see next year.

 

I’m not hating - TB is an amazing talent and he’s got a football genius behind him as coach. I like TB and the Pats more than most not in New England. I’m just putting a prediction out there.

 

Ok, then he’s got to fall off next year for you to be right, cuz of course he will pretty soon.

It won’t be his body legs or arm I don’t think. It’s Bradys brain that makes him Brady. His ability to parse the field in an instant and figure out where the ball should go. I think that’s what will go first.

 

I watched Darryl Stingley play and saw him become a quadriplegic so I have no problem with these rules. It does make the game less exciting but whatever.

 

He’s already proven us wrong, thus far.... so who really knows?

 

Yeah. I do wish he would retire on top though. I hate seeing great athletes play too long. One more year is ok though. I predicted after his 5th ring that was all he’d get. Then after he missed last year I really thought he’d never get 6. No way he gets 7. Jinx.

 

The point I was making earlier is that the NBA has made it tougher on the d side of the ball to get scoring up because thats what sells.
Football is a violent physical game and those that play it realize thats the case too. Im not against some actions to prevent serious injuries at all and they've done quit a bit, some would say maybe to much is certain areas. At a glance the pro game is pretty safe and one may have greater odds at getting rear ended on the hwy than seriously hurt in a football game now. It happens but considering all the collisions and physicality of the game it's not to bad. Just my old guy opinion, hell when i played they just started using face guards, just one band not a whole mask.