Official Superbowl XXXIX Discussion

[Deron Dantzler]

I think the turnovers are what caused the loss. The fact is I think the Eagles had the better team, and I think the performances show it. I think if NE was all that they should have came away with more than a 3 pt victory considering they had a +3 turnover ratio. The Eagles just weren't up to par to play on this level and don't have the chill factor for the big game situation down.

People criticized the decision at the end where they didn't go no huddle, but the reason was obvious... to ensure that the ball wasn't turned over (AGAIN) and be sure to get the ball in the endzone. After 2 picks were thrown already and you're down by 10 it's best to get some confidence in your plays and go out there with a plan rather than lobbing the ball up for grabs. Had they went no huddle, given the track record for the night, McNabb probably would have thrown up a pick rather than bring the team to within 3 Pts.

They probably would have had a better chance also if they kicked the ball all the way down the field after their TD rather than the failed onside kick. They stopped the Patriots 3 and out but they were backed up to close to the endzone on their last series. They couldn't really get the ball moving that way. All hindsight.

Anyway, good game to watch and the Colts are going to keep the Patriots out of the Super Bowl next year.

[BroChaos Veteran]

i agree, there were too many turnovers for the eagles, but the pats didn't score off of any of them, did they?

TO is a hell of a receiver. how long is that contract for?

mcnabb is a good qb, but i don't know, he just never seems to have it all. kinda like an older, mature mike vick (who i hate and think will never win a superbowl). mcnabb running the ball and throwing the ball was just too prone for turnovers.

give someone like ben a few years, and i think he can mature into something similar to tom brady. as much as people don't want to admit it, brady is the best. he's cool, calm, can go short, deep, across the field, set up the screen, and he doesn't turn the ball over. IMO, that kind of qb will always win over the flashy, run oriented qb.

[oldmate15]

This was the first NFL game I have watched before. and wow, does it take a long time to play a 60min game. From 6min till the end of the game took half an hour. A NRL game here takes about 100min to play a 80min game. And they don't stop the game for ad breaks.

I just found it weird that it took so long for the game to finish.

[Snipe]

The Super Bowl is longer than regular football games - mostly due to the half time show - normal NFL games have 12 minute half time I think, while college has 20 min (for the band to perform)

[IceDogg]

This was a Good game. I really didn't give the Eagles much of a chance, but they made it a good game. Good job! I'm sure they will make another run next year, if all goes well. Maybe my Cowboys can improve and give them some real competition this time around. :ninja:

[mattmatik]

Yesssss...

Not only did Donovan McNabb get exposed for what I've been saying for a long time now (the dude is nuts when he gets pressure on him, he faulters in the pocket and has very weak hands, it seems he always has at least one fumble a game) but this is my favorite stat of the game...

Freddie Mitchell, 1 catch for 11 yards.

"God's gift to football", huh? Maybe that will shut his 4th-on-the-depth-chart receiving ass up. And what were Andy Reid and the Eagles doing in the final 5:00 of the game? My God, if that wasn't some of the worst clock management I have seen, comparable to Mike Martz in so many ways (huddles, mismanaged timeouts, confusion on the field, confusion on the sidelines).

Terrell Owens is a monster and I have to give alot of respect to him for doing everything in his power to keep the Eagles going. I was honored to see him begin his career and grow up with the 49ers and I hope he fully recovers from the injury (you could tell he wasn't himself...no talking, hardly any animation, he seemed either much more focused and relaxed or he was really trying to hide the pain).

Last, but not least, Randall Gay and Asante Samuel: awesome performances. There were a few times where McNabb had huge amounts of time to sit in the pocket and the secondary was like glue on the receivers. My MVP would have went to the secondary, which played with only 1 player (Rodney Harrison) who had more than 2 years experience. But, you can't turn your head on Super Bowl records, and 11 catches is extraordinary.

Great game.

[Matrix XII]

Yeah Freddie Mitchell is hilarious haha... What a game, 11 yards whoohoooo :rofl:

I also agree with your post about clock management.... My friends and I were like WTF are they doing? haha.. I wanted NE to win anyways but it was just funny. Pretty good game :)

[mattmatik]

It's going to be interesting next year when most of the Pats staff are gone b/c of other coaching jobs. Does New England have a chance next year?

585426708[/snapback]

Why not?

I compare the Patriots way of doing things to the West Coast offense that Bill Walsh and the 49ers made famous. Walsh lost many coordinators and coaches during his run in San Francisco, yet he managed to get new coaches to buy into his philosophy and got players who were coachable. New England and Belichick do the same things...they have a product that is revolutionary (i.e. drafting to the strengths of your team rather than the individual) and believe me, I promise you, more teams will be doing the same thing. Success breeds wanna-bes, it always has, especially in the NFL. Remember when Tampa Bay made the Cover 2 defense famous? Now pretty much every team has a Cover 2 defense; I also remember when the zone blitz became famous in the mid to late 90s, now it's a staple in pretty much every NFL and college defensive playbook.

And just think, their defense will be even stronger next year with Ty Law returning and Asante Samuel and Randal Gay having invaluable experience. Nothing can phase these guys.

Bill Belichick will hire coordinators who buy into his plan, period. Charlie Wies and Romeo Crennel are fantastic coaches who deserve their new jobs, but they are products of Bill Belichick.

[christracy]

Yesssss...

Not only did Donovan McNabb get exposed for what I've been saying for a long time now (the dude is nuts when he gets pressure on him, he faulters in the pocket and has very weak hands, it seems he always has at least one fumble a game)

585427076[/snapback]

http://www.nfl.com/players/playerpage/133361/gamelogs/2004

i dont think ur statement is valid in the least, he takes very good care of the football as a whole. accuracy under pressure i'd agree with u about but fumbles your wrong. and i dont think he faulters in the pocket either, he has been an excellent pocket passer this year. weak hands?? what do u base that conclusion on?

edit: took out that freddie mitchell line that should have been cut out.

[mattmatik]

http://www.nfl.com/players/playerpage/133361/gamelogs/2004

i dont think ur statement is valid in the least, he takes very good care of the football as a whole.  accuracy under pressure i'd agree with u about but fumbles your wrong.  and i dont think he faulters in the pocket either, he has been an excellent pocket passer this year.  weak hands?? what do u base that conclusion on?

edit: took out that freddie mitchell line that should have been cut out.

585427275[/snapback]

I validate my statement based on my opinion and what I see, not stats. Against the Falcons I saw the same thing...when McNabb has to stay in the pocket for an extended period of time, he really starts to get sloppy with the football. He starts dancing and prancing back there instead of tucking the ball and running. They keep talking about his scrambling ability...what scrambling ability? This is not the same guy I watched at Syracuse - the guy I saw at Syracuse was Michael Vick before Vick was out of high school.

You know what, I'll retract my statement about his weak hands and eat some humble pie. Obviously, the fumble will be unofficial, as he was down on the play.

But, there's no way in hell you can tell me he takes good care of the ball. The guy takes sacks when he should throw the ball away or get out of the pocket, his biggest pass plays were made because he heeved the ball into the air and his receivers are much bigger than the DBs, and all 3 interceptions he threw were blatant...they weren't caused from being blind-sided or because his receiver slipped.

"We just felt like we had to pressure McNabb," Belichick said. "You watch them on tape, and there are times he just sits back there in the pocket, patting the football, and waiting for a receiver to come open. We weren't going to let that happen. We wanted our best rush people on the field, and we got that with the defense we used."

I'm not the only one who has noticed this, either. I like Donovan, I've enjoyed watching him play, especially in college. But, the guy still does the same things he did in his first few years in the league.

[devBrian]

I fault Donovan more for the clock management rather than the interceptions.

I think the fact that we had no running game is what led to us losing, anyone that has to pass 50 times, especially a guy like McNabb who needs to pass 30 times to be successful, probably isn't going to get the job done.

Maybe it's time to look at Shaun Alexander a little harder.

[TDQuiksilver]

Where are all the asshat NFC team lovers now? :D

I love it. Well deserved. No luck, it's all about the experience now.

Manning? Ha. Big Ben? Ha. The Tenacious D? Ha.

I was tired of hearing every week about how hard the Pats will have it. Blah blah blah. Great game though, atleast it wasn't a blowout eh? Celebrate! :D

[devBrian]

lol, you did notice the asskissing the media was doing to the Patriots ALL WEEK, didn't you? And why are NFC team lovers 'asshats'? I understand your excitement but don't be a dick.

[TDQuiksilver]

I believe the dick is actually the bitter Eagle fan. And if you bothered to even read the NFL.com reports, ESPN, Fox Sports online all week you would see such headlines as "Pats have tough matchup" "Pats will have to do this and do that" "Terrell Owens blah blah blah." So much for all that money you dumped into T.O. y'know? Granted it took all of that to actually bump you guys into the Super Bowl finally! ;)

[devBrian]

So much for all that money we dumped on TO?

He put together undoubtedly one of the most amazing and inspiring performances in Super Bowl history and left it all out on the field.

And you guys did have a tough matchup. If I recall correctly, you guys won by 3 and the Eagles had FOUR turnovers. And the Eagles could have very well won the game with good clock management.

Wow, arrogant little prick. You give Patriot fans a bad name.

[Rell]

Eagles had a great year. Mcnabb didn't choke, I think he had a great game with 357 yards, 3 touchdowns & 3 Interceptions. The fault lies I believe on the Eagles coach and his time management. I think the coach should've managed differently in the end of the game.

[Hurmoth]

Go New England :woot:

[Prosidius]

Donavann played his worst game last night. He played horrible. This is not something I expect out of Donavann.

[Laughing-Man]

Eagles had a great year. Mcnabb didn't choke, I think he had a great game with 357 yards, 3 touchdowns & 3 Interceptions. The fault lies I believe on the Eagles coach and his time management. I think the coach should've managed differently in the end of the game.

585427631[/snapback]

Despite the interceptions McNabb did have a good game though. Did you see that laser he through between the two defenders to get a TD in the endzone to Westbrook? Or the one last touchdown in the end to make it a three point game? It was a shame that the front line could not hold its own and gave up four sacks on him and also made him hurry alot to pass the ball, thus the interceptions.

I can't believe some of you would even suggest giving McNabb up for a new QB. That is just plain stupid. Despite this game, the Eagles were still 13-1 with McNabb starting this season. NO way in hell are the Eagles getting a new QB. I have been watching the Eagles for 17 consecuative seasons since I was 6, and I don't want to go back to the 3-13 team we used to be. The Eagles have never played better since drafting him.

The game was lost because of pure clock management, the front line not holding its own, and due to poor throws because of the pressure the Patriots put on McNabb. There were many opportunities for the Eagles to win the game and they blew them all.

Edited February 7, 2005 by jmole

[threetonesun]

I guess the NFC guys have lower expectations. McNabb did not have a good game last night. That said, it wasn't the best I've ever seen Brady play either (at least in the first half). You can say it was close, but remember the Pats won their last two Superbowls on end game field goals.

[anthony]

I think the turnovers are what caused the loss. The fact is I think the Eagles had the better team, and I think the performances show it.

585426768[/snapback]

Wait, if the Eagles kept turning over the ball, how are they the better team?

I kept hearing something, about, a Dynasty Baby!

[Toxikk Veteran]

I kept hearing something, about, a Dynasty Baby!

585428039[/snapback]

it wont last. they are losing both coordinators. what scares me is the fact that phila has mcnabb for like 10 years, the freak for 8, and TO for 7. they are gonna be a good team for a long time.

the pats are done. i seriously doubt they will be able to keep it together without that coaching staff. oh by the way, the eagles had over $10million free in their salary cap this year.

i hope they pickup some more key peeps, like shaun alexander, for example.

gotta be glad to be in boston though. :yes:

[sanctified Veteran]

it wont last. they are losing both coordinators. what scares me is the fact that phila has mcnabb for like 10 years, the freak for 8, and TO for 7. they are gonna be a good team for a long time.

the pats are done. i seriously doubt they will be able to keep it together without that coaching staff. oh by the way, the eagles had over $10million free in their salary cap this year.

i hope they pickup some more key peeps, like shaun alexander, for example.

gotta be glad to be in boston though.  :yes:

585429382[/snapback]

While the coordinators are very talented staff they are just Bellichick (typo) products. The pats are going to hire a couple of talented coordinators and the coach is going to train them to stick with his plan.

[TDQuiksilver]

Still lovin' it. :D :D :D

[leedogg]

I attribute this victory to the patriots superior defensive line. The fact that both quarterbacks struggled was a tribute to both defenses, but the primary difference was that the patriots were still able to run the ball, the eagles werent. True clock mismanagement sucked, but that came from being put in such a position that clock management mattered.