12/18/24
February 03, 2019
SportsFilter: The Sunday Huddle:
A place to discuss the sports stories that aren't making news, share links that aren't quite front-page material, and diagram plays on your hand. Remember to count to five Mississippi before commenting in anger.
Congratulations to whomever had "Super Bowl total score" by 2 over "NC State's total score vs Virginia Tech." You probably won a Andy Warhol style Whopper.
posted by NoMich at 10:41 PM on February 03, 2019
Texted a friend who didn't watch the game and doesn't have a smart phone.
"What a cooker. Largest Super Bowl margin of victory in Patriots history."
posted by beaverboard at 11:12 PM on February 03, 2019
That's probably the worst Super Bowl I've ever watched. Even in blowout games, at least one team is doing something exciting. This was a snore fest.
Someone tried to tell me it was "nail biter", but I said that's only true if you're biting your nails in order for them to be sharp enough to slice your own wrists to avoid the boredom of this game.
I had more fun watching/listening to a virtual concert during a game of Fortnite than I did watching that bland half-time show they presented.
So Edelman wins the Super Bowl MVP in the same season that he's suspended for 4 games because of PED use. They probably never mentioned that fact during the pre-game/game/post-game discussions...
posted by grum@work at 12:12 AM on February 04, 2019
I'm on the flip side, grum. I enjoy great defense and absolutely hate when football games resemble basketball. Even worse when the game is won on a last series aided by 3 penalties called against the defense. The defense was really good on both sides but can't get all the credit as there was some pretty horrendous QB play throughout.
So Edelman wins the Super Bowl MVP in the same season that he's suspended for 4 games because of PED use
Word is they did attempt to test him during the playoffs but his urine sample was so "hot" that it dissolved the container.
posted by cixelsyd at 10:18 AM on February 04, 2019
Brady was suspended for 4 games in 2016 for his alleged role in a game where the footballs of both teams (each team provides their own game balls) were found not to be inflated to league specifications through the use of different pressure gauges that weren't calibrated and weren't kept individually identified to provide continuity of results.
He went on to become the MVP of Super Bowl 51.
Sometimes, the league has a reasonable and straightforward case and sometimes it doesn't.
Nevertheless, suspend them at your peril, and disallow remedies for egregious conference title game officiating at your peril.
posted by beaverboard at 11:35 AM on February 04, 2019
Someone tried to tell me it was "nail biter", but I said that's only true if you're biting your nails in order for them to be sharp enough to slice your own wrists to avoid the boredom of this game.
Man, I enjoyed the hell out of that, mainly the running-on-ice feeling of "How many times can they force the Rams to punt before the Rams get it sorted out and start driving" like happened in the AFC Championship.
I have no idea if they will resign Trey Flowers, if Gronk will retire, if Brady finally gives in to Father Time or if Gostkowski is past due-date, but I will mention the Pats have 12 draft picks. I look forward to a wide receiver flame-out and some weird second-rounder who wasn't even supposed to get drafted that we try to squint at to pretend makes sense.
posted by yerfatma at 01:07 PM on February 04, 2019
Multiple choice fill in the blank:
In Detroit, they _______________ wondering why the Pats D gave up 41 points last year and 3 points this year, and why the Lions went from 9-7 last year to 6-10 this year.
1) Must be
2) Should be
3) May never reach the point of
posted by beaverboard at 01:43 PM on February 04, 2019
I don't mind a defensive struggle but the Rams only scoring 3 feels like a collapse, not a good team facing a great defense. Brady was also misfiring most of the game. I think the level of excitement from Nantz and Romo over the record-breaking longest punt ever summed up how much of a slog this was.
posted by rcade at 02:03 PM on February 04, 2019
posted by yerfatma at 02:19 PM on February 04, 2019
posted by NoMich at 03:15 PM on February 04, 2019
Brady was suspended for 4 games in 2016
The difference there is that EVERYONE talked about it all the time for the entire season and the playoffs.
Edelman getting busted for PED use was swept under the rug by the broadcast crew for the entire broadcast.
My favourite part is how they skip over the PED suspension entirely with this line:
The game capped an outstanding rebound season for Edelman, who missed all of the 2017 season (and the team's loss in Super Bowl LII) with a torn ACL.
posted by grum@work at 03:50 PM on February 04, 2019
Edelman was more fully discussed in various other avenues.
Prominently featured on the front page of the Washington Post's site through a good portion of the day today was this story
posted by beaverboard at 05:11 PM on February 04, 2019
Edelman came within a hair's breadth of having his career, or perhaps even his life ended during the victory parade in 2017. My wife suggested we go to Boston for the parade because, as she said, "You're almost 76 and it might be your last time." I growled something at her and extended a middle digit, but off we went. We wound up at the corner of Park Street and Tremont Street, standing a bit back on Park Street to take advantage of the hill to look above the crowd. The Duck Boats came along, moving slowly and with lots of stops and starts. Edelman's boat stopped just before the intersection, and Edelman was dancing on top of the canopy. There is a traffic light at the intersection. It is not on a pole but rather hangs from a cable above the middle of Tremont Street. Edelman was happily dancing away and exchanging shouts with the crowd when the boat started to move. At the last second he saw the traffic signal and ducked. Had he not evaded, he would have been knocked off the canopy to the street below, about a 12 to 15 foot drop. It was a near thing, and had he fallen his injuries would have been severe.
posted by Howard_T at 07:56 PM on February 04, 2019
No question Edelman was the best Patriot throughout the playoffs.
how they skip over the PED suspension entirely
His suspension was for taking the same supplements that Brady has for years. He did contest the suspension but when it was upheld he accepted the consequences for his acts.
posted by cixelsyd at 11:14 AM on February 05, 2019
[citation needed] - the CBA prevents the league from saying what substances were taken and the player can claim anything, thus the rash of Adderall* suspensions in the past. Edleman was probably the best Patriot offensive player in the playoffs, but a team that beat the top 3 NFL offenses in the playoffs probably had a few good defenders. Gilmore, Flowers, Kyle van Noy, even a rejuvenated Hightower would all be good nominees.
posted by yerfatma at 11:35 AM on February 05, 2019
It was a near thing, and had he fallen his injuries would have been severe.
Something tells me that Edelman would have returned from this terrible injury stronger than ever and won some extra Super Bowls.
I miss the Pat the Patriot helmet era, when the best New England could hope for was a single Super Bowl appearance and the Chicago Bears beat them into next week.
posted by rcade at 11:41 AM on February 05, 2019
Child me, excited as anything for that Super Bowl, snack spread arrayed around me, watching solo because my dad was away, cried as that game ended in the first 5 minutes. Thank you, no. I'll take these wins over that any day of the week.
posted by kokaku at 01:17 PM on February 05, 2019
I saw a link off Deadspin about how the Patriots are anti-football and closed it just after the article pointed out in spite of being 6-4 in Super Bowls, they are still way behind on net points. Man that was a killer to 5th grade me.
posted by yerfatma at 02:03 PM on February 05, 2019
On the "Super Bowl Deer In The Headlights" scale, the look in Jared Goff's eyes on some of the plays was the equivalent of about a 50, with Tony Eason (Patriots, Super Bowl XX) being 100.
The 1986 Super Bowl halftime show was Up With People. Two days later, the Challenger was launched into eternity.
Ordinarily, a disaster of that magnitude would make people forget about the result of a mere football game. But people have not forgotten Super Bowl XX, such was the severity of the beatdown that the Bears gave the Pats.
posted by beaverboard at 02:09 PM on February 05, 2019
Poor Walter Payton
posted by NoMich at 03:24 PM on February 05, 2019
The Patriots were so hurt by being blown out in 1986 that they insist on keeping all their Super Bowl games close.
posted by rcade at 04:07 PM on February 05, 2019
probably had a few good defenders
You bet they did. Aside from Mahomes, the Patriots didn't allow anything deep or short during the playoffs. And nobody attempted to adjust and take what they were giving. Great coaching and great execution.
posted by cixelsyd at 11:55 PM on February 05, 2019
The 1986 Super Bowl halftime show was Up With People.
It would be interesting to know what year Mad Magazine stopped mentioning Up With People at least 6 times per year.
posted by yerfatma at 08:44 AM on February 06, 2019
Celebratory ordnance building to a steady drumbeat at nearby river island airfield.