NFL Wildcard weekend

[hanratty21]

Good stuff so far. Cowboys look very dangerous, Jets surprised me but not nearly as much as the Bengals ineptitude did. Ravens taking it to the Pats, but can't count them out till the fat lady sings. I'd like to see the Cards get hot again like they did last year, but the Packers D might be a little too tough.

Fun stuff, indeed.

[lefteyewilly]

i love NFL playoffs. Quite surprised by how horrible the pats are doing though. I know baltimore's D is great, but thought the pats would have at least kept it close.

[hanratty21]

I think the absence of Welker hurts them a lot more than anyone thought.

[hanratty21]

...the Packers D might be a little too tough.

I guess I should have said that the Cards D was tough...

[gerbick]

Cardinals definitely came to play...

[gerbick]

Seriously... Cards vs. Packers is one helluva game.

[hanratty21]

No doubt.

[gerbick]

Wow. Highest scoring post-season game of all time... and finishes on a defensive touchdown. I have doubts that the Superbowl will beat this game.

[hanratty21]

While probably not the best playoff game I've seen, certainly the most explosive.

[silverx2]

the pats choked hard
something was wrong with brady, his passes were horrible.

[jAQUAN]

I've said it before and Brady proved. Overrated QB on a good team.
Packers/Cards was the best game all weekend although there wasn't a whole defense between them.

[silverx2]

I've said it before and Brady proved. Overrated QB on a good team.
Packers/Cards was the best game all weekend although there wasn't a whole defense between them.

i think its going to take a little more then one bad game to say hes overrated

[hanratty21]

I really didn't want this thread to go there, but Brady's prowess has always and will always be in direct correlation to the performance of the Patriots Defense. Belichick (when not stroking off his own ego to happy ending status) is a hell of a coach and a very good purveyor of talent. His ability to get the most out of everyone by putting them in the right place and the right mindset (see: Troy Brown) has always been a key to that team's performance.

That being said, let's look at the big years that Brady has had...
As per Wikipedia: 5× Pro Bowl selection (2001, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009)

2001 - Not sure why this happened, as his numbers were pedestrian at best. Consider this one a gift. He had a little over 2800 passing yards when Kurt Warner had over 4800. There were 21 QB's with more yards including the likes of Chris Weinke and Tim Couch. I guess the Super Bowl gets you a bye on that one. The Pats D? Gave up the 6th FEWEST points of any team that year. Coincidence? I think not. Let's move on though...

2004 - Pats D ranked 9th in total yards and 2nd in total points given up.

2005 - Probably his crowning achievement...injuries forced him to step up, but in the end, he could not do this on his own. He wore an S on his chest, but couldn't bring home the big prize without the big guns. He put up HUGE numbers that year, but really had no choice. The core of the team was there, but lots of injuries and lots of games where they were behind forced lots of passing attempts. Tedy Bruschi was probably pretty inspiring for him as well...

2007 - Pats D ranked 4th in total yards and 4th in total points allowed. Coincidentally, this is Tom's best statistical year.

2009 - Good numbers, but I personally feel that this Pro Bowl choice is more due to his 'comeback' status as both Roethlisberger and Schaub had better passer ratings this year and, IMHO, Big Ben was a much more complete QB than Brady was this year. Incidentally, Pats D gave up the 5th fewest points this year.

You're right though...one bad game does not say he's overrated. Keep in mind, overrated does not mean he's bad. Just means he gets more accolades than he probably deserves.

[gerbick]

This ain't gonna end well.

[jAQUAN]

Much as I hate to agree, Belichick deserves the most credit for consistently getting a different group to do the same thing, namely provide pockets you could do you taxes in. When Brady's hot, he top notch and even I, as someone still bent from the snow bowl will admit, fun to watch. I just don't think he's earned status among the great sharp shooters. To reiterate HR, that is not to say doesn't deserve consideration as such.

[clicky2]

This ain't gonna end well.

Agreed.

Being a Colts and Purdue fan I have a couple of dogs in this fight (Manning & Brees) and I won't even go there.

[jAQUAN]

The Jets/Chargers game is the only one I'm willing to predict. The rest are anyone's game, just depends on who shows up. If all the Ravens bring is their D, Payton has his work cut out but could still pull it off. Dallas' D is down right scary atm but Brett is the ice man and an artist. It's all about the scramble. If the Saints D steps up, it could be ugly for the Cardinals.

[silverx2]

ill predict that brett throws a costly interception and the vikes lose because of it.

[jAQUAN]

Haha, that's definitely in the cards.

[creativeinsomnia]

I doubt it. How many times this year has Favre thrown a crucial interception?

People forget that Favre is having his best season ever.

Anyway, I'm obviously a Vikings homer and if Favre hasnt proven that he's not the same as he was last year, I dont know what else the guy can do.

It's going to be a tough game with the Cowboys defense playing like they are. It's all about the O-line. If the Vikes give Favre time, he'll shred the D.