2008 NFL Superbowl: New York Giants vs. New England Patriots

[Viq]

bleh, even if they go 19-0 I can't see them being the best team ever. When 1/3 of your wins are against Buffalo, NYJ, and Miami, you get what's referred to as the easy schedule. I'd say the Pat's division was the worst in the NFL. Even the AFC west overall I felt was a tougher division then what the Pat's played in.

So you'll ignore the other games where they beat the AFC #2 seed on the road, the AFC#3 seed twice, the AFC#4-5 seeds, the Browns (10-6 just missed playoffs), the NFC#1 seed on the road, and the NFC#5 seed on the road (will be twice if they win the Super Bowl)? I'd say the fact that they beat every top tier team besides the Packers more than makes up for the ease of their division.

[Cephius]

bleh, even if they go 19-0 I can't see them being the best team ever. When 1/3 of your wins are against Buffalo, NYJ, and Miami, you get what's referred to as the easy schedule. I'd say the Pat's division was the worst in the NFL. Even the AFC west overall I felt was a tougher division then what the Pat's played in.

While I have no love for the patriots, the argument that they had a weak schedule is absolutely absurd. They played and beat every playoff team outside of Green Bay, how does that equate to an easy schedule? Also, the 76 Dolphins didn't play a single playoff-bound team until the actual playoffs... so how can you make the argument that they're a better team than the Pats are?

Bottom line you can only play the games that are on the schedule, the "well you had a weak schedule" excuse holds no water and never did, in any sport.

[Tyche]

bleh, even if they go 19-0 I can't see them being the best team ever. When 1/3 of your wins are against Buffalo, NYJ, and Miami, you get what's referred to as the easy schedule. I'd say the Pat's division was the worst in the NFL. Even the AFC west overall I felt was a tougher division then what the Pat's played in.

While I have no love for the patriots, the argument that they had a weak schedule is absolutely absurd. They played and beat every playoff team outside of Green Bay, how does that equate to an easy schedule? Also, the 76 Dolphins didn't play a single playoff-bound team until the actual playoffs... so how can you make the argument that they're a better team than the Pats are?

Bottom line you can only play the games that are on the schedule, the "well you had a weak schedule" excuse holds no water and never did, in any sport.

lrn2watchcollegefootball?

[Cephius]

bleh, even if they go 19-0 I can't see them being the best team ever. When 1/3 of your wins are against Buffalo, NYJ, and Miami, you get what's referred to as the easy schedule. I'd say the Pat's division was the worst in the NFL. Even the AFC west overall I felt was a tougher division then what the Pat's played in.

While I have no love for the patriots, the argument that they had a weak schedule is absolutely absurd. They played and beat every playoff team outside of Green Bay, how does that equate to an easy schedule? Also, the 76 Dolphins didn't play a single playoff-bound team until the actual playoffs... so how can you make the argument that they're a better team than the Pats are?

Bottom line you can only play the games that are on the schedule, the "well you had a weak schedule" excuse holds no water and never did, in any sport.

lrn2watchcollegefootball?

The college ranking system is retarded, duh. They rather have 20 million bowl games, collect the sponsorship fees, and screw the fans and players by refusing to have a playoff system. Just because the system is retarded doesn't make the "weak schedule" excuse valid.

[Tyche]

If it wasn't valid, then hawaii wouldn't have been absolutely destroyed by Georgia. Actually, they wouldn't have even played Georgia, they'd of played OSU....

[Deejay]

The Pats schedule wasn't easy by any strectch of the imagination. It just wasn't hard. The Bills aren't good but they certainly aren't bad, either. I'd say the only real "freebies" were Miami and NYJ. Every other team they played wasn't horrible.

They're in the AFC, and it's not like they won close games against shitty teams either. Isn't their margin of victory like +250? lol. I remember reading somewhere the Patriots have outscored opponents by more points than some teams have scored all year. >.>

[Quixon]

I remember reading somewhere the Patriots have outscored opponents by more points than some teams have scored all year. >.>

I love stats like these.

Here's another:

Eli Manning - Regular Season TD's --> 23

Tom Brady - Regular Season TD's to Randy Moss --> 23


Still rooting for the Giants. And a big "L O L" to whoever said the Patriots had an easy schedule.

[Cephius]

If it wasn't valid, then hawaii wouldn't have been absolutely destroyed by Georgia. Actually, they wouldn't have even played Georgia, they'd of played OSU....

You hear that all the time in college sports, but the response is always "what can you do except win all your games?" and I think thats true. It's not the team's fault if another league is inherently stronger, which is why they should have a playoff system to better determine who is the best team, instead of using stats and power rankings.

[Tyche]

Weak conferenced teams have no excuse for a weak schedule. You schedule your own OoC games. That's why so many people thought OSu was a joke. Youngstown State, Akron, etc etc. All I was pointing out was that SoS isn't an "excuse that means nothing in any sports". Quite the opposite is true. Now, I'll give you a break if you (since some games are scheduled a few years away) schedule teams that are historically good, like nebraska and Notre Dame, and you end up getting them in down years. But if you are scheduling Akron, Youngstown State, etc as well as playing in a weak conference, then I have an issue.

[archibaldcrane]

Weak conferenced teams have no excuse for a weak schedule.

You mean "teams from 'weak' major conferences" right?

No one can fault a team like Hawaii for it's schedule. No one will play them that doesn't have to.

[Tyche]

Boise State said the same thing...it was soon followed by Pete Carrol saying "we got an opening next season..." There's always a team that will play you. I understand the Boise/Hawaii thing though. They weren't the best teams, nor BCS contenders 4 years ago, so they really didn't foresee a need to schedule tough. Still, you can't go undefeated with the worst schedule in Div1 and expect a title shot. If you look hard enough, you can find a team to play you. You may have to go on the road, because no legit team would be dumb enough to travel all the way to Hawaii to play on the road. That would be schedule suicide.

[Deejay]

Agree with Tyche. It's not like they had an easy schedule, they had the easiest schedule. It showed.

[wyrmtung]

I would love for the Patriots to fail because they have a lot of class-less punks on the team. With that said (err, written), I would still give them major props for going 19-0. It's damn hard no matter how strong your division. Any given Sunday and all that jazz. Besides, even if their regular season is weak, they still play quality opponents in the playoffs. Yes, we can run a thousand "what-if" scenarios but the fact is that they won those games. It doesn't matter how they won, it only matters that they won. Yes, there was a lot of luck involved but that's part of the game. It's part of all of sports.

And another thing. You can't compare a weak schedule in the NFL to a weak schedule in college sports. It's apples and oranges. In the NFL, everyone is the best of the best. Even the worst team in the NFL will kick the crap out of any college team, any NFL Europe team, or even 11 chicks from the lingerie bowl.

You give me the Miami Dolphins in a BCS bowl game, the New York Knicks in March Madness, or the Tampa Bay Rays in the College World Series and I like my chances.

[Keno]

NYG 38 | NE 34

Come on NFC!

[Akiyama]

Patriots: 34
Giants: 31

Patriots win with a last second field goal after Brady executes a nearly flawless two minute drill.

[Keno]

Patriots: 34
Giants: 31

Patriots win with a last second field goal after Brady executes a nearly flawless two minute drill.

Hey if they can grab those refs from Baltimore, anything is possible!

[Plow]

There are way more above average teams now then there were in the 70's.

I haven't lol'd that hard since... some of the crap deejay said on page 1.

[Tyche]

There are way more above average teams now then there were in the 70's.

I haven't lol'd that hard since... some of the crap deejay said on page 1.

I encourage moar lulz

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3226465

And now, Walsh, 31, an assistant golf pro on Maui, might be positioned to further pull back the curtain on the Patriots' taping history, expose where and how they gained advantages and, perhaps even, turn over video proof.

Pats 35+ win since this story broke...

[Viq]

There are way more above average teams now then there were in the 70's.

I haven't lol'd that hard since... some of the crap deejay said on page 1.

I encourage moar lulz

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3226465

And now, Walsh, 31, an assistant golf pro on Maui, might be positioned to further pull back the curtain on the Patriots' taping history, expose where and how they gained advantages and, perhaps even, turn over video proof.

Pats 35+ win since this story broke...

That also dates back to the Parcells era. If Parcells was taping in NE, then he was probably taping in Dallas and New York too. The Giants won the Super Bowl under Parcells, which means clearly their entire franchise is class-less jerks and they should give their rings to the Bills, right? Sarcasm aside, this just shows how pervasive video taping is/was in the NFL.

[Tyr]

I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. I hate both teams (in fact, they're the only two teams in the NFL I hate)...to the extent that I don't know how I'm going to enjoy the game, given the millions of new-New England fans in recent years (given their success), or the asshat Giants fans that I'm friends with (not to say that Giants fans are asshats, but neither is it the case that this lot is a peculiarity).

I'm gonna be in pain regardless, but I think I'd rather watch the Patriots win, because you get 19-0, I don't have to hear about "the Giants beating the best team of all time," the universe as we know it won't cease to exist, Belichick might retire (fingers crossed, untimely death optional), and I'll have even more love for my cherished memory of A.J. Feeley almost beating the Patriots, and the Patriots buttwaping the Redskins.

And yea, if there's any new crap about the Patriots/videotaping, increase the margin of victory by 40 points, give-or-take 20.

Patriots - 62 (42/82)
Giants - 2

I might not know a lot of things, I might not have a good memory, and I might not know a lot of things, but I do know that the Giants will get a safety tomorrow.

and Viq, please change your avatar...I can't stand that mug. Respect him, yes, but I just have a passionate hatred for him...