We're well into that period of hype where people have convinced themselves that the underdogs have a chance. " If the Eagle defense can rattle Brady and if the Patriots turn the ball over and if the Eagles get a big game from Mitchell or Pinkston and if . . . " and so on for another half dozen "keys to the game".
Hey, I'm all for rooting for the underdogs, but this is getting ridiculous. If, for the Eagles to win, everything has to break their way, then, well, it ain't gonna happen. Which is a shame because I love the Eagles. Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb are two of my favorite people in the NFL. If they were playing anyone else, I'd be rooting for them (unless they were playing the Bills; then I'd just sit off to the side and enjoy the frenzy of one set of fans finally getting what they deserve). But they're playing my Patriots.
The piece of the puzzle that everybody - even I - keeps forgetting is that this is the best Patriots offense ever. In the history of the franchise. I'm serious. The offensive line is unheralded, but they've been the unit on this team with the killer instinct for the past three years. Now that they have a running back in Dillon who can both bruise and take it outside, they've gotten even meaner. You already know about Dillon as a runner. But, if you don't know about the wide receivers, pay attention. They're the best overall squad in the league. No defense has the personnel to match up with the Patriots when they go four or five wide. The only thing this offense lacks is a security blanket tight end and even then the TEs get open at the goalline.
What are the Eagles going to do? Bring Dawkins into the box to discourage the run and the Pats will throw deep. Leave Dawkins back and the Patriots will pound the Eagles into dust. Blitz? You might see a few successful run blitzes that catch Dillon in the backfield, but they can't blitz Brady on passing downs.
I keep saying that the better defense wins. That's still true, but combine that with a really, really good offense and we're looking at a blowout. Patriots in a walk as the Super Bowl returns to it's past as a respectable affair, but lacking in excitement, watched only for the ads. Here's how it will go down: The Patriots build a seventeen point lead at the half, but there will be a brief flurry of excitement in the third quarter when the Eagles score their only TD and then recover a Corey Dillon fumble. The Patriot defense will slam the door on that drive, the offense will stage a back-breaking, clock killing touchdown drive, and that, folks, will be all.
. . .
UPDATE: What is it about the number "3"? And don't miss the fact that, even though it came with eight-and-a-half minutes to play, Vinatieri kicked his third game winning field goal in three Super Bowls.
You can't blow the other team out if you can't pick up first downs and you can't pick up first downs if you can't convert on third. Four of twelve is not good. Great job by the Eagle defense, who also played stouter against the run than I expected.
Is Bob Kraft superstitious? My friend Bob had on the same shirt tonight that he was wearing way back in August at the first pre-season game - against the Eagles.
Posted by Martial