Official 2007-08 NFL thread

That was a spectacular game. Not high scoring, but two brilliant defenses playing out their hearts. Watching Seau after that last touchdown was painful.

Congrats to Eli and the Giants. I never really cared for Eli, and I still don't, but I can't take anything away from him in this game. The pick wasn't his fault, and his offense outplayed the Patriots consistently all night long.

I'm keeping it on Tivo to watch again tomorrow night.

:egypt:

That was beautiful. That is the stuff of sporting legend. Now I'll just sneak out
of here and get some sleep.

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That was one heck of a game. Congrats Giants!

I didn't think they could do it, but they did. Congrats to the Giants.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by My-own-self

5 kukri-bucks say: Giants by 3

---

A-hem.

Bet $60.00. Netted $180.00 Sweet. Thanks Eli, and congrats!

It was a good finish. A Super Bowl that went down to the last play. All championship games should be that way and with 3 lead changes in the 4th Q. Nice!

From "Mister Patriots Fan" Himself-

Of course I'm disappointed that we lost. But the sting is not that bad at all. Look who we lost to... Eli Manning, the biggest underdog of them all. He sure didn't look like one out there. He really was due and every dog has his day. The Manning family must be very proud, that had to be the hardest victory ever won by a Manning.

We gave it our all and I have no regrets. We've been the underdog before. This time, we were the big bad evil Giant that needed to be slaughtered. I sincerely hope every non-Pats fan out there is enjoying it. I know I personally enjoyed our 3 bowl wins and every Brady victory that I've seen.

You've earned it guys. This was Eli's day. I congratulate him and thank him for giving us one hell of a game.

In the five Super Bowls I've actually paid attention to since becoming a fan of the NFL, that was definitely the best in my book. Just incredible.

I'm not even a Giants fan and I have to say I'm extremely happy for Eli Manning, Michael Strahan and the entire Giants team. They deserve it. Kudos to the Pats for a perfect regular season.

Now if only the Bills could win a Super Bowl...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Punicus

Kudos to the Pats for a perfect regular season.

---

Wow... I'm impressed. I expected some serious trash talking... Nice to know there are some people with class left out there.

I personally thank you. It makes me suffer this loss even easier.

:2thumbsup:

Unbelievable.

Great game.

That's all I've got to say right now, I'll give analysis later.

WOOOOOOO!!!

That was definitely the greatest game that i've seen, especially since the Giants won.

What a game! I'm quite happy with the outcome all things considered (I mean the teams it the game). I don't like the Giants or Eli, but I like the underdog and those underdogs played their hearts out. Even when the Giants took the lead 10-7 in the fourth quarter, I figured it wouldn't be enough. I was mentally preparing myself for the underdog letting another one slip away in the end and taking solace in the fact that Brady was on his backside so often. But the Giants came through. I'll give them :2thumbsup: for the amazing effort they put out on the field. I wonder if my beloved Packers could have done the same. So congrats to the Giants and all their fans.

Well, now that I've calmed down a bit, I'd like to offer my congratulations and condolenses to the Patriots and their fans. That's got to be absolutely brutal to go 18-0, beat some of the best teams in the league doing it, and then fall short in the super bowl to a wild card team. 18-0 may be something we'll never see again, and in that respect, the season was a resounding success for the Patriots. But I know them and their fans better, and to lose in this method means that, in the end, this season, despite all the numbers and performances, just doesn't cut it. Congratulations on the records, and condolenses for losing to what looked like one of the most detirmined teams I've seen in a long time.

And once again, a big CONGRATS to the Giants and their fans. YOUR SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS! Enjoy it while it lasts, it goes by awfully fast.

No condolances needed. I feel very lucky to be a Pats fan.

I got to see perhaps the most impressive season of all time. I also got to witness perhaps the greatest Super Bowl of all time. I just happened to view it from the antagonist's point of view. It was just as enjoyable for me as it was for you guys.

I'd like to have the icing on the cake of winning. But there was NO shame in our game this season. You can't argue with that. And like I said, losing to a rising star like Eli with the last name Manning... there's no shame there either.

I told everyone at work... no matter who wins this game, I'll still be happy. I wasn't just making stuff up to sound magnanimous.

:2thumbsup:

But thank you for remembering us. Perhaps now that we lost, the anti-Patriots sentiment across the nation will die down... maybe we can be the good guys again.

There's always next year... and this juggernaut team will fall apart. We're gonna be the underdogs again.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by askthepizzaguy

There's always next year... and this juggernaut team will fall apart. We're gonna be the underdogs again.

---

I ain't gonna go so far as to say they'll be underdogs. Not by a longshot. :wink:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

We are going to be losing some very key players. I wouldn't trade away a single player on our team for anyone else on any team. Any change in our lineup is a bad change, in my eyes.

I doubt we will pick up as many good players as we will lose. But... so long as Brady doesn't go, anything can happen. We've won with less.

edit: Nod to Crazed Rabbit. (below)

Wow - an absolutely amazing fourth quarter, perhaps one of the best periods of sport in any sport.

A great game, made better by the fact that I was somewhat rooting for the Giants who pulled it off on the biggest stage.

I do so wish it could have been the Packers, though.

And a congrats to the Patriots for the longest perfect season in history.

CR

YES W00T WHOA MUTHA******,

yal thought i was crazy when i said the giants would win the whole damn thing. HAHA
~:cheers: GREATEST GAME EVER BY THE WAY!

I'M GONNA GO GET WASTED WITH MY BUDDIES.

GO GIANTS WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

HAHA. We win. Suckaz

I've gotta say that in over 15 years of watching NFL football, that was easily the greatest Super Bowl I've ever seen -- it'll probably be a long time before we see another like it. :thumbsup:


By the by: I have to give props to askthepizzaguy. I admit that I generally have a strong dislike for Patriots fans (for reasons I won't bore you with), but this guy's a class act. Throughout this entire season, he's been constantly gracious in victory; and now he's just as (if not more) gracious in defeat. You're a true gentleman, sir. :bow:

Ugh, I know what must be done now.

The Patriots must send a Cyborg into the past to kill Archie Manning. Only in this way can Sky Ne. . .the Patriots avoid defeat.

Now I know how St. Louis fans felt 6 years ago. :dizzy2:

I don't watch sports at all, but my parents are huge colts fans (they live about 1 mile from Peyton), and we watched the game at our friend's place, 95% of the people there were NY natives and fans. That was a VERY good game, I'm very happy for Eli and the Giants, they earned it. Props to the Pats too, 18-1 is absolutely nothing to sneeze at.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sasaki Kojiro

I predict 23-20 Giants win. I'm an optimist.

---

Pretty close.

Fantastic game. That one play where eli slipped away from the three or four patriots who were grabbing his jersey and threw it way downfield to tyree who somehow managed to bring it down was truly great.

Well that was some good 'ole football. I think that Giants played a fantastic game, especially their defense as they never gave Brady any real good chances. And their offense played well although their receivers dropped quite a few balls and Eli threw a few bad ones but overall it was a very good game. And I'm personally happy that Brady got pulverized in the last series of the game!! Man was that icing on the cake:eyebrows:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Martok

By the by: I have to give props to askthepizzaguy. You're a true gentleman, sir. :bow:

---

I thank you for the compliment, Martok. I have some thoughts on being gracious in any situation, if anyone cares to hear them. Hidden in spoiler, as it is decidedly off topic.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I admit, there was a time when I was mostly petty and resentful. You must actively choose to let go of that. The only real enemy you will ever face is yourself.

If everyone had the attitude of being gracious in victory and magnanimous in defeat... If people treated their opponents just like the treated their friends (with respect)... If people recognized that there is more to life than destroying the opposition... Perhaps the inevitable conflicts in our world would not be so vicious. Perhaps we might even be able to resolve them?

What gets in the way is the ego... the pig-headedness of believing that only your own team is worthy of victory and all others are despicable. That is part of the same mindset that results in believing that only your own culture is correct, or only your own nation is worthy, or only your particular religion has value, or only your certain politics have merit, or only your philosophy works, or only your race or ethnicity should dominate... that is when humankind suffers the most. It is true, we aren't all the same. The divisions are there, but they don't have to truly divide us.

What begins with two rival teams shaking hands after an epic contest (and being genuine with that handshake) and then celebrating together rather than resenting one another... what begins with fans of sports teams treating one another with respect and civility... what follows is tolerance and understanding on a smaller scale. Perhaps we might make an effort to get along with and understand someone with radically different tastes in music for example, or perhaps making an effort to foster understanding between 'races' by not only being civil, but actually warm towards those different from us. (Smiling is a great first step... it doesn't hurt anyone to just be friendly.)

If we can overcome those small differences that shouldn't make any difference at all, such as taste in music or being a fan of a particular sports team, maybe other minor differences like culture or ethnicity become less of an issue. And if we can unite people of all different styles and tastes, and yes even races, why not set aside political or philosophical differences? Perhaps there is a way in the good old USA to respect one another even if we disagree with each other. Why not? Who says we have to agree on everything?

And if we could unite a nation of so many different people... actually unite rather than divide... what's stopping us from uniting humanity across the globe, especially in an age of information and global community?

Am I describing too grandiose an ideal? I give freedom as an example. Freedom is an ideal that has conquered more than half of the globe and the seeds have spread to the other half. If freedom can be spread, perhaps humility and understanding can as well.

It's certainly a hard road to pave... it's far easier to spread nastiness towards one another. That takes almost no effort at all. But it's a self-defeating and self-destructive attitude. And when it spreads, it causes misery, not cooperation, between people.

The hardest part is remaining civil and fair even in the face of nasty or cruel people. It's very tempting to be drawn into pointless conflict. What always defeats that nonsense is simply sticking to one's principles. To use our football example, simply saying "yeah, it was a good game. Your team played very well." even when those around you are trying to rub it in your face, it doesn't take long for them to realize how ineffective taunting actually is. It is pointless and futile to try to illicit a humiliated reaction from someone who is already humble. The longer they keep at it, the more frustrated and broken they sound. Once you realize it is a sign of weakness, not strength, when someone acts aggressively, it makes it far easier to deal with belligerent people. The most insecure, whiny, and needy people are always the most belligerent.

There are rare exceptions where the initiative demands to be taken. But the strongest long-term strategy is the one where less damaging and wasteful actions are taken; energy is conserved and used for positive means, rather than for conflicting or destructive means. Conflict should only occur over important things. But since when do most people engage in conflicts that are actually important? Most people fight over the smallest thing. Then when something important comes along, we don't trust one another enough to face our challenges together. Sometimes we are too exhausted from fighting one another to actually face the real challenges. How self-defeating!

I am not saying there aren't enemies worth fighting, or that we should never defend ourselves, or that we should roll over and play dead whenever something hostile comes along. I am simply saying that not being drawn into pointless posturing or allowing ourselves to engage in mutually destructive behavior is a fine skill that I've observed many people haven't taken the time to master.

Sorry for the long-winded rant. I mean only to explain where my attitude comes from. I simply choose to act with benevolence because I believe everyone should. And the majority of us could, if we chose to. What a world we would live in if we could all choose to do so.

Even if it doesn't go all the way towards uniting people on some grand scale... it would still be nice if people were nicer. Can it get any simpler than that? Being a gentleman is as easy as choosing to be, and then following through. Other people around you will take notice. Maybe they will even choose to follow your example, even if they scoff at first and roll their eyes. Perhaps one day they will be ready.

In the meantime, you will at least feel better about yourself, and that's a great start. The best thing about it is that it requires no special skills. No great amount of intellect, no strength or speed, no incredible amount of bravery, no monetary investment, and only the slightest bit of effort. Anyone can choose to do it, end of story.

All that can be summarized in this simple phrase:

It's nice to be nice.

I lost seven dollars on that game. ~:angry:

Good 4th quarter.

Fantastic 4th quarter :2thumbsup:

I recorded it last night and "fast-forwarded" through the first three quarters to watch the last one in full length before I went to work this morning (I did not know the result yet at that point).
What a treat - that quarter got everything you could ask for :yes: (I will watch it again when I get home I think).

@ askthepizzaguy's "rant":
Words to live by.
:bow:

Awesome game. Since I'm not a fan of either team, I just wanted a good, hard-fought battle, and they delivered. Great defensive planning on both sides, and Tyree's catch with his helmet was superb. Only a couple of teams this year could handle the Patriots' offense (Giants and Philly, mainly), figured out how to get pressure when no one else could. Any of the other NFC playoff teams would have been crushed. Well done to the Giants!

Congratulations to Hiji, Louis VI the Fat, master of the puppets, Punicus, spmetla, TuffStuffMcGruff for their (now correct) predictions in the poll. Impressive.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Craterus

Congratulations to Hiji, Louis VI the Fat, master of the puppets, Punicus, spmetla, TuffStuffMcGruff for their (now correct) predictions in the poll. Impressive.

---

Ahem.

~D