New England 28

New York 21

Cam Newton wins offensive rookie of the year. Deservedly and obviously.

Von Miller wins defensive rookie of the year. I don't know...he definitely deserves rookie of the first half of the year but once he injured himself his performace took a hit and Aldon Smith really started to take off. I guess both guys put up great half years so choosing the better overall season is tough. Smith finished so strong, though, I thought he'd get it but I guess Miller is more an every down guy instead of situational player and maybe that gave him the edge?

OT

Giants 37
Pats 31

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=A ... ll-probowl


about fucking time

Pro Bowl is a waste.

Some players probably like the sound of being identified as a Pro Bowl (insert position) but that really doesn't mean anything when half the guys playing are only there as alternates due to the 4 guys ahead of them backing out. And they probably only really care that first time around. After that, they got their kicks out of it and become one of those guys backing out because of some phantom injury.

I am sure it still generates money for the NFL and local economy so it serves some purpose. Plus, some of the players have those clauses worked into their contract that earns that extra $$$ if they make the Pro Bowl which, if nothing else would, motivates them to play hard in the season.

I guess I really don't care what they do with it as I never watch it anyways and it is played on a week when there otherwise wouldn't be football anyways. But it really is a pointless game and serves little purpose outside of the financial aspect of it.

Giants 33
Patriots 27

Patriots 27 Giants 17

Much lower score than expectations, apparently.

Comes down to missed opportunities..Pats had this one slip away. Giants recovered their own fumbles at key moments and the hands of Welker let them down on what was the nail in the coffin drive. He comes down with that..1st down, in field goal range and in control to score touchdown.

Ah well..life goes on.

Yeah, Welker's gonna have nightmares about that first drop...ugly 4th Quarter for the Pats as far as drops go...hats off to Eli for taking what the Pats, whose defense played much better than anticipated, gave him...he loses two TEs (Ballard and Beckum) who have made big plays for him, and the Pats were doing a heckuva job on Cruz...so, he looks to Nicks and the usually inconsistent Manningham, and it pays off...some damn fine pinpoint passing on his part...particularly on the first TD w/ Pats defenders swarming around Cruz, a few plays before that when he lobbed one just over a defender's hands to Nicks and a big gain to Nicks in the 3rd Quarter when Spikes was an inch or less away from breaking it up...and, of course, the deep conversion to Manningham along the sideline...Manningham really stepped up in that final quarter...I'm sure the Pats were almost as surprised as the fans.

something that you wont hear is the play of Sterling Moore the last 8 quarters...guy was making great plays.

Brandon Lloyd will be in a Pats uni next season me thinks..he's a McDaniel guy. They are loaded with draft picks..once again. A Super Bowl team or an annual playoff contender on a consistent basis is Bellichick's way. Though his picks have been off on db's lately, expect a nice draft for some outside pass rush speed, receivers and defensive backfield.

Damnit Eli....I hate you.

And now he gets put further upper the QB pedestal with his 2 SB championships and MVP for one.

Next great football argument: Peyton or Eli, who'se the better QB?

Manningham's from here, the Pats had a guy from his same high school playing each other in the Bowl. Just glad the Giants won, and that halftime show was awesome, thought it was like last year's black eyed peas but she saved her pipes for Like A Prayer and it turned around when them notes came out and she started singing, killed it. then Edge Of Glory played after the commercial. Just saw crossing routes during that game, I could throw those all day for 100% completions so I noticed that's about all the game was about was crossing routes.

Great game last night. Eclipsed, perhaps, only by the first game between the two and that's because the Patriots came into that first one undefeated and the Giants were such an underdog and still won.

You look at the Patriots, it's amazing what they did with that team this year. Wretched defense, no running game, and receivers, outside of Welker and Gronkowski, that are really pretty average. As long as the Pats have Brady and Belichick, though, they'll be in the mix. Both are great at what they do.

Brady, however, may have lost an opportunity last night to become one of the true elites of all-time if he can make that throw to Welker. It wasn't a good throw. Welker still should have probably caught it, but the throw wasn't accurate. Now Brady is relegated, for now at least, to still be in the shadow of Joe Montana and even Terry Bradshaw.

And Eli manning signed his ticket to the hall of fame

Put me in the Kordell Stewart corner when he said on ESPN First Look, "If you manage to get 2 hands on the ball..not 1, but 2, you have to catch the ball. Especially late in a huge game"

Of course there's the cliche 'it takes a team to lose' and 'welker cant be held responsible for the outcome of the whole game', but think it out...If Welker catches that ball. What happens? The Pats, worst case scenario, are in FG range (score was 17-15, 4 minutes and change remaining) They get in the endzone, it's a wrap. Either way..it's a 'what if?' situation..but it was so fucking close.

It's not about the Giants beating the Patriots either.

It's about the Patriots not taking advantage of the situations handed to them. It was theirs to lose, and situational football was not in their cards..and they lost. They were not beaten. They didnt take it/gave it away.

It could have turned out worse too..I saw a potential 1 point late victory situation developing when NY was on that last drive. they lose by one in that game..people are jumping off buildings

The Pats, Packers and the 49ers beat themselves in their match ups against the Giants b/c they fucked up at fundamental football - primarily catching the ball...a case could be easily made that all three teams were better than the Giants, but hypotheticals are a short-term salve for a heartbreaking loss.

Moore had a helluva playoff run in NE...that said, do the Pats look for another d-back in the draft, Karl?...Lloyd in NE is scary to contemplate...the guy never drops the ball, has the speed to get behind coverage and he shares a brain with McDaniels...he's basically Deion Branch; except he's good...as for the Peyton v. Eli argument, it's pretty damn interesting...on paper, Eli will probably surpass Peyton in terms of total yards, but I doubt he'll ever reach 400 TDs...and Eli will edge out Peyton for Super Bowl wins barring something unforeseen, but he'll never be regarded as the under-center technician that Peyton is/was...that said, Eli was channeling Peyton during that final drive when he changed plays at the line at least three times...it might all come down to the fact that Eli's wife is hotter than Peyton's...LOLz.

Fuck, I hate to defend them but the Giants won the game fair and square. That Welker miss could have changed the outcome, sure, but it also didn't give the Giants the game, they still had to execute to win and the Giants did a good job with that. The way they managed the clock on that last drive (sans the Bradshaw td) was pretty damn impressive.

As for Eli vs Peyton....I don't know how to break that argument down. I think Peyton is the better QB but how do you discount that Eli wins more and is so clutch down the stretch?

^ You're right re: execution...I'm not taking anything from the Giants, but I don't recall three teams of the caliber of the 49ers, Packers and Pats that tripped over their dicks in such a fashion in the playoffs...fundamental football won out, as it should.

No, I'm not taking the win away from the Giants..they earned it, but it seemed the victory was more the Pats too lose than being beaten. They spotted the Giants 9 points..missed fumble recoveries..one by a brain fart 12 men penalty..and still managed the lead..key drops (Welker/Hernandez)..Bradshaw falls into endzone to allow the Pats the ball? cmon..I was even yelling at the television that there's no way he goes in here, and he does? cmon now..that's a no brainer....Pats have shot on hail mary due to ball not being knocked downward.

The patriots defiantly lost it that's for sure. But man Eli mannings 2 minute offense is one of the best

Not to be Yogi Berra-ish or take away anything from the Giants, but most of the time, you win when the opponent loses.

That is, simply doing the right thing and letting your opponent do the wrong thing is enough. Sometimes being outstanding is simply not required.

The fact that the Giants did not play outstanding is secondary to who they beat w/o playing lights out football - the Packers, the 49ers and the Pats...those three teams combined for seven regular season losses...the Giants had seven regular season losses...to think the Giants could topple all three w/o playing out of their fucking minds is mind boggling...this improbable outcome is one of the many reasons why the NFL rules.

I'm suprised nobodies written about the Pats eating up play clock on that stalled drive in the 4th. I thought that was a really bad idea. At that stage they should have been focused on scoring and fairly quickly instead of purposefully trying to eat up time as well. I think that bit them in the ass harder than anybody has yet admit and thats a coaching decision. Maybe they would've been left with more than a minute on that final drive.

Now that the season is over i can't wait for Free Agency to start.