CONSISTENT TEAM IS CONSISTENT PICK.Byline: KEVIN MODESTI Bill Belichick  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled due to vandalism. posed for pictures with the Vince Lombardi Trophy The Vince Lombardi Trophy is the trophy awarded each year to the winning team of the National Football League's annual championship game, the Super Bowl. It is considered to be the NFL's most prestigious award. one day this week in Houston, being careful not to get close enough to
touch the Super Bowl prize, much as hockey players refuse to touch the
Stanley Cup Stanley Cup: see hockey, ice. Stanley Cup Trophy awarded annually to the winning team of the National Hockey League championship. Named for its donor, the Canadian governor-general Frederick Arthur Stanley, Lord Stanley of Preston until they win it. A reporter asked the New England New England, name applied to the region comprising six states of the NE United States—Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The region is thought to have been so named by Capt. Patriots' head coach what the trophy means to him. ``I think what that stands for is the team that plays the most consistent, toughest, smartest football for that season,'' Belichick said. Normally I hate to hear oatmeal-mouthed talk like that from football coaches. I'd like to think winning a championship requires some measure of brilliance, inspiration and joy in addition to the sturdy attributes of a cavalry in winter. But in this case I think Belichick's language applies. If - no, make that when - Belichick's Patriots beat the Carolina Panthers In a league where flashes in the pan are the rule, in a society where mercurial mercurial /mer·cu·ri·al/ (mer-kur´e-il) 1. pertaining to mercury. 2. a preparation containing mercury. mer·cu·ri·al adj. personalities are celebrated, there's something nice about a team that goes out every week and just brings it. Carolina might have gotten good enough in the past month, when it routed Dallas and beat St. Louis and Philadelphia in the playoffs to reach the franchise's first Super Bowl. On the other hand, the Panthers might have reached the NFC NFC abbr. National Football Conference championship game because of Rams coach Mike Martz's bad decision to play for overtime. And they might have reached Houston because of the Eagles' championship-game hex, Donovan McNabb's injury and a lucky bounce or two. New England, meanwhile, has been this good since the first month of the season, when the Patriots bounced back from their early losses to Buffalo and Washington to launch what is now a 14-game winning streak. During the season, I calculate game-by-game power ratings for the NFL NFL abbr. National Football League NFL (US) n abbr (= National Football League) → Fußball-Nationalliga teams. They're based simply on who has beaten whom and by how much, so they aren't as scientific as the ones you'd get from professional handicappers. But they do show who's rising and falling as the year goes on. More than any other playoff team, New England played to its ratings, game in and game out. The value of that kind of consistency has been evident in the playoffs. The more consistent team going into each game has yet to lose in this postseason - the higher-rated team cannot make the same claim. John Elway, the two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback of the Denver Broncos, was talking about the game Saturday after being elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. ``Ninety-five percent of the time, the best team is going to win,'' Elway said. He was speaking in retrospect, of course. Sometimes it's only after the game that you realize which team really was best. Sometimes, though, it's pretty clear before the game. Today's teams have had a lot of common opponents this season. New England went 9-1 in those games. Carolina went 6-4. New England hasn't trailed in its past seven games, since needing a last- minute touchdown pass from Tom Brady to Daniel Graham to set up an overtime victory at Houston. New England's defense hasn't given up more than one score in a quarter in any of its past six games since its high-scoring victory over Indianapolis. New England has forced 14 more turnovers than it has committed in those six games. New England quarterback Tom Brady, the face of the unshakeable Patriots, is unbeaten in NFL playoff games - the first three during the run to the Super Bowl victory over St. Louis two years ago. Steve Dilbeck and I are writing these dueling prediction columns on the Super Bowl for the third time. I'm 2-0, picking New England in Super Bowl XXXVI Super Bowl XXXVI was the 36th championship game of the modern National Football League (NFL). The game was played on February 3, 2002 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana following the 2001 regular season. (saying the Pats would win by a field goal!) and Tampa Bay in Super Bowl XXXVII Super Bowl XXXVII was the 37th championship game of the modern National Football League (NFL). The game was played on January 26, 2003 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California following the 2002 regular season. (though not as emphatically as the Buccaneers Buccaneers can refer to:
The Patriots aren't that generous, and aren't likely to make the mistakes the Panthers will need to score the upset today. New England 21, Carolina 10. CAPTION(S): 2 photos, 6 boxes Photo: (1) Conerback Ty Law's three interceptions against the Colts are a big reason the Patriots are playing today. (2) Belichick Box: (1) NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled until (UTC) due to vandalism.
(2) DID YOU KNOW? (3) NUMBERS GAME (4) PATRIOTS' FIVE KEYS - Forth Worth Star-Telegram (5) Patriots with the ball (6) IN THE KNOW |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion