Sea-to-sky-games wrote:Quote:
 Where was Randy Moss during the playoffs?  He was awful the last three games, and was nearly invisible in the SB. I know the other team's strategy is to double cover him, but he can't run an out, or any plays across the middle?  Waiting for the inevitable meltdown next year....this guy has NOT looked happy all during the playoffs, and with Welker catching more passes...well, Moss has never liked being #2.  


I think Moss is okay with that so long as the team wins. His attitude after the game was fairly classy. Still, though, you have to think NE has to find ways to get him the ball.

I can't believe they don't have an out, or a hook, or an across the middle play for Moss? Every single play to him seems to be a home run ball to gain 50+ yds and/or a TD.  Seeing as how he was shut down not once, but for the entire playoffs (he had what, 7 catches in three games?) tells me that teams are conceding passes to Welker (who responded with some monster games) in lieu of having Moss get the home run ball.    If you look at Moss's history, he's never been a problem when his team is good...and the Pats were very good this year.  

Quote:
 The blueprint now is to put Brady on the ground, and he gets rattled.  Watch more teams to sell out on the blitz next year (very shocked they didn't do it more this year).  


Not sure your point here. Every GM in the league knows that games are won in the trenches and getting a great D-line is obviously key to that. The problem is actually getting that talent.

Teams can't blitz effectively against the Pats because Brady is incredibly good at picking it up. Just look at Jacksonville and other great defenses that the Pats shredded trying to do that. The Ravens were the only team that mixed up their blitzes well enough to confuse Brady.

As I recall, the Eagles and Giants were effective against the Pats because they could get Brady on the ground or under pressure by only rushing 3 or 4. This in turn allows them to double Moss without getting into too much trouble. Sure, blitzing was used occasionally, but that wasn't the key to their success.

Well, the key is to double Moss while also having an effective pass rush.  However, the Giants (and to an extent the Ravens) showed that you don't HAVE to double Moss every play if you can get to Brady....because no one can throw a 50 yd bomb when they are backpedaling trying to avoid a sack.  In those cases, a quick out or screen is called for, and honestly I rarely saw the Pats use those in the playoffs to anyone but Welker..who killed teams doing this. I think you could go man to man with Moss if you effectively rush.
  By putting Brady on the ground, I mean just that....making sure you shove, push, run into, or yank Brady to the turf every play.  There are some QBs this doesn't seem to work against...Favre is one..but Brady seemed susecptible to being physically manhandled.  A lot of time, after plays where he ate dirt, he either rushed the next throw or threw an INT (the Cowboys game is one where this happened...he got flattened before his first INT, then threw a really bad quickie pass the next play).  This may be because Brady's physical health was a little more delicate than we were let on about, or that he just get nervous hearing footsteps, but it seemed something I would have tried had I been a team who was a massive underdog (like the Dolphins).  

 Quote:
 I think we saw the advantage of playing in a tough division (Giants against the Redskins, Cowboys and Eagles) vs a soft divison (Pats playing three of the worst teams in the league twice each).  Once football scholars digest this shocking superbowl result, I think there will be a lot more critical assessment of the Pats undefeated season. They beat everyone in the NFC east, and teams like the Colts, Steelers, and Chargers, but I'm sure the infaliable press will find something they don't like about it.   


I disagree. The Bills, regardless of record, give a tough test week and week out (like the Ravens and Titans, for example). They play hard. That NE blowed them out was a testament to how great the Pats were playing. And sure the Dolphins suck, but overall, the Patriot's schedule was pretty tough. Moreover, it wasn't as if they were narrowly beating teams, they were destroying them (except the Colts).

The '72 Dolphins, for example, played only a few teams over .500 and were even a superbowl underdog.

The Pats division was putrid, and no other way to spin it, and that was a guaranteed six games on their road to being undefeated.  They remind me of the early to mid 90s 49ers who had a guaranteed 7-8 wins every year facing the likes of the Falcons and other patsies in their division.

The Pats destroying teams I prefer to call "running up the score", which they were definitely guilty of in several games this year or no discernible purpose except to feed Bellicheat's ego.  A lot of teams in the NFL can beat the team by 4 TDs if they are throwing the ball ahead by 20 pts in the 4th quarter, or going for it instead of kicking a FG when you have 4th and 1 in the opponents red zone.  Much of the Pats dominance was showmanship...don't get me wrong, they are one of the ten best teams in NFL history, but it's not because they ran up the score against bad teams.

Mike B.

Sea-to-sky-games wrote:
And Romo looks like a Jedi in the pocket.

So is Jessica Simpson then Padme? Cause we all know what'll happen then to Romo's career.

ShaneG.

The three teams in the Pats division were a combined 12-36, including a one win team that may have been the worst in the NFL this year, and the Jets, which were pretty close to the 2nd worst team (although I might rate them ahead of the Chiefs or Raiders)---NONE of which had a winning record (the Bills were actually 7-9).  

On the flip side, the Giants divisional teams were 30-18, and had THREE playoff teams from their division.  The worst team in the division was 8-8 and had been to the superbowl in the last two years. I was talking about divisional schedule, not overall, and by any quantifiable measurement the NFC east was much tougher than the AFC East.

Fair enough. The Cowboys/Giants have a much more difficult division than the Pats. And this is probably why we'll see the Pats in the playoffs for the next year or two.

Evening guys, sorry if this is the wrong spot to post, but I thought as it is the OT thread.... (despite talking of loads of american footie which I have been out of touch with for some time)

But anywho, are there many Aussie gamers/members here? I ask as I will be emigrating at some point in the foreseeable and it would be interesting to know if the AD&D world has much of a grip in Oz. From what I've seen, the UK views it as a 'geek' or devil worshipping culture but I don't know about the Aussies....

Maybe if I land in a similar area, we could even hook up for a game??  

As a result, I've been buying up some old stuff from sellers here and ebay to help build up a more complete world for me to create when things settle down as I suspect it may be harder to buy stuff over there due to shipping etc...?

Hi ashmere13, a few here. Depends on which coast you're settling on.

Be aware most of our evil characters are based on truly vicious Koalas...

Curious about what people think about the newest "frivolous" lawsuit to hit the media:

http://redtape.msnbc.com/2008/02/a-lost ... html#posts

The amount she is suing for is ridiculous but according to her statement it is just to attract media attention (which it obviously has).  I actually am glad that this woman has stood up to Best Buy and told them that they need to get their shit together.

Countless times I have wandered into a Best Buy store to find a DVD, PC game, or other electronics item and been sorely disappointed in not only the prices but also the horrific customer service and lack of knowledge by their employees.  It has gotten so bad that I pretty much buy all of my electronic equipment online now and if I want to buy a DVD or software I can always go to Target or Fry's and usually save a few dollars in the process.

Kingofpain89 wrote:Curious about what people think about the newest "frivolous" lawsuit to hit the media:

http://redtape.msnbc.com/2008/02/a-lost ... html#posts

The amount she is suing for is ridiculous but according to her statement it is just to attract media attention (which it obviously has).  I actually am glad that this woman has stood up to Best Buy and told them that they need to get their shit together.

Countless times I have wandered into a Best Buy store to find a DVD, PC game, or other electronics item and been sorely disappointed in not only the prices but also the horrific customer service and lack of knowledge by their employees.  It has gotten so bad that I pretty much buy all of my electronic equipment online now and if I want to buy a DVD or software I can always go to Target or Fry's and usually save a few dollars in the process.

I had a bad experience at Best Buy many years ago, similar to hers there was very little support or help from management. They managed to delete all the data on a hard drive of my computer while trying to transfer the data to a larger hard drive.  Basically I had to argue with the store manager to even get a DISCOUNT on a new computer hard drive.   Happily when I got my old hard drive back the info was still there and I was able to save it with the help of a friend.  Anyway since then I have shopped there but never get any kind of extended warranty; if my computer has a problem or breaks I'll either buy a new one or bring it to a Mom and Pop shop to fix.  Their "extended" warranty is a huge joke.  If it isn't something the 18 year old kids working in the back can fix, you are out a computer for weeks and/or it might end up stolen like this one.  And if that happens they will lowball your offer.  I've never understood idiots that work for chain stores like this that don't just GIVE THE CUSTOMER WHAT THEY WANT....they've already suffered far, far more than the computer was worth in bad pub.

Then again, most store managers I have met in my time are one step below "monkey" on the evolutionary chain.

That being said....

This lady is a MORON.  She has that kind of info on her LAPTOP, and apparantly not backed up???????  Having your income taxes on your laptop is like walking around all day with them lying on your front seat, under your arm, and on the table at Starbucks!!! I understand a lot of people use their laptops as their primary computer nowadays, but cmon. If you do, you have to realize you take a chance every single time you leave the house with it that it may be stolen, and you need to accept the consequences. I don't have any of that sort of info on my laptop....mostly just music files, D&D files, word documents, pdfs, etc. Nothing along the lines of income taxes or really anything too personal.  

I have friends that have their entire lives on their laptops, they leave the house everyday with their laptop, go to Starbucks, leave the machine in the car, take it on trips, everywhere.  I think they are pretty much asking for it...and so does anyone here who does the same.  Fess up, who here as ALL their personal info on their laptop???

Mike B.

Badmike wrote:Fess up, who here as ALL their personal info on their laptop???

Mike B.

I have two PC's at home and a laptop that is exclusively used for work.  I dont have a single iota of financial data on any of them unless you count hyperlinks to my online banking site.  No tax information, no insurance info, no retirement info, no nothing.  All of that information is either locked up inside a fireproof safe or is only accessible online.

As far as my personal data is concerned (music, photos, etc.) I have all that backed up on external hard drives and DVD's.  Two copies of everything just in case the hard drive dies.  As cheap as DVD burners are nowadays and as simple as external hard drives and flash memory is to use, there is no reason anyone should ever lose their data because their laptop or computer breaks or goes missing.

Actually, Best Buy's replacement warranty program is awesome. I don't know about with a computer, I'd never buy a computer from Best Buy/Circuit City/etc.

I have a friend who hasn't bought a new cell phone in going on 10 years now because he just goes in and gets a replacement within 2 year of purchasing his last one.