The Patriots' Comeback Wasn't (Quite) As Unexpected As You Think It Was

This is Tom Brady. Tom Brady is good at football. Look at Tom be good at football.

By Jeremy Conlin (@jeremy_conlin)

I'll be up front - I'm still not totally prepared to talk about this game rationally. There's a 40% chance that I died on Sunday night and this is just the afterlife that I've chosen for myself (and it just happens to be remarkably similar to the life I was living previously - right down to the ongoing recovery from a recent surgery).

That being said, I feel like everything I've heard and read about the Super Bowl over the last day-plus has been expressing abject incredulity that the Patriots were able to mount a comeback. I'm here to present a few loose, scattered thoughts that hopefully apply some degree of logic to how and why it happened.

The Fine Line Between a Legendary Comeback and an Epic Collapse

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Whether you're a New England fanatic or a Patriot hater likely determined your mood this morning.

Those cheering on Brady and the boys will likely spend the entire day re-living the Pats' epic comeback against the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl 51 last night. Down 28-3, New England scored 31 unanswered points from the 2-minute mark of the third quarter on to capture a 34-28 overtime victory.

The game was historic for a number of reasons, most notably that Tom Brady both broke the single-game Super Bowl passing record, and captured a record-setting fifth Super Bowl title and fourth Super Bowl MVP. It was also the first overtime game in Super Bowl history.

In the process, Brady bounced back from an opening three quarters of getting beaten and bruised (and let's be honest, looking frazzled while missing some WIDE OPEN receivers), to find his usual flawless form, and deliver pinpoint passes on the final five drives of the game.

But the moments Pats fans are likely re-living the most are Julian Edelman's ABSURD catch in traffic, and James White's game-winning touchdown run. Both plays will no doubt become a part of Super Bowl lore, next to recent moments like Tyree's helmet catch, Holmes' end zone snag and Butler's goal line interception.

OH MY GOD, JULIAN EDELMAN! #SB51 #Patriots https://t.co/YtvHwsaCbT

— NFL (@NFL) February 6, 2017

Of course, the other side of that coin is the collapse of the Atlanta Falcons.

Bob Lobel: Brady and Belichick's Last Rodeo?

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

This is not our first rodeo, not by a long shot. 

"Not the first rodeo" has become a popular phrase to calm people down around here, but remember this: Sunday is a lot closer to being the last rodeo than the first for our coach and quarterback. We know it and feel it, yet we totally deny it. 

What's left to accrue after this seventh Super Bowl appearance? What's left if they get a ring to put on all fingers, as opposed to having just four? 

Bob Lobel: Will Trump Get Bob Kraft's SB Ring Back from Putin?

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

Do me a favor- Call me when the Patriots play a big game. 

What would that even look like? The Rams, for instance, are impossible to differentiate from any of the high school teams that played on that same field in Foxboro the day before. 

NFL Week 3 Primer (With Picks): Damn You, Belichick, You Crazy Wizard

This is the first image that comes up when you Google search the phrase "Bill Belichick happy." I have no objections.

By Jeremy Conlin (@jeremy_conlin) and Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

I think it's been made clear by now that Bill Belichick is not a human being. He's some type of cyborg who was put on this Earth for one simple task - winning football games. It doesn't matter who his quarterback is; he's going to put together a game plan that an aardvark with slightly above-average intelligence and slightly below-average motor/mechanical skills could implement and pilot to success in the NFL. I don't know how he does it, but he does it.

Belichick and the Patriots got Week 3 started, and served as a wonderful introduction to the craziness that is usually Week 3. Week 1 is spent establishing a baseline. Week 2, very often, sees that baseline turned on its head. Lots of people over-react in Week 2, with varying degrees of success. Week 3, though, is when everything gets weird. You have some idea after Week 1. Week 2 usually confirms or upends those ideas. Week 3 is when everything you thought you knew turns out to be wrong. It's a weird week, showcased by the Patriots beating a playoff team with a 3rd string quarterback on a short week. Yeah. That kind of week.

Game(s) of The Week:

Denver at Cincinnati (1:00 p.m. Sunday, CBS)

These two teams both started 8-0 last year, but both appear to be just a touch off to start this season. A statement win here for either team could set the tone for the next few weeks and establish another potentially elite team in the AFC to join New England and Pittsburgh.

Minnesota at Carolina (1:00 p.m. Sunday, FOX)

Minnesota is the surprise 2-0 darling of the league right now, but going into Carolina might be a totally different story. Another totally different story is that the NFL, as recently as Thursday afternoon, was considering postponing or moving the game out of Charlotte due to riots stemming from an officer related shooting. As of this writing, the game will be played as schedule, but the story could loom large over the proceedings.

Bob Lobel: Sunday Seems Less than Super

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

Admit it, the spark isn’t there for Sunday. 

It's number 50, but it seems less than super. Maybe  we could increase interest if Donald Trump bought an ad, with his own money of course, to be live on the field for 60 seconds. That’s all the time he needs to make his point. 

He has lots of friends that are athletes, by the way, simply because he  gives them free golf. Nothing wrong with that.

Remember, he hired Flutie top be his quarterback in some league that nobody can remember existed. He loves Brady, and Manning too.

As for the game itself, why are people even picking Denver? That’s crazy. 

Bob Lobel: Is the Patriots Dynasty on the Brink?

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

Sometimes it just feels like you're on the brink… 

There is no real proof, but you know it's there. It is the same thing as the Under Toad in “The World According to Garp." Seemingly, something not so good is going to happen. Patriot fans, which now include most all of us since those dark days of Victor Kiam, have joined the happy place, aka the razor in Foxboro. 

The happy place is beginning to show some wear and tear. No doubt it’s the human condition. The approach of football middle age. It affects quarterbacks later than others, and it must affect coaches who have no real life away from the film room.

Prevent yourself from being surprised when it hits your team. 

Obligatory Peyton Manning-Tom Brady "Legacy" Blog

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

The Denver Broncos' relentless pass rush and play making secondary propelled them to Super Bowl 50 yesterday in an upset win over the visiting New England Patriots.

Or, as every other sports headline tells it: Peyton Manning defeated Tom Brady in the 17th meeting between two of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.

Manning will move onto his fourth Super Bowl, and will be the oldest quarterback to ever start on Super Sunday. Furthermore, he improved his record against Brady to 6-11, and has gone an even 5-5 against Tom Terrific in their last 10 meetings, including three postseason wins in a row against his nemesis.

Despite the overall record, Manning actually now leads the all-time postseason series 3-2, and hasn't lost to Brady in the playoffs since the 2004 season.

Who cares that this game was about far more than these two guys, as both defenses played lights out, let the quarterback debate rage on!

On one side, you have Tom Brady, with his four Super Bowl wins, two league MVPs and what I would call the greatest quarterback career résumé in NFL history.

On the other side, Peyton Manning and his league-record five MVPs, to go with numerous all-time passing records, now a winning postseason record against Brady and his one Super Bowl (hey, he might get another one).

Bob Lobel: It's NFL Coaching Vacancy & Presidential Primary Season

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

Dumb and dumber or smart and smarter?  

The season to be jolly has blown by and now it's time to hunker down and get in NFL playoff mode. Seriously, if there is another voice on the radio that sounds like he is between 15 and 20, and a self-proclaimed prophet, put on some music. 

What is the deal with picking winners based on anything from backup quarterbacks, to injured lineman and poor coaches, to just about everything else? Yes, this is a really good time to get into the winners and losers, but maybe a better strategy is to keep your opinion between you and your bookie. 

Bob Lobel: Remember When the Patriots Were Going Undefeated?

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

Remember when the unbeatable New England Patriots were just that? 

Talk of their fifth Super Bowl win, and the remaining shelf life of the coach and his sidekick quarterback have quieted to not even a whisper. I have no good reason to look forward to Belichick and his meet and greets with the media after a game like Sunday's, but I do.

I am fascinated with the fear generated by “his look.” A new hoodie is in production. 

“We have a whole lot of work to do,” will be on the front. Yes, this was classic Belichick. He lived up to every expectation of the media, and I'm sure the people watching got exactly what they were expecting… Nothing! 

Which is also pretty much what the Patriots delivered.  

Bob Lobel: (Coin) Flipped Off

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

There are three words and three alone that stick out in this moment at the end of 2015: Merry, Happy, and Heads. 

You can't say those words enough at this time of this year, unless of course you chose you Heads.  Merry and Happy will get you smiles and new friends. Heads gets you nothing but ridicule. 

So we move onto the final regular season week. A little stunned, but move on we must. It's really bizarre how we can get ready for a team we should beat, but still have this gut wrenching feeling that a win is anything   but what's really going to happen. Go ahead and pick a winner. 

Are we talking about a player that can't follow the instructions or are we talking about over coaching?  It now seems like the latter, but one more game and it's possible we will have no memory of what happened the Sunday after Christmas. We do know one thing for sure, whatever you call next week  in Miami, you will own the choice. Please make sure you have the right answer for the people who are charged with flipping it.  

Whether to start the game or start the overtime, you will win the toss.  How do I know this? Because you always do. 

Bob Lobel: The Patriots are Perfect No More

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

Ed. Note- Bob wrote his blog for the week Sunday morning but, after the crazy events of the Patriots game, decided to add three introductory paragraphs to address New England's first loss.

Of course, when you write about something that’s going to happen, you could be hailed as the next Edgar Casey. And so it is on the day after Denver I can tell you a lot.

Yesterday, I could tell you nothing of substance. However, the part about injuries in this part of the season wasn’t exactly a lie. It's like all the big guns are hurt because they do what they are expected to do. Who knows what's going to happen now. 

The schedule seems to be their best friend. So now, let's journey back to hours before game time and see what I thought then...

Bob Lobel: Only Injuries Can Slow the Patriots

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

It is the sworn duty of those fans in New England to rise up as one and just ignore injuries. It's pretty thin out there on the field, as Patriots standouts are dropping left and right.

The king of the Golden Flashes, Mr. Julian Edleman, could be real a show stopper. What a combination he and Brady have become in a throw and catch league. It has to be policed because, these guys are defining the league. Thin ranks and working with healthy players is almost impossible at this time of year. 

Bob Lobel: Using Sports as a Distraction

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

This would have been a terrific old-time Patriots win to be enjoyed by all north of Hartford, but the French Connection held the world's attention, and still will long after the Patriots move onto the next arena. 

On the game, I'll be short but sweet. There was only one time while watching that I thought the Patriots would win: When Gostkowski's final kick did not veer off the road at the last 10 feet. 

That’s when I knew they would win that very entertaining mid season game. The game was a perfect example of what sports should be- a diversion from the bad stuff. 

Bob Lobel: Pets Named Brady

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

It was bound to happen, just a matter of time.   

How much time exactly? 

In dog years, I think we are talking about 105. That seems like a lot, but it really isn’t. Actually, it has gone by way too fast and will be over before we know it. Some fans have figured out how to personalize, and maybe, prolong the Tom Brady experience. 

Name your pet Brady. 

How many have actually done that?  More than you think. 

The Appropriate Time to Run This Play

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Why do NFL coaches and executives lose their damn minds whenever they deal with Bill Belichick?

Whether it's John Harbaugh forgetting what constitutes an eligible receiver, the Seahawks operating under the paranoid suspicion that Belichick was perpetually on the verge of taping their practices during last year's Super Bowl week, or GMs sending away king's ransoms to New England to move up on draft day, some of the smartest people in football seem to make the dumbest decisions around the four-time Super Bowl champion coach.

Last night was no different, as the Colts, who had played far better than anyone predicted and trailed by just a single score, ran one of the worst plays in NFL history (pictured above) on fourth down.

Do You Care if Your Team Cheats?

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

After an NFL offseason dominated by "DeflateGate" stories, Tom Brady's appeal of his four-game suspension in federal court, and an ESPN report linking the NFL's handling of Brady's alleged wrong doing with New England's "SpyGate" controversy from 2007, we opened the NFL season with (surprise, surprise) more cheating talk!

That's right, the Pittsburgh Steelers not only began the season accusing the Patriots of tampering with their coach-to-coach radio communications, they also complained about a tactic New England used when they had the ball down by Patriot the goal line.

With coach Mike Tomlin claiming that it's "always the case" that Pittsburgh struggles with radio communications in Gillette Stadium, and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger saying he thought New England's last-second defensive line shift that drew the left side of the Steelers' offensive line into a false start penalty was either against the rules, or an "unwritten rule," we can pretty much assume that any time the Patriots do anything on the edge of the rules this year, we're going to label them "cheaters."

For the record, the league exonerated New England of any wrongdoing in regards to "HeadsetGate," and the line shift probably wasn't against the rules. Though the rule is very vague, it generally applies to defensive players simulating a quarterback's snap count, and is rarely called when players make abrupt movements right before the snap.

But it's not like this "New England cheats" narrative came out of thin air.

Bob Lobel: Do the Patriots Cheat?

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

This is going to be one of the most challenging and difficult columns I will ever have to write.

It's not fair, not at all, but I did volunteer to be the one to speak for many who, for one reason or another, could never talk to as many people as this is going require. 

The True Victims of "DeflateGate"

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

It's over.

Brady is free, Goodell is embarrassed, and all of New England is tasting sweet redemption for its Golden Boy and prized franchise.

Lost in all of this are the real victims of "DeflateGate:" Fans of every other team.

Not because Tom Brady will be allowed to play on opening night. That should have never been in question. Plus, did anyone really think Brady's suspension would affect New England's season in a real way? The Patriots were going to win at least two of those games he was out, then win 11 or 12 to take home that garbage division, and enter the playoffs with business running as usual.

Bob Lobel: Brady Wins Another Big One

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

"Go ahead, make my day.” 

There are many ways to describe the anguish fans have been put through during the last seven months, which I believe is the gestation period for an ostrich. You know, the one that puts its head in the sand. Heads have been in the sand for a long time on this story, which wasn’t a story, but became one when nobody had a clue as to why it took seven months to talk about and decide it. 

Call it a storybook ending.