Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff
Rocky III. That’s what came to mind Sunday night as I searched for a way to explain what had happened.
The Patriots used to be Rocky Balboa, the lovable underdog who captured a nation’s imagination with an improbable rise to the top featuring a blue-collar work ethic and humility the Average Joe could identify with. The Rams (and later the Colts) were Apollo Creed, flashy and arrogant, at least until they stepped into the ring against the heavyweight slugger who took every blow, never backed down, and ultimately willed himself to victory. The Pats, like the Italian Stallion, always won because they were tougher than any opponent.
Then came Rocky III. The lovable underdog had transformed into a fat cat; the big mansion, celebrity appearances and gaudy exhibitions against the likes of Thunderlips (Hulk Hogan) softening the champ until a younger, hungrier opponent stepped into the ring and forced him to dig deep for that something extra, only to find there was nothing there. He’d gone soft.
And much like Rocky Balboa against Clubber Lang, the Patriots went into battle against the New York Giants without the key ingredient from their previous title fights; the eye of the tiger!
The main reason the Giants are Super Bowl champions today is because they wanted it more, and played like they did. Talent wise, this should have been no a knockout. The Patriots were better than their New York counterparts in every key area. Even the Giants strength, the defensive line, should have been neutralized by a New England offensive front featuring three Pro Bowlers, not to mention the best quarterback in the game and an arsenal of weapons at his disposal that would make General Petraeus envious.
Yet when the G-Men went Clubber Lang and started throwing haymakers, the Pats couldn’t muster up the resolve to do anything about it. Eye of the tiger? That was long gone, lost in the shuffle of television tributes, magazine covers, supermodels and premature talk about the greatest team in history. (On that last one, yours truly stands guilty as charged, your honor!)
Tell me Tom Brady didn’t resemble the Italian Stallion of the first fight in Rocky III? Just like the champ stood there taking every Mr. T blow to the head without answer, Brady kept getting knocked down only to rise with that Peyton Manning “what just happened” look on his face. I’ll give you that he may have been hurt more than we know. But where was the fire? Where was the passion?
In retrospect, we should have sensed something the second Fox flashed a camera shot of Giselle at the game. Since beginning their relationship sometime last winter, the Brazilian goddess had been less visible around Tom Terrific’s playground than Giuliani supporters in the primaries. Yet leading to the game “we’ll remember the rest of our lives” (Brady’s words), the star QB was videotaped more often near the starlet’s home in the Big Apple than his place of employment in Foxboro. When the camera found Giselle at University of Phoenix Stadium, we should have known something was awry. Even Jessica Simpson and Tony Romo must have cringed.
Mind you, I’m not blaming Brady for the loss. I’m simply pointing out how the Patriots had gone from an image of pounding a side of beef in a meat cooler to having Victoria’s Secret model girlfriends sipping wine in a luxury suite. The eye of the tiger was gone, replaced by a palate for Pinot Noir.
Balboa recaptured his title at the end of Rocky III. Perhaps the Patriots can do the same. Just don’t expect to see Tom Brady and Peyton Manning sprinting in slow-mo at the beach any time soon.
What's your take on why the Patriots lost? I'll be more than happy to discuss specific plays and decisions that proved pivotal to the outcome in the comments section, but I really think the Pats lost their way a little and got overconfident.
newsflash, apollo wone in rocky 1 unlike the pats
Great Analogy!
All week I worried that our Patriots were there “not to lose” rather than to WIN. When the media questioned Patriot players about members of the NY Giants boldly predicting a win, the Patriots responded in the very politically correct way by stating “they should think they will win, that is why they are here, why we all play this game” but this was typically followed up with something like “of course we also know that it is possible to lose”. I am over simplifying but it always seemed that in an attempt to NOT sound arrogant the Patriots opened themselves up to the possibility that they could lose. The NY Giants meanwhile kept saying, a prediction was made and we stand by it.
As for the game, I need to really know the thought behind 4th and 13 on the Giants 30 – 4TH AND FREAKING 13 – ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? Even if the field goal was missed, the Giants get the ball on what the 38 or 39? They got it on the 40 after the out of bounds kick off and could not score – why think they can score getting it on the 38 or 39?
While the game was great, for non-NE fans, the outcome was terribly disappointing.
Personally, I knew it was all over when Jordan Sparks sang the National Anthem (beautifully). As soon as I saw that RED sweatshirt, I knew…No Grey Hoodie, no win. For a game steeped in superstition, one would like to think that the man driving the bus has been able to figure that one out…
ALP, I think Belichick was outcoached severely. No in-game adjustments that worked. Example; where were the screen passes to slow the blitz?
As for the 4th and 13...HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE call. The coach always says if you don't have faith in your FG kicker (or any player) he shouldn't be on the team. I understand Gostkowski had an off year and hadn't kicked a FG over 45-yards, but I'm thinking the chances of a 49-yarder in the controlled environment of a dome are 50-50 at worst. Heck, he hit a 50-yarder at San Diego last year. I'm also guessing the conversion rate on 4th and 13 is less than 10%. What the heck was he thinking?
His answer of "playing for field position there" doesn't fly with me. What's the difference between the 31 and 39 yard line? Not much, especially the way his "D" was playing. Heck, if you're playing for field position, don't you take the delay of game penalty, move back 5-yards and try to pin them back with a punt?
Not the only reason they lost, but Belichick's decisions had a hand in it.
Also, I don't like the way he goes about his media sessions after a playoff loss. The rest of the league's coaches manage to act professionally, stand up like a man and answer the tough questions after a loss. BB should at least extend the same coutesy to his peers and say all the right things. He's not a very gracious loser. Perhaps he can get away with this when he's won 3-of-4 Super Bowls, but the league is catching up (has caught up?) and it's very unbecoming. You may say you don't care about how he handles interviews, but guess what...it's part of the job description for NFL head coach. I don't mind him being secretive, but at least give the other team props after a loss and appear sincere doing it.
The most troubling thing for me; I truly understand why the rest of the country hates the Patriots. And contrary to what we'd like to think, it's not just about success and professional jealousy. That's part of it, but there's an institutional arrogance and enough cheating accusations that I have to admit I'd hate them, too, if I weren't a New Englander.
Maybe they couldn't make in-game adjustments because they didn't have video of the Giants walkthrough?? Sorry- had to get that jab in there...
The next time I hear someone talk about "class" and "Patriots" in the same sentence I think I'm going to hurl. From their boor of a coach all the way down they do not exude "class" in any way. Are they a terrific team and is BB a great coach? Yes. But I no longer want to hear "class" in regards to the Pats or BB. Walking off the field before the final whistle and not congratulating the Giants players is about as bad as it gets as an NFL coach I think.
BB ought to take a page out of Andy Reid's press conferences. The guy says possibly even less than Belichick does in his but does it in a way that reporters don't leave the room hating him.
And as much as people say that running up the score during the season was not "bad" I think it built up a store of "bad football karma" that came back to bite them in the biggest game of the year. They served up some awful beatings this season yet the other coach always went to the middle of the field to congratulate BB and the Pats. They "took their beatings like men". When the Pats get beaten they act like a bunch of little kids.
If you check out ESPN Magazine from last week they have an article in which they did a poll of fans of all other 30 NFL teams and in every single case they wanted the Giants to win rather than the Pats. So the Rocky analogy is pretty good although you may want to compare them to Ivan Drago who only had fans in his country rather than Balboa...
DB, I can't really take exception to anything you say.
Even the cheating cheap shot, the national perception is that they DID cheat and that the NEEDED to cheat. Otherwise, why do it in the first place. And until they win a Super Bowl without cheating, that will hang over their head. That's why this loss is so disappointing to me. I needed them to prove they could win without cheating, and 18-0 was the perfect message. However, without that 19th win, the cloud remains.
Very well said by you!
Have to agree with you that Belichick was out coached. If I was a betting man,
would bet Belichick would even agree with you.
The game played out, and in the end the Giants just had a couple lucky breaks
and good control over the clock...
They Patriots lost the, "Eye of The Tiger", and now theirs, "No
easy way out."
and roll the
Sports Montage....
Teddy like you and DB, I did not appreciate Belichick's end of game behavior -- end of any game for that matter. He needs (as you say) to be especially gracious when he suffers a loss -- even more so with a play off or Super Bowl loss. I was appalled by his walking off the field prior to the end of the game. It did appear he congratulated Coughlin, but as has been said, he also needed to congratulate the Giants as a team. I fully expected him to say that his staff did not perform as they should have, the team did not execute and that the Giants were a great team and deserve to be congratulated for a great win, etc. This did not happen. It looked like the entire offense walked into the locker room with Belichick. Again, inappropriate. All players and coaches should have remained to congratulate the winning team.
For the record, I don't always find NE Patriot fans to be gracious winners. I have been lucky enough to attend all the home play-off games since 1996. During each of the AFC Championship trophy presentations in New England, the majority of fans have booed the losing team when the presenter congratulates said team for making it to the championship. Not sure about you, but I believe this reflects badly on the entire region. And, as you say, makes the Patriots and their fans a group the remainder of the country does not want to embrace.
They say Belichick is a student of history and that his place in Football History matters very much to him. Let us hope that he can improve or change his losing behavior. It would be a shame for his legacy to be that of a man who was a great Football Coach but one who consistently demonstrated poor sportsmanship.
Completely agree with the last comment, Belicheck was outcoached bigtime. Brady was getting hurried, sacked, hurried the entire game! After only have 20 or so sacks the whole season he got sacked 5 times in the Super Bowl!! The Giants simply outplayed, and outcoached the New England patriots. End of Story.
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I guess the biggest part that is bothersome about BB's antics at the end of games is the fact that people who know him "in real life" claim his real personality is much different than the one he has out on the field. Once the game is over couldn't he just "turn off" the competitive juices, just like the players do, and simply give a hand shake and a few pats on the back to the opposing players? Especially since he was once a coach for the Giants you'd think it would be one of the teams that, if the Pats couldn't win, that he'd be happy for. Especially since the Giants have some old "war horses" like Strahan and Feagles who have been around forever and never won a championship. It's fine that he's disappointed (as anyone would be) but just act like a sportsman.
The end of the game reminded me of playing in the playground as a kid when one of the kids in the neighborhood gets a brand new football and you all go out to play with it. Halfway through the game the kid doesn't catch enough passes so he leaves with his ball and the game is over.
After I read your column today it drove home the problem I was having with the Pat's loss.I kept coming back to Brady's haircut. Not that it was bad,( although Stevie Wonder could have done just as good) it was the fact that he flew someone in from across the country to cut it.I don't know how they did it, but I think they got caught up in their own greatness.