Winning cures everything.
Just about a month ago, a number of scandalous stories popped up detailing a New England Patriots franchise in shambles. Apparently Tom Brady viewed Jimmy Garoppolo as a threat to his long-term seat on his throne -- and perhaps, rightfully so -- so he urged owner Robert Kraft to get rid of the young-and-talented gunslinger.
Of course, an idea like that wouldn't make any sense from Bill Belichick's perspective. Brady still seems invincible at the moment, but he's 40 years old, and all Hall of Fame careers must come to an end. For Belichick, life goes on after Brady. I'm sure he's planning on a seamless transition following Brady's eventual retirement. Belichick expects the excellence to continue, and Garoppolo would have placed the Patriots franchise in a reasonable position to continue its dominance.
But Tom Brady has pull. Jimmy Garoppolo is gone, and the Patriots are all-in on the now.
We know there's been tension between Brady and mastermind OC Josh McDaniels -- who is on his way out the door, along with popular DC Matt Patricia -- and stars like Rob Gronkowski and Devin McCourty are getting older, and more beat up.
So, without a doubt, we're heading into the most pressure-packed Super Bowl appearance in the history of the New England Patriots. If things don't break right, this could be the beginning of the end. The playoff victories over the Titans and Jaguars have temporarily quieted some of the noise and negative news reports, but The Moment's here now. This is it. If they win, it's one big happy family for whomever is left. If they lose, well, what then?
Date, Time and Network: Sunday, February 3, at 6:30 p.m. on NBC
Lines and Movement: The Patriots have dropped from -6 to -4 (on some sites)
Public Percentage: 53% on the Eagles
The franchises that have had some success against the Patriots in the postseason -- the Ravens, Jets, Broncos and most prominently, the Giants -- all had one thing in common at the time of their victories: relentless, top-level pass rushes.
The first time around, the Giants' pass rush boasted Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck and for one magical play, Jay Alford. In their second awesome Super Bowl win over Belichick, Brady and the Pats, the G-Men had Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul and Chris Canty applying the pressure. Keep in mind that New England scored only 14 points in their first loss to New York, and just 17 in the second.
In a 33-14 playoff drubbing of the Pats, the Ravens' ferocious pass rush was led by superstar Terrell Suggs, with assists from Haloti Ngata and Ray Lewis. The 2011 Jets won it with Shaun Ellis, Muhammad Wilkerson, Calvin Pace and David Harris buzzing around in the backfield. And lastly, the 2016 Broncos suffocated Brady and the boys with studs Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware and Derek Wolfe.
That brief history leads us to where we are now, with a Philadelphia Eagles defense that forced 14 fumbles during the regular season, batted down 106 passes (3rd in the entire NFL) and booked 19 interceptions (4th overall). Most importantly, DC Jim Schwartz's unit is scorching hot right now. They suffocated Atlanta in the divisional round -- a team led by superstars Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Devonta Freeman -- and embarrassed Case Keenum, Stefon Diggs and the Vikings by limiting them to a measly 7 points in the NFC Championship Game.
If Schwartz is going to lean on his pass rush the way the Giants, Broncos and Ravens have in the past, then Pro Bowler Fletcher Cox will have to be the first man through the door. Schwartz and Cox will also need Brandon Graham to snap out of his funk; he led the club in sacks with 9.5, but has just two tackles in two postseason games. He hasn't sniffed the quarterback, and if there were ever a time to wake up, it's obviously right now. Derek Barnett chipped in with five sacks during the year, and safety-and-leader Malcolm Jenkins was again selected for the Pro Bowl. This foursome, along with star CB Jalen Mills, are the defensive playmakers who will need to shine if the short-handed Eagles are going to shock the world.
The franchises that have had some success against the Patriots in the postseason -- the Ravens, Jets, Broncos and most prominently, the Giants -- all had one thing in common at the time of their victories: relentless, top-level pass rushes.
The first time around, the Giants' pass rush boasted Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck and for one magical play, Jay Alford. In their second awesome Super Bowl win over Belichick, Brady and the Pats, the G-Men had Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul and Chris Canty applying the pressure. Keep in mind that New England scored only 14 points in their first loss to New York, and just 17 in the second.
In a 33-14 playoff drubbing of the Pats, the Ravens' ferocious pass rush was led by superstar Terrell Suggs, with assists from Haloti Ngata and Ray Lewis. The 2011 Jets won it with Shaun Ellis, Muhammad Wilkerson, Calvin Pace and David Harris buzzing around in the backfield. And lastly, the 2016 Broncos suffocated Brady and the boys with studs Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware and Derek Wolfe.
That brief history leads us to where we are now, with a Philadelphia Eagles defense that forced 14 fumbles during the regular season, batted down 106 passes (3rd in the entire NFL) and booked 19 interceptions (4th overall). Most importantly, DC Jim Schwartz's unit is scorching hot right now. They suffocated Atlanta in the divisional round -- a team led by superstars Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Devonta Freeman -- and embarrassed Case Keenum, Stefon Diggs and the Vikings by limiting them to a measly 7 points in the NFC Championship Game.
If Schwartz is going to lean on his pass rush the way the Giants, Broncos and Ravens have in the past, then Pro Bowler Fletcher Cox will have to be the first man through the door. Schwartz and Cox will also need Brandon Graham to snap out of his funk; he led the club in sacks with 9.5, but has just two tackles in two postseason games. He hasn't sniffed the quarterback, and if there were ever a time to wake up, it's obviously right now. Derek Barnett chipped in with five sacks during the year, and safety-and-leader Malcolm Jenkins was again selected for the Pro Bowl. This foursome, along with star CB Jalen Mills, are the defensive playmakers who will need to shine if the short-handed Eagles are going to shock the world.
Offensively, HC Doug Pederson and OC Frank Reich must implore their guys to play EXACTLY as they did two weeks ago against Minnesota. Nick Foles MUST continue to throw the ball downfield. Foles doesn't seem like the type of guy who gets rattled very easily -- sort of like Eli Manning in that way, no? -- but players and teams tend to play differently against the Patriots in big spots. It's like everyone wants to bow down. Some teams seem like they are simply delaying the inevitable. I mean, did the Jaguars ever actually believe they were going to win? It almost seemed like they were killing time until the Patriots eventually won at the end.
Well, the Eagles simply cannot do that here. I think they are the right team for the job. They've been playing with nothing to lose since surefire MVP Carson Wentz went down, and there's no reason to stop now. You can't pussyfoot around against the Pats. You have to take the game at them. You have to rush Brady, and make it hurt. You have to make him gun shy, even if it's only for a handful of plays. You have to throw the ball downfield, run the ball right at them and carry yourself with a swagger that says we don't give a shit about what you've done in the past. It's OUR time now.
But, will the Eagles actually do that? Can Pederson, Reich and Schwartz communicate the right messages to their players? What if they get a lead...will they get complacent? We've seen it time and time again. If you have the Patriots down, you have to step on their throats. Otherwise, Belichick, McDaniels, Brady, Gronkowski, Danny Amendola, James White and Dion Lewis are going to steal that game away from you. This time around, the new faces to the Super Bowl are speedster Brandin Cooks, "Seven-Eleven" Chris Hogan and another back similar to White and Lewis, Rex Burkhead.
Damn, that's a lot of weapons. And that's what makes them so difficult to prepare for, defensively; particularly if you're ahead of them on the scoreboard. When Brady gets into his no-huddle, New England's offense moves faster than one of Dom Toretto's 10-second cars. The backs are match-up nightmares, Gronk would normally command a double-team, and Cooks, Amendola and Hogan provide variance in their routes and individual strengths.
But above all, Tom Brady makes the f**king throws. Sure, the Jaguars got complacent and let that game slip away, but it still came down to Brady making a throw that most others wouldn't even attempt. Not in a spot like that. Not with everything on the line. But Brady fired an absolute seed into a crowded endzone, and Amendola secured an incredibly tough touchdown catch.
That's what the Patriots do when everything is on the line -- they make plays. Year in and year out.
Alshon Jeffery was a solid addition overall, but he's not a superstar. Jay Ajayi hasn't exactly fit in since his acquisition from the Dolphins. Torrey Smith is nearing the end of his career. Nelson Agholor shows up sometimes, and completely disappears at others. LeGarrette Blount looked better on New England than he has for Philly. I mean, really, how do these guys do it?
Doug Pederson deserves a ton of credit. Again, I'm not sure how he does it, but everything seems to click for this particular Eagles group.
It's their time. I really think it is.
Matt Patricia is leaving. Josh McDaniels is right behind him. Jimmy Garoppolo is already gone. The relationships between Kraft, Belichick and Brady are strained. This unshakable virus finally seems to be running its course.
When they lost Wentz, it would have been easy for the Eagles to think, well, we had a great year. We just got unlucky. There's nothing we could do about it. We'll get 'em next year.
But they didn't let doubt defeat them. The Super Bowl is tomorrow, and the Philadelphia Eagles made it here with a back-up quarterback.
They're here. They're ready. And they're just fearless enough to achieve the impossible.
Let's all hope this is the end of an era.
** Johnny Fro's Prediction: Eagles 27, Patriots 24 **
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