just a few thoughts on the game. and here's a link to bill barnwell's write-up, which i think is a must-read every year. hard for me to imagine anyone breaking down the game better than this. http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/18599645/barnwell-super-bowl-li-preview-new-england-patriots-atlanta-falcons
the falcons are overrated right now. remember 2 weeks ago, going into the game against green bay? numerous people, including several on this site, invoked matt ryan's penchant for choking in big games and predicted he would throw one or more INTs in the red zone. suddenly, after lighting up a pretty weak defense, he's the heir apparent to tom brady. naturally, the truth is somewhere in between those two narratives.
the alex mack injury may prove to be huge. as anyone who's read any of my posts knows, i think the center is the most important offensive player on the field. particularly in a road game in a loud environment. now, that's not going to be the case today, but a big factor in ryan's mvp season was a lack of pressure. if the falcons have to go to the backup center, you'd better believe matt ryan is going to see some pressure.
speaking of pressure on the qb, i'm going to elaborate on one of barnwell's points. he mentions how the falcons in the playoffs have suddenly starting putting a ton of pressure on the qb. but a big part of that is because the falcons have gotten out to good leads in both games, forcing the other team to throw a lot. plus they had a loud home crowd causing some problems. if you don't bring pressure up the middle and force brady to move his feet, you do not beat them. and i don't think atlanta is going to be able to make new england one-dimensional.
all that said, under belichick the pats simply do not blow teams out in the super bowl. i find it amazing that all 4 wins are by a total of 13 points, with 4 being the largest margin of victory. sure, that's irrelevant today, but it sure grabs your attention.
the falcons are overrated right now. remember 2 weeks ago, going into the game against green bay? numerous people, including several on this site, invoked matt ryan's penchant for choking in big games and predicted he would throw one or more INTs in the red zone. suddenly, after lighting up a pretty weak defense, he's the heir apparent to tom brady. naturally, the truth is somewhere in between those two narratives.
the alex mack injury may prove to be huge. as anyone who's read any of my posts knows, i think the center is the most important offensive player on the field. particularly in a road game in a loud environment. now, that's not going to be the case today, but a big factor in ryan's mvp season was a lack of pressure. if the falcons have to go to the backup center, you'd better believe matt ryan is going to see some pressure.
speaking of pressure on the qb, i'm going to elaborate on one of barnwell's points. he mentions how the falcons in the playoffs have suddenly starting putting a ton of pressure on the qb. but a big part of that is because the falcons have gotten out to good leads in both games, forcing the other team to throw a lot. plus they had a loud home crowd causing some problems. if you don't bring pressure up the middle and force brady to move his feet, you do not beat them. and i don't think atlanta is going to be able to make new england one-dimensional.
all that said, under belichick the pats simply do not blow teams out in the super bowl. i find it amazing that all 4 wins are by a total of 13 points, with 4 being the largest margin of victory. sure, that's irrelevant today, but it sure grabs your attention.
