Anyone taking the Cowboys...

[samikeyp]

Dallas has a good shot, mainly because New England won't show everything to a team they might see again in the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, Dallas is gonna have to unload every trick they've got to win this.

If this was a pre-season game, I could see either team holding stuff back...but not in the regular season. You do everything you can to win.

[Whisky Dog]

All the heart and determination in the world won't help you when you're facing a team who has a superior gameplan, along with equal heart and determination. If you think Wade Phillips is going to outcoach Bill Belichick, you're insane.

Like I said, the Patriots will save their best shots at the Cowboys for the Super Bowl, if either team makes it.

Looks like someone's been watching Remember The ans again.

All the heart and determination won't help you against a team with equal heart and determination? No .

Wade Phillips doesn't have to outcoach Bill Belicheck. His players have to outplay the NE players enough to win the game. It's not that difficult to understand. Even Belichick would tell you that.

Coaching helps put your team in position to win, but they have to execute better than the opposition. Kind of like last year when the Colts executed better than the Patriots. Did Dungy outcoach Belichick? No. His team executed better.

[stretch]

I wasn't talking about trick plays, dumbass. Dallas won't have to run any new schemes or variations on anything to beat NE in this game. The same goes for NE. You put far too much emphasis on tricks or gadgets as teams don't save much of anything for the playoffs. If they haven't run a scheme or set all season they won't run it in the playoffs. The games against Pitt weren't due to tricks, Pitt just was the more motivated team and executed better in the regular season and that was reversed in the playoffs.

The talent gap isn't wide at all. If both bring their A game it's still a toss up.

Lets go position by position

QB - Romo < Brady

Brady has the experience, but Romo is the more gifted QB, and a better playmaker. Brady wins, but not by a landslide.

RB - Barber/Jones > Maroney/Faulk

Dallas has more depth here. Dallas wins. Not by much though. Maroney is not to be overlooked.

WR - Owens/Crayton/Hurd =< Moss/Stallworth/Welker

Owens and Moss are about even. Stallworth can't run routes for , and Welker is a good #3 reciever, but looks better than he is, because of the amounts of attention that Moss and Stallworth draw from deep coverages. If Dallas had a healthy Terry Glenn, they would defintiely win this one, but for now, New England has this one, but not by a landslide by any means either.

TE - Whitten/Fasano > Watson/Brady

This one is obvious. Whitten alone is far superior.

OL - Dallas = NE

NE has better players on the line, although not by much, and it really doesn't matter as much for Dallas, due to Romo's running ability and ability to move in the pocket to set his blockers up. Therefore this one is a wash.

DL - Dallas = NE

They are pretty much dead even right now, although if NE had Seymour, they have the superior DL.

LB - Spears/Ellis/James/Ware = Vrabel/Thomas/Colvin/Bruschi

Dallas is a little more talented and athletic, while NE is more experienced, but age is a factor. Bruschi and Vrabel have clearly slowed down, and will get eaten alive by Whitten. Colvin is a good rusher, but thats about it. Thomas is well rounded, but heavily overrated by Patriot fans. He hasn't impressed me at all this year. The INT TD that he got was not a result of a good play. It was simply a ing horrid throw by Phillip Rivers. Give me Demarcus Ware over him any day.

CB - Newman/Henry/Reeves > Samuel/Hobbs/Gay

No question about it.

S - Hamlin/Williams < Roided Harrison/Wilson.

Eugene Wilson sucks, but Harrison is good, despite being a cheater. Roy obviously sucks, although I must say, aside from his first game against the Giants, and the horrible tackle against the Bears, he really has not played bad at all this year, and hasn't gotten beat very much at all. Granted, the Pats have better weapons than they have faced so far, but in the past, even terrible WRs was capable of making Roy look stupid.

To me, they are dead even in terms of all around talent. Although Dallas is clearly dealing with more injuries at the moment.

[Walter Craparita]

i'm not talking about trick plays, dumbass. i'm talking about strategies, packages, and plays that NE might be saving for a future date. they aren't going to waste everything they've got on a week 6 matchup. in 2005 the Patriots let the Steelers kick their ass up and down the field in the regular season, they had simple playcalling and let Corey Dillon sit with an "injury". They didn't reveal everything they had to a potential playoff matchup. then in the AFC le game they unloaded everything and kicked Pittsburgh's ass up and down the field.

and i think the talent gap is wide enough that Dallas will have to play incredible in order to win. If both teams bring their A game, New England wins by 10 at least.

Tricks are for kids.

[Findog]

If you think Wade Phillips is going to outcoach Bill Belichick, you're insane.

You do realize that Wade Phillips the actual coach, and not Wade Phillips the re ed tub of man- ties, as voiced by Jub-Jub, will be patrolling the sidelines, right? I think Belichick is the better coach, but the gap isn't that wide. Our coaching staff isn't chopped liver. San Diego's defense has fallen apart with the succession of Phillips to Ted Cottrell, and Jason Garrett will be a head coach somewhere next year.

[monosylab1k]

If this was a pre-season game, I could see either team holding stuff back...but not in the regular season. You do everything you can to win.

Then what explains the Colts defense playing possum the last 6 weeks or so of the regular season last year?

[FromWayDowntown]

I would say that I agree about performances changing from week-to-week, and last week being just a bad game for NE...BUT, I've watched them at least 3 times this year, and so far, I haven't seen anything that has me, a Colts fan, shaking in my boots.
Oh boy...I didn't just jinx the Colts there, did I? The supers ion is creeping in...

I don't really get that New England played poorly last week. They won an NFL game by 17 points. They were up 20-0 at the half and held a 27-10 lead relatively late in the 4th quarter. They did give up a late score when Cleveland got a short field opportunity (a punt return that gave them the ball at the +35), but the game was never really in any doubt. I'm sure Patriots' fans would have preferred a win by 30+, a shutout, and flawless execution, but I'm not sure that's the standard by which any team should be judged in assessing its quality -- particularly not in Week 5.

To me, it's scary that a team can play, basically, on cruise control for a half and win that game without ever having faced a real threat.

[Findog]

http://accuscore.com/patriots-at-cowboys/

For what it's worth, the smart money is on NW.

[SpursFanFirst]

Then what explains the Colts defense playing possum the last 6 weeks or so of the regular season last year?

No Bob Sanders? He didn't come back until the playoffs, right?
It's a whole different defense when he's around!

[stretch]

Asante Samuel is out? Thats really bad for the Patriots...

[Whisky Dog]

Then what explains the Colts defense playing possum the last 6 weeks or so of the regular season last year?

They didn't play possum. They got gashed by the run due to several things - a lack of effort, injured personnel, and possibly a coasting mentality since they were a lock for the playoffs. They were able to step up their intensity for the playoffs and got an important piece of their defense back in Bob Sanders.

[SpursFanFirst]

I don't really get that New England played poorly last week. They won an NFL game by 17 points. They were up 20-0 at the half and held a 27-10 lead relatively late in the 4th quarter. They did give up a late score when Cleveland got a short field opportunity (a punt return that gave them the ball at the +35), but the game was never really in any doubt. I'm sure Patriots' fans would have preferred a win by 30+, a shutout, and flawless execution, but I'm not sure that's the standard by which any team should be judged in assessing its quality -- particularly not in Week 5.

To me, it's scary that a team can play, basically, on cruise control for a half and win that game without ever having faced a real threat.

In the end, the score made it look like a lopsided win, but I just saw Cleveland's QB as more of a help to NE than anything NE did on their own.

[monosylab1k]

No Bob Sanders? He didn't come back until the playoffs, right?
It's a whole different defense when he's around!

First off, Bob Sanders is way overrated. He helped a bunch but he singularly doesn't have the ability to turn a defense from "historically bad" to "championship good".

Dungy pulled a page from Belichick's "Idiot's Guide To Head Coaching In The NFL" and stopped showing his entire hand for 16 regular season games. And it worked perfectly.

[FromWayDowntown]

QB - Romo < Brady

Brady has the experience, but Romo is the more gifted QB, and a better playmaker. Brady wins, but not by a landslide.

Personally, I'd make it Brady by a pretty big margin. Joe Montana proved for years that you didn't have to be the most gifted QB in the league to be the best. Only Peyton Manning is in Tom Brady's league when it comes to reading defenses from the pocket, and I'd frankly trust Brady to make the big play sooner than I would trust Manning to do it. Brady is remarkable at spreading the ball and giving him Moss is almost close to unfair in terms of exploiting his ability to pick apart a defense -- he's never really had a big-time vertical threat until now; without a big-time veritcal threat, he's won 3 Super Bowls (and very nearly reached a 4th) and been the best playoff quarterback in football.

I think there's a definite step up from the class in which Romo finds himself and the class that Brady's in (without regard to team success). Brady rarely makes mistakes that cost his team; I'm not sure the same can be said of Romo at this point.

[FromWayDowntown]

In the end, the score made it look like a lopsided win, but I just saw Cleveland's QB as more of a help to NE than anything NE did on their own.

If New England's defense was able to create turnovers, couldn't that have been, at least in part, evidence of the Patriots' defense playing well and confusing a young quarterback? It seems to me that's a pretty big part of the game of football. . . .

[monosylab1k]

They didn't play possum. They got gashed by the run due to several things - a lack of effort, injured personnel, and possibly a coasting mentality since they were a lock for the playoffs. They were able to step up their intensity for the playoffs and got an important piece of their defense back in Bob Sanders.

you wish it were that simple.

They just didn't have the heart to go win until Super Bob came and saved the day!

You seriously need to get into screenwriting, you're the perfect fit to write the next High School Team With No Talent Learns To Play With Heart And Discovers Their Inner Champion And Finally Wins The State le.

[samikeyp]

For what it's worth, the smart money is on NW.

New Wengland?

[Whisky Dog]

you wish it were that simple.

They just didn't have the heart to go win until Super Bob came and saved the day!

You seriously need to get into screenwriting, you're the perfect fit to write the next High School Team With No Talent Learns To Play With Heart And Discovers Their Inner Champion And Finally Wins The State le.

?? That makes no sense. I didn't say the Colts defense had no talent. Are you saying that?


The Colts' defense didn't employ any new schemes for the postseason last year, they just ran the ones they were already using better. They executed their coverages and fought off blocks to make tackles better than they had during parts of the regular season. What kinds of big time adjustments and big scheme changes are you saying that Dungy withheld during the regular season? Give me a scheme. What did they change?

[monosylab1k]

Asante Samuel is out? Thats really bad for the Patriots...

you've spent all this time trashing him and calling him overrated and talking about how TO was gonna torch him, and now that he might not play suddenly it's "really bad"???

btw I see him listed as "probable" but again, and I know this is going to blow Whiskey Dog's mind since football is all about playing your best and leaving it all on the field and rah rah rah, but I wouldn't be shocked to see Belichick let Samuel sit this game out simply to give the Patriots another mental edge if the Super Bowl rematch happens.

[Whisky Dog]

I want super Pats fan Mono here to enlighten us:

What are some examples of the schemes or packages that Belicheck busts out only for the playoffs that puts his team over the top against the compe ion? During their Super Bowl wins, what did they change to get the advantage? What great strategy adjustments did Belichick make?

[monosylab1k]

They executed their coverages and fought off blocks to make tackles better than they had during parts of the regular season.

So they went from " " to "badass" by magic? By the simple act of working hard and wanting it more?

Or did they purposely hold back, making everyone believe that come playoff time they could run all over them....

[Whisky Dog]

you've spent all this time trashing him and calling him overrated and talking about how TO was gonna torch him, and now that he might not play suddenly it's "really bad"???

btw I see him listed as "probable" but again, and I know this is going to blow Whiskey Dog's mind since football is all about playing your best and leaving it all on the field and rah rah rah, but I wouldn't be shocked to see Belichick let Samuel sit this game out simply to give the Patriots another mental edge if the Super Bowl rematch happens.

If Samuel sits out it will be because of the injury, not to give the Patriots a mental edge if a rematch happens to occur in the Super Bowl. If he can play he's going to play. You think there is some sort of super-secret, espionage laden, diobolical planning at work here? How delusional of you.

[monosylab1k]

I want super Pats fan Mono here to enlighten us:

What are some examples of the schemes or packages that Belicheck busts out only for the playoffs that puts his team over the top against the compe ion? During their Super Bowl wins, what did they change to get the advantage? What great strategy adjustments did Belichick make?

They just worked harder and wanted it more than anybody else. That's all that matters in football.

[Whisky Dog]

So they went from " " to "badass" by magic? By the simple act of working hard and wanting it more?

Or did they purposely hold back, making everyone believe that come playoff time they could run all over them....

They didn't purposly hold back, they just stepped up their game because it was the playoffs and the level of play increases. It happens in every sport. The Spurs routinely coast until the playoffs before stepping up their intensity. It's not magic, it's playing at a different level because your opponent is of a better caliber, and because a loss and your season is over.

So, what are the big strategy adjustments that Billy uses to outsmart the compe ion in the playoffs?

[Whisky Dog]

They just worked harder and wanted it more than anybody else. That's all that matters in football.

Obviously a deflection on your part because you don't know what the you are talking about and have no answer for the BS you are spouting in here. I'll take that as a concession on your part.