[FicusFan]

Way to go Patriots ! Now on to Jacksonville and the Super Bowl.

I have to admit the Colts and the Steelers had me worried, but I am just jazzed about how the Pats blew them away.

Don't know much about Philly, but the NFC is pretty weak so I can't see that it will be too much trouble. Of course the SBs that the Pats are in tend to become nail-bitters and go down to the last minute - so we may be in for another interesting game. Just hope there is more scoring in the first half this time.

[kater]

Don't know much about Philly then say they should be easy meat? :D
I think the two teams match up nicely, Bill's defensive patterns, particularly in the back field, are superb even if the personnel aren't all there, and should match up against a very big, athletic wide receiver corps for the Eagles. The other side of the ball is where it is interesting for me. Philly have a strong defense, their corners are definitely among the best in either Conference and they stop the run almost as well as the Steelers. I think the Pats, like they did against the Colts, will use a lot of short-to-mid range passes and try to open up the middle just beyond the line of scrimmage. I think the game will come down to whether McNabb plays well when he has the ball, if he does offer the dual threat of the run aswell as the long passing game I think Philly take it. If the Pats shut him down early and make a few of those awesome time-consuming drives in the first quarter, quarter-and-a-half and deny the Eagles the ball, then I think they are due their third in four years. I bet its low scoring :D

[FicusFan]

No matter what they have to do, I think the Pats will win it. :D

They have 2 weeks to come up with a scheme and the guys will definitely execute. They have the SB experience and this year they have Dillon's hunger to keep them going.

I expect the defense will stop them, and the offense will use both the running and the passing game. Bill and company will pick apart Philly's weaknesses, whatever they are.

They actually beat Philly in the pre-season this year, and in the regular season last year (after the Bills blow-out and the Lawyer Milloy debacle). Of course the pre-season game was the first one so the starters only played for like the first quarter on both sides.

Hope it isn't too low scoring. And I hope the Pats paste them like the did the Colts and the Steelers - I don't think I can take much more suspense.

[kater]

Well you're gonna be on tenderhooks for two weeks yet it seems :D
There is a real sense of the Pats being able to adapt to anything teams throw at them, thanks to the best coach in the league and now surely close to being named a great, but I don't think they've really been up against it yet.
To their credit they went up big early against the Colts and Steelers in the first half of both games and so they haven't had to come from behind or been forced to play close games yet.
There is a case for them switching off occasionally too - it shouldn't happen at the SuperBowl and they were probably forcefed the Dolphins video until they choked but in most of their recent games they have given up a few big plays. In the other games they've been too far ahead to worry about it, but in a tight game that could cost them. Also I don't think they are going to get much out of the running game, its a grey area, and if the run doesn't function to balance the short passing game then it could end up being similar to what happened up in Pittsburgh earlier in the season.
I'd give you 3-1 its low scoring and 3/2 no team passes the 24 point mark :D

[FicusFan]

Can't come from behind. Ha,hahahahahahah. They just don't have to this year, they are that good (Steelers 1 and Miami 2 excepted).

But in their first SB season coming from behind is the only way they won. Tom Brady, besides being 8-0 in the playoffs is like 6-0 in overtime.

The 2nd SB team was much better than the first, and this team is much better than the last one. If they get buried then they will have problems, but a touchdown or 2 is not a problem. They have made a point of always scoring first to avoid the close overtime battles they had in their first SB season.

[kater]

They haven't had to yet this year, thus they may not be fully able to handle the situation if they do. The times they have been down, being such a great team, they haven't come back to win ;) Thats my point. Tom Brady is 8-0 in the playoffs purely because he wasn't in a good enough team to get to the play-offs in 2003 so that record is deceptive, everyone else on the consecutive play-offs list did it in consecutive seasons.
Don't get me wrong I want the Pats to win, I'm not a fan of McNabb or the Eagles, I'm just discussing the game and throwing out possibilities :)

[FicusFan]

Yes this year, where they have only lost 2 games. Just like last year. This year they got careless at the end and ran out of time in Miami2, and they just plain stunk in Steeler1, and were overwhelmed. But neither game proves they are incapable of coming from behind.

Tom Brady is on the list because he has never lost a playoff game, regardless of consequtive years or not. That is the only requirement. In fact his is the more impressive statistic -- it means regardless of when you put him in the playoffs, he will win. He doesn't need to be carried by the momentum of a winning team from one year to the next. He can create the situation as well as taking advantage of it.

Yes they had an off year, but they learned from it and that is part of why they will beat Philly.