Go New England Patriots!!

[Gotenks]

HOLLA PATRIOTS

[Zumina]

Pats all the way. Too bad I won't be able to attend the victory parade like I did in '02.

[oldsoldier]

YAY!!! Another superbowl, 2nd in 3 years, and, deployed AGAIN!!!!Damn my luck!!!!

[Dover]

New England Patriots 2003 AFC Champions 16-2

Both conference playoff games were lower scoring than i thought, the AFC game i would say due to the prevailing weather conditions (it was snowing most of the game), and the NFC game because both NFC teams suck.

The Patriots defense stepped up bigtime, and what did i say? Ty Law? 3 picks. Wilie McGinest? Sack. Battle of the pocket passers? Brady looked great, and when you take your opening drive to the endzone for a major, that sets the tone for the game; either you match score for score or you're left behind, like KC when they just couldn't keep up last week against the Colts.

NE couldn't finish all its drives, and this gave the Colts an opportunity to get back into the game, if it wasn't for the fact that Manning just couldn't get warmed up; after getting picked in the end zone by Rodney Harrison, he throws another interception, this time to Ty Law. Give the Pats secondary props for making great heads-up plays.

NFC Championship Game: the Carolina secondary was all over the Eagles receivers, who are not that gifted to start with. They have okay hands, but didn't run their routes and let themselves get pushed around.

The refs have a tendency to let the players do their thing in the playoffs and call less penalties, so i agree with you that calls were not made and a lot of contact, as well as "handfighting" between receivers and DB's occured

But each team had the same opportunity to move the ball, score points, and time just ran out

With the Pats favored by 7 pts. over the Panthers, the key will be putting points up and minimizing turnovers, which ultimately hurt the Colts and Eagles.

[Dover]

New England Patriots 2003 NFL Champions!

My prediction: New England 35 - Carolina 14, maybe 17

didn't think it would be this close, and with lead changes: when i saw the Las Vegas bet "will the Panthers ever lead" I would have bet "no".

Tom Brady was unstoppable. He marched the offense down the field early in the game, only to have two flubbed field goals, one a miss, the other blocked

But both defenses did what they were supposed to do; prevent scoring, and this they did for half an hour, until Brady took the Patriots in for first blood, a short passing touchdown

That set the tone for the game; either match your opponent step for step or stumble and fall. Delhomme evened the game with a timing play; he gets the ball into an area where he knows his receiver will be, and it is up to the receiver to come down with it, as shown by his two touchdown passes

However Delhomme just was not as quick in his reads as Brady, took a couple of sacks, and even fumbled for a turnover. The Pats secondary didn't come up with big plays as i hoped they would; actually Ty Law and Tyrone Poole got burned a couple of times for big plays

But the Pats defense proved too much for the Cats, and ultimately Brady made it possible for Vinatieri to put it away, again.

[Dover]

NFL season starts!!!

NFL Preseason starts this weekend!!!