It was amazing.

I think I've already watched more games this season than last and the excitement level has been excellent - even some of the lesser matchups this season have produced good games.

Is there something to be said for the intensity provided by playing less games rather than the saturation that football and cricket seem to suffer from? Admittedly, the strain on the body wouldn't allow an NFL player to play 46 games a season but a shorter season seems to generate much more quality. September to the end of January/first week of February... 5 months of competition!

Also, the sh*t coming out of the Skins camp is hilarious about the Pats being disrespectful to them by not letting up.

I don't get it - in other sports you get fined for not playing to your potential whereas the Pats are supposed to not try for half the match.

What about the paying public who've turned up for 60 minutes of football, not 30 minutes then a load of messing around while the Skins try and make the score look respectable...

Only a couple of players, obviously angry and with wounded pride at the time, said that

Gibbs, Al Saunders, etc said they had no problem and it was their fault the Skins were in that position anyway (38-0 down)

As a Skins fan, I'm hoping that if we get 24-odd points up against the hapless Jets on Sunday that we run the score up a bit, but knowing Gibbs we won't. Not that the toothless tiger that is the Skins offense will put up 24 points anyhow :D

I just don't understand how you could "ease off" as such. Just kneel three times and punt?

It's not like football where you can easily time waste!

Love Total Access. Good show - different presenters and pundits means you don't get bored with the same people that you might do if they didn't rotate.

Handy for betting at times if you watch the interviews. Can be quite handy to gauge the mood in the camp i.e. last week with the positive attitude around San Diego despite the fires, you just knew the Chargers would come out firing.

Think you might be being harsh here (although the rest of your post was accurate.)

His use of the time outs got Miami to within 3 points with 1.54 left on the clock. A decent onside could have made those time out calls look very intelligent and Miami would have had a great chance to force at least overtime. For what it's worth, I was willing the Giants to hold on and I felt nervous when the TO's were called as I thought he got it right.

There's an unwritten etiquette in American sports (well, NFL and baseball - no idea about the others) that says once a game is won you don't rub it in by racking up points or going for big plays. That's why most teams, if they're 30-odd points up in the final quarter and 4th and 10 on their opponents' 20 yard line, will run the ball and let the other team have possession rather than kick an easy field goal to increase that lead. And in baseball, teams won't bunt if they're a stack of runs ahead (other than the Yankess, but they are the biggest bunch of scum in sport, so that's hardly surprising).

Of course, Belichick's never been one for etiquette (nor, some might say, fair play) hence going for it on fourth down twice when the game was well won. I think that's the issue people have with the Skins-Pats game.

As for the noise factor, Fins @ Skins on the opening day was tremendously loud.

You have to remember though, that the second time he had his replacement QB in. Why should Cassell not be given the chance to run some plays? If it means putting him in the pressure of a 4th and long, why not? Tough shit if the Skins hadn't turned up for the first 45 minutes, that's their problem.

And as for baseball, if you're the away team, in the 9th, 8 or 9 runs up, why should you ease off knowing that the home team still has another inning? Unlikely it may be that they comeback but I'd still want as much lead as possible.

As I also said, what about the PAYING crowd? I bet the Pats fans wouldn't have wanted to watch the Pats lying down just to make the Skins feel better about being outclassed by one of the two best teams in the league. Should Miami be p*ssed off too that at 35-14, the Pats bought Brady BACK in after resting him on the previous drive only for Brady to manufacture a score by going deep?

Sorry, hope that didn't come across as argumentative, I just don't understand this "easing off" mentality...

I wonder if Kieron Fallon could cite this thread in his defence at "easing off"... :D

You are absolutely correct - but that's how it seen. I'm sure there are instances of baseball teams not going for sac bunts or hits to be sportsmanlike and having it bite them on the backside. I'm not disagreeing with your principals. Just telling it how it is. :)

And Tom Coughlin bemoaned the paying crowd at Wembley booing when Eli Manning (as is absolutely correct) took those knees. I think the last thing on any coach's mind during a game is making sure the crowd get their fill of entertainment.

The one rule the NFL could do without is taking a knee to end the game

It would be much more exciting if teams had to run running plays and try not to fumble

You'd get the RB just taking the ball and dropping to the floor instead...!

I happen to agree with you, especially when regarding NE's back-up QB, even though I am a Redskins fan, but as Ben says, the debate has been about the 'unwritten rule'

Then again, i wasn't moaning when the Skins put up 50+ points against the 49ERs two seasons ago

That'd technically be a knee

under nookie law they'd have to be hit by a defender to be classed as down

Trust me nookie, when you've bet on their being less than 38 points and the score is 20-17, that moment when the clock and other conditions mean the QB can 'knee' out the clock is a truly great feeling :p :lux:

How awesome was Brett Favre's throw on Monday night? The first touch down pass that he threw was pretty good but the second to win the game at the start of over time was very special indeed.

The one point I wanted to make is the 'easing off' issue that has been raised by the fact that the Patriots are whipping teams at the moment. They beat my boys a few weeks back for our one and only defeat of the season but we did manage to get 27 odd points against them all the same, not quite the 48 odd that they got though.

I read that it's a unwritten rule whereby teams who have clearly one a game 'ease off' but surely this doesn't mean that teams can't do what they do naturally to what has proven to be devastating effect by the Patriots this season. If a team is good enough to do that, then why shouldn't they?

Wasn't there an unwritten rule in football that if you kick a ball out for an injury you should return it? Look what happened to that kicking off with the Arsenal v Sheff Utd game.

I simply do not agree with it at all.

Looks like it will be the first match of two unbeatens so late in the season... (taken from http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=090...o&confirm=true)

One of the most highly anticipated non-playoff games in recent memory takes place on Sunday when the New England Patriots visit the Indianapolis Colts in the league's first matchup of teams who are unbeaten this far into a season.

Agreed.

Taking out the knee is wrong.

A team have earnt those four downs and should be able to use them how they please.

But I also agree with icing the kicker. I see nothing wrong with that.


With regards running up the score, when your miles ahead why not throw in your reserves? If then you are still racking up points, that fine in my books. Surely it's a no brainer, the one time players can fight for a starting berth.

That promises to be a pretty good match up to be honest ... looking forward to it. They have been builing it up all week on Total Access :p

Sports Center on ESPN have barely mentioned anything else all week.

IMO, this IS this years Superbowl. Either that or a prelude to the AFC title game.

One of these two will win it all. No other team is even close at the moment.