Posted:
#1
People who think the Rams are this year's Eagles, (i.e., a team with great offensive balance, a good QB, a great coach, and a defense that will stop the Pats/Brady just enough to get the victory) forget one very important fact. One of the biggest reasons for the Pats losing the SB last year was the benching of Malcolm Butler:
Another Patriots playoff hero, Danny Amendola, apparently asked why Butler was benched for the game, and he didn't get any answers, either.
"I have my thoughts about it because I was out there putting my blood, sweat and tears out on the field that night, and one of our best players wasn't on the field," Amendola said, per ESPN.com. "To tell you the truth, I don't know why. I did ask, but I didn't get any answers. I can't make decisions like that, so I don't necessarily worry about it, but I know Malcolm is a great player and he could have helped us win. For whatever reason, he wasn't out there. He's going to play more football in his career, and he's going to be a great player for a long time."
Amendola also still feels like the decision to bench Butler had an effect on the players who actually took the field.
"Yeah, I did, honestly," Amendola said. "Nobody really got an explanation for it. He's a brother of ours. He was a brother of ours that year. And I hate to see a guy who worked so hard throughout the season not get a chance to play in the biggest game of the year and really get no explanation for it. With that said, I don't know how the business aspect went into that decision. I don't know how the personal aspect went into that decision between him and Bill (Belichick). But as a friend, I would have loved to see him on the field that day."
In essence, BB's benching of Butler not only caused a distraction (for a team that prides itself on keeping distractions to a minimum) but it also divided the locker room. And yet, despite this controversial decision (which was as much ego driven as anything else) the Pats put up 33 points against one of the best defenses in the league to stay in the game even though their defense was a mess and the team, because of BB's decision to bench Butler, was not the cohesive unit it would have been.
Although the Rams offense is arguably better than the Eagles offense last year (Eagles averaged 28.6 points a game and the Rams 32.9) this Rams defense is no where near as good as that Eagles defense. Hence, I see this game as being the exact opposite of last year's game. It will be the NE defense (now without all the distractions/controversy) that will get enough stops to let Brady and the offense win this game for NE and cement Brady's legacy as the GOAT.
The Play: Pats -2 for 5 units
0
Hot Forum Topics
