Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - LOCKED ON PATRIOTS- 2/12/17- Super Bowl LI All-22

Episode Date: February 13, 2017

Chris Simoneau breaks down the All-22 from Super Bowl LI. #patriots Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices ...

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Starting point is 00:00:25 Learn more about our healthy benefits at fepblue.org slash getmore. Good evening. I'm Chris Simino, Patriots Inside of a Scout.com, and also your host of Locked On Patriots, your source for everything Patriots. Today is Sunday, February 12, 2017. Tonight we're going to wrap up the historic 2016. We're going to do that with an All-22 review of Super Bowl 51. The more I watch this game, the more I'm amazed at not only New England's execution in the second half,
Starting point is 00:00:55 but Atlanta was extremely good with their execution in the first half. They made enough plays to win this game, but the Patriots just made more. We may go a little longer tonight because we go through all four quarters in overtime, but I think it'll be worth your time. Before we get started, I just want my listeners to know that I can be found on Twitter under the handle Chris underscore Simono, that's C-H-R-I-S underscore S-I-M-O-N-E-A-U. And if you have any questions for the show, be it about the Patriots, myself, Patriots Insider, or if you want to advertise here on Lockdown Patriots,
Starting point is 00:01:25 email me directly at simono.christopher5 at gmail.com. That's S-I-M-O-N-E-A-U dot C-H-R-I-S-T-O-P-H-E-R, the number 5 at gmail.com. If you are a member of Patriots Insider on scout.com, you can contact me directly on the site via message. Okay, enough of that. Let's get to the good stuff. So, as always, with every Super Bowl, it takes 20 minutes to get led up to where you want to be.
Starting point is 00:01:55 So, finally, we get to the coin toss. The Falcons win it, and they deferred, which means the Patriots got the ball to open the game. Falcons got an advantage right away with that, being able to pick up the ball, be able to get the ball to open up the second half of their offense. They've been killing teams with their first-drive touchdowns over the last two months, but that might have been giving a possible momentum boost to the Patriots
Starting point is 00:02:19 if they were able to score. But it was a good move by the Falcons, I believe, to get the ball to start the second half. And looking back at the game, and everybody knows what happened, it kind of did work out for them, but at the same time it didn't. So Patriots get the kickoff. Lewis Dow is in the end zone. Patriots took over at the 25.
Starting point is 00:02:42 Quick three and out, made a couple plays. Just once again, coming out in the Super Bowl, the Patriots, it's happened a lot, actually. They just don't look like they're ready to roll. So Atlanta's defense is flying all over the place. Right away you can see that they do play similar to Seattle. So that was good for them. They had three and out.
Starting point is 00:03:05 Blount got stuffed on the third and one. Big play for Atlanta, and I think that could have been big in the game, which it was just because of the way Atlanta was able to hold down the Patriots. So Atlanta gets the ball. 30-70-odd run by Devontae Freeman for a first down. Couldn't have been a better start for the Falcons. Freeman cut back. Tons of room.
Starting point is 00:03:25 Patriots linebackers know what to be found. Patriots, you know, they better be careful. You know, that 7-0. It was 7-0 in no time. Falcons look more prepared in the game. So they looked faster. They looked better. They just looked like they were more ready to go.
Starting point is 00:03:41 So Falcons get the 3rd and 4. Trey Flowers with the sack. Huge play. Flowers, you know, we talked about him leading up to the game And I thought he was going to play a big part And we were right He did play a big part in this game He's their best pass rusher So he stepped up, made a big sack
Starting point is 00:03:58 Forced the offense off the field After they had picked up that big first down So that was pretty big for the Patriots, actually. The defense, I understand that the Patriots allowed 28 points overall, but the defense only allowed 21. And against a Falcons offense that scored 34 points a game this year, I think that's pretty good for the Patriots defense, only allowed 21 points against this Falcons offense. And they did it a couple for the Patriots' defense. Only allowed 21 points against this Falcons' offense.
Starting point is 00:04:26 And they did it a couple times after a Patriots' turnover. One time after a Patriots' turnover, after a LeGarrette fumble. And that's when the Falcons started to wake up. So give the Patriots' defense a little bit of credit. And this was one of those times when they made a nice play. So Patriots get the ball. Amendola picks up a first down. They'll kick this out of the move. Hogan picks up a second straight first down.
Starting point is 00:04:48 Then they go to Blount. He gets two. Go to Mitchell for seven. Then pick up another first down for James White. Patriots starting to look good here. Starting to move the ball. And the next thing you know, sacked by the Falcons. Courtney Upshaw, the nice play. And the Patriots offensive line, you know, they get into these games against these Super Bowl-type caliber rosters, and I just think a part of it, you know, I've heard a lot of people talk about it this week,
Starting point is 00:05:15 and they do have good players. The Patriots offensive line, they're good players, and I think for the most part they're good enough to win Super Bowls but I will say when they go up against some of the blue chip pass rushers and blue chip type interior guys that are just really talented they get beat up a little bit and I think there's I think there's something to that because if these guys with the motor and the talent are in the Super Bowl and they're able to get there guys like Courtney Upshaw and players like that, then they're going to be able to do damage to guys that have the motor
Starting point is 00:05:52 that just may be quite as talented as the guy that they're trying to block. So I just think there's something to that. And I know the Patriots obviously figured out in the second half they did a much better job blocking. But if they didn't land the defensive line, was beating up on the Patriots in the second half, they did a much better job blocking. But they didn't land the defensive line. It was beating up on the Patriots in the first quarter. It was ugly. So, next play, drop pass on the wheel rope by James White.
Starting point is 00:06:13 You know, I understand James White. He had 14 catches on 15 throws. That 15th catch, he should have had it. And I know people are going to go, are you kidding me? Are you kidding me you kidding me chris would you a perfectionist well i wouldn't say i'm a perfectionist but i will say this when it's a nice wheel route and you turn around and the ball is right on your hands and you got a chance to make the play and you should make the play why not make the play and then james white had that
Starting point is 00:06:42 opportunity and he didn't he dropped it it. Made it third and 19. Brady drops back. He gets sacked again. That was just a coverage sack. The offense was starting to move, but that sack on first down was a drive killer. Falcons offense gets another chance to score the first touchdown of the night, and that was the biggest thing. The Patriots had plenty of chances here, plenty of chances to get it going.
Starting point is 00:07:03 Just the offensive line was just not letting it happen. Falcons get it back, nine-yard run by Tevin Coleman. Then a five-yard catch by DeMarco gets it to the first down. Freeman gets two yards, and the Patriots are looking like they're finally starting to shut down the gaps, stuff the run a little bit. Then Logan Ryan with an excellent tackle, and Coleman on a five-yard run made the third and three Falcons. And then nice play by Alan Branch. Gets to Ryan, forces him to the ground, driving the Falcons offense off the field.
Starting point is 00:07:30 And this looks like a defensive battle. You know, with 2.34 left in the first quarter, you know, this thing here was back and forth, and the defenses were in control. You know, Branch, a nice play. This game, I felt it had the exact feel of the Patriots-Panthers Super Bowl. Slow start followed by an explosion of great football. So, New England took over throwing 17 here. You know, mid-27, they get a 13-yard reception.
Starting point is 00:07:55 First down for the Patriots. 52 seconds left in the first. They get the 7-yard run by Ballona. First down. And they're starting to look good. They're starting to look like they're starting to move. 20 seconds left. They get the two-yard on at second, third and one from there on 26,
Starting point is 00:08:08 and that ended the first quarter with no score, which is a surprise but a trend for the Patriots in the Super Bowl. So it's not a surprise for me just because I've seen them do it before, but it may be a surprise for a lot of people out there who maybe wagered on the game or things like that. So a third and one to open up the quarter for the Patriots. 27-yard play by Edelman giving the Patriots the first down, they only hit the 33. And that's when all hell broke loose.
Starting point is 00:08:36 14-08 to go on the second, Blount put it on the ground and the Falcons recovered. I've seen it from a million different angles. I've seen it from the coaches' film. I've seen it from the game film. I've seen it everywhere. And it was a good've seen it from the coaches' film. I've seen it from the game film. I've seen it everywhere. And it was a good play. It is. It was a good play.
Starting point is 00:08:49 But at the same time, you know, you've got to know that guys are looking to make something like that happen. So you've got to double up on the ball whenever you get touched and you have any contact on you at all. So I think it was a good play, but I think Blount, you know, maybe could have protected it a little bit better. So, you know, turnovers in the Superovers lose Super Bowl, so just remember that. New England was in a prime position to score here, but that was a huge play by the Falcons' defense, and the Patriots' defense needs to answer. So it was 0-0 at this point, 14-08 to go in the second quarter.
Starting point is 00:09:18 Next thing you know, 19-yard catch by Jones, and Atlanta's starting to fly down the field. Patriots' defense, they need to step up and help the offense while they're struggling, but it seems like they're getting a little bit tired. Freeman with a huge run down to the Patriots 15, and then you get another strong cutback by Freeman setting the Falcons up to Patriots 5, and then boom, Freeman's in the end zone, taking it on the counter for an easy score. It looked like a counter run to me.
Starting point is 00:09:45 That's what I thought it was. Patriots defense looked completely lost in that series. And if they didn't figure out how to stop that run, they were going to get blown out, which they started to anyways, but they slowed the run down finally a little bit. But the way that that guy was running the ball, I just don't understand why Atlanta stopped giving it to him, but they did. But Falcons jumped up first, go up 7-0 with 12-15 to go in the second quarter,
Starting point is 00:10:10 and they were looking really strong, and the Patriots weren't. So kind of a rough way to start the second quarter for the Patriots. So New England gets the ball back, and it was ugly. They get third and seven. They can't even get short third downs. It was ugly. The Falcons are flying around. The Patriots look stunned, and it wasn't good.
Starting point is 00:10:32 Deion Lewis made a catch out of the backfield, but he got corralled by Atlanta, and the Patriots were forced to punt again. The Patriots' offense, you know, I noted this on scout.com, and I talked about this during the game. The bottom line, the offensive game plan stinks once again in the Super Bowl. You know, something that has happened, I think, three of the last four times they've been there.
Starting point is 00:10:54 You know, the blunt fumble shouldn't force his departure from the game. It was a good play. You know, they need balance. And, you know, how about a screen? You know, how about running a different type of screen against this fast defense? You know, setting it up and maybe throwing it over the top, maybe a middle screen, something of that nature. You know, some of this stuff
Starting point is 00:11:11 was really ugly stuff, and the Patriots are playing with fire, because I think the Falcons, like I said this at the time, I think they can score in bunches, and it's funny I said that when the score was 7-0 during the game on scout.com when I was doing the live blog. It worries me when you look back at the last four Super Bowls.
Starting point is 00:11:31 They struggled in the first half of every single one of them offensively. It's been ugly. Everyone talks about the defense and having to make stops at the end, but it's been more the offense not scoring the amount of points that they average. It was nice to see them. Finally, at the end, we know what happened. But, you know, they were really not doing what they were supposed to be doing and putting the defense in a tough position.
Starting point is 00:11:52 So Patriots get the ball back. Two straight first downs through the air. You know, but then next thing you know, they get stopped. Falcons get it back. They start getting some first downs. Next thing you know, they're at the Patriots 20. Like I said, the Patriots, they allowed another touchdown there. They could be in trouble.
Starting point is 00:12:11 Chung with a nice breakup. Falcons are facing out third and nine. But on the next play, touchdown for the Falcons. New England get called for a weak pass interference, but it didn't matter. It was a nice catch. It was a good play. We're starting the Super Bowl for a Belichick Super Bowl-era team. So Patriots are in a position where if they didn't score in the next series,
Starting point is 00:12:30 they could be done. So, you know, this is how it was looking at the time. It was ugly. I thought the Falcons were completely dominant. You could see the slow buildup to this in the beginning of the first quarter, the way that they made plays. And they started to put these plays together on drives and just started kicking the Patriots, you know what, all over the field.
Starting point is 00:12:48 So Patriots get the ball back. 14-yard catch by Bennett. Nice play. You could see some urgency, and they're starting to move. First down, Patriots. Incomplete pass to Edelman, dropped at second and 10. Then Brady almost threw another pick. Actually, we'll get to that in a minute.
Starting point is 00:13:06 3rd and 10, and then a holding on the Falcons. He gets a Patriots first down. That was a savior. James White trips over his own feet after a gain of 7. The shipment, a gain of 17. Gets it to 3rd and 3. James White's a good player, but man, he's got to work on his explosiveness
Starting point is 00:13:21 a little bit, because sometimes he just looks slow. Atlanta gets another holding in the secondary. Patriots get another first down. This is a six-minute mark. So the Pats face in the third nine because James White couldn't make the catch on second down, and they get another holding in their advantage. So they get down the field.
Starting point is 00:13:40 It's 424 to go. 13-yard catch by Martellus Penny gets down to the 28. First arm run by Lewis gets it. No, second and 70 down go. 13-yard catch by Martellus Penning. Gets down to the 28. First arm run by Lewis. Gets it no. Second and seven. You're down to the 25-yard line. And then what happens? You all know what happens.
Starting point is 00:13:53 Tom Brady drops back and throws a completely ill-advised pass. It was terrible. He had to have seen that Alford read what he was trying to do. I don't know what he was thinking on that play. Completely ill-advised throw by Brady. Alford takes for the pick six. I said it on Twitter at the time, the Patriots offense stinks for the, I said the third time in the last four Super Bowl appearances, but I'm going to say four out of four. It's the ugly truth. This isn't on the defense, not one bit. Falcons are up 21-0 and
Starting point is 00:14:23 it's just the Patriots offense was just putrid, giving points away right there. That's a 14-point swing. They're about to go down a 14 or an 11-point swing. Patriots are about to go down and score in one way or another. It was either going to be 14-3 or 14-7. Instead it was 21-0 and that's big. Patriots get the ball back, two-minute warning. Needed to put together a touchdown drive. I thought the game was over.
Starting point is 00:14:50 I didn't think it was an overreaction. Neither the Falcons' offense is going to score more points, so they're going to need to score a touchdown in my opinion. So Patriots get the ball. Bennett makes a great catch. Bad to the line of scrimmage, 15 yards on the play. Brady with a big miss on the play, but next time he bought time, he hit James White He runs 28 yards, the elephant foul, 29
Starting point is 00:15:10 Then they hit Hogan for 8 Then a huge 3rd and 2, they convert First down by James White, takes that immediate timeout So New England got down to the 15 pretty quick And like I said at the time, they needed 7, not 3 But, you know, they couldn't make that happen because a complete mess at the end of the half and Josh McDaniels just, I mean, it was bad. Just
Starting point is 00:15:35 rough play calling. They had plenty of time to go down and get a couple plays, but they just didn't make it happen. They kicked the field goal. They made it 21-3 at the half. And it's just unfortunate. The defense gets a bad rap, and the defense only gave up 14 points to a team that, again, averages 34 points a game, best offense in the NFL. And the offense does nothing.
Starting point is 00:16:03 They're the ones who end up making the big comeback in the end, which we're going to get to in a little bit. But, yeah, it was rough. That was a very, very ugly first half of the Patriots' offense, and I thought the Patriots' defense did not play that bad. They really didn't. They struggled defending the run, which they cleaned up a little bit. Again, we'll get to that in a couple minutes.
Starting point is 00:16:21 But, overall, I thought that the defense was pretty good and the offense was just absolutely terrible. So that'll do it for the first half of the All-22. We'll get back to the second half after we take a minute to tell you about one of our sponsors. Patriots Insider on Scout.com provides daily news, video from NFL.com, fantasy football, and you can also get money back if you sign up today.
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Starting point is 00:19:20 Third quarter, so it's 21-3. Patriots' backs are up against the wall. Atlanta's getting the ball to start the half. So can the Patriots' defense make a stop, get them back into the game? I thought that was the most pivotal series of the game so far. So third and six for the Falcons. Patriots did pretty good on first and second down, huge play. Eric Rowe makes a nice breakup on Gabriel after a terrific jam at the line.
Starting point is 00:19:45 The defense has done their job, but can the Patriots offense? Edelman, a nice return. I said the Patriots offense is up at the 47. Brady gets the offense back on the field. Terrible drop on the first throw by Hogan. You've got to make that catch. I know it was a deep throw, and I know you had a guy on you, but you've got both hands on the ball. You need to make that catch. I know it was a deep throw, and I know you had a guy on you, but you've got both hands on the ball.
Starting point is 00:20:07 You need to make that catch. Next play, terrible play design. Seriously, McDaniel, stop it. Enough of that quick screen. It's amazing how badly the Patriots' offense has played in this game. Oh, my God. That quick screen, they've got to stop. Watching the All-22 makes me relive it,
Starting point is 00:20:24 and then when I go through the notes, I get disgusted sometimes. So pardon me if I sound like I'm ready to get sick when I'm reading some of this stuff, but it's unbelievable just going through my notes and watching it over again. Some of the play calls just don't make sense. Third and 12, and another drop by Edelman. You know, hate to be that guy, but at that point, the game was all Atlanta. New England couldn't do anything on offense,
Starting point is 00:20:50 and eventually Atlanta was going to, I thought, start scoring more points. How can an offense like New England's disappear in Super Bowl on a regular basis? I just think it can't be ignored. Falcons hold the 21-3 lead. Patriots are forced to punt. Blown coverage. Falcons are set up-3 lead. Patriots are forced to punt. Blown coverage. Falcons are set up at the Patriots' 28. It just wasn't good.
Starting point is 00:21:10 Snoo for 13-yard catch. First down. All of a sudden, the Falcons start tearing it up. They had a second and eight from the Patriots' eight. They do get hit for the two-yard loss. Third and four. Patriots needed a stop here to force a three. But Butler got called for pass interference,
Starting point is 00:21:26 which I didn't really think was a great call. Kept the drive alive, and the Falcons scored in the next play. It was a tough call, but at the same time, after watching it a couple times, I do see why they called it. They were pretty consistent with some of the calls they made later on in the game, too,
Starting point is 00:21:42 so you can't really question that. The Patriots are just getting destroyed. It appeared to me, and I even said it at the time, it appears the Lombardi Trophy is headed to Atlanta. Little do we know. Falcons 28, Patriots 3. I said here, 8-22 mark. This was a note from the game.
Starting point is 00:22:01 This is fun to look back at. I hope you guys get to check these out. Sometimes I post them on scout.com. Patriots just don't match up with this underrated Falcons defense. These guys are fast and talented. I said this at 8.22 to go. Maybe I should have watched what I said. So it's 7.24. I was thinking why not use no huddle. Try to up the tempo. The plan makes no sense. It hasn't worked. Six minutes. I've seen it all. You have Tom Brady.
Starting point is 00:22:25 Why run a trick play? So I was getting frustrated, as any fan would, watching this. You know, that third down play was dumb. The Julian Edelman play was dumb. It didn't make any sense. Why would you do that? You have Tom Brady. Why would you?
Starting point is 00:22:43 I don't know. I just don't get that. If you're going to have him throw the ball, have him throw it to the side of the field that he's on. Don't have him throw it backside. That's crazy. Amendola made a huge 17-yard catch on fourth and three for the first down, and then he followed it up with a two-yard catch to make a second and eight. Then Brady, third and eight, picked up a huge 15-yard run for the first down. That was huge. Patriots are at the length of 20.
Starting point is 00:23:09 Four-yard run by Blount makes it second and six. Then 10-yard run by Blount gets the first goal from the seven. Blount was starting to come alive a little bit. That was good to see. Then James White with the catch and took it in for the score. But, of course, Steven Gaskowski comes in and missed the extra point because that's what he does in huge games. I had noted at the time the Patriots are not good tonight, end of story.
Starting point is 00:23:30 But they were on that drive. They had their moments. There were some things that I didn't like. I thought they should have gone up-tempo early. I thought there was no reason for them to really slow down. Again, I know it worked out in the end, and people can question me all they want, but it's just from watching the game multiple times, I still think they could have gotten a little bit more up-tempo during that end of the third quarter
Starting point is 00:23:52 on that drive where they scored. It just happens. Falcons get the ball back. First play, Patriots get the sack. Patriots force a three and out after their onside kick that they didn't get, which is huge because that didn't allow the Falcons to get any points. The offense is going to get the ball by 19 to start the fourth quarter, which that's the only way they have a chance. They've got to get it to start. I said at the time we need to get the no huddle going, get up-tempo,
Starting point is 00:24:19 and try to get extra possessions. So the end of three from Houston, it was all Atlanta. Falcons are up 28-9, and again that Koskowski extra point was looming large. So the Patriots get the ball back first and 10 from the North 15, second and 10 from the Patriots 40. After a couple plays, Brady missed a wide open Edelman, but he ended up making up for it and fouled Malcolm Mitchell at the Patriots. At the Falcons 45, then James White could hit the 9, 2nd and 1 to the 34.
Starting point is 00:24:48 The Amendola gets tackled, didn't make any calls, so it was 3rd and 1. Then Bennett with a huge play, 25-yard catch down at the Falcons 8. Got the first and goal. Big play by the Falcons, make the sack to make it 2nd and goal. 3rd and goal, Falcons attacked again, and they made enough plays. So Patriots with 9.44 on the clock, looking at that spot they were in, 28-9. You've got to kick a field goal. So Gostkowski came in, drilled a 32-yard field goal,
Starting point is 00:25:15 made that a two-score game. You know, I thought that they really needed a touchdown there, but at the same time, as soon as I saw that they were going for the field goal, I really appreciated the decisiveness in Belichick. He said, you know what? This is what we got to do. We need to score three scores. We need a field goal and two touchdowns and two extra points.
Starting point is 00:25:36 We have to do this. This is the combination. We have to go for this right now. We need this field goal, and they did it. They nailed it. So, it was a good play, and at the time, and they did it. They nailed it. So it was a good play. At the time, I was pretty mad. I thought that the game was pretty much over.
Starting point is 00:25:53 But it was Falcons 28, Patriots 12. So the Patriots kicked the back off to the Falcons. Falcons did not a very good job of getting the ball out of the end zone. Patriots' coverage was awesome all night. Third and two for the Falcons. Huge play for the defense. They can make the stop. The offense can make that a one-score game.
Starting point is 00:26:13 Next thing you know, Hightower came around the edge, made a strip stack on Hightower, and just huge play. Recovered by Allen Branch. Patriots recover at the Falcons, 25, and boom, they have life. This is a game. It's 28-12. There's 8.24 to go in the game. And the Patriots offense is on the field at the Falcons 25.
Starting point is 00:26:31 Patriots get a touchdown and a two-point conversion. You have a one-score game. First play, what do you expect? Dwight Freeney with a sack on first down. Nate Solder was terrible. Terrible. I like Nate Solder. I think he's a good player. I actually got a kick out of it the other day.
Starting point is 00:26:47 I made my own little joke. He had tweeted Belichick with his no days off, and Solder said that he was taking a day off after the parade. I tweeted, I think he took a day off the day at the Super Bowl. He definitely did on this play. Giving up a sack just right after your team missed the ball back at the 25, and you give up a sack to the ancient Dwight Freeney? Come on, play. Giving up a sack just right after your team missed the ball back at the 25 and you give up a sack to the ancient Dwight Freeney. Come on, dude. You can't do that. That's terrible. But it didn't matter. Next play, Patriots get a 4-yard game
Starting point is 00:27:15 by White. Get the 3rd and 11. And then a 12-yard catch by Malcolm Mitchell. Huge play. First down for the Patriots. Amendola with a 7-yard catch. Second and 3 from the Atlanta 7. And the Patriots. Amendola with a seven-yard catch, second and three from the Atlanta 7, and then Patriots with the touchdown, six-yard catch by Amendola. Next thing you know, the Patriots are right there. It's 28-18. There's 5.56 to go in the game. They get a two-point conversion, and they're down by a score.
Starting point is 00:27:43 So James White comes in and takes a Kevin Falk-like direct snap for the two-point conversion and cuts the lead to eight. Unbelievable. Suddenly have ourselves a game. The offensive line, they really did a good job. They turned it up in the second half as far as their run blocking. On that play, Marcus Cannon just crashed down. Him and Bennett did a great job of crashing down on that play.
Starting point is 00:28:06 I've heard the question, and I actually wanted to talk about this. People keep asking why the Patriots haven't been able to run block for Garrett Blount as well over the last six weeks. I have two words for you. It's Rob Gronkowski. Without Gronkowski, the Patriots' offensive line is basically missing a guard. He's one of the best run-blocking players, not just tight ends, but one of the best run-blocking players in the league.
Starting point is 00:28:29 So that's the problem. Lack of Rob Gronkowski equals a running game that is not quite as good as it was when he was there. So there's the issue. So the Patriots, they go for two. James White takes it in. They're down 28-20. Then 5.53 to go. Koskowski kicks it off. Pins the Falcons back at their own 10. Great play. Great coverage. Next thing you know, huge 34-yard catch
Starting point is 00:28:55 I believe it was by Devontae Freeman. Great play. And then Julio Jones. Good God. I thought he clinched the game on this toe-tapping 27-yard catch. He put the Falcons at the Patriots 21. That was great coverage by Eric Rowe. You can't take away Eric Rowe played good. That was a nice play. But good God, what a catch.
Starting point is 00:29:16 So Falcons down to the Patriots 21. It's 4-4 to go in the game. At this point, I thought it was done. Next play, McCourty comes up, makes a strong play. Second and 11. Underrated play in this game. I'm just going to say that. This is an underrated play in this game with that McCourty tackle. He came up and made it second and 11. What I think that did and why I think it's underrated is I think the Falcons got a little bit spooked to run on that play. They said, oh, wait a minute. Okay.
Starting point is 00:29:44 These guys are coming up. They think they're going to run every time. We need to throw a little bit and see if we can put the dagger in, which was a mistake because when you center, Alex Mack is hurt, and he was hurt, and he's trying to block Trey Flowers, who's a maniac, great defensive player who can eat him alive. Even when the guy's healthy, he can probably eat him alive. When he's not healthy, Flowers is going to kill him.
Starting point is 00:30:10 Comes in, makes his second huge sack of the night, a huge play for the Patriots defense, drives the Falcons back to the Patriots 38. Then Jake Matthews gets hit up for that huge hold and drives the Falcons right out of field goal range. It was unbelievable. So the McCourty play was big because I really think that forced the Falcons into throwing. Defense does their job.
Starting point is 00:30:29 Edelman went back to get the punt, makes a fair catch at the 8, and here we go. This is the ballgame. First play, incomplete. It was gross. Brady got smashed. Second and 10, I thought his legs were broken. Next play, deep pass, incomplete.
Starting point is 00:30:43 Bad play call. Bad. What are you doing? What are you going deep for? Second and 10. You thought his legs were broken. Next play, deep pass incomplete. Bad play call. Bad. What are you doing? What are you going deep for? Second and 10, you're down 28 to 20. You're trying to come back and tie the Super Bowl? Come on. Terrible.
Starting point is 00:30:53 Bad play call. You need first downs. Singles, not home runs. Third and 10. 3-0-9 to go. First down catch by Hogan. Stay alive. Great play.
Starting point is 00:31:01 Great play by Brady. Great throw. Great catch by Hogan. Next play, a weird throw by Brady. Looked like a miscommunication. Someway made it 2nd and 10. Then Mitchell with a 12-yard catch. First down at their own 36 and then the catch. Oh my god.
Starting point is 00:31:16 What a catch. Edelman makes a David Tyree-ish catch on the Patriots. That was the first down at the Falcons. 41. That's the best catch I've ever seen. That was better than the Tyree one. That ball was almost on the ground. Unbelievable. Patriots finally get first down at the Falcons, 41. That's the best catch I've ever seen. That was better than Tyree won. That ball was almost on the ground. Unbelievable. Patriots finally get one of their own.
Starting point is 00:31:29 A minute 57 to go. Another 20-yard catch by Amendola. Sets the Patriots up at the Falcons, 20. Great throw. Great throw out by Amendola. Plenty of time to go to. This is the craziest fourth quarter I've ever seen. Craziest game.
Starting point is 00:31:44 The Patriots pull this off. I said this at the time. It would be the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, which is pretty obvious. Minute 47 to go. 13-9 catch by White. First goal from the 7, and this is looking real. This looks like it's going to happen. Next thing you know,
Starting point is 00:31:59 57 seconds to go. Touchdown, Patriots. James White takes it in. Another great block by Marcus Cannon and our friend Martellus Bennett driving down on the block as it was clear on the way. Now they had to go for two
Starting point is 00:32:15 and they get it. They pick it up. Danny Amendola with the catch. Falcons got called for a penalty. Didn't matter because the Patriots picked up the two anyways. And all of a sudden with 57 seconds to go we have a tie game. Tie game? It's crazy. But Atlanta had plenty of time.
Starting point is 00:32:32 They got 52 seconds. They got the ball. First and 10 from the 11. And they made a couple plays. They got it down in the field to about the 25. But the defense held and went to the first overtime Super Bowl history. So an amazing comeback, but it wasn't over yet. So as you guys all know, Super Bowl rules.
Starting point is 00:32:49 Patriots did win the toss, and they would receive. If they scored a touchdown, they would win. If they kick a field goal, they would get a chance to tie, and after that, sudden death. So it's funny. I was doing the live blog for scout.com, and I refer back to that a little bit when I do my All-22, and I look back at the plays and stuff, and I completely lost it at the end of the game here because I was just
Starting point is 00:33:09 so entranced about what was going on Brady and the offense take over at their own 25 and they just went on to clinic he dropped and went in a bucket to Julian Edelman just an absolutely beautiful throw puts another one on Hogan great play Hogan made a nice comeback for the ball too. Hogan's a good receiver and he's smart. He understands he's going to come back for that ball. If he'd stood there, that thing might have got picked. Next time, Brady steps up in the pocket, drills Edelman for a nice pass. Nice catch. Down to the 20. And next thing you know, they get called for the pass interference at the goal line. The first pass was a little shady.
Starting point is 00:33:45 The guy, I can't even, his name escapes me, and he's such a great player, too, from Atlanta. He got a hand on it. He wasn't going to intercept that, though. A couple of the national, that was only going to intercept it. No, he got one hand on it. His other hand was down by his side. He had no chance.
Starting point is 00:34:01 And then next thing you know, James White. Never would have guessed James White would take an off-tackle toss and take it in for the touchdown and barely get it over the goal line for the Patriots to win their fifth Super Bowl. I never in a million years thought that they would do it to him. But he got it done, and the Patriots got it done, and it was just amazing. So all in all, what I saw in the first half was just a Falcons team that was faster, hungrier, and looked more prepared and looked like they had a game plan that the Patriots weren't ready for.
Starting point is 00:34:40 In the second half, I saw a Patriots team that took the punch, knew what was coming in the second half because they knew the Falcons weren't going to adjust that much because why would they? You're up 21-3. Why are you going to change what you're doing? But the Patriots knew what they were doing. They knew how they could adjust to it, and they did. And by adjusting to what the Falcons were trying to do to them, they were able to start hitting their outside receivers on the offense. Then the Falcons had to put more defense on the outside guys, which allowed them to start hitting more guys on the inside.
Starting point is 00:35:15 James White started getting open more. And next thing you know, the offense started to click. And the defense, I thought, played pretty well all game. When you keep Julio Jones under 100 yards and you keep that offense under 25 points, which they did. They gave up 28 points as a whole, but Tom Brady threw a pick six, and you can't ignore that. So the Patriots' defense only gave up 21 points in this game.
Starting point is 00:35:43 They did their jobs, and they did it valiantly. And I know they had a couple moments where they stunk. Every team does. It's the Super Bowl. You're playing against the best teams. These are the two best teams in the NFL. You're playing against the best offense in the league. You're going to give up some plays. But overall, the Patriots' defense should be commended
Starting point is 00:36:00 on how well they played in this game. And the Patriots' offense, although they did wake up and had the miraculous comeback in the second half. I do think they really need to take a look at what they need to fix in the offseason so they can avoid these bad starts in playoff games. It's not even about the regular season. The regular season they walk right through, but there's no reason why they can't adjust their personnel so that their offense is maybe a little bit more efficient earlier in games,
Starting point is 00:36:32 maybe address their run game talent. I don't know. I'm not really sure what they're going to do. I know we're going to look into it a lot here on Locked On Patriots. So I appreciate you guys all joining us tonight for our All-22 review. I know it went a little long. I told you guys it was going to go a little long because I wanted to go through the whole game
Starting point is 00:36:50 and recap it because I thought it was pretty fun to do. So, again, thank you for joining us for the Sunday night edition of Locked On Patriots. I know it's a late night edition, but it's all good. Be sure to go to iTunes, subscribe to our show today. As in right now, go check it out. And make sure you tell your friends about us here at Locked On Patriots. We're all about getting you Patriots fans to be the most info you need
Starting point is 00:37:14 to be the most in-the-know Patriots fans. Be sure to join us tomorrow. We're going to move on to the offseason and talk about roster construction for the 2000 season. I kind of just led right into that a couple seconds ago. We're going to talk about who's free agents. We're going to talk about who's available for other teams too because there could be some guys out there that the Patriots are interested in
Starting point is 00:37:34 and they have a little bit of money to spend. So, again, I'm your host, Chris Simino. I want to thank you all for joining us tonight. For those of you in the Massachusetts area, be careful out there. There's a lot of snow. I'll be out there a few hours hours driving not really looking forward to it but hey, we gotta go to work don't we have a great day Patriots fans
Starting point is 00:37:52 make sure to check us out tomorrow we're gonna talk about free agency 2017 have a great night everyone whatcha doing? ran out of space on my phone so I'm deleting some stuff by singing dog. Bye goal.
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