T1B

Who did a worse job of preparing their team for the championship game?

I say Lovie Smith. Tressel's gameplan wasn't anything special but their biggest problem was rust from not playing for nearly 2 months. But Smith's gameplan was pathetic. They played defense like their offense was going to score points and they played offense like their defense was going to shut down Indy. Very little attempted pressure on Manning and and offensive gameplan that was predictable and did not give Rex Grossman a chance to succeed. Tressel did get outcoached in the BCS Championship game but not even close to as bad as Lovie Smith got outcoached yesterday in the Super Bowl. The Bears took no risks on offense or defense until the 4th quarter and that allowed Manning to hit his underneath routes at will and they made no adjustments to stop the Colts running game up the middle. Credit the Colts for not panicking down 7-0 or 14-6, but also credit Lovie Smith's gameplan for being a big part of why the Colts won.

TheJON wrote:allowed Manning to hit his underneath routes at will

How very "Tom Brady" of him.

I agree. It was a Tom Brady like performance yesterday by Manning. Nothing special, but enough to get the job done. Except for the Wayne pass early in the game, the Bears did an excellent job of taking the deep routes away. The Colts offense did an excellent job of taking what the defense gave them. They didn't take a lot of risks, nor should they considering it was a frickin' downpoor. Considering the weather conditions, it was an above average performance by Manning.

TheJON wrote:I agree. It was a Tom Brady like performance yesterday by Manning. Nothing special, but enough to get the job done. Except for the Wayne pass early in the game, the Bears did an excellent job of taking the deep routes away. The Colts offense did an excellent job of taking what the defense gave them. They didn't take a lot of risks, nor should they considering it was a frickin' downpoor. Considering the weather conditions, it was an above average performance by Manning.

Wow, very similar to the way Brady led the Pats down to beat the Rams. And the Panthers.

But those didn't deserve the MVP. I'm sure Manning did, though.

^^^^^^^^

ricktey fucking rack...

Actually, I thought Addai, Sanders, and Rhodes were just as deserving. But I probably would have given it to the QB simply because of the weather. This was nothing at all like Brady's 1st Super Bowl performance. Yes, he had that drive, but overall he threw for 100 less yards then Manning in a DOME as opposed to Manning in a downpoor. That was a team effort by the Colts. I don't think 1 player really stood out, but if I were forced to give it to just 1 player it would probably be Manning. Like I said, his performance was nothing spectacular. He just managed the offense, took what the defense gave him, and didn't make many mistakes while playing in the worst weather conditions the Super Bowl has ever seen. In the Patriots Super Bowl victory over St. Louis, to me, Ty Law was the 1 player that stood out amongst everyone. That too was a team effort, but if I were to give it to anyone it would have been him. Now, Brady in the Super Bowl against Carolina.....yes, he clearly was the MVP. He played a heck of a game. In fact, that was the most impressed I've ever been with him.

I love the similarities with the two title games...

*Opening kickoff returns for TDs by the losing team (Ginn/Hester)
*Key injury on offense for the losing team (the Buckeyes lost a deep threat in Ginn/the Bears of lost their change-of-pace back in Benson)
*One-sided edges in time of possession and first downs by the winning team
*Wild first quarters
*Starting QBs getting redemption (Leak/Manning...he's gotten way more heat nationally though)

Major differences...

*Rex Grossman is not comparable to Troy Smith in skills and the season they each had but both had poor title games
*The Colts didn't put away the Bears until the very end...the Gators had the game won by halftime
*Tressel had a championship prior to this game and a much better reputation and record in big games, Lovie Smith didn't really have either

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing Shoalzie. The losing team in both games returned the opening kickoff then proceeded to get donkey punched. I think the score at the end of the 1st quarter in the BCS Championship game was 14-7 and it was 14-6 in the Super Bowl.

One big difference too was the Colts were the heavy favorites just like Ohio State.

TheJON wrote:his performance was nothing spectacular. He just managed the offense, took what the defense gave him, and didn't make many mistakes

Hmmm. Similar to Tom Brady in all of his Super Bowls. Weird. It's amazing that Manning got his first ring playing a game similar to what Brady plays, and he didn't get one trying to make every throw in the book.

What is your point? Because I'm not disputing that.

The fact that Manning won his first ring by taking what the defense gave him and not by trying to make every throw known to man. He learned how to manage a game and he won for the exact same reasons you said Brady was overrated.

Yeah, but he had to. There were no other options. Manning's a smart guy, he knows it would be stupid to try and go down field much in that kind of weather. Not only that, but the Bears safeties were shutting down the WR's downfield for much of that game. I think had the weather been different, Manning's gameplan would have been too.

^^^^^^^^^

and Brady is stupid?

does you kicking your own ass every stop?

Now that he has won not only a Super Bowl ring, but a Super Bowl MVP, Peyton Manning has become the greatest QB to ever play the game. Furthermore, Manning's performance in Super Bowl XLI made him the greatest human being in the history of documeted civilization. From this day forward, bodies of water will part before him, and he will be able to cure cancer by the mere touch of his fingertip.

-JON

Where exactly did I say or even suggest Brady is stupid????

comparing tressel to lovie? i think a more apt comparison would have been carr. i could've sworn i was watching umich playing osu, notre dame, or some other traditional power, perhaps even some middle-of-the-road pac ten team. (middle-of-the-road was meant as a double entendre.)

i know manning's good and understand a coach's apprehension about being overly aggressive with blitzes, but a qb whose pretty accurate throwing 132 yards downfield won't have too much trouble throwing six to his rb. fucking wow, adjustment. did anyone notice urlacher pointing and screaming toward the sideline after indy used addai to convert yet another 3rd and long? interesting that manning's longest throw downfield (to wayne) was underthrown.

Shoalzie wrote:I love the similarities with the two title games...

*Opening kickoff returns for TDs by the losing team (Ginn/Hester)
*Key injury on offense for the losing team (the Buckeyes lost a deep threat in Ginn/the Bears of lost their change-of-pace back in Benson)
*One-sided edges in time of possession and first downs by the winning team
*Wild first quarters
*Starting QBs getting redemption (Leak/Manning...he's gotten way more heat nationally though)

Major differences...

*Urban is white. Dungy is black.
*Rex Grossman is not comparable to Troy Smith in skills and the season they each had but both had poor title games
*The Colts didn't put away the Bears until the very end...the Gators had the game won by halftime
*Tressel had a championship prior to this game and a much better reputation and record in big games, Lovie Smith didn't really have either

FTFY.

Sin,
ESPN

Indy, please get to the main forum and respond in the brew thread.

M Club wrote: i know manning's good and understand a coach's apprehension about being overly aggressive with blitzes, but a qb whose pretty accurate throwing 132 yards downfield won't have too much trouble throwing six to his rb. fucking wow, adjustment. did anyone notice urlacher pointing and screaming toward the sideline after indy used addai to convert yet another 3rd and long? interesting that manning's longest throw downfield (to wayne) was underthrown.

You are being way to critical of Peyton Manning. I'm sure you saw the part where he was beginning to get ripped to the ground and flung the football, perfectly, might I add, to Reggie at the last second. If you are going to point out that the ball was under thrown...then you should make the point that he was about to get sacked, it's not like he all day back there on that play.

i'm not being critical of manning at all. the underthrown bit was actually tossed in considering the recent peyton vs. brady debate. peyton picked the bears apart by throwing underneath, and i thought it interesting that his longest past was underthrown, strong as an arm as he has. shit, it's not like the ball had to be anything other than thrown, chris harris keeping his assignment and all..

Goober McTuber wrote:Indy, please get to the main forum and respond in the brew thread.

done

Tressel got flat-out bitched and he wasn't outgunned at qb like Chicago was. With all do-respect to what Tressel has accomplished he had a worse championship game.