Quote Originally Posted by Chief Arrowhead View Post
A Minnesota v. Jacksonville Super Bowl would have been a nightmare for the NFL. After definitive recognition that their ratings are cratering, having a double digit down number for the SB would have done real damage to revenues.

Having said that Jacksonville blew it. They ran out of plays in the first half and were forced to run stuff that NE had seen before on film. The Jags D, while very good, is also a base scheme with no surprises. Brady sussed it out. They almost pulled it out, but you have to come up with a little bit of sumpin' sumpin' to best Belichik and Brady.
You make some astute points, Chief. I think there is always this learning curve in big games, which makes it very difficult for the underdog *actually to win. Game-planning the first three quarters is all you can do, because you first have to show that you belong there. Then, in most cases, the old hands take over. No shame though. Bortles deserves another shot at starting next year. This idea of replacing Bortles is strictly from the beancounters.