Should the Pats be running up the score on everybody in garbage time?

[TheNoodleMan]

Warren Moon got hurt at the very end of a blowout loss late in the 1990 season. They were down like 20 and he was still in the game with no time left and needing an absolute miracle. He missed the last game of the regular season and their playoff game. The Oilers got destroyed with Carlson at QB in the playoffs.

[Russ M.]

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When it's 4th quarter and you're up 35-0 or so, I'd sub the entire team. Let the starters rest and give the subs more experience out there. I don't get this keep Brady in so he throws another zillion times and risks injury.

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Subbing the entire team is pointless. I'd pretty much just sub the key players on offense (Brady, Moss, Maroney, maybe Welker) and let their backups get some reps. Good luck subbing thick-headed defensive players with a shutout on the line.

[splashpot]

Complaining about running up the score is stupid in professional sports.
I would not complain about anyone running up the score against my team.
If key player is accidentally injured in garbage time, we only have ourselves to blame.
Intentionally injuring another player is the most classless, douchy, disrespectful thing in all of sports.

[mikech]

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haha one of the funniest things for me is when someone says :

'man, the pats have no class whatsoever, sooner or later someone is gonna take brady out with a late hit to teach them a lesson!'

right, cos that's classy!

and no i'm not referring to any specific post, just stuff i heard in past weeks.

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i'm not advocating it, i just wouldn't be surprised by it.

as a spectator, i don't really care that the pats are running up the score on their opponents. i'm not a pats fan, but i don't actively hate them either, so it doesn't bother me. BUT, if i were the opposing coach, or players on the opposing team, and the pats go for a 4th-and-1 on my 7-yard line with them up 38-0 in the 4th quarter, it would definitely piss me off. and sometimes pissed-off people retaliate. an obvious and simple form of retaliation would be a late, dirty hit on your star QB.

not saying it's justified, but the pats should expect it with the way they keep rubbing it in.

[mikech]

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Is there a single example in NFL history of a player being "taken out" because he was winning too much or by too much?

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well, this wasn't the nfl, but here's a recent example from the nba.

[Semtex]

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haha one of the funniest things for me is when someone says :

'man, the pats have no class whatsoever, sooner or later someone is gonna take brady out with a late hit to teach them a lesson!'

right, cos that's classy!

and no i'm not referring to any specific post, just stuff i heard in past weeks.

[/ QUOTE ]
i'm not advocating it, i just wouldn't be surprised by it.

as a spectator, i don't really care that the pats are running up the score on their opponents. i'm not a pats fan, but i don't actively hate them either, so it doesn't bother me. BUT, if i were the opposing coach, or players on the opposing team, and the pats go for a 4th-and-1 on my 7-yard line with them up 38-0 in the 4th quarter, it would definitely piss me off. and sometimes pissed-off people retaliate. an obvious and simple form of retaliation would be a late, dirty hit on your star QB.

not saying it's justified, but the pats should expect it with the way they keep rubbing it in.

[/ QUOTE ]
i think this is the proof that deep down patriots fans know what the team is doing to people is [censored] up. like mike before, i have been making these comments as an unbiased observer, just commenting that whether its classy or not its got to be pissing the [censored] off of the defense and a lot of these guys are not exactly the saintly type. the response to these comments from pats fans are always angry and defensive, like 'don't complain the pats can do whatever they want!' why so defensive? some of the crap i have heard from belichick during this whole episode has been positively hilarious, like 'we had to put brady back in during the miami game, it was a three score game and anything can happen in the nfl' while he's trying really hard not to laugh. its great too because pats fans eat it right up and start arguing the same crap to me.

[Dynasty]

I didn't see Gibbs post-game interview. But, I've read he said "I have no problem with anything the Patriots did today".

For those wondering, Belichick and Gibbs did shake hands after the game. Fox's TV coverager simply gave the illusion that it didn't happen.


Edit: Gibbs press conference can be seen at www.redskins.com

[Vagos]

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eventually, somebody's gonna lay a late hit on brady and take him out.

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Heh, my buddy called me from Vegas screaming into the phone this exact thing. Yeah, Brady was in one series too many.

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Is there a single example in NFL history of a player being "taken out" because he was winning too much or by too much?

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I don't remember when or if it has happened in the NFL. But I know that in baseball, if you have a 10 run lead late and you're stealing second, you can look foward to a 95mph fastball in your ear at your next at-bat. For the most part, for reasons of basic etiquette/respect, teams don't steal bases with big leads late in a baseball game.

As for the Pats running it up, the injury concern should be the focus of the whole argument. It's all roses right now, but if Brady went down with a torn ACL in the middle of a pass-heavy drive, up 38-0 at home vs the Redskins in the 4th qtr, you better believe Pats fans across New England would be second guessing like crazy for weeks to come. My question to Pats fans right now, is the risk to your superstars really worth the added pleasure of beating Washington 52-7 instead of 45-7?

As for why Belichick does this...I don't think it's because he's worried about some miraculous comeback that's never happened in the history of the NFL, but more likely because he is just on a mission to show the entire NFL up; the "F-U!" factor as talked about by Bill Simmons, etc.

I see it as extremely wreckless though. Just as he took a totally unnecssary risk in breaking explicit rules in Week 1 against THE JETS, it seems to me he continues to take unnecessary risks in trotting Brady out there with a 38-0 lead late in the game.

[EscapePlan9]

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Subbing the entire team is pointless. I'd pretty much just sub the key players on offense (Brady, Moss, Maroney, maybe Welker) and let their backups get some reps. Good luck subbing thick-headed defensive players with a shutout on the line.

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How is it "pointless"? When you sub all the starters what happens to the starters and what happens to the subs? The starters no longer are at risk of injury (which was the point of taking them out) and the subs get more experience on the field. Would you rather lose Brady or the sub QB to injury? Would you rather lose Moss or the sub WR to injury? etc.

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If key player is accidentally injured in garbage time, we only have ourselves to blame.

Intentionally injuring another player is the most classless, douchy, disrespectful thing in all of sports.

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Both of them can happen. But if you take the starters out, there is no chance of them being injured after they've already sealed the game away. You can always put them back if the game gets within two scores again.

[BigCummins]

Just skimming this thread tilts me hard.

Worth thread evaR, srsly