The New England Patriots have been an offensive juggernaut for years, but they’ve always failed to get off to a strong start in the Super Bowl under head coach Bill Belichick.

In their previous seven trips to the Super Bowl (2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2011, 2014, and 2016, just because I wanted to list them), the Patriots have scored a whopping zero points in the first quarter. In fact, on their 13 drives that start and finish in the first quarter, the Patriots have scored -2 points because they gave up a safety to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI.

On those 13 drives, in addition to that safety, the Patriots punted 10 times, missed a field goal against the Carolina Panthers, and threw an interception against the Seattle Seahawks.

Zero points in the first quarter. That’s brutal and the Patriots need to get off to their first fast start in the championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII.

Fortunately for the Patriots, they always seem to generate some offense in the second quarter. On their five drives that started at the end of the first and carried into the second frame, they’ve scored 10 points (and also had that fumble against the Falcons), and on their 19 drives in the second quarter they’ve scored seven touchdowns and a field goal, in addition to missing a second field goal against the Panthers.

The same issue of a slow start affects New England in the second half, although it’s not as severe. They’ve scored 23 third quarter points in the Super Bowl, versus 71 fourth quarter points. In other words, the average Patriots offensive production is zero points in the first quarter, followed by 10 points, 3 or 4 points, and then 10 more points in the final quarter.

If New England can settle into their offense faster in both halves, then they’ll have addressed their biggest struggle in each trip to the Super Bowl.

The Pats haven't missed a superbowl appearance for longer than a 3 year stretch since 2001.
And somehow they need to change how they play to get off to a faster start?

I say if it ain't broke don't fix it. Maybe those quarter by quarter score results just highlight Bellichic's ability to get a feel for and then adjust to oppenents tendencies.

I wish Tom Brady would retire. I would love to see what BB can do with a QB not named Tom Brady.

Matt Cassel was drafted if that's who you are referring to...

11-5 in 2008 with an undrafted QB who hadn't played meaningful minutes since high school. 3-1 last year with Garoppolo and Brissett. It's not a huge sample size but it's something.

That is who I was referring to and you're right: 7th round/230th pick in the 2005 draft. For some reason I thought he went undrafted.

Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is still not cleared to play from the league’s concussion protocol, but he took a step closer today.

Gronkowski is on the field for today’s Patriots practice. He previously had not been practicing.

Although Gronkowski isn’t a full participant yet, getting on the field now represents progress through the protocol, and his ability to take the practice field eight days before Super Bowl LII strongly suggests that he’ll be ready to go by game time.

Gronkowski suffered his concussion during the AFC Championship Game. Jaguars safety Barry Church was flagged and fined for the hit that knocked Gronkowski out of the game.

I wish Tom Brady would retire. I would love to see what BB can do with a QB not named Tom Brady.

The line that can’t be crossed with Tom Brady involves his family
Yahoo Sports Dan Wetzel,Yahoo Sports 8 hours ago

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MINNEAPOLIS – The first episode of Tom Brady’s docuseries, “Tom vs. Time,” features a scene where Brady is at home and on the phone. His 5-year-old daughter Vivian sort of interrupts him. She wants her father to know she was going to play soccer in the backyard and she was hoping for a sleepover with a friend.

Vivian was acting like a 5-year-old.

When discussing the show, which details Brady’s off-field life, focusing on his diet and health regimen, WEEI sports radio host Alex Reimer described the scene as “staged” and Vivian as an “annoying little pissant.”
Tom Brady, addressing a crowd at the Patriots' Super Bowl send-off rally on Monday, took issue with criticism of his daughter. (AP)
Tom Brady, addressing a crowd at the Patriots’ Super Bowl send-off rally on Monday, took issue with criticism of his daughter. (AP)

Again, Vivian is 5.

Brady appears each Monday during the New England Patriots’ season on WEEI’s morning show, “Kirk & Callahan.” (Reimer is on a different show on the Boston sports radio station.) This Monday morning, Brady cut his interview short because of Reimer’s comments.

“I’ve tried to come on this show for many years and showed you guys a lot of respect,” Brady said. “I’ve always tried [to] come on and do a good job for you guys. It’s very disappointing when you hear [the comments]. My daughter, or any child, certainly doesn’t deserve that.

“I really don’t have much to say this morning,” Brady said. “Maybe I’ll speak to you guys some other time.”

And with that the interview was over. WEEI later noted that Reimer had been suspended. Running afoul with the most popular athlete in Boston may forever crush his career.

Anyone who knows anything about Brady could have predicted such a reaction. While it’s worth noting Brady has a contract to appear on the show, he certainly doesn’t need the publicity or the money. The WEEI interview has often been the most revealing and interesting of Brady’s interactions with the media. He’s generally a low-profile guy. Many of his media answers are boring. He seems to try harder for this one, where he has a good relationship with the hosts.

Brady is, however, first and foremost, a father and a family man. He is someone who isn’t going to allow his 5-year-old girl to get disparaged by anyone.

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He may be seeking a record sixth Super Bowl this week when the New England Patriots face the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. He may be rich and famous. His wife, Gisele Bundchen, may be a Brazilian supermodel who is even richer and more famous.

To Brady and Bundchen though, they are simply regular people with very interesting jobs. They are parents. They have a family. Maybe that is hard for outsiders to see, but that’s how they attempt to live their lives.

You’ll find as many paparazzi pictures of Brady and his kids at a local park than you will at a society function. His locker in Foxborough is often draped in pictures of he and his family at the beach or drawings from the kids or anything else that could just as easily be found adorning cubicles or work spaces anywhere in America.

Yes, it is a glorious life he leads, but this is no absentee father. He still tries to emulate his own parents who built their lives around raising four children in the San Francisco Bay Area. Tom Sr. always found time after work to play catch and cherished rounds of golf with his son. His mother Galynn remained a great athlete into middle age and pushed Tom and his sisters in baseball/softball, tennis and soccer, often participating in backyard games. Sundays in the fall were spent with the entire clan attending San Francisco 49er games, where the Bradys had season tickets.

And summers for Tom and the kids meant weeks here in Minnesota, working his maternal grandfather’s farm. Tom didn’t even play football until he was a high school freshman (and didn’t actually see the field until his sophomore year).

So, yeah, this wasn’t going to stand.
Tom Brady soaks in his last Super Bowl victory with his daughter, wife and his mother in Houston in February 2017. (Getty Images)

There was more though. Brady didn’t blow his stack on the air. He didn’t head over to the station to confront Reimer or beat him to a pulp. There were no threatened lawsuits or bullying.

He simply ended the interview. The disappointment in his voice said enough. His action came with deliberation, calm language and a lack of outward emotion. He didn’t dignify Reimer by mentioning his name. When you play quarterback in the NFL, or have reality shows made about your life, you are fair game for criticism. Brady has received plenty of it. He has not been one to battle with fans or media over those subjects.

This was different. Kids are kids.

If you were trying to teach your children about how to properly handle someone insulting and disrespecting your family, how to be a man, this might be how you’d draw it up.

No violence. No malice. No anger.

Yet no doubt about where Tom Brady stands. On the side of his kids. On the side of decency.

Always.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/line-cant-crossed-tom-brady-involves-family-175233182.html

https://twitter.com/ringer/status/959536930391130112

...I really like BB, he is one of my heroes and I cringe to what he almost built here (#$%^%#$% Modell)

...I really like Brady I think his entire story line is amazing!
6th round pick, ugly duckling turning into a Swan!

...The Pats have become my surrogate post season Team favorite,
so when the Browns are out of it. I enjoy watching the Pats in the playoffs. It helps me deal with being a fan. Can't wait till we are annual contenders!!!

From the article..."I wonder if so many of those bets are people tired of seeing the Patriots win," he said. "I wonder if it's as simple as that."

As if their bet will have an effect on the reality. lol

I just can't get on board with that. I don't really have anything against those that disagree with me, but how much fun is a dynasty really if it isn't your home team?

First off, I'm not arguing or disputing your opinion. I don't even want much of a discussion over it. I only break this down point by point because you make a lot of good ones and this is easier than writing a dissertation on the subject.

Yeah, don't confuse my excitement as being anywhere near equal to what it would be if it were the Browns.

To me it kind of takes the fun out of it. Every year you know the Patriots are going to be favored to make the SB. Every year you know if they make the SB, they'll be the favorite to win the SB. You also know if they make the SB, you're most likely going to be watching the same team win it that's won it over and over again.

I say then beat them. Everyone has an equal chance to do what they did. Then do it and stop the madness.

In theory, that's not even how the NFL is supposed to work. The draft order and the salary cap is supposed to provide parody. Yet so far that hasn't changed things that much when it comes to the Patriots.

Exactly! The same rules apply to everybody.
Yet the Pats excell beyond, nay, far beyond the others.
It's designed for parity and the Pats have more parity than anyone else. lol

Now don't get me wrong. I understand that it's amazing what Brady and BB have accomplished. It's nothing short of a miracle. But as a fan it's become boring and old. I like to see different teams that haven't been there. Teams that could use some success.

It would be like that for me too if it were like baseball and the Yankees. All my growing years I had to watch the Yanks win the World Series having the benefit of having way, way more money than anyone else. That's not even fair and it does get old year after year. But the NFL doesn't allow anyone team to have more money than the others. It's a level playing field and what the Pats have done with it is amazing. They've done it with coaching and good players.

I always root for the underdog in the SB. Luckily the Patriots traded away Jimmy Garoppolo and kept an aging Brady. That should help things along in opening up the competition for other teams as Brady will soon fade into the sunset.

Nobody outlasts father time.

Yeah, that will be their downfall. I've got an inkling that Brady, if he wins Two for the thumb, dilly dilly, will be thinking man, what a way to go out on top. If that happens the Pats are screwed and father time ain't giving BB enough years to do it again.

kenny britt is inactive...lol

Will he even get a ring? He didn't play in a single post season game.

the refs are gonna help out pats all day

what a throw, and what a catch!!

justin timberlake is absolutely nailing this performance!

Philly pulls off the call the Pats and Brady screwed up.

Brady shoulda caught that one.

Beginning of the end for the Eagles here. If they can’t get pressure they are going to get smashed

The Eli/Odell dirty dancing commercial wins

I thought it was awkward, a clunker of a commercial.

Can Collinsworth possibly kiss the Patriot players' asses anymore than he's doing?

Can Collinsworth possibly kiss the Patriot players' asses anymore than he's doing?

Yet another QB I wanted us to draft goes on to win a superbowl somewhere else ... sigh

Well, he is a back up to the guy that started most of the year. So, I'm sure Mr. Dorsey was watching this.

Nick Foles just made himself a very hot commodity..

Joe Montana is like 'I don't lose Super Bowls, Tom' .

Joe Montana is like 'I don't lose Super Bowls, Tom' .

Man, this is special!

The love and respect between Peterson and Foles and even the rest of the Eagle players w/their coach is so very special. I love sports. There are very few things in life that can provoke such spontaneous emotions as those you experience in the heated competition of sports.


I have to say that the Eagles seem like a bunch of classy guys. They thank God, each other, and remain humble. I am very impressed by their reactions after this victory.

Philadelphia’s Broad Street, after the win:

Man, this is special!

The love and respect between Peterson and Foles and even the rest of the Eagle players w/their coach is so very special. I love sports. There are very few things in life that can provoke such spontaneous emotions as those you experience in the heated competition of sports.


I have to say that the Eagles seem like a bunch of classy guys. They thank God, each other, and remain humble. I am very impressed by their reactions after this victory.

Philly is no match for Brady/belicheck

While I was rooting for the Eagles to win and was very much surprised by the outcome, I don't have the resentment towards the Patriots I have seen by some.

The single most important thing to me was my hopes to see a very competitive game and it most certainly was that.

My one gripe, if you can call it that... I don't normally care about announcers and I usually don't have a problem with Collinsworth, but he sure seemed to be looking for any reason possible to have one (or both) of those reviewed TDs by the Eagles overturned in favor of the Pats...

The catch at the back of the endzone was at least close as to whether he lost control of the ball at any point (my personal opinion is that he caught it, was tucking it, so it shifted but he never lost control of it... but the one where Ertz caught it on the 5, took 3 steps, then dove to the endzone, that review should have taken about 4 seconds.. and Collinsworth was trying to say that one should go in favor of the Pats too.. <smdh>

The one take away I have from this game, Britt still doesn't have a ring!

A little more defense would have been nice.

As glad as I am that the Pats lost I'm sure Tom would reply, 'I've been to eight Joe, that's twice as many as you've won and I've won 5 of them'!

Every rule change other than "what is a catch." That rule drives me nuts. No one understands it completely.

Hold a football and run across your living room, switch it from your left hand to your right.. if you slow a video of that down enough, it's going to look, for a fraction of a second, like you lost control of the ball.. now take it into the bedroom and dive onto the bed.. as soon as you hit the bed it will look like you momentarily lost control.. it's going to look like that almost every single time.

Thanks. Now my wife thinks I'm nuts.

Yeah but 4-0, with no picks, is a lot closer to being the GOAT than 5-3.
5-3,isn't even .600, Tommy.