# NFL Conference Championships **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 20, 2018, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-conference-championships/807074 "2018-01-20T21:25:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![sweepkick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@sweepkick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweepkick)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-conference-championships/807074/141 "2018-01-23T18:25:47Z")
> [@russian\_heel](#): > > No it’s because fans from other cities do many of the same things, and it never gets reported by the national media; Philadelphia fans look at an opposing fans the wrong way, its all over the headlines. Whining about the big bad media picking on the poor persecuted Eagles fans now? Eagles fans are the poorest behaved fan base in the NFL today. Worse than the Raiders, worse than Green Bay. That’s saying something. But yeah, the big bad media is picking on them. > **[For the first time in my entire life, I will be a Patriots fan on February...](https://www.facebook.com/BeerBellyOfficial/videos/308876562967245/)** > > For the first time in my entire life, I will be a Patriots fan on February 4th. > > Here's why. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-conference-championships/807074/142 "2018-01-23T19:05:21Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > And if a 777 didn’t have wings it would be a bus. > > You can say this about most any quarterback. Hell, most any athlete. Would Joe Montana have been Joe Montana without Bill Walsh? Hell, no. How many rings would Michael Jordan have if he’d been stuck on the LA Clippers? Would Yogi Berra have won the World Series ten times if Casey Stengel hadn’t been running the Yankees? How many Stanley Cups does Gretzky win if he doesn’t have Messier, Kurri, Coffey, Anderson et al. swarming around? (Well, how many did he win after leaving Edmonton? Zero.) > > Of course every athlete is in part a product of circumstance. Some turn that circumstance into five Super Bowl rings and everyone else doesn’t. My point is that Brady needed BB, but BB would’ve done it anyway without Brady, if somewhat delayed. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-conference-championships/807074/143 "2018-01-23T19:24:35Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > My point is that Brady needed BB, but BB would’ve done it anyway without Brady, if somewhat delayed. We’ve seen Belichick without Brady (2008 when Brady got hurt and Cassel played QB). They went 11-5 but missed the playoffs. We also saw Belichick with the Browns and they were mediocre. Ironically, his sole playoff win was against the Pats in 1994. We’ve never seen Brady without BB in the NFL. I think you need to do a bit more support your case that Brady needs BB but the opposite isn’t true. Neither has achieved significant success without the other, and we’ve never seen Brady play for any other NFL coach. ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-conference-championships/807074/144 "2018-01-23T21:14:14Z")
> [@sweepkick](#): > > Whining about the big bad media picking on the poor persecuted Eagles fans now? > > Eagles fans are the poorest behaved fan base in the NFL today. Worse than the Raiders, **worse than Green Bay**. That’s saying something. > > But yeah, the big bad media is picking on them. > > [For the first time in my entire life, I will be a Patriots fan on February 4th. Here's why. | By Beer Belly SportsFacebook](https://www.facebook.com/BeerBellyOfficial/videos/308876562967245/) Bolding mine. Wait what? You’re saying the a fan base that is consistently rated as one of the friendliest places to visit is poorly behaved? Bears or Vikings? I’m guessing Vikings. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-conference-championships/807074/145 "2018-01-23T22:04:32Z")
> [@Chisquirrel](#): > > Bolding mine. > > Wait what? You’re saying the a fan base that is consistently rated as one of the friendliest places to visit is poorly behaved? Bears or Vikings? I’m guessing Vikings. Yeah, I wondered about that, too. I’m a Packers season ticket holder, and while the people who sit around me will good-naturedly tease attendees wearing opposing clothing, I’ve never seen it escalate to anything close to the sorts of things I’ve heard about at other stadiums. ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-conference-championships/807074/146 "2018-01-23T22:57:34Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Yeah, I wondered about that, too. **I’m a Packers season ticket holder** , and while the people who sit around me will good-naturedly tease attendees wearing opposing clothing, I’ve never seen it escalate to anything close to the sorts of things I’ve heard about at other stadiums. Bolding mine (again) Can we be friends? ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-conference-championships/807074/147 "2018-01-23T23:26:27Z")
I’ve heard the stereotype of Packers fans being dedicated, and traveling well, but I’ve never heard the stereotype that they were obnoxious or anything. That’s a new one to me. ---
**Author:** ![Taber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac91a4/32.png) [@Taber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taber)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-conference-championships/807074/148 "2018-01-24T00:02:28Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > We’ve seen Belichick without Brady (2008 when Brady got hurt and Cassel played QB). They went 11-5 but missed the playoffs. We also saw Belichick with the Browns and they were mediocre. Ironically, his sole playoff win was against the Pats in 1994. To be fair, both Cassel and the Browns have done significantly worse without Bill. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-conference-championships/807074/149 "2018-01-24T00:16:01Z")
[“Amendola … D-O-L-A Dola …”](https://soundcloud.com/hardy330-1/amendola-song-2018?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=wtshare&utm_medium=Facebook&utm_content=https%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fhardy330-1%2Famendola-song-2018) ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-conference-championships/807074/150 "2018-01-24T00:46:13Z")
> [@Taber](#): > > To be fair, both Cassel and the Browns have done significantly worse without Bill. Agreed, that is pretty hard to argue against. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-conference-championships/807074/151 "2018-01-24T05:17:23Z")
> [@Taber](#): > > To be fair, both Cassel and the Browns have done significantly worse without Bill. Heh the Browns couldn’t stop stepping on their own dicks if they were strung up to their necks. Notice I also said _and the Pats organization_. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-conference-championships/807074/152 "2018-01-24T06:16:37Z")
Considering that “fan” is short for “fanatic”, I am going to suggest that any criticism of [other team’s] fans is fair game and they should be willing to take it. Unless, of course, they start singing _You’ll Never Walk Alone_. Those guys, just step away from them. ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-conference-championships/807074/153 "2018-01-24T06:50:38Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > She makes more than he does. 🙂 This isn’t a small thing, either. Her net worth is twice as much as his, and together they’re worth over half a BILLION dollars. He is in an entirely different stratosphere than the rest of the NFL thanks to his wife. He can do cap-friendly contracts because he does not need to spare one single thought for salary or savings or retirement. And the Patriots reportedly use this to their advantage when negotiating with free agents. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-conference-championships/807074/154 "2018-01-24T09:05:53Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Considering that “fan” is short for “fanatic”, I am going to suggest that any criticism of [other team’s] fans is fair game and they should be willing to take it. Unless, of course, they start singing _You’ll Never Walk Alone_. Those guys, just step away from them. Unless it’s on a Pink Floyd album, and then it works out okay. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-conference-championships/807074/155 "2018-01-24T14:12:20Z")
> [@chizzuk](#): > > This isn’t a small thing, either. Her net worth is twice as much as his, and together they’re worth over half a BILLION dollars. He is in an entirely different stratosphere than the rest of the NFL thanks to his wife. He can do cap-friendly contracts because he does not need to spare one single thought for salary or savings or retirement. And the Patriots reportedly use this to their advantage when negotiating with free agents. What does she have to do with it? Even without her, he’d still be absurdly wealthy with cap friendly contracts and endorsements. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-conference-championships/807074/156 "2018-01-24T14:33:17Z")
> [@chizzuk](#): > > He can do cap-friendly contracts because he does not need to spare one single thought for salary or savings or retirement. And the Patriots reportedly use this to their advantage when negotiating with free agents. Any other star player can do the same if they want; restructuring their deals by stretching out payments long into the future. It is no secret that it lets Brady have better teammates than stars whose agents have get-it-all-now mentalities. One of the raps against Peyton Manning, for instance, is that his contract demands kept his Colts teams from being as competitive as the Patriots - and that only shows that his desires were balanced more toward money and less toward championships than Brady’s have been. Nothing wrong with that, it’s a different set of values, that’s all. It’s understandable in an environment where salary is seen as a score in a game, and the bigger the number the better you are as a player in that game. ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-conference-championships/807074/157 "2018-01-24T18:53:11Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Any other star player can do the same if they want; restructuring their deals by stretching out payments long into the future. Wait, is this what Brady’s doing? I thought he was just taking an under-market deal. Furthermore, I know that signing bonuses cannot be pro-rated over a period longer than five years, and I believe that all guaranteed money attaches against the salary cap in the year the player retires/is cut. You don’t see any Bobby Bonilla-type deals in the NFL. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-conference-championships/807074/158 "2018-01-24T19:03:32Z")
They have a deal where the Patriots will be carrying Brady’s grandchildren on IR until the contract is paid off. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-conference-championships/807074/159 "2018-01-24T19:24:14Z")
The restructurings he’s done could certainly involve arrangements outside the purview of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-conference-championships/807074/160 "2018-01-24T20:51:20Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > The restructurings he’s done could certainly involve arrangements outside the purview of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. 😉 Nights with his wife? 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-conference-championships/807074.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-conference-championships/807074.md?page=9)