SB LVII Chiefs Eagles game thread 2-12-23

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Eagles and Chiefs players both agreed that the Super Bowl's $800,000 turf was terrible: 'It was like playing on a water park'​


When the Eagles and Chiefs concluded Super Bowl LVII, there was one thing both sides could agree on: That field was brutal.

Throughout the game, star players on both teams struggled to keep their feet beneath them, prompting several mid-game cleat swaps from players looking to find a way to make sharp moves against the untrustworthy turf.

Heading into the game, the field came highly touted by legendary groundskeeper George Toma, better known as "The Sodfather." Toma, 94, has been looking over the grass at every Super Bowl since the beginning and said that the field in Arizona was the second-best they've ever had for the big game.

That supposedly good turf came at the cost of $800,000, he estimated, and who knows how many man-hours in construction and maintenance. Also, every day since it was installed two weeks ago, the field was dragged out of the stadium and into the direct sunlight of the desert sun. It is quite an operation.

But all that work resulted in a pretty poor final product, according to the guys that played on it.
Didn't Hurts change to longer spikes during the game?
 

mobyhammy

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My daughter, back in the day, brought me a beer and a bag of doritoes. Then sat next to me and watched the game. The following year we were at mardi gras, and she got updates from the group next to us and kept me up to date on the broncos beating carolina.
A truly great dad teaches his daufgter to love football as much as he does.
My daughter, unfortunately, is a Jets fan (due to our years living in NY/NJ), but I'm still glad she loves football. I think it says something that she can root for a franchise worse than the Cardinals. We had a good time watching the Super Bowl together.
 

Russ Smith

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Yeah it's just cognitive dissonance to argue against the call.

Bradberry reached out and grabbed him as the receiver was pulling away. Do some DBs get away with it? Sure, but if refs see it, they will call it.

He even admitted it after the game he said I definitely grabbed him I was hoping the refs would let it go.
 

Russ Smith

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I'm not even that fussed about the 2 walk in TD's for a couple of reasons. Although I'd have liked them to have learned from the first one.

1. If the Chiefs are inside your 10 chances are they are going to score. High odds both those drives are TD's one way or another anyway.

2. Skyy Moore's walk in came off the punt return that started at the 5 yard line.

3. There are only 2 ways the Eagles can play the motion man. They either switch the coverage and pass the motion off to the safety with the CB taking the safeties role (which is what they did) or they try get the CB in man coverage to run with him through all the bodies on the defense. I prefer the way they did it, for me it's the best way, but the players switching coverage have to be switched on. Especially against Reid and this offense.

This for me is far more a mistake by the players than the DC. Both time they weren't focused on what the sweeper was doing. Chances are if they stay in man and try follow the guy across both guys are open on the sweep anyway and score. So I don't think there was anything wrong with the coverage scheme, it was just handled badly by the player responsible.

They did a great breakdown of that play on I think ESPN last night, the first one. as soon as Toney saw the CB tell the safety to switch, he cut back and they snapped it. The CB Slay was telling the FS who's in the endzone, I will cover FS you come up and cover the WR(Toney). As soon as he motioned that, Toney reverses and they snap it. So it's not just the pattern and design of the play, the timing is crucial, if the snap is too early or too late the advantage is lost. if the ball is snapped at just the right time it's almost impossible to cover.

On the 2nd one there was no FS but it was the same thing the ball was snapped exactly when the CB told another DB to switch.

It's an example of why execution is a critical part of play design and coaching. We saw this for 4 years with screens that never worked because we never had blocking for example.
 

Russ Smith

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I don’t know why the NFL can’t get their grass/turf situation figured out either. The NFLPA has been making a stink about artificial turf as it relates to player safety, and pushing for natural grass. For a multi-billion dollar company I don’t understand why they can’t figure this out for the players.

Something has to be better. Use the spongy surfaces they put on playgrounds now, everyone's knees will feel 10 years younger!
 

BritCard

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They did a great breakdown of that play on I think ESPN last night, the first one. as soon as Toney saw the CB tell the safety to switch, he cut back and they snapped it. The CB Slay was telling the FS who's in the endzone, I will cover FS you come up and cover the WR(Toney). As soon as he motioned that, Toney reverses and they snap it. So it's not just the pattern and design of the play, the timing is crucial, if the snap is too early or too late the advantage is lost. if the ball is snapped at just the right time it's almost impossible to cover.

On the 2nd one there was no FS but it was the same thing the ball was snapped exactly when the CB told another DB to switch.

It's an example of why execution is a critical part of play design and coaching. We saw this for 4 years with screens that never worked because we never had blocking for example.

I watched them again and they didn't rock and roll on the 2nd one.

Maddox stayed in man and followed Moore but completely blew it. He got ahead of Moore and took his eyes off him. Two things you cannot do. Just lost him and blew the coverage.

Was just awful execution.
 

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