Rating: Summary: A fantasic finish to a most Patriotic season Review: Although I enjoyed viewing this recap of the Patriots' 2003 championship season, I didn't find it quite as good as the previous two Super-Bowl-champion-season-highlights DVDs (the 2001 Patriots and 2002 Buccaneers). The selection of musical pieces that went with the slo-mo action-- one of my fave things about NFL Films presentations-- didn't quite match up to that of the previous highlight reels. It was also kinda strange seein' pretty much the same opening credits sequence that they used for the previous year's platter, with some slight alterations. Still, there were more than a few great highlights (with a small smattering of not-so-great lowlights) that were pretty awesome, especially the plethora of hits the defensive players put on opposing ball carriers throughout the year & post-season. And I loved the couple of games that were played in snowy and/or rainy weather. Ya know, the kinda conditions pro pigskin was MEANT to be played in! And people wonder why I have absolutely no respect for baseball... A few of the show's more memorable moments include: - Week 1 at Bills: The Pats get thumped 31-0 in Buffalo. Fortunately, New England's fortunes-- and the score-- would be reversed in the teams' season-closing contest sixteen weeks later. - Week 7 at Miami: After the Patriots team captains argue with the refs over the call on the overtime coin toss, Miami misses their only OT field goal attempt, and Brady throws a long TD pass on the very next play to win it, 19 to 13. - Week 11 versus the Cowboys: Being a Niner fan first and foremost, and thereby hating the Dallas Cowboys with all of my scarlet-and-gold-bleeding little heart, I loved seein' the Pats take the resurgent 'Boys down hard here by the score of 12-0. I didn't love it quite as much as when the Niners do' it, but being the anti-Cowboy-whose-fave-team-had-a-lousy-year that I am, I'll take what I can get. What I didn't much care for, however, was New England's cheesy silver jerseys that looked like they came outta some silly 60s sci-fi TV show. Thank God they decided to keep those out of the team wardrobe the rest of the season... - Week 12 at Texans: Super Bowl XXXVI hero, kicker Adam Vinatieri, overcomes a couple missed missed field goal tries (his first ever in an indoor stadium) by nailing one in OT to give New England a wild 23-20 win over Houston. - Week 13 at the Colts: Probably the season's most memorable game alongside Indy's amazing come-from-behind win over Tampa Bay on Monday night several weeks earlier. This contest also featured one of the most memorable goal-line stands in history as the Pats keep the Colts from scoring on four tries from inside the two-yard line in the game's closing moments. One great clip features unheralded RB Mike Cloud pushing in a short-yardage TD with a tremendous second effort right at the goal line. New England 38, Indianapolis 34. - Week 15 versus the Jaguars: This snowy game features one of the most disturbing visual in the entire presentation: a shot of a fat shirtless fan wearing a Santa hat! AAAIIEEEE!!! - - Week 17 versus Bills: Please refer to my Week 1 synopsis. Pats 31, Bills 0. - AFC Championship Game: The song running through Indy QB Peyton Manning's head after his team got stopped 24-14: "I Fought Ty Law and Ty Law Won". Doh! - Super Bowl XXXVIII versus Carolina: This was the first Super Bowl in a long time where I found both teams likeable. The Panthers especially grew on me after taking out the BlowBoys and Lambs-- whoops, I mean, the Cowboys and Rams in the NFC playoffs (like I said, I'm a Niners fan first and foremost). And I gotta admit, their ability to keep up with New England in the big dance was amazing to watch, and helped make Supe 38 one for the ages But when I got down to it, I liked the Patriots just a little bit more than I did the Panthers, although I would've been happy if either team came out victorious in this contest. Fortunately, Pats kicker Adam Vinatieri's repeating of history helped seal his team's second championship in three seasons. BTW has anybody noticed how the Super Bowl in recent years has kinda taken on the mystique of the Star Trek movies? Ya know, the even-numbered games (XXXII, XXXIV, XXXVI, XXXVIII) have been amazing, while the odd-numbered ones (XXXIII, XXXV, XXXVII) sucked? I'm sure I'm not the only guy who's realized this parallel... Also thrown in are a few extra features, the most significant being the world broadcast of the entire game-- which, unlike the 2002 Bucs disc, includes all of the kickoffs, punts, and extra point attempts. And you can tell that this is the "world" TV broadcast 'cuz a couple key players are given brief profiles, and their weight and height are given in metric measurements (kilograms and centimeters, respectively). After taking out all of the "dead time" (mostly huddles and the totally-lame-@$$-even-if it didn't-have-that-whole-Janet-Jackson-thing halftime show), this particular feature clocks in at just under an hour, and includes play-by-play & commentary from Dick Stockton and Daryl "Moose" Johnston. The picture clarity of the broadcast is slightly better here than the one for game XXXVII on the 2002 Bucs platter. Also thrown in is a half-hour-long EA Sports-sponsored post-game segment featuring Merrill Hoge (with laser pointer primed) and Ron Jaworski doin' in-depth breakdowns of the game's key plays. You might find this particular piece interesting if you're really, Really, REALLY into the game of football, and the mechanics of the plays. Otherwise, I recommend skippin' it. Also, if you're sick & tired of player/ coach interviews where they talk about overcoming adversity, their joy over "finally won the big one", and "giving 110%", and just wanna see the action on the field (like myself), ya might wanna skip the "Media Day", "Post-Game Sounds", and "Quick Hits" segments as well... 'Late
Rating: Summary: What a way to cap off ANOTHER magical season.... Review: Another great Superbowl showdown with the Patriots- again winning. I didn't think the Pats could ever top that winning season of two years ago. What started off in September 2003 as dissapointing with the Lawyer Malloy dealings became more and more apparent through the season that the Patriots were a thrilling contender, brushed off their losses and fought together as a total team and sure enough they've done it again. This DVD is a great addition to all football fans that love teamwork, dedication, thrilling wins and hard work and the Patriots Fans who put up with the freezin' weather in New England. Thanks Patriots for such a memorable season! Enjoy this action packed DVD.
Rating: Summary: full game coverage instead of halftime show............YES!! Review: excellent choice by nfl films to show the full game, minus the commercials, time outs, and dead time in between plays. without all the downtime, the game is shown in 70+ minutes! the 60+ minute recap of the season could of been a little more detailed but that's really nitpicking. the ea sports post-game show was a nice bonus segment. there is no one like ron jaworski for breaking down game film and presenting it with his unmatched enthusiasm. the "media day", "post-game sounds", and "quick hits" bonus segments were very brief and just ok. this was truly an incredible season from a team that won their last 15 games. you have to go back to the 1972 dolphins to find a longer winning streak. this dvd is a no-brainer for any pat's fan like myself. the full game coverage segment makes this tempting to any nfl fan as well, since the game was one the the most competetive in nfl history.
Rating: Summary: A Pats Fan must have Review: Excellent video ... I'm a huge football fan and the Pat's are my team. This video does not disappoint with highlights from every game and playoffs. I especially liked the world broadcast that shows every play of the Super Bowl without any commercials or pauses of any kind just all the plays from scrimmage!
Rating: Summary: Super Disappointment Review: First, go pats! As for this DVD, it has 2 major flaws, and these flaws are generally ignored by other reviews (and some even get it flat-out wrong). Both deal with the "World Broadcast." 1. While the DVD itself and some reviewers have said that this gives you "ALL the excitement" of the world broadcast, that's definitely not true. Now, I liked the summary of the season, NFL Films-style, but I really wanted this DVD so I could watch the whole game again, since the first time around was a bit stressful (as I'm sure it was for all pats fans). So it KILLED me when I discovered that it is, in fact, NOT THE ENTIRE BROADCAST! It's an abridged version, shortened by cutting down the time between snaps. A four and out takes about 10 seconds, as you seen the panthers line up, run 3 up the gut, and then punt - done by clipping everything after the play until the next snap, with an occasional replay. IT SUCKS! It kills the drama, it's a very clinical, "clean" replay of the game w/o all the excitement. I'm shocked they did this and I'm surprised it wasn't noted more often by other people. 2. Another big flaw was the presentation of the game itself. I watched the game on HDTV, and it was gorgeous in widescreen, crystal clear viewing. However, this DVD only has it in standard format and it's definitely not HD. Pretty weak, given that the game was filmed in high def not to provide that widescreen version on the DVD. So, get this if all you really want is the summary of the season and dramatic music for the playoffs. As for the actual broadcast, big thumbs down.
Rating: Summary: No Longer The Underdogs - New England Patriots Review: For 42 years the New England Patriots were a team of scrappy, determined men who always played hard but always came up short in title chases, and were always plagued with off-field troubles, from bizarre coaching controversies to shaky team onwership. Stability was finally achived with Robert Kraft's purchase of the team in 1994, and from there the Patriots have played in ten seasons with just two losing records. The first was a 6-10 record marred by injury to QB Drew Bledsoe and also by an underreported confrontation at a press conference where a local newscaster showed how coach Bill Parcells was basically lying about Bledsoe's injury trying to get him hurt more. In any other year such a situation would have led to huge controversy, but under Robert Kraft controversy has been dealt with and subdued, and the team has continued to rally. The second losing record under Kraft was 2000's 5-11 record, the first season under coach Bill Belichick as he struggled to build the team he knew would win it all. 2001 finally saw the summit reached, as the Patriots won the Superbowl. Now, NFL Films captures the season that has permanently cemented the Patriots as one of the all-time great dynasty teams of the league. Once again, huge controversy hit the team with the release of safety Lawyer Milloy a few days before the start of the regular season, this after Milloy played in the Patriots' pre-season slate that saw the team go 4-0 and display remarkable depth up and down its lineup. Milloy was picked up (reportedly at the urging of ex-Pat Drew Bledsoe) by the Buffalo Bills, and the emotional shock led to a 31-0 Bills rout of the Patriots. But once again the Kraft-era Patriots put controversy aside, as newly acquired player Rodney Harrison stepped up as a team leader, QB Tom Brady also stepped up, and the Patriots routed the favored Phildelphia Eagles. A close win over the perennially tough rival New York Jets was followed by a flat 20-17 loss in Washington, and the team was now suffering a run of injuries of unusually high incidence. From there the Patriots changed their approach and also drew on the depth they had worked to achieve. Week Five of 2003 was almost exactly like Week Five of 2001, the make-or-break slugfest game that came down to the wire; this time the opponant was the Tennessee Titans, and a 38-30 win showed the league the Patriots were a real title threat. Hard-fought games followed almost every week, highlighted by a thrilling TD in OT in Miami, last-minute winning TDs in Denver on Monday Night Football and in Houston against the competitive upstart Texans, three shutouts over the team's final four home games, a tremendous 38-34 triumph on a last-second goalline stand in Indianapolis, and the one piece of revenge wanted most, a 31-0 shutout of the Buffalo Bills. Throughout this run, the Patriots were forced to start more players than any other team ever, and it never mattered, as big plays came from all corners - Tom Brady; Rodney Harrison; Mike Cloud, Willie McGuinest; Ty Law; Adam Vinitiari despite the roughest year of his NFL career; even beleagured punter Ken Walter, cut for one week by the team after the Indy game, came up big when it mattered. The playoffs were hard-earned low-scoring affairs, rematches against Tennessee and Indy, before the Superbowl beckoned and what turned out to be the game of the year for both teams and the game of the century for the Superbowl. And football fans will treasure this record of the year that cemented the New England Patriots as one of the NFL's historical elite.
Rating: Summary: Patriots SB38 Champions!! Review: Great DVD! Another excellent job by NFL Films. Good extras. GO PATS!
Rating: Summary: Boooor-ing Review: How parity-thetic the NFL has become, this once great league where now players, coaches and all unbiased concur: mediocrity reigns, with this years posterchild for fluff being the New England Patriots, a team so average it couldn't beat the 1966 Boston Patriots. With each year it waxes worse, regressing farther from the halcion pre AFL/NFL merger days, where the last true champion was the KC CHIEFS, and before them the NY JETS and before them the GB PACKERS. Any of these teams would humiliate todays (...) phats, who stain the memory like the other 31 poor saps. Technological advances notwithstanding, this is a poor dvd, a visual indictment of just how far football has regressed. Instead, watch any classic from pre 1970 days(...)
Rating: Summary: Great DVD, NOT widescreen?!?!? Review: I enjoyed this DVD much more than the superbowl XXXVI DVD. What upset me though is that this DVD was in a 4:3 aspect ratio, not widescreen. If the television broadcast is kind enough to be in HD widescreen, surely NFL films could extend the same courtesy by not cropping down to 4:3. World Braodcast was awesome as everyone mentioned, Thankfully they left the halftime show off the dvd this year. The U2 halftime show 9/11 tribute from XXXVI was a welcome special feature, but I dont think anyone needs to see freakin janet jackson again. A must own DVD for any football fan, any pats fan who does not own this disc already..thats just criminal. Also check out "3 games to glory 2" DVD available only from the patriots pro shop online
Rating: Summary: Good but not as good as SB 36 DVD Review: I liked the DVD. But I can't understand why they went with the "World" feed on the Super Bowl coverage as opposed to the CBS coverage. The only thing I can think of is that they plan on using the CBS feed on the Three Games to Glory DVD and just want people to have to buy both. Of course, this DVD cannot be as good as the SB 36 DVD because the story is not as good and the SB 36 DVD has the tremendous halftime show with U2. If you have to buy one, get the SB 36 DVD and relive the great Snow Bowl win over Oakland, the shocking AFC Championship win over the Steelers and amazing Super Bowl win over the highly favored Rams. That one also has a retrospective on Steve Grogan. But this SB 38 DVD is still a very good DVD and fun to watch.
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