Full disclosure...I woke up yesterday wanting to see the Patriots make history and go undefeated. I went out, picked up the Sunday Cleveland Plain Dealer and staring me right in the face was a giant picture of Bill Belichick from his days with the Browns. Memories of Bernie Kosar being cut and other faves like Brian Brennan and Reggie Langhorne being ridden out of town began racing thru my mind. At that moment, I wanted Belichick to be humbled. Thank you Eli Manning and the New York Giants for making my simple wish to destroy a man's dream come true. The dream of 19-0 is over. 18-1 don't mean a thing if you ain't got that ring.
How nice was it to see Tom Brady spend most of the game on his back? How can any Average Joe football fan root for a guy who dates (and knocks up) super models and actresses? I'm sure the whiny chowder eating Boston fans will blame the Pats loss on Brady's bum ankle but the world's greatest escape artist couldn't escape from that Giants pass rush.
How 'bout Belichick walking off the field with a second left on the clock? If that had been Randy Moss he'd be getting blasted in the media today. A long offseason awaits the Patriots now. They have to deal with the disappointment of coming within 35 seconds of a perfect season. Their linebackers played back in the leather helmet days and may not have much left in the tank. Plus, the "spy gate" thing ain't going away any time soon.
That 4th quarter play where Manning escaped from essentially the entire Continental Army, let alone, the Patriots defense, to hit David Tyree a massive gain to keep the drive alive, may be the greatest play in Super Bowl history. How can you not be happy for Eli Manning? He is finally his brother's equal and an argument can now be made that he might be better than his brother (hey, he did won a Super Bowl in half the time his brother did!). Then again, Trent Dilfer was once won a Super Bowl too. Eli was composed, he took what the defense gave him, and he pulled it out when his team needed him the most. He was sensational and he deserves all the praise being heaped on him today.
While the game was great, the pregame was horrid. Did we really need to hear Jim Brown and other NFL greats read the Declaration of Independence? Did we need Ryan Secreast hosting a red carpet show? The commericals weren't much better. A couple of the Bud Light spots brought a chuckle. I was happy to see Alice Cooper land work in a Bridgestone tire commercial. The spot for the Iron Man movie (which looks way cool) was probably my fave. The FOX studio guys were solid as always. While annoying at times, there is no denying that Bradshaw, Long and Johnson have great chemistry. Someone needs to tell Joe Buck to get over himself tho. I'm sick of that dude.
Fortunately, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers had no wardrobe malfunctions when doing the halftime show. Petty and the boys cranked out 4 of their better known tunes and sounded great. I was happy to see the NFL give the slot to Petty. That dude deserved his moment in the spotlight. The Petty performance ranks up there with Prince and U2 as among the best since the NFL ditched Up with People and decided to make halftime an event.
So now the NFL season is over (who cares about the Pro Bowl?) and its time to get geeked for the start of spring training and another baseball season. With the Jackets blowing any chance of getting to the playoffs by their uninspired play since the All Star game, I'm left with no choice but to get ready for the Indians. Does anyone happen to know the over/under on how many illegitimate kids Tom Brady will sire in the offseason?
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2 comments:
It was a great game. Going in, I was ho-hum about both teams and figured I'd hit the sack by halftime. The first time I watched a Superbowl 'til the end since I can't tell you when.
I suffer from Manning Over Saturation (MOS) but I was cheering Eli's performance by the 4th quarter. Evading that sack and the incredible circus catch by Tyree was a sight to see.
I think if you are going to have Jim Brown recite the Declaration, you should at least film him doing it in a situation more his speed, ie: dangling his wife over a balcony while quoting it.
I know I was supposed to feel touched by hearing these ex jocks read the Declaration of Independence but I was captivated by how freakin' old most of them looked. They should have just let Pat Tillman's widow read the whole thing. That's a family that understands duty, country and what happens when leaders lie.
I can relate to the ho-hum attitude bout the Super Bowl. After all, I'm a Browns fan. They've played 42 of these things without my team.
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