So, here we are. The day after the greatest Super Bowl I
think I’ve ever seen (I was born in 1984).
Good afternoon, everyone, wherever you may be. For the
second time in two tries, there was a great Super Bowl in my hometown that
lived up to the hype. In fact, for the second time in less than a year dating
back to last April, we had a championship game in my hometown of Houston that
lived up to the hype.
OK, so where to begin? I’m actually going to start with
something that DIDN’T happen on the field of play. Let’s begin…with the trophy
ceremony. Oh, there are so many things to get to related to that trophy
ceremony.
The tension and obvious acrimony, first of all, was thick
between Commissioner Goodell (it makes me sick to say that this man is even the
commissioner of a major sports league, and I’ll get to that in a moment) and
Tom Brady and Robert Kraft.
For an organization as tacit and robotic as the Patriots
tend to be between the lines, you could feel the joy and exultation come out
last night after they won. Rightly or wrongly, this is an organization, along
with its star player, that has been through the wringer over the last couple of
years.
And mainly over a few deflated footballs. Allegedly. Never
mind that the NFL never actually proved it, just that it was “more probable
than not.” Let’s not forget the team they played last night, the Atlanta
Falcons, have pumped fake noise into their stadium in the past. Let’s also not
forget the Colts, who the deflategate stuff started with, pump fake noise into
their stadium too.
Brady's mother has been battling cancer as well. That was I am sure another impetus for last night.
That brings me to Goodell. Ah, Roger the Dodger Goodell, the
Commissioner (and I use that term loosely) of the NFL. This guy is such a liar
and a fraud it is unbelievable. He said in the week before the game that “it
would be an honor” to hand a fifth Lombardi Trophy to Brady.
Yet, that’s not what he did. In fact, he couldn’t get off
that podium fast enough for his liking. The guy basically just shoved the
trophy into Robert Kraft’s hands, and got out of there as fast as he could.
Goodell was flat out lying through his teeth, as I felt he was all along; the
guy hadn’t been to Foxboro for a Patriots game one time since the whole “Deflategate”
thing started.
Not only that when he came within arm’s reach of Brady, the
guy couldn’t even look at Tom Brady right in the eye. Not one iota of eye
contact.
I know that America is up in arms that the Patriots won yet
another championship, and I get it, but the highlight of the night for me was
that Goodell got figuratively undressed at the trophy ceremony by Brady, Kraft,
and the whole Patriots fanbase (who booed him right out of Houston by the way,
and rightly so). Kraft especially eviscerated him after Goodell left the stage.
In any sport at any time, Goodell is the most corrupt
commissioner I have seen and it’s not even close. Neither David Stern nor NHL
commissioner Gary Bettman, as bad as they were/are (Stern is retired now), are in his league.
OK, now to the game. Ah, the game was pretty good too. In
fact, I thought until last night the Patriot/Seahawks game a couple years ago
was the best Super Bowl I’ve seen. Nope. This one dwarfs it completely.
Let’s say it now boys and girls: Tom Brady is the greatest
quarterback to ever play football.
Repeat after me: Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback to
ever play football.
The guy has been a starting quarterback at Super Bowls more
times than any quarterback in history (seven), won more Super Bowls than any
quarterback in history (five), and not only that take a look at the teams he
beat to win those titles.
Rams 2001-02. The Greatest Show on Turf. Going for two Super
Bowl wins in three years. Beat em.
Panthers 2003-04. The hottest team in the NFL going into
that Super Bowl. Delhomme had a great year as did Stephen Davis. Beat em.
Eagles 2004-05. Had McNabb and Owens. Best Eagles team ever
probably. Beat em.
Seahawks 2014-15. Defending champs, Legion of Boom, looking
to go back to back. The distraction of Deflategate. Beat em.
And that Atlanta team last night played a marvelous football
game. Specter of Deflategate still looming. The revenge tour. Brady's mother fighting cancer. Beat Atlanta, too.
You can say Joe Montana is better but here’s the thing: What
would happen if you gave Brady Jerry Rice, John Taylor, Dwight Clark, Roger
Craig and Brent Jones? He might win ten Super Bowls. And Brady has more rings.
He wasn’t the only reason the Patriots came away with
another trophy at the end of this game though. The Atlanta coaching staff made
some huge mistakes and they are a large reason the Falcons lost this game.
You had to know fans in San Francisco, who are about to see
Kyle Shanahan take over the 49ers, had to be cringing watching that fourth
quarter last night. His play calling was absolutely atrocious. He calls for a
pass up 28-12 on third and two about halfway through the fourth quarter. Ryan
gets strip-sacked and the Patriots got the turnover they needed.
No, the loss of Tevin Coleman didn’t help (he got hurt a
play earlier), but that was a stupid play call. Run the ball and even if you
don’t get it, you punt and make Brady go the length of the field.
Then, after the Patriots get it within eight, he goes stupid
again. Second and nine, ball at the Patriots 22 up 28-20 after that ridiculous
catch by Julio Jones (quite possibly the best catch I’ve seen in a Super Bowl,
or it’s on the short list), and he calls for a PASS? With three minutes to go?
Uh, no. Again, that’s where you run the football twice, get
it maybe a little closer for Matt Bryant, you kick a field goal and you win the
title. As great as Brady played, he probably doesn’t come back from 31-20 with
two minutes left.
In fact, the Falcons ran the ball just FIVE, count them,
FIVE, times in the second half. That’s absurd.
And the 49ers are giving this guy the keys to the kingdom
when their franchise is at a low point. Oh, San Francisco, I feel for you. And
they’re going to sign him likely to a six year contract.
As much as I feel for the Niner fans, the ones I truly feel for are the
suffering Atlanta Falcons fans that are out there today. They deserved a better
fate. That’s a sports city, too, that hasn’t had that much success. It’s a city
that’s lost more National Hockey League franchises (two) than they have major
sports championships (one, the Braves in 1995 and that was in a strike
shortened year).
It’s a city that saw Larry Bird outlast Dominique Wilkins in
a classic NBA playoff duel in a game seven in 1988, since then the Hawks have never been the same, saw the Braves only win one
title in the 1990s though they were in contention every year (the 1991 and 1996
World Series losses are especially galling for Braves fans), and have seen the
Falcons make the Super Bowl only twice including last night.
And if you include Georgia and Georgia Tech athletics, those
separate sports histories are pretty sordid as well with occasional special years.
On a bit of a spiritual note, I’m a practicing Catholic and
I thought the Falcons actually might have the spiritual edge, if one chooses to
believe in that sort of thing as I do.
I thought I wasn’t going to say this after the Falcons lost
last night, but you know what I’ll say it anyways. A chaplain for the Falcons showed up at
Sunday church service yesterday. How he got to Kingwood for a Sunday Mass on
the day of the Super Bowl I know not, but it was fun hearing him speak. After
he spoke, I thought it was a sign from above that maybe it was destiny and it
was Atlanta’s time.
Destiny denied. And unfortunately for Atlanta it was in
large part their own undoing.
As a final note about this Super Bowl, I wouldn’t be so quick
to assume the Falcons will be back again. The history, especially recent
history, of teams that lose Super Bowls are not good. In fact, since the Bills
and the Cowboys met in two straight Super Bowls in the 1990s, the history of
teams getting back are not good period.
Since that point, only two teams in each league have won
consecutive conference titles. The 1997-98 and 1998-99 Denver Broncos turned
the trick, and in 2003-04 and 2004-05 so did the Patriots. In the NFC, the
Packers went to two straight Super Bowls in 1996-97 and 1997-98 and the
Seahawks did it a few years back in 2013-14 and 2014-15.
Now, the Patriots would have been good to go whether they
won or lost last night. The AFC and especially the AFC East is very weak (none
of the Dolphins, Jets or Bills are really any good); I think the second best
team in the AFC until Derek Carr’s injury was the Oakland Raiders and I think a
Raider/Patriot AFC title game in 2018 is a distinct possibility.
The Falcons though will have a much tougher road simply
because they have to face Drew Brees, Cam Newton and Jameis Winston each twice.
And generally when you have these chances in front of you, they don’t come
around again.
Until next time….
