WTF? - My Look At The Super Bowl

Fuck. That’s the expletive that pretty much crossed my mind at the end of the game (forgive my delay, just started a new job, hard to post blog entries when people are training you). I would have typed this up on Sunday night or Monday morning, but there the entry would have been an expletive laden rant that was pretty much incoherent, and no one wants that (except maybe Andrew Dice Clay). I had to let my anger dissipate, or at least direct it in more worthy targets. In fact, I probably could have gone without an entry all together, figuring the talking heads and columnists have rehashed the game to death and one more idiotic nobody droning on about the missed opportunities and bad calls would have nothing useful to add. Now, I’m more focused on the idiotic talking heads and columnists and their arm-chair quarterbacking.

I live in the Boston area and, stupidly, listen to sports talk radio. Now, since my daily commute in my car is approximately half a mile to the train station, I don’t get to hear a lot. What I have heard is quite bombastic. Basically, they are calling for everything short of tying up Belichick and burning him at the stake, and anyone who dares disagree is shouted down and blown up. While I will agree that coaches in football have a higher degree of control on the game, the game comes down to execution. You can know the other team’s plays but it won’t do a bit of good unless you can stop it favorably. Case in point, the 2001 Snow Bowl. Everyone remembers the tuck/fumble of Tom Brady, but not how it came about. Brady was on the sideline talking to Weis and Belichick about the play that should be called. Erstwhile Raiders defensive back Eric Allen was lingering near by and heard the play call. He knew where Brady was planning to go with the ball and was going to jump the route, intercept the ball, pretty much seal the game, and get his pick of cheerleaders. So, what happened? Brady dropped back, was about to throw the ball and saw Allen jump the route, so he went to tuck the ball, got hit by Woodson, and well, you know the rest. If Allen had executed his deception better, the Patriots dynasty takes a whole different path. This being said, I don’t think the Belichick told his offensive line to turn into Swiss cheese or his defensive backs to give up big pass plays. But that’s what talk radio would want you to believe.

Now, I’m not letting him off the hook. I felt the play calling was a little conservative. However, the one time he wasn’t conservative, the infamous 4th and 13, everyone is jumping down his throat. Everyone is thinking that the Pats would have made a simple 49 yard field goal. They were in an area of the field where they always go for it on 4th down and, since the game was close, field position would make a lot of difference. So, the pundits want the Pats to change exactly what it was that they have been doing all year. I, for one, thought they should go for it and understand the reasoning behind it. Also, the offense was flat most of the game, they actually had penetration into Giants territory, I think they should have gone for it.

There is a certain ESPN columnist (who shall remain nameless in this entry, but not in previous entries of mine) who was saying that he saw the signs of a Patriots loss. This is complete and utter crap. There were no signs that this was going to happen. Tom Brady not jumping up and down like a giddy schoolgirl does not signify ANYTHING. I don’t remember him doing this in the second or third Super Bowls, so why is it a huge deal now? Also, the recently deceased Tom Petty signing “Free Fallin” during halftime is not an omen of the Patriots collapse. It was a formally popular rock singer reaching back into his drug-addled brain to sing a song most people have actually heard, nothing more. Plus, Tom Brady’s ankle had zero bearing on the game. He didn’t have time to set his feet and throw, so I don’t think his ankle hindered the offensive line. GET OVER YOURSELF YOU SELF-IMPORTANT PRICK! Damn Simmons, you piss me off. If Samuel caught that interception, if Manning had been sacked, or if Harrison had knocked the ball free (all happened on the last drive), then your self-righteous rant is meaningless and you probably would have favored us all with your inane comments and insights about how you knew all along that the Pats would pull it off.

Anyway, there is a fair amount of blame to go to Belichick, but let’s not lay all the blame there. Let’s also not give him a free pass because of what he’s done in the past. Let’s add this to his body of work and look forward to next year. That’s all we can do.