In truth, I’ve always had an affinity for the New Orleans Saints. They were so horrible for so long that I began liking them. The Aints had another Manning, Archie who is Peyton’s father. He was awesome, but surrounded by a bunch of nobodies. Early on the Saints had Tom Dempsey as their place kicker. He with half a foot booted a 63-yard field goal, and NFL record. Later he kicked for the Eagles. All this coupled with a liking for the town itself, I like the cajun team a little bit.
And that is all it takes to root against the Colts.
It should be a fun game with two powerhouse offenses. While the Colts may be slightly better, I suspect this will be a competitive game. And for Roger Goddell who is considering a cold-weather Super Bowl in New York, this weekend I will be watching the Big Game while snowed in . . . and I’m south of the Big Apple.
Going in I kept saying, “I’m tooting for the Cardinals, but I expect the Steelers to beat them fairly handedly.” What a game! What a game.
It certainly looked that the Steelers were the better team two and a half quarters into the game. Then the Cardinals seemed to figure out the Pittsburgh secondary. The Cardinals came back big.
Warner seemed to choke on the one drive. Kudos to Arizona for punting and pinning the Steelers deep. Personally, I thought the back’s knee was down for a safety on the play before, but that was inconsequential. The Cardinals came down and took the lead with 2:37 left.
Too much time. Way too much.
The Steelers marched right down. The winning touchdown pass to Holmes was remarkable. Two plays in a row he was open. The Cardinals needed to close that up and they didn’t. That was the ultimate difference.
The Cardinals have nothing to be ashamed of. I am not one who accepts moral victories. In the end they lost, but they played well. Congratulations.
Congratulations to the Steelers, the only team to win six Super Bowls.
Thank you for an exciting game that I watched until the end. Awesome!
I am not much on halftime shows. Springsteen announced he had but 12 minutes and he played exactly that. And while the Freehold native has ticked me off quite a bit in recent years with his politics, I have to say I cannot think of a finer halftime show ever. He rocked Tampa. A lot of fun. Of course, I would have loved Rosalita and Sandy, but I suppose the song selection was okay. Little Steven was having a blast.
Who would have predicted I would be thinking of my Miami Dolphins today. Early on in the game I realized that as much as I loathe the Giants, I did not want the Patriots to be undefeated. I began rooting for the dreaded Giants.
The game seemed well played. It was a much different game than I anticipated. The Giants came prepared. Moss barely touched the ball until late in the game. When Manning connected with Tyree, I clapped with joy. I really felt that was going to be it.
To the Pats’ credit, they marched right down with ease and scored. So much for momentum. While the Giants had played well, there is no celebrating second place.
Damn, Eli came through today. The catch by Tyree off his head was stellar. With 35 seconds to go, the Giants scored. It was late, but Mercury, Bob, Czonka, Larry Little, Shula, et al. can finally pop the bubbly.
I really enjoyed this game. Obviously, the play had much to do with it. But I also was able to neutralize the worst announcer, Joe “Slamma-lamma-ding-dong!” Buck. I listened to my iPod throughout the game. Nothing better than Garcia and Grisman picking. And even if there is, it sure as hell beats listening to Buck.
I paused the iPod for Tom Petty. I am not much for halftime shows, but I was pleased with their four-song set. I thought Refugee should have been played, but I suppose that would not have fit as well.
Commercials are overhyped. I recall chuckling at one, but other than the Victoria Secret ad, cannot recall the advertisements, which I say every year. Companies spend a lot of money and I don’t get the humor and cannot even recall the products. It must work on some.
Just to get this out there prior to the game . . .
I do not see how the Patriots can lose this game. They’re 18-0 with no glaring weaknesses in their game. Sure, anything can happen on any given Sunday. The Giants played the Pats tough earlier in the year during the stretch when several teams did. They still lost.
The two weeks off between the championship game and the Super Bowl can cool any team off. I think this is a mistake on the NFL’s part. The delay would seem to be the most disadvantage to the Giants who had been on a hot streak.
I am conflicted about the game. I am a fan of neither team. On top of that, I rather dislike the Giants. Play in New Jersey for 30+ years but wear NY on your helmet. Blech! And, they’re a New York team. Being from the Philadelphia area, well, this is pretty much in my blood.
I grew up a Dolphins fan. The Pats were our door mat for decades. I never liked teams in the division. But I did live in Boston for four years and have a small liking for them. Yet, a win dulls the ‘72 Dolphins shine just a bit. While a few of that team have been a bit outspoken of late, it is still my childhood team.
The Pats will complete their perfect season with a 38-17 win over the Giants.
