(Photo: Getty Images)
So...who dat?
New Orleans is nuts this morning after the Saints beat the Colts 31-17 in Super Bowl 44 (I think I'm done with the Roman numerals).
A few thoughts from the night:
I'm sorry, but I thought The Who were good. You don't like aging rockers? Fine - don't watch (that's what I did during other years). I thought they were at least as good (or bad) as The Rolling Stones were four years ago.
I know, I know, I know. Peyton Manning threw a pick-six late in the game. Montana wouldn't do that...Brady wouldn't do that...blah blah blah. Shut it. Watch the play again. Make note of the fact that Reggie Wayne let up on the route. Manning threw the ball where the receiver SHOULD be. That's football. The INT will be on Mannings' resume but it's not that easy.
I'll still take Manning over most QB's. Would I take him on my team? Probably, but my team also has a guy named Roethlisberger that I like a lot.
Commercials? Feh. Loved Betty White and Abe Vigoda. Thought The Simpsons weren't funny, and thus not so good. Loved the mini-Troy Polamalu. The Dave/Oprah/Jay promo was hysterical. Was happy for my friends in RVA who work for CarMax in that they got a spot on (even though I'm not sure when they ran it). Generally thought the first half was better than the second half (again, we're talking commercials here).
I liked the aggressiveness of Sean Payton. He made, arguably, some of the best adjustments I've ever seen in a Super Bowl game. That being said, I hated his fourth down call late in the first half. Yet I hated Jim Caldwell's conservative approach even more.
Sean Payton, to me, had as Bill Raftery says, "ONIONS!"
Jim Nantz and Phil Simms were solid as always. CBS, FOX, and NBC have some top-flight NFL duos calling the "A" games.
When Matt Stover missed a 51-yarder, Stover did a salute to the sky. The uninformed would have noted that he was being overconfident. Nantz was smart enough to inform viewers that Stover always does that, as he is a spiritual man. Whether you like that kind of display or not, at least Stover is consistent.
Great job by CBS in that I only saw a Manning family reaction shot once. I also only saw Saints owner Tom Benson once. It was like the Tiffany network was the anti-FOX.
Left my cousins' house (thanks for a fun night and great food) and listened to Marv Albert post-game. Marv also does a great job calling games - I like him better on radio as an NFL voice than I ever did on TV. And if you didn't know, the radio stays on much later than the TV side (though you could switch to ESPN or NFL Network).
I'm not willing to throw this game into the conversation of top five Super Bowl's. It was good but I'm not sure it was that great. Have to let it breathe a little bit before having that discussion.
Let's be clear, again. The Saints winning isn't going to cure cancer. It isn't going to rebuild the Lower Ninth Ward. It isn't going to make anybody forget Katrina. Yet, for a few days, it made some forget their troubles. And that, sports/football haters, is why there is nothing like sports. New Orleans gets to have one big civic hug and, hopefully, put their best face on for the world. It allows total strangers to high-five and cry together.
Watch that video of Drew Brees kissing his baby, while he is glassy-eyed, and not appreciate it. You have to really hate Brees/New Orleans/babies/life to not like that.
That said, I will understand if you're a Colts fan.
So how did resting everyone against the Jets really work out for Indy? I know the Saints did the same thing eventually, but after they had already lost a game and had nothing to play for. The Colts had immortality in their hands.
So, exactly, what was the fuss about with Tim Tebow and his mom? Are people...really...that...dumb to get so worked up? (Answer? Yes.)
Oh, memo to Tom Benson. You said essentially that New Orleans is "back." Um...let's not get crazy. Your football team rebuilt some spirit and hope. That's nice. Yet it wasn't all that long ago that you were considering running out of NOLA and taking the former Aints with you. Keep it in perspective, please.
Educators won't like this opinion, but I said it last night and will say so now. This is a big enough deal to people in New Orleans that I think it is prudent to just shut things down for today. Let the kids enjoy and rest up today. And this is why I think it is time to work in some kind of a holiday into the Monday after the Super Bowl. If that means backing it up to President's Day weekend, then so be it.
With that said, I would have gone to school today because my parents would have made me. My son would have gone as well.
We'll all be sick of it soon, and we might be sick of it already, but it's worth repeating:
Who dat?
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