Sun Life Stadium, site of Super Bowl XLIV
Yes, sir, it is finally here. After a draft that dominated the sporting world for most of April, seven months of hearing about team practices, seventeen weeks of regular season action, and ten playoff games, the biggest game of the NFL season is here. Super Bowl XLIV. The day of the year where nearly over a hundred million people gather around a television set to watch the two best teams left standing play for the Lombardi Trophy.
And what a game it should be. On one side, there's the AFC champion Indianapolis Colts, a team who has won every game they ever wanted to win this season led by one of the greatest quarterbacks ever, the greatest rookie head coach ever, a stacked wide receiver corps, and a quality defense. On the other, there's the NFC champion New Orleans Saints, featuring the league's most accurate quarterbacks, a high flying offense, a secondary that can get interceptions pretty easily, and one of the best fans in the league. And it's not just that. There will be TV networks spending hours covering every aspect of the game. It will be played in one of the best cities in the country with plenty of celebrities and important people in the city before the game. There will be a twelve minute halftime show, commercials that companies spent $2.8 million to show it during the game, and much, much more. At this point, it's a few years away from becoming a national holiday!
And it's only two days away! Yes, sir,... (hears someone call my name).
What's that? (whispers in my year)
I'm sounding like an idiot right now? Why? (continues whispering in my year)
Not this week? Really?! (continues whispering)
Well, then, when is it (continues whispering)
NEXT WEEK?!?! (whispers that it is correct)
So, what you're telling me that after twenty consecutive weeks of NFL action and all the tension that has been building to this moment, there is a week of f***in nothing? (confirms statement)
God, that sucks! In that case, what can I watch this week? (whispers) College basketball? If you pay close attention to what is college basketball in January, you might as well cut yourself (whispers). The NBA or NHL? But they're boring in January! Nothing matters until early March. Anything football related?
(whispers) The Pro Bowl?! But the Pro Bowl sucks! First of all, how can I watch a game featuring the league's best players when most of them aren't playing? Peyton Manning? Not playing. Tom Brady? Not playing. Drew Brees, Phillip Rivers, Dwight Freeney, Brett Favre, Charles Woodson, Larry Fitzgerald, Darren Sharper, Percy Harvin? Not playing. The game is such a joke that Vince Young is a starter for the AFC and Johnny Knox is playing in the NFC (even though I do believe that both had an okay season).
Not to mention the joke of a rule in which the Pro Bowlers from the teams in the Super Bowl have to show up? I mean, why would you make them miss their team's most important plane ride that season just so you can spend a couple of days in an exhibition. In addition, it's not competitive and is only competitive when the NFL tells the players to make it (there is no proof for that, but that's my speculation). Add the fact that they got rid of Hawaii's only NFL football game with the Pro Bowl now being played in the site of the Super Bowl and you have yourself a game that is both a joke and even unwatchable.
Oh well. The Super Bowl is going to be next week and I guess you can't stop it. So... while I'm here, I might as well make a pick in the Pro Bowler. Umm... I guess I'm taking the AFC. For the last two years, the MVP of the game was the hottest player coming into the game. In 2007, it was Adrian Peterson. In 2008, it was Larry Fitzgerald. 2009's best player throughout the season was Chris Johnson of the Titans. I predict he will win the MVP and the team he will play for, the AFC, will win it. The score? Umm, I don't know. 38-35, I guess.
While I'm also here, here are some NFL and Super Bowl related random thoughts:
- In last week's column, I picked the Saints to beat the Vikings in the NFC championship game. The main reason, as you may remember, was because in the big games like this one, the Vikings have been known to having grueling f*** ups in the big moments to cost them the game. I even made an unranked top five out of it! Well, that's exactly what happened. I feel like a football Nostradamus right now! And what a grueling f*** up it was!
With the game tied and Vikings with the football with less than a minute to play in the 4th quarter, the team had the football. Then, it happened. On second and ten, the Vikings stupidly put twelve men on the field and was called a penalty. The next played, with the potential game winning field goal being a 56 yarder, Brett Favre, in what appeared to be an effort to win the game by himself, twisted his entire body to throw the ball to Sidney Rice. It was intercepted, and the Saints ended up winning the coin flip and the overtime period. Wow!
So, how does this game list among my top five? Here's my updated list, with rankings this time!
5. The 1987 NFC Championship Game against Washington(01/17/88)- The only game on this list with the Vikings trailing with less than a minute to play in the game.
4. 2003 Week 17 against the Cardinals (12/28/03)- Terrible loss considering they lost to a team who was 3-12 at the time and they needed this win to advance to the playoffs. Not to mention that Arizona won in a last second field goal. It still gets penalized for not being a playoff game, though.
3. 1974 NFC Divisional Playoffs against Dallas (12/28/1975)- Interesting that this game and the #4 game that both ended on a last second hail mary were both played on 12/28. If I were the Vikings, I would never play an important game on that day ever again.
2. 2009 NFC Championship Game against New Orleans (01/24/10)- And it wasn't just because of the final minute of the 4th quarter. Add in the seven fumbles/ INTs, Adrian Peterson turning from one of the league's best RBs into one of its worst in a span of three hours, Brett Favre finally making that big mistake everyone has been waiting for after a pretty good game and the terrible penalties and calls by the refs that went to New Orleans, and that was one hell of a loss. Who knows how long they will rebound from this.
1. 1998 NFC Championship Game against Atlanta (01/17/99)- I was really considering putting Sunday's game at #1. But the fact that the '98 team was the Vikings best ever and that they lost because a kicker who was perfect the entire season missed his first one in the franchise's most crushal moment, and it can't be topped. For now, anyway.
- Why is it such a controversy that Tim Tebow will appear in a Super Bowl commercial in which he delivers a pro life message? It's not like he's promoting anything vial. Second, nearly $3 million was offered to CBS to show it, so of course they're going to show it. Finally, most people will look for comedy and awesomeness in the Super Bowl commercials, so they'll forget all about it and mostly remember that hilarious Budweiser or Chevy commercial from that day.
- The Manning- Brady army is officially dead. Manning is clearly better, in terms of stats, MVPs and wins. The only thing that he hasn't done is win more than one Super Bowl. Besides that, it's clearly Manning who is better.
- Now that The Who will perform in this year's Super Bowl halftime show, does that mean that next year, we'll start seeing more hip bands? I'm tired of seeing bands that have members that are old enough to be my grandfather play forty year old songs that's been played over a thousand times.
- I feel bad for the Cardinals. They just lost Kurt Warner to retirement and now have Matt Leinart as their starting QB. As for Kurt Warner, I wish he would've played another year. He's one of my favorite QBs ever. And, considering his postseason work and records done, he deserves to be a Hall of Famer.
And I'm going to leave that for now. The actual Super Bowl preview extravaganza coming at ya' next Friday. Until then, enjoy the Pro Bowl (I guess).
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you want to suggest anything to mj15 on his next blog entry, e-mail him at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mail might be addressed on a future post.
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