Hi everyone, new poster, a little late on this subject, but after reading this thread, I felt compelled to join and chime in.
Here's a great Bill Simmons article on the Super Bowl:
Bill Simmons: Super Bowl diary - ESPN
My comments: did any of you even begin to imagine a better way for the Super Bowl to play out? Consider the following:
- After the Pats destroyed the Colts 20-3 in the 2004 divisional playoffs (which I was at), Colts owner Bill Napolian forgot he had a johnson, and complained to the NFL competition committee that the Pats DBs were too hard on his receivers (this has been confirmed in an interview with Mike Perriera conducted by Mike Felger). The NFL (somehow) agreed, and changed the rules to favor the Colts. So Belichik’s defense, which had been built around the hard-hitting allowed by the previous rules, no longer enjoyed the advantage for which they were designed.
- Fast-forward 2 years: if Reche Caldwell could catch, the Patriots beat the Colts in the 2006 AFC Championship, and the Pats roll to their 4th Super Bowl over a very weak Bears team. Instead, the Pats defense was worn out from chasing the Colts receivers (which they couldn’t hit), and we lose on a late Colts rally. Throw in the story that the Colts were artificially turning up the volume in the stadium when the Pats were on offense, and one can start to understand the resentment of the Colts by Pats fans. Maybe Napolian will now lobby to ban on-sides kicks?
- Fast-forward 2 years: if the refs don’t swallow their whistles at the end of Super Bowl 42, then maybe the Pats do go 19-0, and NFL history is forever changed. Instead, aided by multiple blatant holding infractions on the Giants on the final drive (at one point, Wilfork was in a headlock...wasn't called), and because of the aforementioned rule changes, Plaxico (oops, I shot myself) Burress gets a clean release into the end zone to score the winning TD.
- Fast-forward 2 years: the Colts go 14-0, but then forget they have johnsons, and decide to “rest their starters” for the remainder of the regular season. They suffer their first loss to the Jets (more on this in a moment), thereby changing the complexion of the playoffs completely (some would say, unfairly). How often do you have a chance at immortality? The Pats did, and went for it. One word: gutless. Consider that if they had continued playing, and beat the Jets, then Denver probably makes the playoffs. I don’t think the Colts would have been as challenged by the Broncos as they were by the Jets (see next item).
- The Colts then play the Jets (whom they let into the playoffs, see above) for the AFC Championship. They win, but Dwight Freeney injures his ankle during what was a very physical game (see next item).
- Dwight Freeney is a factor in the first half of the Super Bowl, but because of the long halftime show, his injured ankle (see previous item) stiffens, and is not a factor in the second half: Brees goes 32-39/288(2/0) for the game, with no sacks in the second half.
- Here’s where it gets good, no…great. Had the Colts won on Sunday, we would have had to listen to the talking heads wash Peyton Manning’s balls for years to come. Instead, he throws the worst pick-6 in Super Bowl history, at the worst possible time. His team was only down by 7, and driving for the tying score. Instead, they’re down by 14 with a little over 3 minutes to play. Like the Tyree play, everything changed with that one play. The difference is it wasn’t divine (or in that case referee) intervention, it was just a terrible throw at a terrible time from someone who was all but crowned as the “best ever” this year.
- And speaking of that pick, I’m just itching for some Colts/Manning fan to mention that Manning got clipped on the interception return (he did in fact). My response: see Wilfork item above. In fact, the Wilfork non-call (and all the other non-called penalties on that drive) was far worse, because it potentially changed the outcome of the game. I don’t think the Manning non-call would have mattered: he wasn’t going to stop Porter anyway.
- Lastly, the icing on the cake was Manning leaving the field without shaking any of the Saints’ hands. He said he was being deferential to the winners. Bull*. When the Pats lost 2 years ago, Brady went right over to the Giants to congratulate them. Brady: classy loser, Manner: sore loser.
So there you have it, the football gods are alive and well. It doesn’t make up for our Super Bowl loss 2 years ago, but it’s the next best thing. I couldn’t have imagined it better.
