Clarksville, TN – Like many of you, I took Super Bowl Sunday as my chance to camp out in front of a TV with friends to watch the biggest sporting event of the year in America.
And while I nearly ate myself into a food coma (wings, dips, and tenderloin dominated our watch party menu), I still present to you my quick thoughts from Super Bowl XLVI.
The legend of Eli Manning continues to grow
I’m not sure a quarterback has had a more oddly-defined career than the youngest Manning brother. Just a few years ago, who in their right mind would have predicted that the slow-talking and downright goofy Ole Miss quarterback would have two rings – one more than his brother and one shy of his brother’s arch rival?
Give Manning credit, though. After taking shot after shot in the NFC Championship Game, he continued to dig deep and come up with plays when his team needed him most and that theme continued Sunday night. I’m not yet sure what this game says about Manning’s legacy, but it’s hard to argue with his hardware (and his sweet rides as a two-time Super Bowl MVP).
Where does Tom Brady go from here?
A little over four years ago, Brady and the Patriots were the closest thing to a dynasty in all of professional sport. Since then? The Patriots have lost two Super Bowls, leaving many to wonder if Brady’s place among the NFL’s greats is in question. At times Sunday night, Brady was an absolute surgeon, breaking Joe Montana’s record for consecutive completions (16) and leading the Patriots to a 17-9 third quarter lead.
After suffering an apparent shoulder injury late in the third quarter, however, he was never the same, missing easy throws and never leading the Patriots to a scoring drive again. As quickly as fans were hopping on Brady’s bandwagon in the mid-2000s, some appear to be hopping off now. I’m not sure I buy it.
When Brady’s career is over, he will have at least three Super Bowl wins and will have authored some of the all-time greatest offensive seasons in the history of the NFL. Will he ever reach another Super Bowl? Who knows. But, for now at least, Brady place is safe among the game’s all-time greats.
Madonna has still got it
Or at least she brought it during her halftime performance. At 53 years old, many (myself included) wondered what the appeal of having Madonna perform at halftime would be. After her performance (which also featured British rapper M.I.A. flipping the bird on live television), I left pleasantly surprised. It wasn’t quite to the level of Prince or Tom Petty (or even U2), but it was still a positive aspect to the show (unlike last year’s performance).
Favorite commercials?
Volkswagen stole the show yet again with its “Bark Strikes Back” ad.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-9EYFJ4Clo[/youtube]
Teleflora’s seductive ad with Brazilian supermodel Adriana Lima definitely had Twitter buzzing.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWrJgFjxlS0[/youtube]
And Clint Eastwood’s stirring “Halftime In America” spot had me ready to get up and chest bump the rest of my Super Bowl watch party.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFAiqxm1FDA[/youtube]
How awesome was this Super Bowl?
From production value (I thought NBC did an outstanding job – Al Michaels continued his ascent up the list of all-time greatest sportscasters) to late-game drama, Super Bowl XLVI delivered. After all, once the coin toss landed on heads (and ensured millions of free Papa John’s pizzas), was there any doubt we wouldn’t be treated to an outstanding game.
There were unsung heroes (Chase Blackburn’s interception was huge; Mario Manningham’s tip-toe catch was unbelievable) and there were goats (How did Wes Welker not come up with that 3rd-down catch that might have sealed the game for the Patriots? How did the Patriots allow Manningham to get free on a go route for a second time?).
In the end, however, we were treated to one of the best Super Bowls in recent memory and the Giants are Super Bowl XLVI Champions. Congratulations, G-Men.
