Super Bowl Thoughts, Notes, Suggestions, and WhatHaveYou

-I wrote all this at work today. Not really that much to do...

-It was like the Pats were never really into it. Brady was never under that kind of pressure this year, the Giants D looked fantastic because of it. When the Pats started to get those breaks that they always seemed to get this year, like the interception that fell into that guys hands, they wouldn't let them capitalize. I thought that was it, they were going to make it 14-3, and it never happened. Brady wasn't really on when he wasn't being pressured, with several passes thrown behind his receivers. It was strange from front to back, but it only made it a better game. We'll be talking about this for a long time.

-A theory; Billy B. took the life out of them. He was looking harder and harder throughout the year, admittedly from a distance, but a coach can do that. In the end he just looked soulless, too hard. I don't hate him for that, because you have to be a different kind of person to be an NFL coach, but I think it worked against him yesterday.

-That play that Manning made? You'll be seeing it when you're 80, over and over again.

-The Patriots cheat... and so do many other teams in the league, and quite a few players as well. And, in reality, the NFL doesn't care as long as it doesn't affect their image. That's why they destroyed the tapes, that's why they haven't investigated the Panthers using HGH before the Super Bowl a few years ago, and that's why their drug testing is a joke. Why would they do any different? The NFL as a whole is valued in the billions of dollars now, and no federal laws that they break will cost them as much as a substantial hit to their image could. There's too much money involved in sports now for it NOT to happen. And the media doesn't care, because the last thing they'd want is to kill the entertainment that so many read about in their pages. And who else is there to call them out on anything?

At this point, I think of it as a couple of notches above the WWF, but much more entertaining. I can't help but think that the NFL is going to receive its comeuppance at some point, but don't know when. I'll say it again; if there were a Mitchell report for the NFL, the league would have to shut down for a year. Doesn't that temper your enthusiasm for the league, even a bit?

-All those people surrounding the Petty stage - where do they come from? Do they just stay under the stadium in some enclosed place? Are they forced to leave the stadium when the halftime show is over? Do they watch on a big screen in some remote place? Do you get in by knowing someone, or by being attractive, or young, or what?

-I wish the half-time show weren't so long - I think it affects the players, and I'm not in favor of that.

-I'm thrilled that there is a dominant team in the NFL. For years I was afraid that there never would be another one, that every team would slowly fall to the mean, and that I'd never see another great team again. For the first ten weeks of the season, the Pats were a great team, and I was happy, even thrilled. Finally a team to compare to the 49ers and Cowboys of the 80's (for fear of my life, I kept this opinion to myself)! Yes, I want emotion in sports, and no, I don't want the same teams to win every year, but I also crave greatness, something to watch and be amazed by, something to give high praise to. And for a while we had it, and it was great fun. So maybe this salary cap thing does work, huh? The best teams have the least egos, and intelligence is desired in coaches. This is very interesting to me.

-So, in European sports, regardless of the sport, it is completely free market, and the biggest teams only get bigger as bandwagon fans become permanent; there is never a prolonged period of losing to kill them off! Soon it becomes very hard for other teams to compete. This means that, in Spain, not only are Barcelona and Real Madrid the two biggest soccer teams in the country, they are also the two biggest basketball teams in the country, by far, and could do the same in other sports if they wanted, making the Yankees dominance look pitiful. This would never fly in this country, and I'm glad for it.

-One thing I do like about European sports is promotion and relegation, where the worst teams are sent down to a lower division, and the best teams are promoted to a higher one. So, maybe that combined with a salary cap, and we could have some fantastically entertaining leagues. Oh well, I can dream, I guess.

-I like this.

-I once went undefeated in Tecmo Super Bowl using the Bucs, back when they were horrible. It was my only perfect season. I think I should be proud of that.

-Here's the thing about a mediocre team getting hot and winning the title; their goodness will be over-estimated for a long time. New York fans - and they are legion - will continue to bring them up, speaking about what a magical team they are, when they really just got hot for a couple of months, if that. Like the Bears, I bet they don't make the playoffs next year. If they were in the AFC, they wouldn't have made it in this year.

-And yes, as you may have expected me to say, please don't tell me the Giants are the best team in the NFL. They aren't. Please direct all hatred and slander towards the comments section.