Super and not-so-super
As everyone knows by now, unless there are still some Japanese soldiers from World War II living in caves, the Steelers have picked up the franchise’s sixth Lombardi Trophy with their last-minute comeback victory over the Cardinals. A few thoughts on the game, the pageantry and the aftermath:
- This will not qualify as groundbreaking information for anyone who has watched the guy, but is there a bigger doofus on TV in Pittsburgh than Channel 11’s John Fedko? Amid his postgame screaming, Fedko declared that the just-completed contest was the “greatest Super Bowl ever.” Really? That thought never crossed my mind. A good game, no doubt. But best ever? Huh?
- Not to pick on WPXI, but who directed their postgame coverage? Chimps? It was one of the most disjointed messes I’ve ever witnessed.
- A woman interviewed by one of the Pittsburgh TV stations after the game said it was “the greatest night of my life.” Lady, you’ve had a really sad life.
- I thought the ads, on average, weren’t as good as in some years past. I did enjoy the CareerBuilder ad with the screaming lady, etc., the Denny’s ad touting their free Grand Slam Breakfast offer, the baby stock trader ads and, especially, the Doritos “crystal ball” spot.
- Larry Fitzgerald may someday be considered the greatest receiver in NFL history (yes, even better than Jerry Rice), but Santonio Holmes sure had a coming-out party last night. This guy is going to be a major star in the league, provided he confines himself to playing on the grass and not smoking it.
- The school districts that imposed two-hour delays on classes today have made it clear that, at least in their areas, a sporting event is more important than children’s educations.
- Bruce Springsteen, whom I’ve seen several times, still puts on one helluva show, but unless he was suffering from an upper respiratory condition that wasn’t disclosed, I’d say his voice is shot. That sure doesn’t encourage me to drop $50 or more for a future concert.
What are your thoughts on the game and everything that went along with it?
Labels: Sports
posted by Brant at
10:08 AM
16 Comments:
I found this game to be extremely exciting... I won't say straight up that it is the best ever (I haven't seen every other game), but it will, no doubt, be on a bunch of ESPN-13 top X lists of Superbowl awesomeness.
The officiating was a little cumbersome... and if not for the late-game fireworks, threatened to cast a shadow on the game (and has, for those not in steeler/cardinal nation, judging from the comments on various Yahoo! sports blogs).
I don't know if I just zoned out or went out on the porch to smoke during every commercial break, but I hardly remember them! I did not see the famed crystal ball spot, but I will check it out online. I was generally disappointed with Budweiser, annoyed by careerbuilder, amused by etrade, and titillated by GoDaddy...
Larry Fitzgerald is a great receiver... and Holmes is on his way up. Holmes is more reminiscent of Jerry Rice as far as stature and playing style is concerned while Fitz reminds me more of Randy Moss...
Anyone else think Ben is the second coming of John Elway?
Any thoughts on Rooney's thanking Obama for his support in rooting for the black and gold?
Oh... and you all know that I am functionally retarded when it comes to music... but springsteen didn't do it for me... he reminded me of a vegas version of a much less cool John Melloncamp... I never really "got" the Boss... and last night didn't help things along :-)
I was never a big fan of Bruce either, and I wasn't impressed with him last night. It was like he was trying too hard, plus he looks old and fat and his voice was terrible. Tom Petty has it all over him!
You didn't mention Troy's Coke commercial, which was cool but if you blinked you would have missed it. The crystal ball ad was great, and CareerBuilder would have been great if it had been about half the length it was.
And the game! Oh my, I gnawed my fingers down to stubs during those last two minutes after being a bit bored during the middle of the game. What an awesome finish! So exciting!!
I was expecting big things from Troy's commercial... It was... well... not big?
I loved the game. I can't say it was the greatest game ever, but of the Super Bowls I've seen and can remember, in my book it topped all of them.
On the other hand, I thought this year's commercials were the worst bunch ever. I chuckled a little bit at a couple of them (the babies were cute), but overall I was disappointed in them.
No one mentioned James Harrison's record-setting run. Awesome!!! Holmes unquestionably deserved MVP. His game winning catch had me on my feet screaming. And I don't readily get out of my TV chair for much.
As Jennifer Hudson sang the anthem, all I could think about was Brant's earlier post about wailing the damn thing. She's a beautiful girl, wonderful voice, and I admire her resolve after all she's been through this year. But please...just sing the damn song.
The Boss did a pretty good job in my opinion. He certainly did better than those dinosaurs, the Stones. They were horrible. I saw Springsteen several times in the past and his live shows are legend. It was nice to see some of that interaction again with Miami Steve and the Big Man (where in the hell do those two buy their clothes???).
A lot of people seem pissed about Harrison's treatment of Aaron Francisco on the punt that was downed at the 1 yard line... I watched it on YouTube... and honestly, it barely warranted a penalty flag... He did not "punch" anyone, he stuck him with a forearm and prevented him from getting up (Harrison IS playing punt-protection at this point)... and that is what you are supposed to do, neutralize your man. The flag came in when Francisco managed to get to his feet and Harrison threw him back down. I don't know the timeline, but if the play has not been whistled dead at that point, it should still be considered a block. I mean, if we return it to the 50 and Francisco makes the tackle and forces a fumble, does Harrison get heat for not following through on his coverage? If the play was dead and the throw-down was what drew the penalty, then it was a fair penalty. However, it was only a penalty... not an ejectable offense.
I thought Springsteen was fine. If I'm in that kind of shape when I'm 60, I'll take it. And while the voice might be deeper and have a little more grit in it, it's still in good working order.
Yeah, I liked the Career Builder ad too, and the game was pretty good, needless to say. The Zapruder film-like analysis that's applied to plays is pretty amazing ("Did Ben Roethlisberger's right knee touch the ground before the football landed in the end zone. Let's look at it from another angle...").
--Brad Hundt
I'm not surprised that Pittsburgh schools were delayed today for those recovering from post-Super Bowl hangovers. Remember, this is a region where work comes to a near halt for one day in November when deer hunting season begins.
I can honestly say the Super Bowl was one of the best experiences of my life... thus far. Maybe an eventual wedding day or birth of children will top it. But right now, this is No. 1 in my book. Oh, and the day the O-R hired me comes in a close second.
Did I detect an audible puckering up? ;-)
Mike... a couple of things.
Number 1... be careful, you can get chapped lips kissing that much ass.
Number 2... You are a studly guy... you should have a lil wifey
Number 3... Did you get to ATTEND the game? I swear to lil baby jesus that everyone went to that damn game except me!
1. Oddly, my lips did get chapped while I was down in Florida. Got any ChapStik?
2. Not yet ready for the big show.
3. Went to the game and was lucky enough to sit in a section full of jag'off Cardinals fans. They slithered away not long after the confetti started to rain down onto the field.
4. James Harrison should have been ejected for his little cage match on that punt. Inexcusable behavior by such a good player, but at least it cost the Steelers only about six inches.
I have a funny story about chap stick...
I'll share it with you someday :-)
Eevryone has his or her vesrion of "the greatest day of my life," so I try not to judge too harshly those who term Sunday as that day. Let's hope that in 50 years, it still isn't.
Harrison shouldn't have been ejected for that. He didn't punch the guy. He gave him a forearm and kept him on the ground.
He was pissed the guy dove at his knees on a punt. Harrison wasn't rushing the punter and Francisco blatantly went after his knees. Punk move. He deserved worse than one forearm.
Whew! I was thinking I was going to end up being the only one to defend that play... and lo and behold, a sports writer agrees with me!
LoL :-) I was going to start petitioning phonyfeminazi to take my side :-)
Phony would say that Harrison was justifiably angered by all the entitlement spending proposed by Obama.
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