It was old lion Brady versus Wilson, the young and defending champion tiger. The moody, cerebral Bill Belichick matched schemes and strategies against the upbeat, emotional Pete Carroll.
There were enough worthy storylines and personnel matchups between the Patriots and Seahawks to dominate the buildup and hype for two Super Bowls.
Let me interrupt our usual Super Bowl Xs and Os with … “I’m not an expert on footballs and PSI.”
Was I the only one more interested in whether New England quarterback Tom Brady could crack Seattle’s defensive codes and penetrate that secondary than in what I had been hearing for two weeks: “I didn’t alter the ball in any way. I have no knowledge of anything; any wrong doing”?
When the real story should have been the Patriots’ offensive line against the Seahawks’ front four and who could establish a running game, we got “I’m not the Mona Lisa Vito of football air pressure and stitching, laces and temperatures” (Belichick’s reference to the movie My Cousin Vinny and the encyclopedic knowledge of Marisa Tomei’s character on older car tires and suspensions.)
What happened to Rob Gronkowski facing off against Kam Chancellor or Darelle Revis and Branden Browner (a former Seahawk turned Patriot) limiting Russell Wilson’s big play abilities?
“When the NFL’s investigation is over, I fully expect an apology from the commissioner to the New England Patriots organization, the team and our fans.”
Marshawn Lynch and LeGarrette Blount may have been the biggest dueling running backs, by way of size, in Super Bowl history.
We got exactly five minutes of “I’m only here so I won’t get fined” and “You know why I’m here.”
Beast Mode was clearly evident in the game. But I heard more than I cared to know about Beast hats, shirts, logos and NFL fines on media obligations and approved league apparel.
Super Bowl XLIX was hijacked by a DreamLiner full of nonsensical non-stories and ridiculous chatter about nothing pertaining to the game itself.
From DeflateGate to the anti-media Lynch, to Richard Sherman’s musings on rules and punishment, to Belichick’s monologue on laces, leather, football rubdowns, to his owner’s apology demands, it was one distraction after another.
I should already be thigh pad deep into the Super Bowl game, but no — I’m still sidetracked on all the pregame sub-plots and drama because I’m told that’s what most people are really interested in — and, of course, those $4.5 million TV commercials.
First off, the underinflated football fiasco from the Patriots and Colts AFC Championship game is just that — a fiasco and public relations blunder of epic proportions.
I understand the intent of the inflation rule and of having the footballs used by both offensive teams be within specific playing conditions, which is to be inflated to between 12.5 and 13.5 pounds per square inch (PSI).
My question is, what difference does it really make? Why have the rule and such tight PSI guidelines to begin with? If a quarterback and offensive squad likes to play with a football at 12 PSI, as is the case with Tom Brady and the Patriots, then let them. If Andrew Luck and the Colts like the balls at 13 pounds, good for them. Go with 13.
If weather conditions, such as cold, wind or rain, make the football more playable for one team at 12 pounds, then why not play at 12 pounds? Same game, same conditions, the opposing team might like 13.5 pounds for some reason. Then more power to them. What difference does it make?
The opposing defenses shouldn’t care because they know their respective offenses have the same ball call.
It should be noted that different balls are used strictly for the kicking units and those footballs should be regulated so an over- or under-inflated ball doesn’t have an inherit advantage in any way in punting or kicking field goals.
It sounds pretty simple to me. But it seems the NFL likes to make things over-complicated. Coaches, quarterbacks and former equipment managers from around the NFL have stated on the record that under- or over-inflated balls are nothing new and it’s always been up to the discretion and likes and dislikes of the QBs.
All of a sudden, the Colts are getting their horse hind-kicked, and they alert the NFL police to possibly softer than normal footballs in New England. Are you kidding me!
If this was an early October matchup between the Titans and Jaguars, do you really think the NFL would have imposed these heavy-handed tactics? The answer is an unequivocal NO.
It’s mind-boggling to me that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell would approve and allow such an overt, over-the-top and public investigation of a practice that’s been going on along NFL sidelines for decades, and then see it become the media circus it has two weeks before his showcase Super Bowl.
Why would the NFL suits want the league’s “integrity” and “sense of fair play” dragged through the cynical and skeptical lenses of the media? Didn’t the Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson domestic abuse stories bring enough negative press and pressure on the NFL during what many feel has been the worst public relations year for the NFL in its history?
Maybe because of the Rice and Peterson situations, the NFL felt forced to be completely transparent about “Deflategate.”
They were idiots for doing so.
Their probe and disclosures of interviews and some mystery video of a Patriots ball boy taking footballs into a bathroom only impugn a four-time-Super Bowl-winning, genius head coach, his NFL cover boy quarterback, and, once again, the Patriots — one of the league’s elite franchises, and Robert Kraft, considered a critical power broker owner.
It should have been handled differently.
And whether Seattle’s All Pro running back Marshawn Lynch talks to the media or not doesn’t really matter in the big scheme of the Super Bowl or any game.
Media obligations, player contracts, collective bargaining between the owners and players union … blah, blah, blah … I get it. The league needs its players — especially the super star, mega-hyped ones — to be media-friendly and spread the NFL gospel.
Some think if you give one player, like the stubborn Lynch, the option of not talking to the press, then many others will follow suit, and the media won’t have anyone to quote and the “free” PR machine will shut down.
Really? Do you actually think star players like Richard Sherman, Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Rogers, Drew Brees, Tony Romo, etc., will shun the media? Like it or not, they use the media to help build their images and promote their brands.
There will always be one or two players like Lynch who don’t want or like to do pre- or post-game interviews. So be it. Who cares? The Seattle media and beat writers seem to be dealing with it OK. Sherman talks enough for the entire Seahawks team, and that’s perfectly fine too.
Fine Lynch $5,000 and hand the money over to a national charity of his choosing and move on already.
Kickoff finally arrived, and we got the game back. We were treated to another classic Super Bowl finish.
Wilson used a few blinks of an eye for an 80-yard drive and touchdown with two seconds before half time to get back on track at 14-all. The Seahawks then outscored the Pats 10-0 in the third quarter for a 24-14 cushion.
The fourth quarter usually belongs to Brady, where he’s made his reputation winning three previous Super Bowls with late-game heroics and his uncanny cool and steady hand under fire.
The 37-year-old veteran led New England on two touchdown drives, throwing to a concrete hard, tough-minded Julian Edelman on several critical third downs and the eventual game-winning touchdown pass with 2 minutes to play.
Down by 10 points in the fourth, Brady went 10 of 12, passing for 128 yards and two touchdowns against a defense that likes to be mentioned in the same breath with the Steel Curtain, Purple People Eaters, Doomsday, the ’85 Bears and Ravens D from the early 2000s.
Put all of those yellow Hall of Fame jackets on hold for now.
Katy Perry’s halftime fireworks reignited in those crazy final two minutes.
By now, you’ve seen Jermaine Kearse’s tumbling, on-his-back, juggling catch at the Patriots’ 4-yard-line with 67 seconds to play.
Time seemed to stop as you witnessed Brady’s incredulous expression on the bench. Could Kearse join Tyree and Manningham in the Patriots’ nightmares?
Lynch bulled his way to the 1 yard line, and then came the call that will be second-guessed for years to come. With three downs, 30 seconds and one time out, Carroll told his offensive coordinator “let’s throw it.”
Time did stop again, as little-known, undrafted rookie Malcolm Butler from the backwoods of the University of West Alabama read the Seahawks’ pick play and beat the receiver Ricardo Lockette to the ball at the 1 yard line and made the unbelievable game-saving interception.
The Seahawks had the Beast all Skittled up and ready to blast in the end zone for what probably would have secured Seattle’s second straight Super Bowl championship. Lynch’s number is not called on second down; instead Wilson goes to the air and Butler makes history.
Last Super Bowl it was Seattle’s Malcolm Smith with MVP headlines. This time, it’s New England’s Malcolm in the Middle of Super Bowl miracle plays.
It had been 10 years since Belichick and Brady last won a Super Bowl. In that time, they lost two title games to the New York Giants. It seemed a fourth Lombardi Trophy wouldn’t be impossible, but would be improbable.
Belichick stayed patient with his short passing game. Brady put up MVP numbers, going 37 of 50 for 328 yards and four touchdown passes. Edelman made Patriot Nation forget the ghost of Wes Welker with nine receptions for 109 yards. And Butler made them all that much smarter and better.
Brady won his third MVP award and his fourth Super Bowl championship, tying Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw.
We started Super Bowl XLIX with silly, hyped-up stories about football air pressure and media snubs.
We ended with a fantastic finish.
Get Rick Sarro’s perspectives on sports on Soundoff 60, which airs Monday through Sunday nights at 9 pm on Suddenlink Channel 60 and Saturday and Sunday mornings at 10 am as well.
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