Can you believe it? The New Orleans Saints are champions of the world. If you've followed this blog, you know my brother, Y1, has been a Saints fan since he was 2 years old. Needless to say, yesterday was the happiest day of his life. And while he'll be here shortly to take you through what it means to him, the team, and the city, here's 11 random observations from a slightly more unbiased observer.
1) Finally, M*A*S*H has been dethroned as the most-watched tv program of all-time! It took an epic Mid-Atlantic blizzard, a touching story arc (the Saints and Katrina) and perhaps the greatest QB of all-time (Peyton Manning) to draw 106.5 million people to their tvs. Personally, I've never been impressed by what I've seen from M*A*S*H, so glad to see football has taken its rightful place in tv history.
2) For 4 hours of pregame, CBS didn't do a bad job, at least when they minimized mic time for Shannon Sharpe and Bill Cowher. The biggest downside, Katie Couric's interview of President Obama. No softball questions to start, no wheelhouse sports questions, it's straight into healthcare! Who cares? Super Sunday is the one day we can escape all the crap of our daily lives! Next time, lighten up a little, Katie!
3) The scariest moment of the day though had to be Peyton Manning's walk into the stadium. It struck me as odd that a man who seems so genial in those commercials tried his best to look intimidating walking in to the stadium. I couldn't tell if he was attempting to redefine the "Manning Face" or just really had to get to the bathroom. Still, it was the oddest image of Super Bowl Sunday. Hillary Clinton is jealous of the scowling ability Peyton Manning showed on Sunday.
4) A close runner-up to Peyton Manning's pregame for scariest moment of the day had to be The Who at half-time. I'd argue Pete Townshend's flabby old-man stomach flopping out on every windmill strum was more offensive to viewers than Janet Jackson's nipple. Maybe it's time to invest in a slightly younger act? Is Gene Autry still alive? If this keeps up, we're going to have an hour delay while medics attend to a collapsed musical legend.
5) The commercials in the game were a let down as well. The Tebow "abortion" ad turned out to be much ado about nothing. Anyone offended by that needs to look at themselves in the mirror. Still, it was unspectacular like the rest of the ads. Stalwarts like Coke, Bud Light, and car companies were disappointing at best, terrible at worst. The best in my opinion was the smart, but understated Google search ad.
6) By far the most shocking number of the game was zero...the number of times we saw Kim Kardashian cheering on Reggie Bush. Truthfully CBS did a wonderful job focusing on the game and not the celeb fans like Archie Manning and the Kardashians. How often does it feel like you're actually watching a football game during the Super Bowl? There weren't 50 million crowd shots (FOX), or announcers trying to upstage the game (cough, Joe Buck, cough). Kudos to Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, and the production crew.
8) On to the actual game...you'll hear a small pocket of chemically unbalanced, depressed Colts fans talking about a missed block-in-the-back penalty on Tracy Porter's pick 6. Don't buy it. If you look closely, Manning is turning as Will Smith is blocking him. Kudos to all officials, including anonymous head ref Scott Green, who stayed out of the way and let the players decide the outcome.
9) Reggie Wayne is getting too much flack for not breaking up Manning's interception. It was a combination of a great blitz call by Gregg Williams, a rushed throw by Manning, and a terrific read by Tracy Porter. It would be a shame to take credit away from the Saints win by finding one scapegoat to place all of the blame on...it was too well played a Super Bowl.
10) By the way, if anyone can find a pulse on Jim Caldwell, it would help to confirm the man is alive. His steely expression and sense of calm works great over the long haul of the season, but in the biggest game of them all, the Colts seemed just a little flat. Once the Saints settled down, all of the emotional momentum was firmly on their side, and the Colts were denied in their feeble attempts to get it back. The difference in demeanor between Caldwell and Sean Payton was the most glaring discrepancy between the two teams.
11) Lastly, one Saints related point (can't let Y1 take all the glory the rest of the week)...don't listen to anyone (Colin Cowherd, Scott Van Pelt, etc.) who tries to tell you destiny, or fate, or faith, didn't play a role in the Super Bowl. Drew Brees said it himself, signing in New Orleans was a calling...God placed him in New Orleans for a reason. Y1 and myself are men of faith, and I can tell you from our experiences in the Big Easy, that those wonderful people are full of faith as well. Hurricane Katrina may have taken some of that away, but Drew Brees and the Saints have helped to restore some of that faith with their World Championship. It won't build houses and schools, it won't feed the hungry, it won't heal the sick. But, it shows hope is real, and faith is rewarded. The Saints were destined to win, just like the Colts were supposed to win three years ago, to give Tony Dungy the platform necessary to tell his amazing story. And now, the Saints, as Super Bowl Champions, can continue to play their small part in healing a community.
Again, make sure you stay tuned the rest of the week for Y1's Saints follow-up to their World Championship. Also, we're gearing up for Olympic coverage and the emergence of basketball! If you're not a Colts fan, raise a toast to all the Who Dats for the Saints and the city of New Orleans. Until then, it's bye for now!
