Clubhouse Article

Five Things I Learnt During Super Bowl 46

February 13th, 2012 by Nat Coombs

So that’s that. The NFL season that almost never was (does anyone even remember the summer lockout?), is now gone. It provided a series of colorful memories of remarkable plays, moments, wins, losses all seemingly topped, in my head anyway, by a final image of Bill Belichick, wearing a pair of “Beatz by Dre” headphones, being carried by Roman foot-soldiers, sporting Wes Welker ‘taches, whilst Brady, Gronk and Co. Tebowed away manically behind him.

Nat Coombs meets Ndamukong Suh at NFL UK's Super Bash

Yep, that night/morning after Super Bowl XLVI, my dreams were crazier than Lewis Carroll’s after four bottles of red wine. I blame Madonna’s absurdly theatrical half-time show, the fact that I had interviewed Ndamukong Suh onstage at the NFL UK’s SuperBash earlier that night – and survived – and the fact that I’d just watched one of the best games of football I’d seen for a long time.

Technically it wasn’t awe inspiring, but given what was at stake and the fact that two very different, but undoubtedly captivating QBs were slugging it out made it an utterly compelling match. Did the best team win in the end? I still haven’t worked that out. But here are five things I did establish when looking back on the big night:

5. Stop Overreacting about the Patriots Offense, Everybody
Yes, that means you Gisele, but also all of the members of the media, and fans alike, who are pushing the frankly absurd line that Tom Brady doesn’t have enough weapons around him. Nonsense.

In Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez he potentially has two of the best tight ends ever to play the game, along with a guy who has led the NFL in receptions twice (2007 and 2009), who had three consecutive 110-reception seasons, is the only receiver in NFL history with at least 110 receptions in any three seasons. Sure he doesn’t have much of a running game but the lack of a fully fit Gronk was the difference on Sunday, nothing more nothing less.

4. There’s Lucky and then there’s the New York Footballing Giants
I’m not taking anything away from Big Blue. Kudos for going on the road once again, and battling to a genuinely remarkable Super Bowl win, made all the more extraordinary when you consider that it’s the second time in four years that a Giants team which had looked dead and buried in early December has bounced back from the grave more impressively than the cast of Twilight.

But no doubt about it. They had some lucky breaks in the turnover department during their playoff run and this extended to the Super Bowl. Each time they recovered their own fumbles, cancelling out any chance serious damage. Some say that’s big play mentality. I say the amount of times the ball has bounced their way that someone is watching over them. And I don’t mean Tim Tebow.

Flail Mary: Hernandez (81) & Gronk (87) fail to catch Brady's pass as the season came to a thrilling end

3. Wonder if Belichick wishes he hadn’t traded Randy Moss after all?
Despite the fact that NE’s offense didn’t turn from impressive to vanilla overnight, you have to wonder if BB wished he had Randy Moss in the frame for one last hurrah, considering Ocho Cinco was about as much of a downtown threat this season as I was.

2. (Real) Villains vs. Scapegoats
I read someone applauding M.I.A flipping the bird during Madge’s half time set as “genius.” Correction. F Scott Fitzgerald was a genius. Groucho Marx was a genius. So was Bill Walsh. M.I.A? I’m amazed she didn’t follow up her special “move” with a sulky head flick, telling everyone that “she hated them” and storming off to her bedroom to watch One Tree Hill.

But conversely, I feel for poor Wes Welker, who seems to be being singled out as the main reason the Pats lost – failing to keep his normally über reliable mitts on Brady’s pass with less than 5 to go in the 4th quarter. He’s still a great player – and potentially a future HOF’er. We all make mistakes. Though if Wes had given Gisele the finger following her comments, I would have sniggered just a little.

1. The “Who is the better Manning?” debate is impossible to resolve – so don’t try
So Peyton has had a better career in terms of individual ability, role within the team on an ongoing basis – he’s a coach as well as a playing leader; whilst Eli is gutsy, clutch and a winner. Who’s the best? Everyone is trying to decide. My view? Don’t bother.

They maybe be brothers but they’’re very different. Whilst two Super Bowl Rings do not detract from the numerous games where Eli has looked marginally more capable as an NFL QB than if Matt Saracen from Friday Night Lights was suddenly parachuted in and told to play. You can’t argue that champions do it when it counts, and that Peyton has been caught lacking on a few occasions that his brother hasn’t. Cherish them both and the latest golden age of QBs and don’t worry about placing one over the other.

How and where Peyton and Eli perform in the future is just one tasty thought that has me savoring the new NFL season – just six months away! – and roll on Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans.

NAT COOMBS is a writer and broadcaster who hosts the chat show Talk of The Terrace on our partner channel ESPN, and both NFL & MLB coverage on BBC Radio Five Live. He also anchors the US sports podcast Americarnage.
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