Superbowl Fever

Dear Superfans,

I wanted to start by saying that Heath Ledger's loss was untimely and must be tragic for those who knew him and care about him personally, but even for mere movie fans everywhere, his loss was extremely disheartening. Not only was he a young man (in his twenties) with a great deal of promise as an actor, but he had already started to show some of that promise in a variety, a very wide variety of roles, starting with the teen angst film (Shakespeare adaptation), 10 Things I Hate About You where he played the role of mysterious bad boy courts unattainable girl very well. He also played the poor boy who through luck, effort, and wits, has to earn his spot at the proverbial table in a Knight's Tale, (very loose Chaucer adaptation). He also played the valiantly rebellious son of a reluctant warrior in the Patriot (a Mel Gibson from Braveheart adaptation). And many people have pointed to his well acknowledged role in Brokeback Mountain that demonstrated he had the range to play a serious lead, but if you saw Monster's Ball, I think you would have known his acting chops long before. It was at that point, where he stood up to Billy Bob Thornton, both within the movie and as an actor, that his potential was revealed. Moreover, he was about to have his big break, and jump from independent movie star to A list movie star, in the guise of the Joker in the upcoming Batman flick. Now, it will be eerie watching him play the maniacal villain, whether he plays the role perfectly or imperfectly; that movie is now haunted. So, I express my deepest sorrow for those that loved him, and take solace in the many bright years that he gave us.



So, while I don't intend to demean a young man's demise, I do want to give my incites into the football season that is now winding down. I wanted to congratulate Brett Favre for another fantastic season that like so many of his seasons are filled with great question marks, inexplicable flubs, and wondrous magic. This team that for most of the season worked without a go-to running back was forced onto the mythic shoulders of the living legend, who helped carry them to a 13-3 record. Of course, he will be blamed for poor decisions and a poor throw in the freezer bowl that gave the Giants the victory, but to be fair, look at their running game. In cold weather, in harsh climates, running becomes supremely important. Much to their credit, the Giants stuffed Green Bay's running attack and forced Favre to throw the ball just about every time. GB ended up with around 30 yards rushing, which is terrible, but in the cold, it's even worse. So, criticize Favre all you want, not just his numerous interceptions and fatal overtime interception, or even for having almost no passing game after the first half, but I credit the Giants defense for stopping the run, which ultimately put more pressure on Favre then he could handle, particularly with the Giants playing adequately on offense.

Speaking of the Giants offense, Manning had another above average game, which reminded me of a couple of quarterbacks: Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson (not Brady or older brother Manning), which is not what Giants fans want to hear, except that those guys won superbowls too by playing small games. By managing the clock (not turning the ball over) and utilizing the Giants multi-faceted running game, he could use the Giants very good receivers (Plaxico Buress is probably a top 5 receiver in the game and Toomer is a solid secondary receiver) to achieve great things, even in this final game. They won a classic game against the Favre-ettes in the freezing cold, and before that they dispatched of the highly talented Cowboys by limiting Romo, a guy with a heck of lot of moxy, some skill, some leadership, and a down-to-earth personality that will keep him in the playoff hunt for years to come, (but he will have to play well in the playoffs to be the truly great player he can be (in my book)). By limiting Romo, they limited Owens, who is definitely a top 5 receiver in the game (however ornery he is), and Witten who is a very good TE. And they did all this with their steady presence on defense, Strahan hampered, and without a fiery gifted tight end in Shockey (however ornery he is).

But, that having been said, it is my firm opinion that the AFC is much better than the NFC, and whoever emerged from the AFC would be champions. I would favor the AFC even it was the Jaguars who made it to the Superbowl led by Garard, who is a better version of Brad Johnson as their QB, and 2 solid running backs in addition to their physical defense and lines. Indianapolis would have a tough time against the Giants because the Indy D is small and quick and Jacobs could run over them, but Sanders would prevent major flubs on D and the the Indy O is almost as effective as the New England O in that the receivers, when healthy are almost as good and the running back is probably slightly better. Or how about a healthy San Diego with the best TE around, a great defense with Cromartie to guard Moss or Plaxico and Merriman to steroid up the group. Of course, they also have the best RB around (if he plays). I don't blame LT for not playing or for keeping his Darth Vader helmet on throughout the game as he sat quietly on the sidelines saddened by his inability to contribute. My only critique of him is that if he wanted to look like Vader, he should have played for the Empire, his opponent.

No, Belichick is not evil per se, in that he may be a very nice man, good to his family and friends, and a hugely charitable philanthropist. He may be kind to dogs and strangers, and a decent tipper to waiters. I honestly have no idea if he is a budhist monk or a war hero or if he volunteers reading my blog to the blind (although, why would he torture the blind?). But, I do know his football life, and I know his players are among the most physically illegally aggressive (from other players' stories), he was caught cheating by spying (at least twice) [if any otherwise unattainable information was garnered, it would certainly allow him to make better play calls, which would put his team in a better position to stop an offensive play or to know where the other team's defensive holes will be for his own offensive plays, which would in turn give his team a competitive advantage on any given play. How is that not helpful and how is a draft pick a sufficient punishment for that? I don't care that other guys are doing the same thing and have not been caught, we caught him. Should we not punish one speeder because other people are also speeding, see LeBron James. (I would have used murderers or corrupt CEO's instead of speeders, but it would have clouded the issue of letting one person go because other people are doing the same illegal thing.)] Additionally, the guy cuts ties with people who leave his organization like Mangini (not a huge betrayal to leave your job for a promotion somewhere else, is it?), he badmouthed Tony Dungy, and he classlessly ran up the scores against opponents like he bet on "the over" or that New England would beat the spread. So, he is as evil a football coach as we are going to get. Throw in the fact that he has a temper as bad as Parcells with none of the media access and we have ourselves a Star Wars character. The hooded sweatshirt (and tactical brilliance) makes him the ideal candidate for Emperor, working behind the scenes as he puts on the veneer of legitimacy, while his minions ravage the other team. Now, who would his shiny apprentice be, would he be a coach or a player that unquestioningly follows the emperor's orders? Would he be a guy who wears fancy duds and is the face of the Empire? Would he inspire fear in all his enemies with his inhuman skill and cold, calculating demeanor, which manifests into brilliant ability whenever required? I am a fan of Brady as much as the next non-Pats fan, but I really like how this analogy works.

The real question is: can the golden locks and the boyish {cough} charm of Eli Manning play the foil to Brady's cool dark veneer? Keep in mind, Vader won the first fight against Luke pretty easily. But, these two teams have also played before. By the way, I would totally make Parcells Yoda in this way over extended metaphor. And, New England's defense is stacked with playmakers from Asante Samuel to Bruschi to Adalius Thomas to Vrabel to Harrison to Colvin. And their O line is solid not letting people pressure Brady. The RB situation is satisfactory and the receivers are extraordinary with Moss, the most talented (and second best receiver) of all time leading the pack with great height extraordinary athleticism and great hands. Wes Welker is an incredibly speedy and steadfast slot or 3rd down receiver and Stallworth who is extremely talented and will get open if the other teams over protect Moss and Welker. This receiving core with its additions of Sammy Morris and a smattering of other receivers is better than Warner's Bruce and Holt combo and is slightly better than the Harrison, Wayne, Stokely, and TE combos that gave Manning the record a few years back, which probably makes it the best all time (and better than the Moss Carter Minnesota receivers). I can't vouch for the receivers of yesteryear, even Rice's receivers, and I know the rules have changed, the training regimens have changed, and various events have changed making comparisons difficult, but the highest QB TD total in an outdoor stadium team is telling of something. Yes, Brady and P. Manning are on a different level than the other quarterbacks playing at their prime playing today, but their protective lines and receivers are special, historically special.

So, you know who I am predicting, but yes, I would be pleasantly surprised to see the Giants win. I wanted to do a Power 15 list like Peter King does in his Monday Morning QB articles for SI, ranking the top 15 football teams, but I didn't want to steal his bit. I do love lists (extra points if someone has the legitimate word for a list-ophile) and though I do like applying the lists to everything (See my list of the 100 greatest geniuses), I particularly enjoy listing things related to sports. So, this list discussion foreshadows an upcoming basketball list of my choosing (yet to be determined) probably 2-3 articles from now.

Superfan #22,
MPBE

PS: New England Patriots 34, New York/New Jersey Giants 21.