Just got done talking to @itsnabila from @G9Sports! The interview will be at 10:15 tonight, so don’t miss it!! GREAT Bulls & NBA insight.
February 2011
45 posts
Seven Super Bowl victors since 01 had an INT returned for a TD & zero losers did. Overall, tms that return an INT for a TD in SB are 11-0.
RT @punchlinemag: Norm Macdonald returns as @ComedyCentral announces “Sports Show With Norm Macdonald” … http://tinyurl.com/4q6hs7g
RT @TheKodd: @frysportsradio @TheBigLead Is this how you celebrated the super bowl? Smash a woman’s face in cupcakes? http://tiny.cc/46g65
Yay Hyperbole! Top 10 Quarterbacks for 2011
1. Peyton Manning
2. Tom Brady
3. Aaron Rodgers
4. Drew Brees
5. Phillip Rivers
6. Matt Ryan
7. Matt Schaub
8. Sam Bradford
9. Jay Cutler
10. Michael Vick
Listen
I totally missed on the Bears, but the rest wasn’t all that bad!
More In-Depth Reaction to Super Bowl XLV
First off, I definitely need to put my Top Three Super Bowls:
3. Steelers 27, Cardinals 23, Super Bowl XLIII
2. Rams 23, Titans 16, Super Bowl XXXIV
1. Giants 17, Pats 14, Super Bowl XLII
No real surprises here. Both Steelers-Cardinals and Rams-Titans were games decided at the very end, one on a dramatic touchdown and the other on a dramatic not-a-touchdown-but-just-oh-so-barely. Because of the absolute last second drama of the Titans’ futility, I put that game ahead. Dang, they were close.
Okay! NOW I can get to last night’s thriller.
From an objective standpoint, this was an excellent Super Bowl. I worried that we were in for a yawn-a-thon after Green Bay jumped out to a 14-0 lead (especially the way it happened, with Big Ben tossing a pick that resulted in a dramatic diving touchdown by Nick Collins), and was even more convinced— albeit very excited— after the Packers put themselves up 21-3 with an extremely sharp Aaron Rodgers manning the ship.
But one thing you can never do is count out an unbelievable defense like the one Pittsburgh was showcasing. After stifling Green Bay throughout the 3rd quarter, I went into the final frame of regulation pretty convinced that Pitt’s momentum would somehow, some way, carry them to victory. When you have a sickeningly precarious 4-point lead over a two time Super Bowl winning quarterback like the one Green Bay was clinging on to, you don’t have a ton of confidence that your team will get the job done. In fact, you get downright frightened.
And that’s exactly why the Packers are world champions now. Instead of panicking, the defense stood up straight, tightened their gloves, and went to work making life as hard for Big Ben as humanly possible. For the first 7 or 8 minutes of the fourth quarter, I thought Green Bay’s defense was sensational. When Rodgers’ touchdown pass put them up 28-17, I felt like it was all over and the Pack could breathe easy.
Naturally, I was wrong.
Roethlisberger, who’s totally done the whole comeback-in-the-4th-quarter-of-a-Super-Bowl thing before, engineered an outstanding drive by utilizing a previously quiet Hines Ward to perfection. I’ll also submit that the 2-point conversion play call was the best coaching decision of the entire game: an absolutely brilliant play selection.
3-point game. Packers need a score. Preferably a touchdown.
Oh no… they get a field goal. Points are points, but crap, allowing Pittsburgh to be within a touchdown of winning the Super Bowl with 2 full minutes of the clock totally freaked me out.
Did I think Pitt was going to score? Yes. Would it have made for a more historic Super Bowl? Yes. Am I glad that missed 4th-and-5 opportunity by the Steelers dropped this game from Top Five Epic to Definitely Top Twenty And We’ll Debate It From There? Heck yeah. :)
Quick Game Thoughts (in no particular order)
1. Usher and Slash were the best part of the halftime show.
2. Fergie singing “Sweet Child O Mine” may very well have caused several hospital patients watching the game to flatline.
3. In my personal Mind Vegas (the mental gambling establishment in my head where I place bets on sporting events), I would have lost money on Christina Aguilera going under on the National Anthm time but I would have won money on her going over on “Brave.”
4. My favorite Super Bowl ads: The Doritos pug, The Snickers Richard Lewis/Roseanne combo, the Pepsi Max “I want to sleep with you/I want a Pepsi Max” dilemma, the Bud Light kitchen makeover. I liked the Doritos resurrection ad, but it didn’t make me laugh as hard as the pug. He was just too cute!
5. Is Aaron Rodgers allowed to do the “Title Belt” celebration next year (if we have an NFL season)? Would it be considered unsportsmanlike since it’s no longer wishful thinking or ironic? Feels like some would sorta qualify that as “rubbing it in.”
6. I feel bad that I didn’t get mine and G-Kiss’s Super Bowl picks up on the site yesterday. For the record, he had Pitt winning 24-23 (his fiancee is a Steelers fan). I had Green Bay winning 31-20. Our buddy Brandon had the Packers pulling off a 28-24 victory, so his score prediction was the closest.
7. If there’s no NFL season next year, when do the ‘72 Dolphins get together for a champagne toast in remembrance of their team still being the only undefeated squad in league history? Do they get to do that at all? Would they do it EVERY weekend? I have a feeling that if they got drunk together off champagne every Sunday, Mercury Morris would get irritating after week two or three. And how would they incorporate a bye week if they decided to pull that off?
8. If you take away the singing of the Black Eyed Peas, the Super Bowl halftime show was amazing. Visually, I was stunned. Why didn’t they just have Usher do the whole dang thing?
9. Super Bowl halftime performances I’d like to see: Muse; AC/DC (although, considering their age, it might reach of point of Rolling Stones-level sadness); Prince; Green Day; Marvin Gaye (oh, wait…); Herbie Hancock.
10. Super Bowl halftime performance I don’t ever want to see but feel is inevitable: Lady Gaga.
11: And finally, teams I feel have the best shot at playing in next year’s Super Bowl (if there is a Super Bowl):
AFC
Patriots, Colts, Steelers
NFC
Falcons, Packers, Eagles
Immediate Reaction to Super Bowl XLV
I liked it!
Super Bowl Picks!
So on Twitter, I’ve been asking people to throw their Super Bowl picks my way. The person with the closest score gets a nice little prize (nothing major, like a gift card to Chili’s or something). More importantly, though, they get the satisfaction of being right.
Here are the predictions of people so far:
Marc Morehouse (writer, Cedar Rapids Gazette): Packers 24, Steelers 20
Mike Hlas (writer, Cedar Rapids Gazette): Steelers 27, Packers 23
G-Kiss (@gkiss06 on Twitter): Steelers 24, Packers 23
Ed Underberg (@RoseBowlBound on Twitter): Steelers 20, Packers 17
Chad Von Ahnen (@TheKodd on Twitter): Steelers 27, Packers 26
Bill Jack (@jackwilliamr on Twitter): Packers 27, Steelers 24
Larry Cotlar (Co-Host, “Out of Bounds”): Packers 27, Steelers 24
Brandon Kleinmeyer (web designer): Packers 28, Steelers 24
Justine Davis (@huskergirlie on Twitter): Packers 23, Steelers 17
Chris Yates (@chrisyates11 on Twitter): Packers 19, Steelers 10
Nate Dunlevy (head of www.18to88.com): Steelers 21, Packers 20
Shane Hallam (draft guru at www.DraftCountdown.com): Steelers 24, Packers 20
Buster Olney (baseball expert, ESPN): “Steelers.” No score, so he can’t win, but it’s great that we got Buster’s opinion!
Dan Shuftan (CEO of www.StateStSports.com): Packers 69, Steelers 67
Patrick Hruby (writer for ESPN.com’s Page 2): I like the Packers unless Aaron Rodgers gets a concussion. (Joel’s note: I would take the under on .5 concussions for Rodgers, but I wouldn’t put a ton of cash on it)
In stunned euphoria.
Happy #SuperBowl Sunday, everyone!
The Best Super Bowls List Returns IN RAPID FIRE!!!!
Well, I have dilly-dallied around and now must temper my Top Six. This is my fault, but I promise it’ll get done by the start of Super Bowl Sunday.
“But Joel, how on Earth are you going to do that? The game is tomorrow and you’ve already checked out from reality until your party starts! You’ve even made yourself totally unavailable at the radio station for the weekend and refuse to discuss ANYTHING with ANYONE unless they have the Packers winning tomorrow night!!”
…Granted. But here’s my plan:
1. I am going to take the Super Bowls three at a time.
2. I’ll give two paragraphs per Super Bowl. No long diatribes about whatever; I’ll just stay on-point and exercise the art of brevity.
3. You know, unlike what I’m doing right now.
So let’s do this!
Best Super Bowl In Recent Memory #6
Saints 31, Coltz 17, Super Bowl XLIV
This is the one game on the list that has a somewhat lopsided final score. When a team wins by two touchdowns, you figure the game was pretty well wrapped up by the 4th quarter and the last ten minutes of game-time were used to try and scrape cheese off the couch (there’s usually a lot of cheese) or to try and figure out if the community the Fresh Beat Band lives in has any sound or zoning laws (we have a three-year-old in the house).
But you’d be wrong.
Peyton Manning kept this game interesting until the end and the two quarterbacks combined for the 2nd-greatest aerial attack (we’ll get to the #1-greatest later on in this column) in Super Bowl history. The one mistake (Manning’s pick, not really his fault) ended up making the score deceiving. But, come on, this was an outstanding and thrilling game: The onside kick, the long interception, the storylines coming in (“do multiple Super Bowls cement Manning as the greatest ever?;” “why are we putting the weight of one city’s well-being on the shoulders of some dude who needs to wash his face harder in the shower?”)… it was a beautiful game.
Joel’s note: Is the “Fresh Beat Band” episode where the black guy— I think his name is Shout— plays his bugle constantly the show’s way of tackling the subject of substance abuse and addiction? His behavior is hazardous to those around him and to himself, but he can’t quit playing that blasted bugle. He wants to, but it’s taking over his entire life and not allowing him or his friends to sleep or carry on with their lives. Heavy stuff.
Best Super Bowl in Recent Memory #5
Patriots 20, Rams 17, Super Bowl XXXVI
I struggled a lot over this one. A large part of me thinks this one should have been higher: New England was a huge underdog with an unproven quarterback going against an offensive juggernaut and 2-time MVP Kurt Warner (not to mention 2000’s MVP, Marshall Faulk). This should’ve been a white-washing and coronation of St. Louis as a potential dynasty.
Well, it was a coronation… but of the newest dynasty in football, the New England Patriots. And it was the arrival of Tom Brady into the national consciousness as the NFL’s equivalent to Derek Jeter: a good-looking leader of a winning team whose postseason success was vastly disproportionate to his regular-season numbers (which kind of creates this feeling of “Yeah, but he hasn’t earned all those titles!” among people who aren’t fans of those players’ teams).
I was a huge fan of St. Louis and rooted for them whenever the Packers got knocked out of the playoffs during this period. It was depressing when New England got up by two touchdowns and made it seem like all hope was lost. I was bummed, but I’d get over it.
What a fool I was! You NEVER count out an offensive that explosive, with transcendant players at each skill position (remember how good Torry Holt was? I mean, seriously, do you remember?!) in a timing-oriented offense that clicks on all cylinders seemingly at the push of a button.
After tying the game up, I was figuring on this being the first overtime game in Super Bowl historyThat would’ve been pretty special! Fact of the matter is, we got something even cooler: the first Super Bowl decided as time expired in the 4th quarter.
So this went from a game that would bum me out to a game that had me down, the got me to the top of the excitement ladder, only to rip my heart out after giving me hope. Yuck, what a feeling. Adam Vinatieri’s field goal solidified him as a cold-blooded kicker for the ages, a symbolism of clutch performance that still stands to this day.
The reason this game isn’t higher? Only the 4th quarter was exciting. Oh, it was an incredible final frame, but the next game on this list was a back-and-forth battle that still makes me warm thinking about it.
Best Super Bowl in Recent Memory #4
Patriots 32, Panthers 29 in Super Bowl XXXVIII
The one (and only) Super Bowl win for the Patriots that I actually enjoyed watching them march to victory in. I was afraid to leave my chair because I was scared I would miss something incredible. And in most cases, I was justified in my fear.
This was perhaps the most exciting offensive football game in Super Bowl history. Here’s the scoring summary for SB38:
New England TD, Carolina TD, New England TD, Carolina FG, New England TD, Carolina TD, Carolina TD, New England TD, Carolina TD, New England FG
Talk about a heavyweight slugfest of a matchup! I’ve checked every Super Bowl and there is absolutely NOTHING that comes to this level of back-and-forth gameplay. Simply startling.
There were SIX plays of at least 20 yards in the 4th quarter between the two teams (including an 85-yard touchdown pass from Delhomme to Muhammad) and both QBs threw for other 300 yards (Delhomme averaged over 10 yards per attempt, helped much by the fact that he connected with Muhammad/Smith 8 times during the game for 220 yards). Tom Brady earned this Super Bowl MVP with a stellar performance throughout, sporting a 102.6 QB rating (Delhomme had an historic 117.1) while connecting with his Super Bowl butt-buddy Deion Branch 10 times. The outcome was always in doubt up until the last second, which was ANOTHER Vinatieri field goal! This Super Bowl was unbelievable!!!
Aaaaand there was Janet’s boob. So bonus points.
There’s numbers 6, 5, and 4 on my Super Bowl list. Number three, two, and one will be coming up a little later today! Also, my SB45 picks column with G-Kiss will be out tomorrow well before the game. G-Kiss stepped his game up and wrote a fairly long article justifying his pick, so start getting excited now!
I’m taking Super Bowl score predictions on Twitter. Winners gets a meagerly fabulous prize. Get a hold of me on @frysportsradio to throw your hat into the ring!
What qualifies as ‘new’ on those signs for ‘new and expecting mothers?’
I have no doubt he will, but what about DURING the game? RT @gkiss06 @frysportsradio 23-24 Steelers baby. Ben pulls it out.
Now he’s missed twice. Time to put LeBron on waivers. #Heat
Way to go Hawkeye men!
A special interview with ESPN.com Page 2’s Patrick Hruby will be up tomorrow!
