"Was that the worst Super Bowl you've ever seen," I was asked by a coworker mere seconds after sitting down to write this.
Actually, not even close.
The first Super Bowl I remember watching was Super Bowl 19 (sorry, I don't do Roman Numerals), won by the Bears in dominant fashion over a Patriots team that never had any chance of winning. For most of the next decade, with exceptions of course, the Super Bowl ended up being lopsided, and essentially over around halftime.
Same for a handful since. Seattle/Denver in New Jersey a few years ago comes to mind.
Last night's game may have been ugly, and not terribly exciting, but there was a sense all evening, given the lack of scoring, that the very next play could ultimately determine the outcome. The game was tied heading into the fourth quarter, and in doubt right up until New England's field goal that made it 13-3 with under two minutes remaining.
The offenses were bad. Tom Brady looked bored, and even a little confused in the first half, and the Rams' offense as a unit looked overwhelmed by both the gameplan of the Patriots and of the moment itself. If Todd Gurley is indeed healthy, then there's no earthly explanation for his lack of usage, especially given the alternative of having Jared Goff try to win the game with his arm.
Boy wonder Sean McVay had circles run around him by the greatest coach the game has ever seen. More than any Pats Super Bowl triumph ever, this was Bill Belichick's moment, winning a title with a team that wasn't great, beating an opponent that simply had no answer.
The game's lack of entertainment value doesn't diminish what New England has done, even if I won't be re-watching it any time soon.
But yeah, I've seen worse.
*Other Super Bowl thoughts....
-Please stop with the whole "Juilan Edelman is a hall of famer" thing. If he is, then we are about to experience an unprecedented run on wide receivers getting to Canton. He had an excellent game last night, and he's been marvelous in the postseason, but look at the names and the accomplishments of the wideouts currently in the Hall, and get back to me on Julian's candidacy.
-As long as he had nothing to do with LA never getting the ball to Todd Gurley, I don't use last night as any kind of indictment against Zac Taylor.
-I do wish Zac was bringing Wade Phillips with him though.
-Give it up to Tony Romo. Maybe he cooled it with the whole predicting-the-play-before-it-happens thing, but he made up for it with his clear and obvious disappointment with how the game was being played. This was not a great game, yet many announcers would've gone out of their way to hide their disdain for what was happening in front of them. Not Tony, and good for him.
-The game sucked. T he NFL season was awesome. Those two statements can both be true.
-And finally.....
*On the Bearcats. Not exactly a robust effort heading into two tough road games and coming off of essentially a week off. They were sloppy. The bigs looked disinterested. They couldn't put away an opponent that had just eight guys in uniform. I'd complain more, but 19-3 in a rebuilding year, ya know?
*I've spared you Knicks takes. This is a good one , if you care, which you probably don't. I was not on board with trading Kristaps Porzingis. That is all.
Radio Today: The Super Bowl, Realmuto rumors, me talking to myself about college basketball, Zac Taylor stuff. Join me at 3:05 on ESPN1530.
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