Yeah, the Super Bowl was great, and yeah, the whole country is happy for New Orleans, but does anybody else realize that we won't see a meaningful snap, pass, run or kick for seven months? Of course, we'll have the combine and the draft to divert our attention for a little while, then we'll have OTAs and minicamps and training camps, but the end of the football season is always bittersweet.
That said, it's time to take one last retrospective glance at the NFL week that was.
–Let's start with the Peyton Manning interception. I'll admit, the child in me was dying with laughter as Manning threw the pick that won the game for the Saints. My younger self might have jumped directly to the conclusion that Manning had once again assumed the title of biggest choke artist in sports, but even if I wanted to, I'm not sure I could say that now.
I know it was an interception at the most inopportune moment — something that rightly or wrongly was Manning's calling card throughout much of the decade. But as I've looked at the replays over and over again, I can't help but put more of the blame on Reggie Wayne for the pick. Wayne looked like he was supposed to run a comeback route, but he just didn't feel like coming back. He made a halfhearted cut and didn't even turn to come back to the ball as Tracy Porter jumped the route and took it to the house.
Of course, Manning may be responsible for being off on his timing on the play, but as I'm not privy to that sort of information, I'm forced to withhold judgment on the play. Either way, kudos to Phil Simms for recognizing Porter as "the quickest, fastest defensive back" on the Saints. That is some serious speed.
–To Manning's credit, he resisted all temptation to speak badly about anyone else on the play in question. As he answered questions from reporters while sweating profusely, he simply said over and over again that Porter "made a great play." Those of us waiting for "We Had Some Problems With Protection 2.0" were left wanting.
–The Saints' onside kick to start the second half was pretty significant, but the scrum for possession that followed was nothing short of unbelievable. I know that either Chris Reis or Jonathan Casillas was the final man to hold the ball, but I do not want to know what went down in that pile that took more than 90 seconds to clear. It seemed like an eternity as the refs stood around, blowing their whistles with great futility as grown men likely fought, clawed, spat and God knows what else down there. Those men will have war stories to tell for the rest of their lives.
–I finished the NFL season with a 143-123-3 record picking games with spreads, which means that if you listened to every word I said and bet accordingly, you would have slightly more money in your bank account than you do now. It's not a great mark, but it could have been much, much worse.
–Maybe I missed something, but I only saw one Manning family shot and zero Kim Kardashian
shots. This obviously threw my prop bets in the trash, but I would
guess CBS put the kibosh on this one, knowing there was money involved. In any case, as Carrie Underwood
held "land of the freeeeeeeeeeeeee" for at least a half an hour, I
couldn't have been happier as the stopwatch ticked closer and closer to
1:42 (she finished at 1:45 by my count). I also have to take full
credit for calling heads, because as I always say, "Tails never fails
… except for 48-52 percent of the time."
–Keeping it in the Saints' backfield, Pierre Thomas' touchdown on that little screen pass was reminiscent of LaDainian Tomlinson in his prime. Of course, Thomas isn't on nearly the same level that Tomlinson was, but I'm always impressed when a guy can somehow simultaneously move forwards and sideways without slowing down a tick.
–I know I wasn't the only one in the country who said "No way he hits this one" every single time Garrett Hartley came out for a field-goal attempt. He then proceeded to drill all three 40-plus-yard attempts straight down the middle.
–On the other side, I don't care if his knee is at 70 percent or 7 percent, I would take a one-legged Adam Vinatieri over a 42-years-and-11-days-old Matt Stover. This is the Super Bowl.
—Has anyone ever been happier to have an injury before the biggest game of his life? Dwight Freeney is a lock to get at least four gushing comments from the color analyst in any game he plays, and that's only tripled when he's playing through an injury.
–A note to Jeremy Shockey: Read this article and get yourself a tighter helmet. I got a headache watching your noggin get destroyed.
–Given that there's no Pro Bowl next week, I propose it gets replaced with a Madden tournament. I'd rather watch Jared Allen take on Michael Vick in simulated football than watch whatever happened in Miami last Sunday.
–I am literally the last person in the world to ever say a color commentator did a good job, but I'll give Simms his due for two good points. First, he said that the Saints essentially benefited from getting stopped on fourth down late in the second quarter, because it kept the Colts from going into we-are-absolutely-going-to-score-six-points-before-halftime-and-you-can't-stop-us mode. Second, he made the case that the overturned two-point conversion would probably have been ruled incomplete if the goal line was not involved.
Not exactly Albert Einstein stuff, I know, but I'm always impressed when a national analyst is actually useful.
–The criticism of Manning and Wayne for bouncing from the on-field celebration? Please. This isn't basketball. There are 7 million people on the field as soon as the final second ticks off the clock, and I don't think Manning needed to shake hands with Jermon Bushrod to prove he's not a sore sport.
—Drew Brees completed 18 of his last 19 passes and all of his last 10. That's all you need to know about who was the better quarterback on Sunday night.
–Brees is also a genius for busting out the big guns after the game. For pulling off the best move in the book if you want to win over the hearts of 100 percent of Americans. That's right: He pulled out the baby.
–And lastly, I heard that people were calling into New Orleans radio stations on Monday, saying that they lost faith in God after Hurricane Katrina, but now that the Saints won the Super Bowl, their faith has been restored. It may seem nuts and a bit overdramatic, but it's just the latest illustration of the unique power that sports have in our society.
