What a game! Two great offenses. Two great defenses. Two great kickers. Who would win out? For three quarters the defenses won out. Each offense tired everything to break through, but each time the defenses held on. Those fans wanting more offense, bored with the glorious 13-3 outcome, were the same fans complaining about the rules put in place so quarterbacks can’t get hit, that so defenses couldn’t hit receivers.
Despite the low score, at times both offenses were able to move the ball downfield. It was obvious Todd Gurley was still hurting, though in limited playing time was able to break off a couple of good runs. He hit Hightower so hard the Patriot’s arm was broken. Sony Michel also had a good game, breaking off the longest run of the game after Jared Goff’s fourth quarter interception took the wind out of the Rams’ sails. Former UGA center David Andrews recovered Tom Brady’s fumble.
Kickers Stephen Gostkowski and Greg Zuerlein (a.k.a. Legatron), two of the best in the business, both missed field goals. Both also made field goals as well, and weren’t the reason their teams won or lost.
These days almost every player wears gloves to protect wear and tear on their hands. The Bears Jim McMahon was the first QB to wear gloves, first because of the bitter cold in Chicago but later even inside domes because he was used to wearing them. QB’s like Matt Ryan and Tom Brady have worn a glove on their non-throwing hand for years. Some players wear gold necklaces or earrings or other jewelry. Quarterbacks often wear towels to dry their hands, or handwarmers out in the cold weather. Yesterday I wasn’t surprised to see Brady wear a glove or towel, but found it interesting to see him wearing a handwarmer inside the climate-controlled Mercedes Benz Stadium. Maybe he had a needle to let some pressure out of the footballs.
With six minutes remaining and the score still knotted at three, the tension, the drama, the excitement, the stakes all ratcheted up nearly all the way to the closed roof. Up to that point the seemingly low-scoring defensive struggle gave way to the the urgency of the moment. Would there be overtime? At my party I opined that the game could hinge on a big play by the defense.
I'm usually too slow to make such a dramatic prediction, but this time I was right. Goff drove the Rams downfield, but with a blitzer bearing down on him, the young QB threw it up for grabs - right into the hands of a New England defensive back. Advantage Pats.
In the end it was the Patriots were able to mount a touchdown drive. Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman caught ten of the twelve passes thrown his way. To be such a bruiser, tight end Rob Gronkowski has the best hands for any tight end I’ve seen. He caught six balls for 87 yards, including the 29 yarder to set up the Sony Michel touch. The rookie finished with a game-high 94 yards.
Though pressured, Brady was able to complete 60% of his passes despite several obvious throwaways. Not his best game, but he found a way to win against a tough defense. He becomes the first football player to win six championships - since Otto Graham (who won seven).
And with all the complaints about the low scoring game, this game turned out to be the first Patriot Super Bowl win that WASN'T a one score game.
Saturday was the first time either team got inside Mercedes Benz Stadium. As was their custom, the Patriots allowed players to bring along their families for photos. I knew Tom Brady would post a group picture of his large extended family, which includes his brother-in-law - former Boston Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis.
Sunday afternoon at home in East Cobb I kept hearing loud jets flying low overhead, much more so than the usual occasional Dobbins Air Force Base traffic. I never went outside to check.
Later I saw several reports that the Air Force Thunderbirds practicing maneuvers over Roswell. Interesting article below on how the Air Force tracked what precise second national anthem singer Gladys Knight finished each line of the national anthem, making sure the jets weren’t ahead or behind schedule.
Ed and Lu Barber went to the game, and appeared to have lower level 50 yard line seats. My company had four tickets: coworker Todd took two or three customers.
The NFL went out of their way to avoid protests, involving Andrew Young, John Lewis, and MLK’s daughter in the coin flip. Later film clips showed players (and the commissioner) involved with work in the inner city. During the game there was no mention of all the fields the NFL reconditioned around Atlanta, or the murals painted around town to boost morale.
More on the classic NFL commercial tomorrow.
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