Just North of Wrigley Field

posted by James - 11:52 PM

I'm not going to make a long post about the Super Bowl like I did for the other playoff games. I figure everyone in the world saw it, and every paper and website and park bench will have all the info you want about the game on it tomorrow morning. But I do have a couple short thoughts I will share with you before we move on from the greatest month of football ever and on to the greatest nine months of the year - baseball season. (There will be nine months this year, right Cubs fans?)

First, Patriots QB Tom Brady proved last night he is the most underrated QB in the NFL. This is why they shouldn't hand out MVP awards until after the season is complete. I'll probably meet a lot of disagreement there and for what it's worth, I agree with Warren Sapp, who said to be MVP you have to put up the numbers. Fifteen wins in a row are good enough numbers for me.

To me co-MVPs Payton Manning and Steve McNair both showed they have considerable talent and other intangibles, but also considerable faults. Brady has everything above, seemingly without any faults.

I just hope he's not the kind of competitor who thrives on adversity, because next year the Patriots are going to get better through youth, in the form of a high number of high-round draft picks, and therefore depth, and talent through a favorable cap situation. And I'm not even asking them to be healthier than they were this last season, because the Patriots proved his year injuries are not an excuse.

Over the last three years, Brady has played like a Super Bowl MVP in every game I've watched him play. If he comes into next season with his guns fully loaded, let's see if he can play like a League MVP.

And second, I'm trying to refrain from using blasphemy when talking about Adam Vinatieri. The guy has won two Super Bowls.

Up until Super Bowl 36, there had been only one Super Bowl in my lifetime close enough to have a field goal make the difference (sorry to bring that up Mr. Norwood. ahem... WIDE RIGHT! WIDE RIGHT!).

And now we've had two in three years decided by the same leg (not to mention another decided at the goal line a couple years earlier).

I don't know if this means we're seeing the right teams make it to the Super Bowl, or more competitive, but less-talented teams, but they've made for amazing Super Bowls.

And ever since I watched Patriots Head Coach Bill Belicheck set the stage for Vinatieri without worrying about getting it closer than a 41-yard field goal or worrying which hash mark it was on, I knew the game was over before Ken Walter ever put the perfect snap down, and I've thought Adam Vinatieri is the most storied kicker in NFL history.

Maybe I just don't know enough about NFL history, so if you can think of someone better e-mail me and tell me what you think.

And now that this football madness is over... Let the Countdown Begin.

(whispering... pitchers and catchers report. pitchers and catchers report. pitchers and catchers report.)