This was the greatest Super Bowl ever. The ending was stunning in so many ways, from Tom Brady leading a fourth quarter comeback against the Seattle defense, only to be followed by another miraculous catch that seemed to spell doom again for the Patriots, to what can easily be described as the worst play call in NFL history.

Here are some thoughts with some real time tweets mixed in:

– I’m not a Russell Wilson fan, and I wasn’t looking forward to eating even more crow had he managed to win his second straight Super Bowl. Still, there’s no way I can blame Wilson for the last interception that cost Seattle the game. We can pick apart his throw and the decision (some are explaining you have to throw that ball low at the goal line), but this all comes back to Pete Carroll and Darrell Bevell making that asinine play call. Also, looking at this shot below, you can see why Wilson threw the ball and just how brilliant Malcolm Butler was as he broke to the ball to make that play:

Read the rest of this entry »

I’ll admit that it’s awfully convenient to write a “Packers are better off with Aaron Rodgers” piece when Rodgers throws for 301 yards and four touchdowns while Brett Favre plays like elephant dung. But I’ve always felt that the Packers were unfairly criticized by some fans for the way Favre was ushered out of Green Bay and I’m not going to shy away from an opportunity to note that they handled things correctly in that situation.

Favre forced himself out of Green Bay – not the other way around. He told the Packers that he wanted to retire and when he started to change his mind, members of Green Bay’s front office met with him to say that they would welcome him back with open arms. It wasn’t until he told them for the second time that he would retire that they decided to back Rodgers and move on. He got his feelings hurt, requested a trade and after one bad season in New York, he’s now in Minnesota.

Well guess what? The Packers were better off then and they’re better off now.

I thought for sure that Sunday would be the day where we would see some of that old Favre magic and he would put it all together to beat his old team. But he stunk up the joint instead. He was inaccurate with his throws, he overthrew open receivers and he could be seen refusing to talk with offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell on the sidelines (which isn’t unlike Favre to take an it’s-my-way-or-the-highway approach with his coaches).

Rodgers, on the other hand, was brilliant. He started slow, but eventually he was shredding Minnesota’s suspect secondary. It helped that the Vikings’ pass rush was once again non-existent, but it didn’t matter. The Vikings weren’t going to beat Rodgers on Sunday. He was the best player on the field – for either team.

Had the Packers bowed to Favre a couple of years ago and allowed him to dictate their quarterback situation, maybe they would be the ones in complete disarray right now like the Vikings are. Maybe they’d be the ones sitting at 3-7 and without a clue on what they’ll do at quarterback next year.

Instead, they’re set at the position. Rodgers has yet to win a Super Bowl or even a playoff game, but it’s clear that he has the talent to be elite. It’s clear that he’s the future of the NFL and because of him, the Packers will remain Super Bowl contenders the rest of the year.

As for the Vikings, they’re done – as is Favre. The Packers backed the right horse a couple of years ago.