Before we jump in the time machine and go back a few years we have some Super Bowl/Pro Bowl news to address. First, the “big” Super Bowl news right now is that Chad EightFive, yes Ochocinco in Spanish is eightfive not eighty-five, is in his first Super Bowl. Chad is what? That’s exactly what I was thinking when I flipped over to the NFL Network to watch a minute of Media Day. I had forgotten all about him this year. Weird that a “future Hall-of-Famer” was a non-factor this year. Did anyone remember that he was a Patriot and that he’ll be “playing” on Sunday? Rumors are not true, however, that he will have a celebration planned after every water break he successfully completes.
The second bit of news comes out of Green Bay where Aaron Rodgers has something to say. He was on ESPN 540 in Milwaukee yesterday and had this to say:
“I’ll be honest with you. I was a little bit disappointed. I felt like some of the guys on the NFC side embarrassed themselves.”
Wait a minute…was he talking about his Packers in the playoffs? Was he disappointed in the whole NFC side in the playoffs this year? Maybe, he has seen the future and the Giants don’t have a good game this Sunday?! Let’s look further to see:
“I was just surprised that some of the guys either didn’t want to play or when they were in there didn’t put any effort into it. I’ve always found that when you’re going that tempo, that’s when the injuries are going to happen, not if you’re going full speed. You’re more likely to get an injury standing around the pile or just going through it half-speed.”
So, what is Rodgers talking about? The Pro Bowl. I will wait to let that sink in… … … … I hear Allen Iverson saying “we’re talking about [the Pro Bowl] man, we’re talking about [the Pro Bowl]. Not the game, not the game. We’re talking about [the Pro Bowl} man.” Is Aaron serious? Has he eaten too much casu marzu?? (If you don’t know what that is, click here) I mean, this is the Pro Bowl we’re talking about. Even the fans don’t care about this game. Nobody even watches this thing. I mean, the Hawaiians are so in love with it that they don’t even fill half the stadium for this game. So why does Aaron Rodgers care so much? It’s not like Brett Favre was leading the AFC this year. Relax Aaron. You’ve got your Super Bowl ring and a promising future. But, I know the real reason why Aaron is so peeved: Not only did State Farm steal his move, but BJ Raji has it as a new dance and finally State Farm got tired of Rodger’s move and moved on to Clay Matthews’ move since he actually plays football…professionally.
Now on to the important stuff…well, at least in my opinion.
February 1, 2004 – New England Patriots 32, Carolina Panthers 29 – Reliant Stadium, Houston, TX - What looked like a lopsided affair going into the game, became an all-time classic Super Bowl. If not for John Kasay kicking the ball out of bounds on the kickoff, the Panthers probably would have won this one. But, Tom Brady, earning MVP honors, led the Pats to a Vinatieri game winning field goal (where have we seen this one before?) and the Patriots’ 2nd title in 3 years. Brady went 32-48 (Super Bowl record for completions) for 354 yards and 3 TD’s.**
February 1, 2009 – Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Arizona Cardinals 23 – Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL - Another classic Super Bowl and even though the Cardinals lost, Kurt Warner sealed a spot in Canton. Ben Roethlisberger and Warner dueled to the very end, James Harrison had the longest play in Super Bowl history (a 100-yard INT return for a TD) and Santonio Holmes earned MVP honors with 9 catches for 131 yards and the game winning TD with just :35 seconds left. Pittsburgh had won their league leading 6th Super Bowl title and 2nd in 4 years.
** – yes, I know about the halftime show with Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson…but come on…let’s cover up for the kids, alright? Save that for Skina Cinemax.
