Due to scheduling, we are not going to have our traditional day-after-Super Bowl Podcast. I wanted to share some of my thoughts in writing while they’re fresh and hope we can get another podcast posted soon. In no order, here are my biggest takeaways from yesterday’s game.
Despite the NFL’s Issues in this Modern Era, They Can Always Count on the Super Bowl to Deliver.
In January 1997, the Green Bay Packers defeated the New England Patriots 35-21 in Super Bowl XXXI to win their first championship in 29 years. While exciting for Packers fans, it marked the sixth straight Super Bowl decided by at least 10 points. Blowouts had been the norm throughout the first 31 Super Bowls. The average margin of victory had been 16.6 points with just seven games decided by one score or less. Commercials and halftime performances became defining features of the Super Bowl in large part because the one-sided games themselves rarely provided entertainment to anyone but hardcore football fans. Then, in 1998, the Broncos shocked the world and won a 31-24 classic to beat the heavily favored Packers. This game ushered in the modern era of the Super Bowl, where nearly every year, we’re treated to one of the greatest games of all time. After last night’s gem, 13 of the 22 Super Bowls since 1997 have been decided by one score or less. Two others were within one score with under 4 minutes remaining. There is a generation of young football fans that have never known the Super Bowl be anything but a classic. Today’s NFL has many issues, but the Super Bowl almost always delivers four hours of entertainment that is unequaled anywhere else.
The Loss Did Not Harm Tom Brady's Legacy.
I was rooting for the Patriots to lose. Hard. I have grown so tired of seeing the Patriots and watching the media fawn over their joyless pursuit of winning. I also believe championships are a poor way to judge the greatness of a quarterback, and Tom Brady’s recent inexplicably lucky Super Bowl wins have added to roar of the unbearable “COUNT TEH RINGZ” crowd. Then yesterday happened. Tom Brady’s performance was mostly outstanding. He broke his own record for passing yards in a Super Bowl, while also becoming the first player to surpass 500 passing yards in a playoff game (breaking my childhood favorite Bernie Kosar’s 31-year-old record for most passing yards in a playoff game). It made me gain a new appreciation for what Tom Brady has accomplished. Sure, they’ve been incredibly fortunate through the years with frequent lucky bounces and early playoff exits by their would-be biggest competitors. Still, yesterday made me finally see the Patriots Dynasty 2.0 for what it really is – Tom Brady and his backup band. He looked like Aaron Rodgers last night – a guy on a defective team that needs him to play perfectly to win. Tom Brady was 90% perfect last night, and it wasn’t enough.
Now I have enough self-awareness to realize I only achieved this perspective because the Patriots lost last night. Had they won, I would be doubling down on my belief that arguing Tom Brady is the greatest because of his rings is simplistic at best and wrong at worst. But seeing Brady get treated like a failure for losing by fans on Social Media almost compels me to overcompensate the other way. Make no mistake, I’m taking glee in the misery of the Patriots today. As Tom Brady said in his press conference, “No one is going to feel sorry for us.” Nor should they. But last night Tom Brady was as good as anyone has ever been in a Super Bowl. If you thought he was the GOAT yesterday morning, you should be just as convinced today.
If You Want to Be a Champion, Don’t Become an MVP
Tom Brady became the 3rd straight NFL Most Valuable Player Award winner to lose the Super Bowl. Kurt Warner, 19 seasons ago, remains the last MVP to win the Super Bowl in the same season. However, most strange is that losing the Super Bowl/ Championship game is overwhelmingly the most common fate for an NFL MVP since the award’s inception in 1961. Of the 59 recipients of the award, 21 of them have lost the League Championship Game or Super Bowl, while just 12 have won it. Many argue that the MVP Award too often goes to a top player on one of the best teams rather than an award going to a player that is genuinely the league’s most valuable. But this shows that maybe the voters are getting it right – the league MVPs are carrying their flawed teams to heights that would be unachievable without them. That indeed appeared to be the case of Tom Brady and the New England Patriots last night.
The Eagles have the Most Unique Quarterback Situation in NFL History
Nick Foles completed his magical run last night by notching his 3rd straight game with 100.0+ quarterback rating and earning Super Bowl MVP honors. It’s easy to contrast the Eagles season with the Packers season and wonder what Green Bay could have done with a more experienced, competent backup quarterback. But while the Eagles defense was fabulous in the two NFC playoff games, last night was all Foles. The defense was helpless against that Patriot attack, but Foles played like a franchise quarterback and was able to win a shootout of record-breaking proportions. I cannot imagine Carson Wentz playing better than Foles did last night. He outperformed Tom Brady on one of the best nights of his legendary career. Philadelphia will enter the 2018 offseason with the most unique quarterback situation in NFL History. Their backup quarterback is the reigning Super Bowl MVP. Their incumbent starter was well on his way to becoming NFL MVP before he injured his knee and is just five weeks past his 25th birthday. This situation is not like Jeff Hostetler and Phil Simms for the 1991 Giants. Hostetler was a game manager for a great Super Bowl-winning team, and Phil Simms was a career game manager in his mid-30s. The Eagles have a very tough choice, and I’m not sure what they should do. It seems obvious to go with Carson Wentz. He was fantastic this year and has his entire future ahead of him. But after seeing the regression of Derek Carr this year from MVP candidate to average following his injury, I’d be somewhat wary that Wentz will immediately be back to form. And as we’ve seen, a team’s window for being a legitimate Super Bowl contender is very narrow. Wentz might have a long productive career, but when (or if) he regains his MVP form, the Eagles championship window may have closed. It’s tempting to stick with Foles and hope that the player you saw in January is who he really is, rather than the lost player he was in December. And it’s not like Foles’ success came entirely out of the blue – his 2013 season remains one of the greatest single-season QB years in history. Is Foles in a better position to lead the Eagles to a championship in 2018 than Wentz? Hard to say. The Eagles have an interesting dilemma this offseason. One thing I am sure of – after their respective performances in 2017, neither of those players are likely willing to spend any of 2018 on the bench.
Jerry Kramer is a Hall of Famer
Not much to add other than one of my legitimate happiest moments as a Packer fan was watching Jerry Kramer answer the door and seeing Pro Football Hall of Fame President David Baker waiting to inform him that he, at long last, had been voted into Canton. I’m not too proud to say that it brought tears to my eyes. The look of joy on his face was that of a man who has been waiting for a half-century to receive validation for all he accomplished as a young man. It was a nice reminder that someday, all the heroes of yesterday's game will grow into old men, and as much as they wanted to win, it may be equally as important that we remember they played the game. This weekend was a great one for this football fan. It’s one I won’t soon forget.
Rapid Fire
Well, there’s only one thing left in the 2017 NFL Season – The GOLDIE AWARDS!! The ballot is now available. Look for that episode by the end of the month. Our Board of Directors is looking for a host. The search promises to be wide and vast.
Eric Drews
Host
Green and Gold Forever
@GreenGold4Ever
2016 Goldie Awards
2016 Super Bowl LI Recap: Patriots 34 Falcons 28 (Plus 2017 Hall of Fame Class Discussion)
2016 NFC Championship: Falcons 44 Packers 21
2016 Divisional Playoffs: Packers 34 Cowboys 31
2016 Wildcard Playoffs: Packers 38 Giants 13
2016 Week 17: Packers 31 Lions 24 (Packers win the NFC Again!)
2016 Week 16: Packers 38 Vikings 25
2016 Week 15: Packers 30 Bears 27
2016 Week 14: Packers 38 Seahawks 10 (Plus If each team was comprised of their literal mascot, who would be the best?)
2016 Week 13: Packers 21 Texans 13 (Plus Wisconsin collapses in the Big Ten Championship Game)
2016 Week 12: Packers 27 Eagles 13 (feat. College Football Playoff Talk)
2016 Week 11: Redskins 42 Packers 24 (feat. Crossfire: Thanksgiving Edition - Turkey Talk)
2016 Week 10: Titans 47 Packers 25
2016 Week 9: Colts 31 Packers 26
2016 Week 8: Falcons 33 Packers 32
2015 Week 7: Packers 26 Bears 10
2016 Week 6: Cowboys 30 Packers 16 (Plus Facebook Fan Topics)
2016 Week 5: Packers 23 Giants 16
2016 Week 4: Bye Week (Discussion on FiveThirtyEight's All-Time NFL Franchise Peaks)
2016 Week 3: Packers 34 Lions 27
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