Casual Football fans think Super Bowl Sunday is the most exciting day of the NFL season. But real fans know that day is conference championship Sunday.
(“NFL’s Historic Conference Championship Sunday,” The iPINIONS Journal, January 22, 2007)
Alas, this Conference Championship Sunday did not live up to expectations.
AFC
This later AFC game turned out to be the more exciting of the two. But I say “exciting” advisedly. It featured two of the NFL’s most storied teams: the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots.
Of course, anyone familiar with my NFL commentaries knows that I think the Patriots are cheaters who too often prosper. This explains the unbridled relish I displayed on the rare occasions when they got their comeuppance – as “Giants Stomp Patriots to Win Super Bowl XLVI 21-17,” February 6, 2012, and “NFL Sacks Brady as Court Reinstates Deflategate Suspension,” April 27, 2017, attest.
Therefore, to say I wanted the Steelers to win would be the understatement of the season. Unfortunately, those damned cheaters prospered – again:
The Steelers had their chance to whittle into a double-digit deficit in the final minute of the first half last night [but] had to settle for a 23-yard field goal by Chris Boswell and never regained the momentum. …
The Patriots pulled away in the second half and coasted to a 36-17 victory at Gillette Stadium to capture the AFC Championship for the ninth time.
(Boston Herald, January 23, 2017)
Truth be told, I was so certain of this outcome, I switched to Victoria on Masterpiece and never bothered to watch the second half.
Incidentally, Antonio Brown stirred a lot of controversy for live streaming on Facebook (for a handsome fee) from the Steelers’ locker room after their game the week before. But I do not believe this adversely impacted preparation for or play during their game on Sunday.
This was just another affirming instance of the insidious and unhinged narcissism social media breeds. After all, Brown thought nothing of betraying the camaraderie and privacy of that locker room to entertain his imaginary friends on Facebook.
It’s bad enough that he was more interested in publishing self-aggrandizing selfies than huddling with teammates for their coach’s post-game pep talk. And his contract is such that the fee Facebook pays him to live stream could not have been his driving motivation.
But, in doing so, he also live streamed Coach Mike Tomlin’s profanity-laden exhortations. This led to the spectacle of Tomlin having to publicly apologize for his “private” indiscretion, as well as Brown’s public stupidity.
To appreciate the untenable position Brown put Tomlin in, imagine trying to discipline a superstar player who has the selfie mentality and proclivities of Kim Kardashian. Which is why criticizing Antonio for being inconsiderate makes about as much sense as criticizing Kim for being … selfish. Instead, Pittsburg should release him and let him take his live streaming talents somewhere else – to Miami perhaps.
In any event, I would be remiss not to commend Patriots quarterback Tom Brady – even if begrudgingly.
He completed 32 of 42 passes for 384 yards – the most for any Patriots quarterback in a playoff game. And this, at the relatively old age of 39, inspiring awe among players on both sides of the field, not least the twentysomethings for the Steelers – who tried in vain all game to force him to show his age.
Finally, apropos of hype, injury-prone, party-boy Rob Gronkowski is fast becoming to the Patriots what NBA player Derrick Rose became to the Chicago Bulls: all promise, no pay off. The Patriots proved this season they don’t need him, just as the Bulls proved they don’t need Rose.
Therefore, the Patriots would do well to trade “Gronk,” just as the Bulls traded Rose.
NFC
As indicated, this earlier game was even less interesting. It featured the Atlanta Falcons and the Green Bay Packers. But, after the first half ended with the Falcons up 24-0, I doubt even diehard Cheeseheads (aka Green Bay fans) bothered to watch the second half.
From the start, the injury-depleted Packers defense did not stand a chance to even slow down Ryan and the Falcons. The Pro Bowl quarterback completed 27 of 38 passes for 392 yards and 4 touchdowns, exploiting mismatches all over the field, with Julio Jones leading the way with 9 catches for 180 yards and 2 touchdowns. …
The frustration on [Packers quarterback] Aaron Rodgers’ face was a constant as he was repeatedly let down by his receivers and spent most of the game having drives end with nothing to show for them even when they put up plenty of yardage.
(New York Times, January 23, 2017)
I can’t believe I watched the whole thing; although, this probably explains why I switched after the first half of the later game. The Falcons ended up scoring their berth to Super Bowl LI in a veritable blowout, 44-21.
Super Bowl LI
The Falcons will be making their second trip to the NFL’s big dance to tango with the Patriots – who will be making their ninth (the most of any team in league history).
For the record, I was rooting this season for the Dallas Cowboys to finally live up to their (own) hype. They showed great promise – with the triumvirate of quarterback Dak Prescott, running back Ezekiel Elliott, and wide receiver Dez Bryant emulating the winning ways of Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin, respectively, who led the team to three Super Bowl victories in the 1990s.
Unfortunately, they continued their post-season fecklessness by failing to advance beyond the second round of the playoffs, let alone making it to the Super Bowl, for the 20th time in the last 20 years.
“America’s team”? Give me a friggin’ break!
That said, I honestly couldn’t care less who wins this Super Bowl. But it would be un-American not to place a bet. Therefore, I’m betting on the Falcons to beat the slightly favored Patriots when they meet at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, on February 5. This would go a long way towards reaffirming the truism: cheaters never prosper.
Related commentaries:
NFL conference championship…
Deflategate…