McNabbed!

Oh come on, I can have fun with the title, can't I?

Super Bowl XXXIX
New England 24
Philadelphia 21
Bruschi to Dallas: "I'll see your three rings in four years..."

A few quick notes here:
- Terrell Owens gets a clean slate in my book. Hell of a performance. And did you see that spinning left cut he made on his good ankle? Amazing example of someone using every last ounce of energy and ability to overcome a huge physical disadvantage. Not quite Schillingesque (I'm not the first to turn it into an adjective, and I won't be the last) but still amazing.
- I have no problem with the wing-flapping celebration. Yes, it's a bit out of character for the Pats to be mocking an opponent. But I think another thing about T.O. is that he can take it as well as dish it (see: Lewis, Ray).
- Deion Branch's leaping fingertip grab over the head of whoever the Philly defensive back was in the fourth quarter. I was SURE it was intercepted. There was absolutely no way Branch could have caught that ball. The guy is like 5'6. And yet, he hits the ground, gets up and starts running like he actually caught it. I didn't believe it until I saw the replay. Absolutely the best catch I've ever seen. Way to go, Mr. MVP.
- In case you didn't notice: Adam Vinatieri did, in fact, kick the game-winning field goal yet again. It just came with 9:21 left on the clock this time.
- Any stat-heads out there can correct me on this, but I believe that Mike Vrabel was the first man in Super Bowl history to record a sack and a touchdown catch in the same game. And he's done it in consecutive Super Bowls. The second time with 6'4" defensive end Javon Kearse wrestling him to the ground, no less.
- I guess Freddie Mitchell must have been referring to a congratulatory handshake.

Final thought:
McNabb and Reid basically choked this one. Go back and look at Super Bowl XXXVI against the Rams and Super Bowl XXXVIII against the Panthers and you'll notice a familiar pattern. Close game for a while, dominated by defenses. Patriots take a lead but the other team's QB (Warner/Delhomme) keeps clawing back. They tie the game with less than two minutes to go, setting the stage for a game-winning drive by Tom Brady.

Last night? The Eagles couldn't manage the clock to save their lives. They were put in the exact same spot (trailing mid-way through the fourth quarter) as the Rams and Panthers, and if they'd only been able to run a two-minute drill, we might have seen yet another heart-pounding ending. Instead, Philly ended up trying to start a game-tying drive with 46 seconds left while pinned at their own four-yard-line. Not enough time for a miracle, McNabb tries to do too much, and BAM there's Rodney Harrison, flying down the field with the final coffin nail firmly in his grasp.

Don't get me wrong. A 'W' is a 'W,' as the saying goes. But I think many football fans (from Philly, New England, and elsewhere) have to feel cheated by that collapse. What could have been an explosive and exciting finish just like the first two Patriot Super Bowls instead ended with an anti-climactic interception on a poorly-thrown down-field prayer.

All that being said, I'm proud of the way the Pats have played this season and can't wait until the fall.

Okay, so now that football is out of the way...


When do pitchers and catchers report?