Did not expect that the halftime shows would be the most interesting part of the TV coverage of the Super Bowl.
That Seattle vs. New England collision wasn’t one that woke up the echoes going into Sunday night, and it lived up to expectations. If you had New England squares with zeroes, it was a great game.
Relatively few east of the Rockies paid much attention to the Seahawks. Now they’re comparing the defense to the Monsters of the Midway and the Steel Curtain.
It’s a little early for that; need a larger sample size than one Stupor Bowl. Give young Patriots quarterback Drake Maye credit for being accessible and accountable in postgame interviews. He was accurate then.
During the game, not so much. NBC’s Cris Collinsworth caught himself over and over just before he used “pathetic” to describe Maye’s mayday passing display.
This is a player who was seriously considered for the NFL MVP award. He was as out-of-synch as Kid Rock in the pre-taped (he admitted it) Turning Point USA halftime show.
Lip synching is as much a part of the “live performance” music business as gambling is to sports. Doing it well is what matters.
It took 200 words before “Bad Bunny” entered this conversation.
I can’t tell you, first-hand, about either halftime show. I was in the car moving from one vantage point to another. Made that strategic decision before game day.
My blunder? I should have gone to my second half gathering first. There was an epic spread to appreciate at Kent’s new casa on Cane River.
More good choices than effective Seahawks blitzes, and there were plenty of those. Just ask Will Campbell, the poor LSU rookie who was part of the Patriots’ overwhelmed O-line. (Good luck — he wasn’t talking at all postgame. Mama always said, ‘if you don’t have anything good to say, say nothing at all.’)
My biggest gaffe? Not hearing about Gresham’s gumbo until the closing minutes of the game.
I spent the first half elsewhere, in control of a remote, which allowed us to fast forward through three-and-outs to get to the commercials.
Everybody loved the Budweiser “American Icons” spot that showcased a Clydesdale (maybe if one of those was running routes for Maye, New England might have had a shot) befriending a baby bird that turned out to be an eagle.
Other standouts were “Good Will Dunkin” with Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Jennifer Anniston, Tom Brady and pals; the Pepsi “Choice” spot with the former Coca-Cola polar bear switching favorite brands, and Kurt Russell’s turn with an homage to his portrayal of 1980 USA Olympic hockey coach Herb Brooks in “The Ultra Instructor.”
When that one ran, people at my party moved toward the ice chests chanting “Again! Again! Again!”
As an estimated 26 million Americans skipped work Monday, because they did go back for too much, or just because they could, a simple thought arises.
No, it’s not the idea of making the Monday after the Super Bowl a national holiday, although next year’s Supe will happen on Valentine’s Day and the following Monday is some sort of (already declared) federal holiday.
It’s not a new brainstorm, either – just a really smart one.
Why isn’t the Super Bowl on a Saturday night? The teams get a bye week after the conference championship games. Several of the playoff games are on Saturdays. It would not disrupt the American workforce reporting for duty as scheduled.
The TV networks will point out ratings for Saturday night programming are not nearly as strong as Sunday night. Sure, when we’re talking about reruns of some of the network’s regular shows, or an NBA game.
This is the SUPER BOWL. About a third of the country stops what it’s doing to watch. Or to go to a party where the game is on TV.
Besides, it would be one less day we’d have to hear arguments about the halftime entertainment.
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com