Thoughts from Super Bowl XLV

The Game

Match-up of the NFL's 2 best defenses

There sure were a lot of points scored – 56 combined – in a tilt featuring the league's best defensive units. For what it's worth, the Packers D, with 3 forced turnovers and the interception return for a touchdown, outplayed the Steelers D.

Host city Dallas
I find it amusing that:

Bart Starr plunges into the end zone in the "Ice Bowl," the 1967 NFL Championship Game

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Lynn Swann hauls in a "Hail Mary" from Terry Bradshaw in Super Bowl X.

• The contestants of Super Bowl XLV each have their own share of postseason history with the city's beloved Cowboys, who were noticeably absent from the proceedings. (Stuff that in your ten-gallon Stetson and smoke it, fans of so-called “America's Team.”)
• The weather leading up to the Super Bowl included some ice, lots of snow and cold rain. This certainly couldn't have done much for the festive atmosphere the NFL tries to create for its signature event.
• Undaunted by the wet blanket the weather provided, nor the incomplete seating in the end zones, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and local civic leaders are petitioning for Dallas to be added to the unofficial Super Bowl hosting rotation of Miami and New Orleans.

Steelers running game
Let me see if I understand. The Steelers come out in the second half and run the ball right down the Packers' collective throat, then decide to have Big Ben repeatedly drop back and throw despite inconsistent results. Why wouldn't you continue to RUN THE DAMN BALL?! Isn't this what Pittsburgh did throughout the playoffs, indeed has always done?

Franco Harris won 4 Super Bowls with the 1970's era Steel Curtain teams.

Aaron Rodgers as MVP
I was really happy to see him perform well on the NFL's biggest stage. The Brett Favre comparisons are inevitable, but as sports columnist Bernie Miklasz astutely points out, Rodgers is more akin to Bart Starr than Favre. Boy, let's hope it stays that way.

Aaron Rodgers finally has his real championship belt, courtesy of linebacker Clay Matthews.

Future of the NFL
The potential for a work stoppage continued to dominate headlines leading up to the Super Bowl. I, for one, agree that the NFL needs to do far more to secure the safety of players before it can consider adding 2 more games to the schedule.

Injuries are a part of the game, reinforced by the fact that Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey missed the game entirely, and Packers receiver Donald Driver and cornerback Charles Woodson didn't play a down in the second half. But when it comes to the league's biggest games, don't you want the best players to decide the outcome rather than to watch from the sidelines in street clothes?

Charles Woodson sat out the 2nd half of Super Bowl XLV with a broken collarbone.

Sidelights

Flubbed national anthem
Maybe I just had low expectations going in, but let's cut Christina Aguilera a little slack for forgetting a line of the national anthem. If you have never made a mistake when in front of a crowd of people, then perhaps you can lob a stone in Christina's direction. Besides, no one can touch Whitney Houston's breathtaking rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner.

Best TV commercials
While the bar for Super Bowl commercials admittedly has been ratcheted down the last few years, this year's crop was a pleasant surprise. For me, the Pepsi Max and Doritos spots were easily the best. The creep-out factor of the Doritos finger-licking spot was especially memorable, but points get deducted from the Pepsi Max spots as a group for the crotch shot. It's been done to death, and it does nothing to make anyone want to enjoy a soft drink.

Worst TV commercials
GoDaddy & ShapeUps share the award here. While I enjoy the female form as much as anyone, you're going to have to put more thought and effort into your marketing and advertising before you can part me from my money. Check out USA Today's Super Bowl ad meter.