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Martin Greenblat

The Toilet Bowl

This post is really for my Brazilian friends and the title is an old joke when the game (actually refers to College Bowl games) is not Super but more akin to the Vaso Sanitário.

If you watched last year's Super Bowl, arguably the best of all time, this one was probably a bottom 10 or 15. You can say it was a great defensive battle, but I will debunk (discredit) that theory too as the offenses were offensive. So here are a few YesMSG observations.

Peyton Manning

Peyton stunk. He actually has stunk since November of last season, and all of this season. Had Brock Osweiller (his backup) played better, Peyton would not have started again this season. But he threw a terrible interception, had 12 straight 3 and outs (meaning no first downs) and the offense generated only 194 yards, a full 20% less than any previous Super Bowl winner.

Peyton, while the most prolific regular season quarterback of all time, has a rather pedestrian (mediocre) postseason record. The season that Indianapolis won the Super Bowl, Peyton threw 3 TDs and 7 interceptions in the postseason. No one will confuse him with Brady, Roethlisberger or Montana. Or even Rodgers or Marino in a winner-take-all game.

Cam's Supporting Cast

At the beginning of the NFL season, the Panthers lost their best receiver, Kelvin Benjamin, to a torn ACL. The experts said that with a poor offensive line, and no receivers who can separate (get away from the defensive backs), the Panthers would not be a challenger for the playoffs much less the Super Bowl.

Then the Panthers go 15–1 because Cam is sui generis.

However, on game day, all the concerns came to fruition. The Offensive Line — Michael Oher (from the film The Blind Side) and Mike Remmers could not block DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller. Those guys lived in the backfield. Cam cannot run or throw if those monsters are on top of him.

The receivers were HORRIBLE. They could not make any catches beyond the mundane. Cotchery has to make those two catches and get them in the red zone. Ginn Jr. has to extend for the ball and not run out of bounds. A Jerry Rice, or even a 70% Jerry Rice makes the difference in this game. No one made a play.

And Offensive Coordinator Mike Shula has to call more Cam runs. He is the motor that brung ya. The only drive that worked had Cam being Cam.

Cam

Lots of people are all over the MVP because he had a bad game (he did) and because he did not grace the media with eloquent answers post game (who effing cares). Let me elaborate on the latter:

  1. Cam likes to celebrate when he wins. Great. A little personality is fun. Having all athletes saying boring things is boring. I personally like trash talk, etc.
  2. When Cam loses, yes he is a sore loser, but he did go shake Manning's hand, which, by the way, Peyton DID NOT DO after losing the Super Bowl to the New Orleans Saints and Drew Brees after the 2009 season. (BTW, Peyton was accused of a form of Sexual Harassment in college; Cam of stealing a laptop)
  3. Cam has also never failed a drug test, unlike Super Bowl MVP Von Miller, who had to sit out 4 games for using Performance Enhancing Drugs. I would like to assume that his super human performance against both the Patriots and Panthers was not assisted by anything illegal.
  4. One of Cam's accusers was Deion Sanders, who was probably the biggest showboat in NFL history, and a noted philanderer prior to 'finding God.'
  5. Another was Bill Romanowski, accused of using steroids, and guilty of breaking a teammate's eye socket in a training camp fight, and of spitting in another player's face during a game.

So before you get up on Mount Pious, please reconsider. First of all, no athlete should be your kid's role model, and you may want to get the whole picture before you get too upset about a press conference.

And as for coming up small in a big moment? Brazilian friends? Ronaldo '98? He made up for it. Seleção '14? Let's see.

The Defenses

Let me start with the Panthers defense. They were fantastic, but their accomplishments were diminished by the anemic Broncos' offense. Manning and Co. could have been stopped by anyone most likely. Nevertheless, this defense is nails (excelente) and will help in any return to the SB in the future.

Now on to the Broncos. I think they are a great D. Especially with Demarcus Ware and Von Miller terrorizing the OL of the Panthers. But they faced and almost lost to a Steelers team with an ailing Ben Roethlisberger at Quarterback, no Antonio Brown, the best WR in football, and neither of their top 2 Running Backs — Le'Veon Bell and De'Angelo Williams.

They then beat a good Patriots team, but one without any wide receiver that can stretch the field — run deep and get separation — or a running back.

And finally a Panthers team that had been dominant but flawed in the offensive line and at wide receiver.

Not that they are not great, but this will put them just below the following place in my opinion as far as greatest Super Bowl defenses:

  1. 2000 Ravens: Just the fastest, hardest hitting, most aggressive defense I have ever seen.
  2. 70s Steelers: I was young but they were known as so dominant. And here 40 years later I can still name Mean Joe Green, LC Greenwood, Arrowhead Ernie Holmes, Dwight White, Jack Ham, Jack Lambert, Andy…., Donnie Shell, Mel Blount, (I just named 9 of 11 starters on the defense and if I had more time, I would probably get the other two)
  3. 1985 Bears, which had Panthers coach Ron Rivera
  4. 2013 Seahawks (I think the Broncos match this squad or a bit below it)

There is your top 5 in my opinion.

Conclusion

This was actually a rather pedestrian if not poor NFL Season, and the Super Bowl fit that. But hey, it happens. If you like the NFL, you have the combine, the draft, training camp. It never stops.

If you want something else, you have the NBA and my Golden State Warriors quest for Immortality!

Inbox or comment with questions.