I think the big takeaway, never to be forgotten again, is that the best defenses don't come up short in these games, and the best offenses do. With the pressure and the noise and the intensity ratcheted up, it's easier for defenses to come out and play their game. The Bears did it, the Ravens did it, the Patriots did it, the Bucs did it, and the Seahawks did it.
The offenses? For years and years we've seen the Broncos, the Rams, the Rams, the Patriots, the Saints, the Patriots, and the Broncos come up small. A couple of those teams managed to win on the scoreboard, but year after year the defenses won the matchup. For some reason, much of that history was forgotten or at least downplayed by many if not most last week. This Broncos offense was different, 5-time MVP Peyton Manning was different. And then it wasn't.
Going forward, this has got to be the default, no-doubt rule. Great defenses beat great offenses in the Super Bowl. If it's not going to be different when a Hall of Fame quarterback who threw 55 TD passes brings his team to the Super Bowl, it's not going to be different next year when Tom Brady or Peyton Manning or Andrew Luck does it. Next year we'll be talking about the Super Bowl Champion Seahawks or 49ers or Panthers. Not the Eagles or Broncos.
Does anything else need to be said about the game itself? Well, a few things.
John Fox outcoached. Denver clearly wasn't ready to play. They didn't know how to handle crowd noise at the Super Bowl? They kicked away from Percy Harvin by giving him a short kickoff that he was able to field while running at full speed? THEY PUNTED ON 4TH DOWN IN THE 3RD QUARTER FROM THE SEATTLE 39-YARD LINE. I honestly can't think of a more bizarre coaching decision. They were losing 29-0 and I know the game was over, but what was that? Did Denver punt from the opposing 39-yard-line all season?
Peyton Manning's legacy. I think most of us hate these legacy questions, but the sad truth is that 10 or 20 years from now, if somebody yells out a quarterback's name, your mind is going to make a snap judgment. Joe Montana, clutch. Peyton Manning, playoff disappointment. My favorite NFL player is Brett Favre, and I have to grudgingly acknowledge that while maybe the first thing that will be remembered is his Iron Man streak, and the 2nd will be his interceptions to end a couple of NFC Championship Games. That's the reality. Manning played an awful game yesterday. Not all his fault, his protection was terrible, but since he gets most of the credit when things go well he gets most of the blame when they don't. I won't dwell on this anymore, but if your perfect season ends with a disastrous playoff defeat, that gets remembered. Sad but true.
Seattle Defense. I almost think it's a shame there has to be an MVP. Malcolm Smith? He made the biggest play, but his MVP is right up there with Larry Brown winning it for Dallas in the '95 Super Bowl. Award should have gone to "Team D" and leave it at that.
Commercials. Most of them stunk. Are there really that many people out there watching this game who were debating buying a Maserati? We buy a new car every 5-10 years. There were so many car commercials last night it was as if all of America sits around considering buying a car every month or two. Here's the big problem with the commercials: the Internet. You actually had to work not to see the best commercials before the Super Bowl aired, they were so ubiquitous online. And whereas it used to be disappointing to miss one, now it's no big deal; here's the online link. I envision a near future where the game is on in the background while a roomful of people sits together staring at their phones and smiling quietly at different humorous commercials at different times. Or maybe that was yesterday for a lot of people. Super Bowl parties that used to collect car keys at the front door can start to collect cell phones.
Pregame and alternate programming. Watched a little bit of the Puppy, Kitten and Fish Bowls. The Kitten Bowl was kind of funny; they had blackouts and "unnecessary cuteness" penalties. The Puppy Bowl was cute, when they weren't going to commercials. The Fish Bowl, which I tuned in for a few seconds, was apparently intended to be lame, a spoof of the other channels. In that regard, it was a rousing success. Saw Brett Favre on the NFL Network pregame show. His mountain man appearance put to rest any final thoughts some might have had about him coming back to the NFL. His delivery put to rest any thoughts some might have entertained about him ever pursuing a network job. Not gonna happen.
So the NFL season is finally over. Seattle, who many thought would be the league's best team in the preseason, is the league's best team. They did it without Percy Harvin playing all season, essentially. They did it with possibly the sorriest receiving corps in history, no offense to Kearse, Tate and Baldwin, but there it is. They did it by taking down the NFC's other best team in the playoffs, and the AFC's best team in the Super Bowl. They're No. 1.
Now we start focusing on the draft, the 2014 annual, and who can possibly beat Seattle next season. It can be done. But it probably won't be a great offense that does it.