AS THEY SAY IN NAWLINS, "LAISSEZ LES BONS TEMPS ROULER", SAINTS ARE CHAMPS PLUS A $2 MILLION LOSER
Translated, it means "Let the Good Time Roll." It's party time all over Louisiana, especially in New Orleans, where they will celebrate their first world championship in anything. First things first, the Saints are to be commended for holding 3 of the best quarterbacks to ever play, Kurt Warner, Brett Favre & Peyton Manning, to just 2 touchdown passes while snagging 4 interceptions. The pick by Tracey Porter & his 74-yard return for a touchdown was the only good for the 2nd biggest play of the game. Number one had to be the onside kick they recovered to open the second half. Phil Simms pegged it when he said "that was a shot in the arm to the Saints' players, they knew their coach was willing to do whatever it takes to win this game." It was brilliant, it rocked the Colts back on their heels. Tho they were able to regain the lead, the Saints had the confidence needed to win the game, which they did. Porter's interception just sealed the deal, until then I thought Manning would once again take the Colts downfield to tie the score. I doubted they could stop Brees & company, but I thought the game was going to be tied at 24.
The way the first quarter went, it looked as tho the Saints would be in real trouble early on, but the scoring drive to open the 2nd quarter was huge in stemming the momentum the Colts had at that time. Even tho they only got a field goal, they stayed on the field a long time. The Colts go three & out, punt & the Saints go on another long, time consuming drive. They were stopped on the 4th & goal, but the field position at their own two precluded Indy from trying too much before the half. They ran 3 times, punted & New Orleans squeezed out another field goal as the half ended.
I have to give the Saints a lot of credit, they hung in when things weren't going well. They showed no panic. Their coach, their QB & an opportunistic defense were superb. I would say without hesitation the Colts didn't lose this game, the Saints won it, they were more aggressive & made 2 big plays that changed the game. New Orleans deserves all the credit, they did what most of the "experts" said they couldn't, they took the game to Indy & it worked in a Super way.
Thankfully there weren't any missed calls or truly wrong calls. There were only 8 penalties, none of them back-breakers. The game moved along at a good pace with only one video review.
As badly as I feel to lose my last wager of the year, at least it wasn't a 7-figure loser. Phil Ivey, called by many the best poker player in the world, made a $2 million laydown, Colts on the moneyline, meaning no pointspread, all they had to do was win the game. The Colt moneyline was -210 meaning you had to lay $210 to win $100. For a bet of this size, I imagine the folks at MGM/Mirage probably allowed Ivey to lay just 2 to 1. When Porter stepped in front of Reggie Wayne to intercept Manning's pass & take it to the house for six, I'm guessing you could hear Ivey's sphincter clinching up & down the Vegas Strip. The books did well, about 70% of the side money was on the Colts but most of the New Orleans bets were of the moneyline variety, meaning that 30% paid off like 60%, still a good margin. But it was the total where the books got fat. It opened at 54 1/2 & by game time was bet up to 57 1/2, so the over betting was a very high percentage of the total wagers. I think the books did well on the props as well, normally the public takes the underdogs & the so-called wise guys lay the money on props. There was probably more than one Saint bettor who took their team & laid 14 points for a $20 bill. Cashing that ticket would've paid $320. Overall I think the books did well, especially at the Bellagio, thanks Phil.
I had Carrie Underwood's rendition of the National Anthem at 1:47, which was over the posted 1:42 in one of the more weird props. The NFC won the coin toss for a 14th consecutive year. Jim Nance said it had to be a 100-1 shot, Jim, it's more like 4,000 to 1.
Did you like The Who at halftime? I'm geezer enough to remember this band way back in the sixties, when I was in high school. I thought the lasers, lights & fireworks were very impressively staged. The Who was O.K. I guess, like so many of the bands I liked in my youth, the major problem is they're old, older than me. Oh they can still rock from time to time, but remembering The Who from Woodstock or Leeds & then listening to them struggle a little tonight, well it kinda sucks. We've seen MJ, Tom Petty, The Boss, Prince(probably the best halftime in the last 6-7 years) McCartney & The Who, all with AARP cards. Unless they can get Clapton & Santana together, I think the halftime show needs to get younger next year. Besides, I've heard half of the Eagles are scheduled for hip replacement surgery next January.
My favorite commercials were:
1. Megan Fox for Motorola--Don't care for her, but the commercial was hysterical
2. Snickers spot with Betty White & Abe Vigoda--we were howlin' at this one
3. Bud Light--Asteroid Alert--ditto
4. Pam & Tim Tebow's spot that caused such an uproar that didn't mention abortion, right to life or anything like it. Too often the media gets people stirred up & they go off without even knowing the content of the thing it is they're all worked up about. It was kind of cute, tho I saw a spokesperson for 'The Women's Media Center' who thought "the tackle at the end showed an undercurrent of violence toward women" Apparently our agendas trump everything.
5. The CBS promo with Letterman, Oprah & Jay Leno was a shocker, getting them into the same room, much less doing spots for Letterman while sitting on the same couch. It was great!
6. Doritos spot with the dog shock collar
7. Denny's screaming chickens--both spots were excellent
8. Bud Light 'house of Bud Light'
9.The Griswalds(Chevy Chase & Beverly D'Angelo) doing a spot for home vacation rentals.
10. Bud Light "Lost" parody
The best part of watching Super Bowl commercials was at these prices, Geico, Progressive, AT&T, Verizon, Coors Light & the Olive Garden weren't on wall-to-wall thankfully. But we were subjected to Charles Barkley(I love Sir Charles, but this isn't his thing) rapping for Taco Bell, a lame redeux of the McDonald's ad featuring Jordan & Bird from years ago & a semi-insulting ad for Dodge featuring a patronizing husband. And isn't it time to lose the ridiculous GoDaddy.com ads? I'm a loyal customer of their's but the spots are really awful. Same with the E*Trade babies, it was cute two years ago, no more, they're annoying.
Now the football season has officially come to a close. Next, I'll turn to free agency, the scouting combine, April's draft & will we see either side blink during the negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement? I may not be here everyday this week as I have a load of stuff not related to this site that needs my attention. I'll keep an eye out for any big breaking stories I feel you'll want to know. Please continue checking in daily, you never know when something's going to happen, like Julius Peppers or Brandon Marshall being traded. One more thing to do. To the Bronco fans who have decided I am the only guy on the internet questioning Floyd Little's HOF selection, here's a news flash, I'm not alone. In fact most people I've read this evening agree with my assertion that Little was a marginal selection at best. Google his Hall of Fame selection, read some of these other people & get a dose of reality. Like me, they supported Shannon Sharpe, but are we supposed to slobber all over every single Bronco that has a decent career & campaign for their HOF enshrinement? Why don't you stop living in your mother's basement, get out of the chat rooms & possibly meet some people who don't think exactly like you. You might find the discourse enlightening, then again it might make you want to move back in with Mommy. See ya!
The way the first quarter went, it looked as tho the Saints would be in real trouble early on, but the scoring drive to open the 2nd quarter was huge in stemming the momentum the Colts had at that time. Even tho they only got a field goal, they stayed on the field a long time. The Colts go three & out, punt & the Saints go on another long, time consuming drive. They were stopped on the 4th & goal, but the field position at their own two precluded Indy from trying too much before the half. They ran 3 times, punted & New Orleans squeezed out another field goal as the half ended.
I have to give the Saints a lot of credit, they hung in when things weren't going well. They showed no panic. Their coach, their QB & an opportunistic defense were superb. I would say without hesitation the Colts didn't lose this game, the Saints won it, they were more aggressive & made 2 big plays that changed the game. New Orleans deserves all the credit, they did what most of the "experts" said they couldn't, they took the game to Indy & it worked in a Super way.
Thankfully there weren't any missed calls or truly wrong calls. There were only 8 penalties, none of them back-breakers. The game moved along at a good pace with only one video review.
As badly as I feel to lose my last wager of the year, at least it wasn't a 7-figure loser. Phil Ivey, called by many the best poker player in the world, made a $2 million laydown, Colts on the moneyline, meaning no pointspread, all they had to do was win the game. The Colt moneyline was -210 meaning you had to lay $210 to win $100. For a bet of this size, I imagine the folks at MGM/Mirage probably allowed Ivey to lay just 2 to 1. When Porter stepped in front of Reggie Wayne to intercept Manning's pass & take it to the house for six, I'm guessing you could hear Ivey's sphincter clinching up & down the Vegas Strip. The books did well, about 70% of the side money was on the Colts but most of the New Orleans bets were of the moneyline variety, meaning that 30% paid off like 60%, still a good margin. But it was the total where the books got fat. It opened at 54 1/2 & by game time was bet up to 57 1/2, so the over betting was a very high percentage of the total wagers. I think the books did well on the props as well, normally the public takes the underdogs & the so-called wise guys lay the money on props. There was probably more than one Saint bettor who took their team & laid 14 points for a $20 bill. Cashing that ticket would've paid $320. Overall I think the books did well, especially at the Bellagio, thanks Phil.
I had Carrie Underwood's rendition of the National Anthem at 1:47, which was over the posted 1:42 in one of the more weird props. The NFC won the coin toss for a 14th consecutive year. Jim Nance said it had to be a 100-1 shot, Jim, it's more like 4,000 to 1.
Did you like The Who at halftime? I'm geezer enough to remember this band way back in the sixties, when I was in high school. I thought the lasers, lights & fireworks were very impressively staged. The Who was O.K. I guess, like so many of the bands I liked in my youth, the major problem is they're old, older than me. Oh they can still rock from time to time, but remembering The Who from Woodstock or Leeds & then listening to them struggle a little tonight, well it kinda sucks. We've seen MJ, Tom Petty, The Boss, Prince(probably the best halftime in the last 6-7 years) McCartney & The Who, all with AARP cards. Unless they can get Clapton & Santana together, I think the halftime show needs to get younger next year. Besides, I've heard half of the Eagles are scheduled for hip replacement surgery next January.
My favorite commercials were:
1. Megan Fox for Motorola--Don't care for her, but the commercial was hysterical
2. Snickers spot with Betty White & Abe Vigoda--we were howlin' at this one
3. Bud Light--Asteroid Alert--ditto
4. Pam & Tim Tebow's spot that caused such an uproar that didn't mention abortion, right to life or anything like it. Too often the media gets people stirred up & they go off without even knowing the content of the thing it is they're all worked up about. It was kind of cute, tho I saw a spokesperson for 'The Women's Media Center' who thought "the tackle at the end showed an undercurrent of violence toward women" Apparently our agendas trump everything.
5. The CBS promo with Letterman, Oprah & Jay Leno was a shocker, getting them into the same room, much less doing spots for Letterman while sitting on the same couch. It was great!
6. Doritos spot with the dog shock collar
7. Denny's screaming chickens--both spots were excellent
8. Bud Light 'house of Bud Light'
9.The Griswalds(Chevy Chase & Beverly D'Angelo) doing a spot for home vacation rentals.
10. Bud Light "Lost" parody
The best part of watching Super Bowl commercials was at these prices, Geico, Progressive, AT&T, Verizon, Coors Light & the Olive Garden weren't on wall-to-wall thankfully. But we were subjected to Charles Barkley(I love Sir Charles, but this isn't his thing) rapping for Taco Bell, a lame redeux of the McDonald's ad featuring Jordan & Bird from years ago & a semi-insulting ad for Dodge featuring a patronizing husband. And isn't it time to lose the ridiculous GoDaddy.com ads? I'm a loyal customer of their's but the spots are really awful. Same with the E*Trade babies, it was cute two years ago, no more, they're annoying.
Now the football season has officially come to a close. Next, I'll turn to free agency, the scouting combine, April's draft & will we see either side blink during the negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement? I may not be here everyday this week as I have a load of stuff not related to this site that needs my attention. I'll keep an eye out for any big breaking stories I feel you'll want to know. Please continue checking in daily, you never know when something's going to happen, like Julius Peppers or Brandon Marshall being traded. One more thing to do. To the Bronco fans who have decided I am the only guy on the internet questioning Floyd Little's HOF selection, here's a news flash, I'm not alone. In fact most people I've read this evening agree with my assertion that Little was a marginal selection at best. Google his Hall of Fame selection, read some of these other people & get a dose of reality. Like me, they supported Shannon Sharpe, but are we supposed to slobber all over every single Bronco that has a decent career & campaign for their HOF enshrinement? Why don't you stop living in your mother's basement, get out of the chat rooms & possibly meet some people who don't think exactly like you. You might find the discourse enlightening, then again it might make you want to move back in with Mommy. See ya!
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