Why I loved the 2019 Super Bowl

I have had a couple days now to digest everything that happened in this year’s Super Bowl and for some people, I am sure they had digested enough by the 9th punt of the game. However, I keep coming back to the fact that I actually loved the Super Bowl (this even coming from Dolphins fan). Call me a traditionalist, old fashioned or even boring, but watching that defensive battle did it for me. Maybe its because I mentally prepared myself pregame that this would be the last bit of meaningful NFL football until September and would force myself to love every minute of it. But maybe its because we witnessed something that doesn’t happen everyday, the lowest scoring Super Bowl ever. Which I understand to most normal/casual sports fans that sounds dreadful. Don’t get me wrong, watching Mahomes and Goff on week 11, Monday night take turns dismantling the unfortunate 11 players that were placed on the opposite side of the ball of them that night was the most fun I had watching football all year. With saying that I am also the guy yelling at my friends who are begging something to happen in the 6th inning of a scoreless MLB game that this is still in fact entertaining. Side thought. Wonder how the MLB will try to increase scoring this year. Hopefully whatever they do, it doesn’t cause some of the best pitchers in the game to end up on the DL with blisters…Anyways.
This 14-punt battle for field position was exactly what New England drew up and executed to perfection. Anyone that has been watching football closely this year would tell you that LA had more guys that could break the game wide open. New England limiting a team to 3 points that averaged 32.9ppg during the season and coached by what most people think is the best upcoming coach in the league in McVay is a truly spectacular feat. This fact was probably lost on most people as they continued to check Twitter every five minutes to see who else is complaining about how boring they are finding the game. Which let me say is completely understandable. The Super Bowl being one of the most watched sporting events of the year and is taken in by a good majority of people who don’t normally watch or even enjoy football could probably think of 1000’s of different ways they could have spent that night instead. Yes, there were no 70-yard touchdown passes, hell there wasn’t even a touchdown pass all game. The only touchdown of the game, a Sony Michel 2-yard run, doesn’t exactly scream excitement either. But fuck, can we at least give some love to Jonny Hekker’s Super Bowl record breaking 65-yard punt! It was that moment exactly where I was able to enjoy the next 10 minutes of game scheming with a friend of potential punt-off scenarios should the game go to OT. Something that I can’t say I would ever dream of happening should Brady vs Goff had a Mahomes vs Goff like showdown. At least the game was close. Let’s go back a few years to 2014. Anyone remember the Seattle “Legion of Boom” era Seahawks just destroy the Denver Broncos? If you took any action on the Broncos that game, I am sure you lost interest once Percy Harvin ran the kick off back to lead off the 3rd quarter to make it 29-0. As a fan, there’s nothing more exciting as seeing the game comedown to the wire. As nerve racking as it may be, a last-minute drive will always exhibit the most TV breaking, shot inducing, curse laden behaviour which makes it just that much more fun. Not that this game even did that though. This was just a simple, boring, clinical masterpiece, with a game script designed by the best coach in the game. There was never really a debate in my mind that the Brady and Belichick QB/HC combo was the best of all time before this. However, this game I think was the first one where I just sat back and appreciated their brilliance as opposed to the usual inner Dolphins fan in me come out and pray that they lose at all costs. Grudges and rivalries aside, as a sports fan you gotta respect excellence. After this game I don’t want to see this debate on any media outlet for at least another 20 years. That is granted Belichick and Brady don’t find some type of immortality regime and continue playing for the next 10 years. They have just about been able to find all the answers so far (Shout out Eli Manning) so I wouldn’t put anything past them at this point.