# Omnibus Super Bowl XLVI Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 23, 2012, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-super-bowl-xlvi-thread/610425 "2012-01-23T19:51:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-super-bowl-xlvi-thread/610425/161 "2012-02-06T16:29:37Z")
> [@VarlosZ](#): > > \*\*\* _Unsung Heroes Watch_ > > – Lawrence Tynes. Up until the end of the 4th Quarter, Tynes and Gostowski had combined for one touchback in 7 tries, but in his last two attempts Tynes drilled his kickoffs and forced the Pats to take a knee. The last kickoff, of course, was especially vital, as a good return could have completely changed the complexion of New England’s last chance drive – instead of trying to get in position for a decent Hail Mary, they might have been trying to get in position to throw 3 passes from inside the red zone. > > – Whoever drilled the Giants’ defense on wrapping up. They were extremely solid on their tackles. Giants defenders weren’t always in position to make a timely play, but when defender met ball-carrier, the play ended promptly on almost every occasion. > > – Add your own? Giants punter Steve Weatherford. He set a Super Bowl record with 3 punts inside the 10 and they were a big reason the Giants won, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-super-bowl-xlvi-thread/610425/162 "2012-02-06T16:51:35Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > Giants punter Steve Weatherford. He set a Super Bowl record with 3 punts inside the 10 and they were a big reason the Giants won, IMO. Ditto this big time. Opinion at the party I was at was that Weatherford was the actual MVP for the game but Manning would win the award because that’s what QBs are for. That safety (plus touchdown on the ensuing drive) wouldn’t have happened unless the Pats were backed up. And they were fighting field position all night. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-super-bowl-xlvi-thread/610425/163 "2012-02-06T18:08:58Z")
Yes, Weatherford was a true stud. Did you see what his reaction was he missed pinning them. He was angry with himself! Oh no! A touchback! I repeat: that was the most exciting game I have seen in years on end. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-super-bowl-xlvi-thread/610425/164 "2012-02-06T19:02:55Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > It was the right call. If one is pointing out questionable calls, it doesn’t belong. Well, I’ll grant that it’s certainly a technically accurate call, but — unless you content that on a typical play there are eligible receivers sitting in the 9th row of the bleachers behind the end zone – it’s also a major departure from how the rule is usually called in the NFL. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-super-bowl-xlvi-thread/610425/165 "2012-02-06T19:11:10Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > Well, I’ll grant that it’s certainly a technically accurate call, but — unless you content that on a typical play there are eligible receivers sitting in the 9th row of the bleachers behind the end zone – it’s also a major departure from how the rule is usually called in the NFL. It really isn’t, though. Brady was in the pocket and under pressure, and he threw the ball a country mile away from anybody. I do think it’s possible somebody ran the wrong route, but the officials can’t make that determination. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-super-bowl-xlvi-thread/610425/166 "2012-02-06T19:19:49Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > Yes, Weatherford was a true stud. Did you see what his reaction was he missed pinning them. He was angry with himself! Oh no! A touchback! > > I repeat: that was the most exciting game I have seen in years on end. I was so pissed when the Bears didn’t bring in Weatherford when they replaced Maynard. They ended up settling on Podlesh who hasn’t been bad, but he’s not a difference maker. Weatherford is. When he was younger he was occasionally inconsistent, but he’s rounded into elite form. As an Illinois product I really wanted to bring him home. Also, I think it’s a little nuts to talk about this as the best Super Bowl in a while. This was good and close and had a somewhat exciting finish, but it was also really sloppy and not a lot happened prior to the 4th quarter. Yes there was good defense, but there was also a lot of poor execution on offense. The Steelers-Cardinals Super Bowl blows this one out of the water, as did the first Giants-Pats game. Not to mention my all time favorite, the Titans-Rams game. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-super-bowl-xlvi-thread/610425/167 "2012-02-06T19:27:19Z")
What a crap game. Outside of Manningham’s sweet catch, it was like watching two mediocre 3-3 teams playing for not much in week 7. Brady was, at best, an average QB, and Eli didn’t impress nearly as much as he had in the past. The defenses weren’t special and there was an almost complete lack of playmakers making big plays. Dropped passes, stupidity (12 men on the fieldin the Super Bowl?), and safe, conservative passes were the only things that stood out. Even though it was an “exciting” ending, it was a “which mediocre team will win” exciting, and nowhere near “two great teams battling it out” exciting. While I’m happy to see Bellicheck and the Pats lose in such a way, my god it was a boring, completely forgettable game. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-super-bowl-xlvi-thread/610425/168 "2012-02-06T22:40:15Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > While I’m happy to see Bellicheck and the Pats lose in such a way, my god it was a boring, completely forgettable game. I hear this often in evenly matched games. I don’t know if you are like this, **Hamlet** , but some people aren’t impressed unless football games are putting up NBA like scores. Both teams defenses were stiff, with a lot of ‘bend but don’t break’ and a lot of ‘don’t give up the big play’. Manning and Brady both realized that they would have to grind to get yards, and the **GIANTS** running game provided with an unspectacular but effective 4.1 yards per carry. Welker had a huge, uncharacteristic drop, and given the timing may have lent to the feeling the game was sloppily played. However, drops are as much a part of football as catches, even by reliable veterans. Personally, I prefer to see defenses do their jobs, even if it isn’t showy. Sorry you didn’t get Brees or Rodgers throwing for 500 yards, but to me, that is bad defense, not good football. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-super-bowl-xlvi-thread/610425/169 "2012-02-06T22:43:12Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > Well, I’ll grant that it’s certainly a technically accurate call, but — unless you content that on a typical play there are eligible receivers sitting in the 9th row of the bleachers behind the end zone – it’s also a major departure from how the rule is usually called in the NFL. The difference, as mentioned in the thread when it happened during the game, was that Brady was under immediate pressure to get rid of the ball (Tuck was putting him on his ass). You can throw the ball away like you said if you are not under immediate pressure. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-super-bowl-xlvi-thread/610425/170 "2012-02-06T23:11:01Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > Both teams defenses were stiff, with a lot of ‘bend but don’t break’ and a lot of ‘don’t give up the big play’. And next to no big plays. The defenses played well, especially the tackling, which was important to stop those unending 7 yard curls/outs from turning into big plays. Outside of a couple big sacks in crunch time, I saw no “Wow!” plays at all. That interception was the result of a horrible underthrow by Brady, not a great play by the linebacker who was clearly beaten on the play. And much of the “don’t break” was the result of ineptituxe by the offense and not great plays by the defense. I can appreciate that the defense was solid fundamentally, but I want more than just not tackling badly. It was solid, but completely unspectacular football, which is not what I want from the supposed best teams in the NFL. [Quote=D Odds] Manning and Brady both realized that they would have to grind to get yards, and the **GIANTS** running game provided with an unspectacular but effective 4.1 yards per carry. Welker had a huge, uncharacteristic drop, and given the timing may have lent to the feeling the game was sloppily played. However, drops are as much a part of football as catches, even by reliable veterans. [/quote] Unspectacular is the best word for the game. And drops are mistakes. Sloppy mistakes. Again, I want the biggest game of the year to have less mistakes and more great plays than what we saw last night. [Quote=D Odds] Personally, I prefer to see defenses do their jobs, even if it isn’t showy. Sorry you didn’t get Brees or Rodgers throwing for 500 yards, but to me, that is bad defense, not good football. [/QUOTE] And I prefer great football over solid football. Not having to watch a defense miss tackles or completely blow coverages is all well and good, but give me a defense that makws big plays anyday. I want to see the best players making big plays on both sides of the ball over average layers making average plays. I want excellence, not “Not messing up”. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-super-bowl-xlvi-thread/610425/171 "2012-02-07T00:37:13Z")
Then it’s a good thing the much sloppier Packers, Saints, 49ers and Ravens didn’t get in. > [@VarlosZ](#): > > As for Coughlin in the Hall: Jimmy Johnson won 2 Super Bowls and isn’t in (and it’s looking like he never will be). George Seifert won 2 and will never get in. Ditto Tom Flores. I’m pretty sure that Coughlin isn’t Which expansion team did those guys twice lead to the conference championship game before moving on to their multiple-Superbowl stops? ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-super-bowl-xlvi-thread/610425/172 "2012-02-07T00:44:28Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Then it’s a good thing the much sloppier Packers, Saints, 49ers and Ravens didn’t get in. The 49ers v. Saints, and even the Ravens v. Patriots were much better games, with the players playing better, than yesterday’s Super Bowl. The Packers v. Giants. Not so much. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-super-bowl-xlvi-thread/610425/173 "2012-02-07T00:51:35Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > The 49ers v. Saints, and even the Ravens v. Patriots were much better games, with the players playing better, than yesterday’s Super Bowl. The Packers v. Giants. Not so much. Nice cherry picking. The Packers were every bit as sloppy as the Patriots in their game against the Giants, if not moreso. As were the 49ers. Hmmm, I’m seeing a pattern there. And I disagree on the Ravens vs Patriots game. I didn’t see better play in that one, unless maybe you want to count “should have been caught” game winning TDs as close enough. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-super-bowl-xlvi-thread/610425/174 "2012-02-07T01:01:33Z")
I’ve seen two really bad teams play a very compelling game, you just never know whats going to come out of any matchup. While I agree this Super Bowl seemed to lack something, it was far from the worst in my lifetime. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-super-bowl-xlvi-thread/610425/175 "2012-02-07T01:03:16Z")
I don’t know if anyone caught it, but on the Friday before the Super Bowl Bill Simmons interviewed Jonathan Kraft, Patriots president and son of Robert. I only got around to listening to it today but I was pretty captivated throughout. I thought it was a pretty exceptional interview, it touched on a lot of interesting topics ranging from the Super Bowl to the CBA to the death of Myra Kraft. Anyways, if any one has an hour to kill in traffic or on the train I encourage them to [check it out](http://www.grantland.com/podcasts). On a similar note, did anyone catch the premiere of Costas Tonight on the NBC Sports Network Thursday night? I have come to think of Costas as a bit of a sanctimonious ass, but this show was simply excellent TV. The production values were through the roof and they obviously pulled out all the stops with the guest, audience and venue. This wasn’t really a group of talking heads babbling about the Super Bowl, it was more like a town hall style debate about the state of the game and everything under the sun NFL related. I found myself pretty much engrossed for 2 hours. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-super-bowl-xlvi-thread/610425/176 "2012-02-07T01:03:47Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Nice cherry picking. The Packers were every bit as sloppy as the Patriots in their game against the Giants, if not moreso. As were the 49ers. Hmmm, I’m seeing a pattern there. If it helps, the Super Bowl was a much better game than the Giants v. Packers game. Much, much better. Contrary to your perceptions, I had absolutely no problem with the teams that made the Super Bowl. I do, however, have a problem with the way they played that game. > [@Ellis Dee](#): > > And I disagree on the Ravens vs Patriots game. I didn’t see better play in that one, unless maybe you want to count “should have been caught” game winning TDs as close enough. Brady certainly didn’t play better, but, overall, I thought the Ravens defense made some great plays on those interceptions, the Patriots D made some big stops, there weren’t so many drops and stupid mistakes, and the ending was certainly more climatic. Sure it didn’t involve the Giants, so YMMV, but give me Gronkowski plowing through the defense, Webb going up and getting a huge interception, Torrey Smith burning the secondary for a big gain, and Sterling Moore punching a ball out to save a TD over one great Manningham catch and a ton of 7 yard conservative passes with little to no special plays on defense anyday. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-super-bowl-xlvi-thread/610425/177 "2012-02-07T01:10:30Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > I’ve seen two really bad teams play a very compelling game, you just never know whats going to come out of any matchup. While I agree this Super Bowl seemed to lack something, it was far from the worst in my lifetime. It certainly wasn’t the worst, even in recent memory. Both teams played fine. Fine tackling. Fine conservative play calls. Fine running game. Sure there were some bad mistakes, and one amazing catch, but by and large, they played fine. Just fine. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-super-bowl-xlvi-thread/610425/178 "2012-02-07T01:20:47Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > What a crap game. Outside of Manningham’s sweet catch, it was like watching two mediocre 3-3 teams playing for not much in week 7. Brady was, at best, an average QB, and Eli didn’t impress nearly as much as he had in the past. The defenses weren’t special and there was an almost complete lack of playmakers making big plays. Dropped passes, stupidity (12 men on the fieldin the Super Bowl?), and safe, conservative passes were the only things that stood out. Even though it was an “exciting” ending, it was a “which mediocre team will win” exciting, and nowhere near “two great teams battling it out” exciting. While I’m happy to see Bellicheck and the Pats lose in such a way, my god it was a boring, completely forgettable game. The Super Bowl, and to a lesser extent the BCS Championship, suffer from the same problem: a long layoff before the game. I have yet to see a Super Bowl that lived up to the expectations of the fans simply because the players are all rusty by the time they get to playing it. If they take out the hype week the game will be much better and much more representative of how the teams were playing when they made the Super Bowl. It is rare indeed that either team plays well during the game, let alone both of them. That said, I thought it was a good game. The Super Bowl is always one of two things: a blowout or a game that has heroics at the end. This one had the big drive with the clock winding down and the last-minute attempt to win from a (gag) legendary quarterback. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-super-bowl-xlvi-thread/610425/179 "2012-02-08T08:37:18Z")
I’ve been seeing a decent amount of wannabe football experts proclaiming “The Giants won the superbowl, see, proof that you still need to run and play defense” And it’s funny because those people just sort of get an image of what a team is in their head and it never changes, not over 20 years or through different rosters or coaches or anything. The Giants had the 25th ranked scoring defense and 27th ranked yardage defense, and they were last in the league in rushing yards. Yes, the epitome of run and play defense. That’s not quite as bad as when the Colts played the Bears a few years back, and it was the best offense in the league vs the best special teams/defense in the league, and when the Colts won, people proudly proclaimed “see! Defense wins championships! The Colts defense played better in the playoffs than the regular season” :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-super-bowl-xlvi-thread/610425/180 "2012-02-08T12:25:33Z")
> [@Southern\_Yankee](#): > > … Manning was 20 for 30… . He was 30 for 40 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-super-bowl-xlvi-thread/610425.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-super-bowl-xlvi-thread/610425.md?page=10)