Super Bowl Reflections and a Crush of the Day!

What's going on everyone, let's get to my thoughts on the Super Bowl...

First, some music to listen to: South Side of the Sky by Yes (live)

Bump this in your office today, it will make you feel better.

One more thing...

Crush of the Day: Esperanza Spalding

Saw her performance on Austin City Limits on Saturday and was impressed. Talented musician, plays an excellent bass and is a cutie...you may be looking at the future Mrs. Pourtout, even though she will have to get past Ashley Judd, Ciara and Maria Menunos. That smells like an upcoming post on my updated top-five list...I'll save it for when Kentucky comes to play Vandy and Ms. Judd makes her annual trip to Memorial Gym.

For now, lets talk about the Super Bowl. It was a solid game, and I have some passing thoughts about it and yes, I'm openly imitating Don Banks from Si.com and his Snap Judgements, but what can you do, I like the format.

-I know that it seems hyperbolic to state that a team winning a championship can help the morale of an entire city because sports hold a place in our society but not that important, however, if you've ever been to New Orleans, before and after Hurricane Katrina, you can't overstate what this win means for them.

I have family from Baton Rogue and have seen what the Saints mean to that area. Outside of maybe Green Bay with the Packers, Buffalo with the Bills and possibly Cleveland to the Browns, no city takes their cue from its NFL team like New Orleans.

Will the Saints winning the game rebuilt the homes, give people jobs and erase the horrible memories of that natural disaster nearly six years ago, no. However, if the people truly affected by that event take comfort in seeing a team that they supported through some good and mostly bad, good for them. That's why I was supporting the Saints yesterday, because...

-There's no way that I will ever support a Vol in a major event so Peyton can go kick rocks, but...
-Manning played an excellent game. I thought that the talk about how this win would place him on the list of greatest quarterbacks was premature for several reasons. First, he's playing for at least six more seasons. He's durable, avoids injuries accept for normal wear and tear and keeps himself in prime condition. He's going to make at least one more Super Bowl in his career, you can book it. Second, people like to label him as a “choker,” which is not completely fair. Has he lost some playoff games? Sure he has, but all of the greats did.

Johnny Unitas got beat by an average New York Jets team in Super Bowl III.

John Elway got dominated in three straight Super Bowls before receiving redemption in his last two appearances in the championship game.

I saw Joe Montana get knocked out of two NFC title games against the Giants in his heyday with the 49ers.

Farve has had his bad losses, shoot, even Tom Brady has come up short.

The point is that you have to look beyond the initial analysis and wait for the career of these guys to end. Would it shock me if Minnesota won the Super Bowl with Farve next year? Of course not (btw, if you think Farve isn't coming back next season, you're trying to avoid the obvious. I want him to go away too, but he's not leaving that situation and the Vikes won't let him. You want Tavaris Jackson running your team, didn't think so). Brady still has a good year or two in him. The Pats have work to do but another Super Bowl isn't impossible.

That's why I don't like ranking current players in any sport. If Farve gets his second title, does that make him the best ever? He'd have a better case than Manning most likely. If Brady gets his fourth title, he matches Montana but still would have to win a few more to catch Otto Graham. Patience.

-Speaking of great quarterbacks, what about Drew Brees? I have to admit, I've doubted this guy's career on two occasions. First, when he came out of Purdue, I didn't think he had a strong enough arm and was too short to be an elite QB. I wasn't the only one because he lasted all the way to the second round when he had a first round-type career in college. He gets to San Diego and I'm proven right at first because he struggles there. Even the Chargers weren't sure about him because they drafted Rivers with the number four pick of the first round a few years later.

This motivates Brees and he becomes a Pro Bowler. However, he jacks up his throwing shoulder in the last game of the regular season in his contract year, and his career is almost over.

That was the second time I doubted him. I remember it exactly because it was a national TV game and the way that he was tackled was nasty. Then word got out that he needed major reconstruction and that was a wrap, or so I thought. Even the Dolphins didn't sign him because of the shoulder. The Saints were desperate to bring someone in and Brees was desperate to have a chance to play and it turned out to be a perfect match.

I don't think that Brees gets enough appreciation for what he's doing. He's arguably the most accurate quarterback in the past ten years and he's shorter than nearly everyone on the field. I don't know how you can play the QB position better in a championship game than he did.

Also, when he had his wife and baby son on stage with him after the game, it got misty in the Pourtout Palace, your boy almost shed a tear but I didn't.

-Hurts to say because they're a legendary group but The Who were weak last night.

-Sean Payton has significant testicular fortitude because there's no way I would have called for that onside kick to start the second half. Analysts are now saying it was a great move and not that big of a risk on paper but were saying that after the fact. When I was in front of my TV at that moment, you kick the ball deep but he didn't and was rewarded. I didn't mind the attempts to go for it on fourth down on two occasions because you're not going to beat the Colts with field goals, you need touchdowns.

-I guess Reggie Bush is now going to marry Kim Kardashian because he said he would if they won the Super Bowl. Hope he didn't get that in writing...

-Freeney was getting his moments in the first half but that ankle didn't hold up and its a shame because he was doing some nice things on the field.

-I thought about writing a post on the Tim Tebow Super Bowl ad but didn't for three reasons.

First, while I'm pro-choice in the issue of abortion and the ad was from an organization that is pro-life, I really don't care what it does with its money. The only argument that some have made, which is fair, is what if an anti-American terrorist group or even a group based in racist or sexist ideologies wanted their 30-seconds as well. Can CBS or even the NFL say no at that stage? That in itself may be worthy of its own post.

Second, by even giving time to the ad, it would get Tebow's name out there even more and we don't need that in our lifes.

But the biggest reason I didn't do it is because I didn't see the ad. I couldn't objectively critique it without seeing it and I'm glad I held off because the ad was fine besides the fact that I found his mom slightly attractive in a “hey, your buddy's mom is kinda cute” kind of way...come on fellas, I wasn't the only one thinking this, am I right?

-Reggie Wayne, what happened? He openly quit on at least two passes last night, the one at the very end of the game and the interception by Manning. Peyton is getting the blame for the pick but Wayne should have cut inside to shield the Saints' defender from getting to the ball.

Those are my thoughts, what about yours? Damn, it feels good to be writing again!