Super Sunday Scattershots

Super Sunday thoughts:

• NBC's decision to mostly concentrate on football in the pre-game was a good one. Sure, we saw inevitable sponsor plugs and show promotions, but mostly it was Giants vs Patriots, as it should be.
• Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton make a cute couple. Their rendition of America the Beautiful was a little too twangy for my taste, but they can sing, so a good start.
• I thought Kelly Clarkson did an outstanding job with our National Anthem. She was respectful, well-paced, didn't make it about her, and showed off her underrated pipes. Whitney Houston set the bar in 1991. Clarkson was nearly as good, and without the benefit of the patriotic fervor we saw in Tampa in '91.
• It was apparent right away Rob Gronkowski would be a non-factor. He couldn't run or cut, and when healthy this season, Gronk was unstoppable.
• The refs had it right on Tom Brady's intentional grounding, which resulted in a safety, but I was shocked to see it called. Can't remember the last time that happened with a pass thrown deep over the middle.
• The Patriots leading at the half seemed wrong. The Giants had dominated.
• Madonna's halftime show exceeded my low expectations. Expertly staged, perfectly lip-synced, and never dull. I didn't even take it personally when MIA flipped me off.
• More commercials. I found it overall a disappointing offering. I liked M+M's, Mr. Quiggly for Skechers, Clint Eastwood for Chrysler, and NFL.com Evolution. I hated Audi's vampires, Go Daddy, and David Beckham (though my wife didn't seem to mind this one).
• Back to Al and Cris. Al's a pro, and Collinsworth sees things everyone else seems to miss.
• Brady completed 16 straight passes, and it appeared the Patriots would win, but then Justin Tuck slammed Brady, and the quarterback was never quite the same.
• How much would the Patriots like to have that turnover back they sacrificed by having 12 men on the field?
• Eli Manning is not the quarterback his brother Peyton is, but Eli is better at crunch time of big games. He's proven it time-and-time again. Manning to Manningham at the start of the game-winning drive was as good as it gets for a pass and catch.

The Catch. (Courtesy SI)

• Loved Belichick's strategy to let the Giants score. Ahmad Bradshaw tried to stop himself, he couldn't. It wouldn't matter.
• Final two New England drives, and once again, the Patriots failed to make plays. Brady wasn't perfect, but he was let down by his receivers and tight ends several times. Collinsworth said, "Welker makes that catch 100 out of 100 times". Apparently not. Hernandez also drops a pass right in his hands.
• Final play, Brady throws it to the end zone, the Giants bat it down, and Gronkowski nearly scooped it for the greatest play in Super Bowl history. But he didn't.
• Giants made more big plays. Simple as that. 21-17 Giants.
• Another exciting Super bowl. I think we'll find out Monday it was the most watched television program in United States history. Put me down for 112 million people.
• More people call in sick the day after the Super Bowl than any other day of the year.
• Oh yeah. Almost forgot. The world premier of SMASH is Monday.