What If...

As I sit and ponder last night's Super Bowl, I can't help but wonder:

- What if Eli Manning gets sacked?
- What if Asante Samuel makes the interception?
- What if New England had not tried to milk the clock on their touchdown drive?
- What if Belichick kicks the field goal instead of going for it on fourth and 13?
- What if the New England player had not had the ball ripped out of his hands after recovering the fumble in the first half?
- What if Brett Favre does not throw a stupid interception?
- What if Patrick Crayton ran a full route?
- What if Patrick Crayton did not have hands of steel?
- What if Jeremy Shockey had not gotten hurt?
- What if the Redskins had held on to win in week 3?
- What if Tiki Barber didn't retire.

That's the thing about winning a championship in any sport. From breaks in the game, to breaks in the playoffs, to breaks early in the season to breaks last year. If Washington holds on to win in week three, would the Giants have recovered from 0-3to even make the playoffs? If Tiki had not retired last year, what would the offense have been like this year? So many factors went into the Giants winning yesterday.

That is not to say they were lucky...and even if they were, what's wrong with that? Luck is a part of sports and a big part of championships. Ask LSU about luck. I'm simply pointing out how "fragile" a championsihp is.

I enjoyed the game. The Giants played really well, as much as it pains me to say that. As a Cowboy fan, there is very little I can like about the Giants winning a Super Bowl. I was pretty much the lone dissenter in a house full of transplanted New Yorkers, Dolphins fans and Patriots haters who all had their own reasons for supporting the Giants. I just couldn't bring myself to cheer for the Giants, so I was outnumbered. In the end, I wasn't really going to be happy with either team being champion.

However, I am extremely disappointed that the Patriots did not jump on the perfect pedestal with the '72 Dolphins. The outcome of last night's game does not change my conclusion that the '72 Dolphins are a bunch of grumpy old men and that their fans need to stop living in the past. If anything, my feelings have been reinforced this week and in the aftermath of the Patriots' loss.

Aside from the game, I can't complain about the overall Super Bowl very much. The commercials were very strong this year...it was the first year in quite a while that I remember liking so many of the commercials. Some of my standouts were the Bridgestone screaming squirrel, the Fed Ex carrier Pigeons, the E-Trade baby (both spots), and most of the beer commercials. Out of those, I liked the Bud-Light fire breather, the cheese party and the Rocky clydesdale.

I also liked the halftime show. Petty put on an excellent show. I don't normally pay attention to the entertainment, but enjoyed this year a lot.

My biggest complaint: Fox. I generally like Fox. I like how they cover football. I like Joe Buck and Troy Aikman. Usually can't complain about their coverage. I got tired of hearing about all of the Fox shows. But the most annoying part of the Fox coverage was during the pre-game show when they had Ryan Secrest doing red carpet interviews with various stars. That was just too much and I found it very annoying to be reminded that common people don't get to go to the Super Bowl anymore.

So there you have it. Another year of football is over. Wednesday is national signing day for college football. Miami is supposed to have a really good recruiting class and signing day means spring football is not far around the corner. Soon, summer will be here, the preseason mags will start to hit the stores in July and another season will be here before you know it.

I can't wait.