The Daily Babble

Super Bowl Wrapup

Congratulations to Coach Tony Dungy, the first African American head coach to win the Super Bowl. I'd about forgotten that as well as coaching for the Steelers, he also played for the Steelers in the 1970s and has a Super Bowl ring from one of the Steelers' victories (he was a safety and for awhile a backup quarterback; before the glory years, he made history by intercepting a pass and throwing an interception in the same game.) Apparently he still quotes Steelers Coach Chuck Noll, and aspects of his game are similiar. He prides himself on defense, and it was the Colts' defense, weak during the season, that controlled this game until Payme Manning's offense got untracked. Manning looked pissed off for most of the game, maybe unhappy at Dungy's conservative offense with the lead in the second half, another Noll trait (also shared with Steelers coach Bill Cowher, who Dungy also coached under with another club.)

Otherwise, the game was interesting mostly because of the rain, which made it look like a football game instead of a video game. Chicago kept it close in the first half--they had me rooting for them for awhile-- but they were thoroughly outplayed in the second half and the outcome was never really in doubt. I expect they'll have a new quarterback next year. Rex Grossman, who was apparently the first twelve year old to play in the Super Bowl, lived up to his reputation, which was very bad.

The much puffed commercials were terrible this year. There were two that acknowledged the black history that was being made in Black History Month, one by Coke and the other by Doritos. The business oriented spots--computer, investment, etc.--didn't notice, opting for assinine comedy, more along the lines of the beer ads, which continued their predictable theme of men being stupid and willing to do anything for a light beer. There was a public service ad that had children begging for "fat" and "sugar," and to "give me some Diabetes," "buy me obesity," which was pretty good, and surprising that it got on, with all the big bucks fast food ads.

And though I didn't see it during the Bowl, I have seen the anti-war ad, which starts with "on the one hand" the Iraq escalation is opposed by Congress, the American people, U.S. generals, the troops and many Iraqi war vets (sponsors of the ad), and then "on the other hand" there's Bush. But the guy saying that had no other hand. He was a vet who left it in Iraq. Sobering, wouldn't you say?