It truly was a Super Sunday

By Jeff Orvis

This may come as a shock to some of my Republican friends, but there are times that I am blessed (or cursed) with the gift of an open mind. Such was the case on Sunday, also known as the second greatest food day of the year, Super Bowl Sunday.

I'll admit that my anticipation level wasn't very high before the big day. In the first place, my Chicago Bears were spending the day much the same way I was, on the couch watching TV. Of course, their TVs were undoubtedly a bit bigger and their food was probably a bit fancier. It was another Super Bowl where the Bear fans were on the outside looking in with envy.

When I heard that NBC had planned more than five hours of fill before the kickoff, I had prepared to take a nap waiting for the magical start hour. I figured the bean counters in New York wanted to grab as much time before the start of the game to generate ad dollars. I'll bet the rates went up hour after hour until the start of the game, where a 30 second spot cost a whopping $3.5 million.

The thing is, I never got that nap. NBC actually did a pretty good job keeping our attention all afternoon. Sure there were spots of explanation of football plays that only a former quarterback, offensive lineman or coach could fully appreciate. But there were also plenty of human interest stories and interviews that gave us a glimpse of the humanity of those big guys covered with protective gear and helmets.

Since my Bears were not involved, it took me a couple of minutes to decide who to root for in the game. I used my own set of criteria that may seem strange to others. I wanted to swear my allegiance to the NFC representative and I never have been much of a fan of Tom Brady. So it was logical that I would pull for the Giants. Besides, I was anxious to see quarterback Eli Manning become more than Payton's little brother. In fact, it's easy to like the entire Manning family. Dad Archie, who had a good career as the quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, admitted he often gets up and paces in the luxury boxes at the stadium on some game days. Mrs. Manning is the typical mom, worrying about whether her boy will get up after hard hits.

When the first offensive play of the day for the Patriots resulted in a safety and the next Giant possession resulted in the first touchdown of the game, I thought the rout was on. Instead, the game was exciting from beginning to end. Anybody who strayed from the TV to hit the bathroom, snack table or to talk with a friend for even a couple of minutes might have missed something.

I'll admit that Brady is probably headed to the Hall of Fame. When the outcome of the last game of the season comes down to a final play, a Hail Mary pass play in the end zone that gets knocked away at the last minute, it's been a good day.

I've already said that the pregame stuff was much above average. A lot of folks admit they tune in to Super Bowl Sunday to watch the ads. There were some pretty clever ones. They should be when the time alone costs more than $3 million. Some of the companies probably paid hundreds of thousands more in securing celebrity guests and other production costs.

When it was announced that Madonna would be the halftime entertainment, I wasn't overly excited. Like some people, I am not a big fan and I wondered just how much the old girl had left in the tank. Was I surprised! Mesmerized might be a better word. She's almost as old as I am, but she displayed a level of energy that most of us could only wish for. The production was nothing short of spectacular. I thought it was probably put together by the same director that produced recent Olympics opening ceremonies.

Unfortunately, a few morons had the nerve to knock her performance in chat rooms the next day. But anyone who has ever stepped on a stage, played a musical instrument or sang in a concert in school or church must have appreciated the level of performance she turned in. Somehow I think Michael Jackson must have been watching from Heaven and smiling. He was reportedly a performance perfectionist.

Way back in August, there was a strong threat of a shortened or canceled NFL season as owners and players tried to iron out a new contract. After millions of fans sweated out that prospect with an agreement coming just in time to get the season started, we deserved the kind of day we witnessed on Sunday. The beat goes on. The NFL Network will be bringing us reports from the scouting combines later this month and then it's time to get ready for the NFL draft in late April.

Thanks, NFL. Come back soon!