(Photo by PFF.com)
Super Bowl LV is in the books and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers persevered as the champions of the NFL. Many situations led to the end of a topsy-turvy season.
Here are some opinionated, but honest points from this year's Super Bowl that you could probably agree with....or really disagree with.
THE OFFICIATING WAS LACKLUSTER
There, I said it. Did it determine the outcome of the game? No. Was it as bad as Super Bowl 40? Again, no. But if you have the losing quarterback's mother and fiance call out the officiating on Twitter, then either they were frustrated or something isn't right. Many other people also have chimed in on the officiating swinging a certain quarterback's way. The NFL has to evaluate this and get it right next year. You clearly didn't have the best of the best the NFL had to offer in referees. The unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Tyrann Mathieu was a good call, but Tom Brady also was jaw-jacking and could have easily been called for a penalty. He wasn't. Mathieu was. And this dampens a historic day for Sarah Thomas. Hopefully, there is better officiating next year in Inglewood.
THE CHIEFS DID THEMSELVES IN WITH PENALTIES
You're asking yourself "But A.J., you just said the officiating was lackluster." Yes it was, but the Chiefs didn't do themselves any favors by committing penalties on a big stage that the Kansas City Chiefs team shouldn't do. The secondary had a terrible night with penalties. The defense, in all, had a terrible night in penalties. If you minus this game, well, it wouldn't matter. The Chiefs had the fourth most penalties in 2020, yet their offense was able to bail them out of situations. Not this night.
THE CHIEFS WERE OUTCOACHED BY THE BUCCANEERS
Bruce Arians did an incredible job of planning for this game. Tampa Bay dominated in every phase. Offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich used a very balanced run/pass attack that kept the Chiefs guessing all game. During the Sunday Night blowout loss to the Saints, I complained on why the Buccaneers were abandoning the running game. Towards the end of the season, they were recommitted to the run and the combo of Ronald Jones and Leonard Fournette made life easy for Tom Brady in the playoffs. Defensive coordinator Todd Bowles excuted a scheme where they knew the Chiefs' starting tackles were out and Patrick Mahomes's toe was hurting. So Bowles decided to bring the heat and exploit those weaknesses. I joked that Todd Bowles should have won Super Bowl MVP. It's a stretch. The Bucs held one of the league's most potent offenses to 9 points. Hell of a coaching job from Bruce Arians and his staff.
THE KEY ACQUISITIONS MADE BY THE BUCS PAID DIVIDENDS IN THE SUPER BOWL
A lot of "experts" gave GM Jason Licht some flack for the team's inconsistency in the last few years. So have I in a previous blog. Licht decided to swing for the fences and secure the six-time Super Bowl winning Tom Brady. That began the domino effect. Brady: 3 TD's and his fifth Super Bowl MVP. Rob Gronkowski came out of retirement and his failed stint in WWE to join Brady in Tampa. Gronk contributed with 2 TD's in the Super Bowl. Leonard Fournette was let go by Jacksonville and picked up by Tampa Bay before the season. He would have a rushing touchdown in the third quarter that put the game away. Antonio Brown was signed by Tampa Bay during the season and many of us went "Oh, no!" But to his credit, AB behaved. He was healthy for the Super Bowl and scored a receiving touchdown. Licht made the risky move of signing a 43 year old Tom Brady. The move was a great one.
LEONARD FOURNETTE'S STOCK WENT UP FOR FREE AGENCY
I mentioned before, Fournette was cut by the Jaguars, which shocked football fans everywhere. The Bucs signed him to provide a tough runner beneath the trenches. But something happened, during the season, Fournette seemed to be invisible. I mean, he had a 100 yard rushing game against Carolina in the second game, but after that, crickets. He was destined to be a bust. Then the playoffs began. Either the coaching staff showed more faith in him during this time or he just made the most of his opportunity. He became "Playoff Lenny". 93 rushing yards and a TD against Washington in the Wild Card, 63 rushing yards against New Orleans in the Divisional Round, 55 rushing yards and TD which featured a nice spin move on his way to the end zone. The Super Bowl featured him rushing for 89 yards and a touchdown. He was the old Leonard Fournette. No, not the Jaguars version, but the one from LSU. He says he wants to come back, but if there is a team that should pick him up, it's the Pittsburgh Steelers. He's perfect for that team.
Jim Nantz did a good job commenting. I always liked Nantz in his stoic voice. Tony Romo is awesome. His enthusiasm for the game speaks no bounds. Now, I see why he is getting paid handsomely by CBS.
The Halftime show was Ehhh. The Weeknd is a good performer and the beginning of it seemed cool. After that, I really didn't get enthused about it.
THE COMMERCIALS HAVE BECOME DESPERATE
My favorite commercial, hands down, was the Samuel Adams spot for their Wicked Hazy IPA. They clearly took a jab at Budweiser with the Clydesdales. It was simple and to the point. Buy our product. The Winona Ryder spot reprising her role from Edward Scissorhands was OK. The rest seemed to fall on desperation. I realize that there is a pandemic here in the United States and companies want to sell their brand and shell millions of dollars for air time during the Super Bowl since it is one of the most watched events in the year, but c'mon...do you really need to bring in big name stars to sell your product. Mike Myers and Dana Carvey, at a much older age, doing Wayne's World with Cardi B isn't going to convince me to go to Doordash. Tracy Morgan selling Rocket Mortage didn't help me. Will Ferrell and whatever he was selling doesn't do me any justice. Bruce Springsteen had a Jeep ad that was OK. Unfortunately, it was pulled since the Boss had a DWI months earlier. The commercials could be better.
If there is a positive for the Chiefs, it would be Patrick Mahomes. Despite the contract he signed before the season that which was a large amount, he is a tough dude. He ran around that messed up toe to what NextGen said was about almost 500 yards. He tried his best and almost completed a throw with him on his way down to the ground, but the receiver dropped it. There will be more highlights to come from him.
So, there you have it. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers win their second Super Bowl in franchise history. Tom Brady wins his seventh SB and becomes the greatest quarterback in history....it's debatable.
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