Super Bowl LVI Review

Super Bowl LVI is in the books and the Los Angeles Rams are your champions. Let's review this happening event.

L.A. waited decades to host a Super Bowl and have an NFL champion. They killed two birds with one stone on this one. Sorry, birds.

NBC is a network that seems to become desperate lately. Throughout the year, they continue to push the narrative of being "The Home of Super Bowl LVI". Maybe because their best comedies ended. This Is Us is about to close shop and Law & Order has not been the ratings monster it used to be. C'mon, for the love of God, just put Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni back on the same show to recreate the magic they had on SUV. Stop toying with your audience!.....Anyway, NBC did a top-notch job of production and the presentation of the game to the audience. Had to end that on a positive note.

I realize that aging is a part of life, but seeing Al Michaels at his advanced age makes me sad. He was brilliant as always on the mic. Cris Collinsworth was accurate and witty during this broadcast. He didn't annoy me as he usually does. Michelle Tafoya put in a solid performance in her swan song with the network. Whoever the company gets to replace her needs to be up to the task.

The halftime show wasn't as bad as people make it out to be. It was entertaining and brought nostalgia back to this guy here. Imagine a 19 year old A.J. everyone! Yeah, he was a nuisance. I understand the criticism of wanting a rock-and-roll band perform during the break. Honestly, there really isn't any viable acts to do that. Here's an alternative: Have George Strait do the show. No? Well, we have what we have then. Maybe Machine Gun Kelly could do the show.....Hahahahahaha.

The commercials were awful.....AGAIN! You might as well call it "The Let's Flush Millions of Dollars Down a Toilet" extravaganza. What is it with these ads reverting back to the 90's? Jim Carrey as the Cable Guy? Mike Myers as Dr. Evil? Rebooting the Fresh Prince? Is society going back to the 90's and I missed the memo? If so, time to bust out the pogs while drinking Zima in my Charlotte Hornets Starter jacket and Jnco Jeans, rocking A Tribe Called Quest on my Walkman. These ads bring little value to their product. If that's the case, why air the commercial?

The game, itself, was competitive. Give the Cincinnati Bengals all the credit in the world. They were on the doorstep of shocking the world. Unfortunately, the result was the same as it was 33 years earlier. In 1989, it was Montana to John Taylor. In 2022, it was Stafford to Cooper Kupp. This team will be better under Zac Taylor and quarterback Joe Burrow.

The officials sucked. In fact, the officials sucked all season. The Super Bowl was no different as missed call after terrible call seemed to pile up. The touchdown to Tee Higgins should have been overturned. The replay showed Higgins' hand turning Jalen Ramsey's head in a grotesquely manner. The two penalties called on the Bengals during the Rams' touchdown clinching drive were hogwash. They could have easily handed L.A. the Lombardi Trophy right there. Maybe the NFL should experiment with robotic referees. Wouldn't hurt.

Here is an NFL history lesson, people. Back in the day, there was a player named Elvis Patterson. He was a fringe cornerback/safety, but exceled on special teams. He played on four teams during his career and is a two-time Super Bowl champion. He was saddled with the nickname "Toast". Given by Bill Parcells, Patterson was nicknamed "Toast" due to the fact that he was burned constantly by wide receivers and give up big plays. This is Eli Apple currently. The game-winning touchdown by Cooper Kupp, Apple bit on the play. Or bit the apple....you get the idea. Everyone would have sympathy for him if he didn't decide to talk. Now, social media is going all-out in making Eli look like a fool. Annie Agar had a hilarious response to her first Super Bowl appearance at Eli's expense, which drew the ire of Mama Apple.

Jessie Bates is one of the best safeties in the NFL. In the AFC Championship, he caused the interception which led to the game-winning field goal. In the Super Bowl, he picked off Matthew Stafford to give momentum to the Bengals at the time.........

Speaking of that interception, Vernon Hargreaves added a chapter to his history of being a huge bust in the NFL. He decided to celebrate with his teammates after the turnover. Only one problem, Hargreaves wasn't in uniform and cost the team a 15-yard penalty. Pity.

The Rams' running game wasn't great, but it was enough to give the team balance.

After OBJ's injury, Matthew Stafford seemed to look lost. Then, he realized he has Cooper Kupp on his team. Coop finished off a record-breaking campaign with a Super Bowl MVP honor. The winning touchdown showed how dangerous Kupp is while making his cuts.

Aaron Donald is the best defensive linemen to ever play the game. I will get a debate on this. When the Bengals received the ball after the Kupp touchdown, Donald made damn sure they wouldn't mount a comeback. That's what a dominating defender does. Stop the offense when it's needed.

There are rumors that Sean McVay might be leaving for a broadcasting job. If he does, it would be noble. He is looking at the future as he is getting married and probably wants to start a family. Bill Cowher left after winning a Super Bowl to become a broadcaster and seems to enjoy it as he continues to get coaching offers, but he politely rejects them. McVay could stay from stress and still see the game. Nothing wrong with that.

Matthew Stafford was clearly under the influence while speaking to the crowd as one of the team's photographers fell of the platform, thus breaking her back. His wife went to help her and the family will pay for her medical bills. It was an accident. Don't be hard on the new Matty Ice.

GM Les Snead wore a shirt saying "(Bleep) Those Picks". Calm down there, Les. You should need those picks in the future. Oh, well.

Well, there you have it. The Rams reign supreme as Stan Kreonke is in possession of the Lombardi Trophy (and has a slot in Hell waiting for him) as the 2021 season comes to an end. Next year's big game is in our backyard and if the trend keeps up, that means the Cardinals will be in the game and win the Super Bowl, right?.........Right!?

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