Super Bowl XLVI: Tom Brady, Madonna, Mario Manningham and Other Memorable Moments
Super Bowls are about memories, both good and bad. It’s an all-encompassing game that faces more scrutiny than any other television event in the country. Every play, every commercial, and every note is stripped down and exposed for the entire world to see, and this year an estimated 100 million-plus eyes saw it all.
But, it’s the moments we’ll remember.
Moments like Tom Brady eating an intentional grounding penalty that resulted in a safety on the New England Patriots first play from scrimmage. Giants defensive lineman Justin Tuck came free and Tom Brady made a decision to throw the ball away from his own endzone. That decision was a costly one.
The pressure forced an unusually poor Brady throw down the middle of the field to nobody in particular, and after the referees conferred, it was ruled that no Patriots’ receivers were in the vicinity. And while the resulting safety wouldn’t have directly changed the outcome, it changed the complexion and heavily influenced late-game strategy for Brady and head coach Bill Belichick.
You can chalk it up to any of a million factors, but for Tom Brady, it was an out-of-character moment.
Four years ago, when the Giants and Patriots matched up in Super Bowl XLII, it was a different kind of instant that defined the day. Eli Manning evaded the Patriots rush and winged it down-field to reserve wide receiver David Tyree. Tyree made a miraculous catch, snaring the ball and entrapping it against his helmet in the most improbable of fashions. It seemed to defy physics. It definitely defied logic, but once again it was a singular moment that defined the most critical stage of the most critical game.
Last night, in eerily similar fashion, Manning made an incredible throw and a Giants reserve wide receiver made an incredible catch. This time it was former Michigan star Mario Manningham tight-roping down the sideline. It’s Victor Cruz of the Giants that’s become famous for his dancing, but Manningham’s one-two step on the sideline put New York in position to score the game’s go-ahead touchdown. It was the dance that, in essence, saved the day.
Another defining moment for a Giants wide-receiver, although Manningham figures to add a few more, unlike Tyree.
However, with an entire nation watching, it’s not always about the football. The Super Bowl is just as much of a pop-culture event as it is a sporting event. Commercials and halftime shows aren’t just opportunities to refill your beverage, adult or otherwise, they play just as large of a role as any other part of the game. Because after all, how many people actually give a damn about the Giants or the Patriots?
Unfortunately, 2012 wasn’t a great year for commercials or the halftime show (though some would beg to differ.) Yet, that doesn’t mean they weren’t memorable.
Somebody wise once said that it was the little things in life that were key, and that can go both ways. For NBC’s halftime show, those little things were cameo’s by not-so-little stars. A concert that was already being pulled inexplicably towards 1987 and 2144 at the same time was only made more awkward by the heavy presence of 2011.
There was Cee-Lo Green in a bedazzled judge’s gown, DJ Redfoo giving piggyback rides, and Nicki Minaj doing whatever-the-hell it is that Nicki Minaj does. Mash it all up with Madonna’s futuristic throwback concert, and it came off as something that was somehow both over-rehearsed and under-thought. It was weird and, oh by the way, it sounded like listening to six different radio stations at once.
It was a what in the world am I watching moment.
Three very different moments in time separated by, give or take, a few hours, but they were all memorable moments for VERY different reasons. However, that’s what makes the Super Bowl so iconic. Good reasons, bad reasons, it truly doesn’t make a difference because we remember, and in a day and age where attention spans are rapidly decreasing, that’s a luxury you don’t see very often.
That’s why companies pay truly ridiculous prices for 30-second parcels of television. The opportunity to create one of those somethings we can remember is invaluable. So even though most will miss their mark we’ll continue to watch and wait, hoping beyond all hopes we can color ourselves entertained. Even if it is just for a moment.
What were your most memorable moments?
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Ryan Wooden captivates the reader with his outstanding choice of words. He is constantly challenging the audience to think outside of the box and filling our heads with majestic ideas of a better time. Bravo Mr. Wooden for your excellence.
Ryan…a quick question, if I may.
I was glad to see the “Intentional Grounding” call made last night, when Tom Brady (while in the pocket and under pressure) just heaved a pass downfield…to avoid a sack…without a possible receiver anywhere close to where the ball came down. The NFL protects the QB’s an awful lot nowadays, and in return I think that the things they are not allowed to do should be called very closely. (I think that “in the grasp” should be called more often, for example.)
But that makes me wonder: Shouldn’t it also be “Intentional Grounding” when a QB (while in the pocket and under pressure) just heaves a ball way out of bounds…to avoid a sack…without a possible receiver anywhere close to where the ball comes down? We see that all the time…sometimes a throw goes twenty feet over the sidelines bench, and up into the stands.
In fact, when a team is on the twenty five yard line or so, we frequently see a QB just heave the ball through the end zone and into the stands to avoid the rush. And the commentators (some of whom are themselves former QB’s) will praise the QB for just going ahead and getitng rid of the ball. They’ll say something like “Smart play to just go ahead and throw it away. Can’t take a sack in this position…got to stay within field goal range.”
So what’s the difference? If it’s against the rules to throw a pass way downfield…without a receiver around…to avoid a sack, why is it not also Intentional Grounding when the QB throws it out of bounds under the same situation?
David,
The difference is that the NFL rules the ball out of play as it crosses outside the boundary, so if there is a receiver close to the sideline they rule that player to be “in the vicinity” by definition, even if the football isn’t actually physically in the vicinity of a receiver. It’s kind of semantic, but that describes most rules in the NFL.
Quarterbacks also have the option to throw the ball out of bounds without a receiver in the vicinity if they’ve broken the tackle box, as long as they get the ball past the original line of scrimmage. Not really sure why they chose these stipulations particularly, but that’s the way the rules read.