The last you'll read here about the Super Bowl
Honest, I swear.
I didn't get a chance post this rant earlier today, and fortunately my boy John Clayton at ESPN has already put my frustrations into words.
What horrendous clock management by the Eagles!
Fortunately, I was only mildly pulling for the Eagles, since my allegiances in pro football lie well below the Mason-Dixon line. But if I was an true-green Eagles fan I would have been throwing my salsa and nachos at the tv during the end of the first half, when Philly leisurely let the clock run out instead of frantically trying to move into field goal range. And I would have done far worse during that "six-minute" drill as Bill Simmons aptly dubbed it. Philly takes over with 5:45 or so remaining, still needing two scores. They make it down the field for a TD but take their own sweet time doing so, letting 4 minutes - FOUR MINUTES! - tick off the clock. They went with a huddle after every single freaking play!
Worse, here's Philly coach Andy Reid's explanation:
On the first half slow-poke routine:
"I don't remember that at all, to be honest with you," Reid said.
On the end of the game slothlike activity.
"Well, we were trying to hurry up," Reid said. "It was the way things worked out."
Wha? Huh? Those answers made me question Reid even more. A critical lost opportunity to get three points - and reverse momentum - before the half and he DOESN'T REMEMBER?
Then that second gem. Uh we were trying to hurry up, but, well, we didn't. What, was he physically incapable of telling his team to go to a no-huddle offense?
If he'd said something half-rational like "We needed to take our time on those drives because the Patriots D was so complex." I might have bought it. Instead, I'm left to think that Reid just didn't cut it in the clutch.
But hey, at least the Eagles covered the spread, right?