Super Bowl week is over and we've all learned a lot, the biggest lesson being that the Green Bay Packers ought to be the World Champions.
But that's not the only thing to come out of the game. Here's a random list, some good, some bad and some indifferent.
- Mike McCarthy's move to have the team measured for rings the night before the game may have been the greatest coaching move since Vince Lombardi uttered the famous words: "winning isn't everything. It's the only thing."
- This is a team that is very, very tough, both physically and mentally. Think of Tom Crabtree, a third string tight end, slamming James Harrison to the ground and then standing over him, waiting for a reaction. Tough.
- I'm not sure local television stations give us anything of real value in the week leading up to the game. I mean how many times can you interview drunken fans and think that we care?
- Right now, Aaron Rodgers is as good as Tom Brady -- and Brady was the unanimous choice for NFL Most Valuable Player this year.
- How dumb do you have to be to forget the words to the national anthem?
- The Packers beat a very good football team. Had the Steelers won, the word dynasty would have crept into the conversation.
- If you are a parent of a son, wouldn't you love him to grow up to handle himself like Charles Woodson. Talk about grace, class, humanity and dignity.
- Despite the fact that Jordy Nelson dropped some big passes, Rodgers showed no fear in going back to him time and again.
- I think this whole thing about the Super Bowl ads is vastly overrated. Honestly I can barely remember any of them the day after the game. They are just trying to be too cute and too funny and too edgy. Remember the E-Trade babies. Now that one was memorable.
- The Peas, Usher and Slash. What were they thinking? Talk about trying to cover boredom with aluminum clothes. We are the country that invented rock and roll and this is the best we could come up with?
- I think the NFL should hire Bob Babisch from Summerfest to stage next year's halftime. Although it's in Indiana, so how about John Mellencamp for some real rock and roll?
- Perhaps the greatest strength of the Packers is how many players contribute to a win. It's not a one- or two-man team. Everybody contributes. Think Brandon Jackson and a successful screen pass or Harold Green with a big run stuff. They have no weak spots.
- Watching Chad Clifton cry is a moment that ought to be frozen in time. Big guy. Big tears. Big heart.
- Without doubt, the classiest post game comment came from Greg Jennings. He was asked about going on after injuries. "We lost some big players," he said. "Our number one receiver ..." He was referring to Donald Driver, who is clearly not the number one receiver anymore. What a class act.
- Rumaki is the all time best appetizer. Nothing else is even close except for my niece Linsey's guacamole.
- Baseball is a great game. Basketball has the best athletes. But the professional football is truly America's game.
- Joe Buck and Troy Aikman are absolutely the best team in the business. Maybe as good as Summerall and Madden were.
- How Bill Belichek beats McCarthy for Coach of the Year is beyond my understanding.
- There is no way (I REPEAT, NO WAY) that there will be a lockout in the NFL. Both sides know they are sitting a golden egg.
- Perhaps the biggest thing to come out of the Super Bowl is the fact that the Green Bay Packers deserve to be world champions. I know it's hard to understand the concept of deserving a championship. But think about it.
With a history in Milwaukee stretching back decades, Dave tries to bring a unique perspective to his writing, whether it's sports, politics, theater or any other issue.
He's seen Milwaukee grow, suffer pangs of growth, strive for success and has been involved in many efforts to both shape and re-shape the city. He's a happy man, now that he's quit playing golf, and enjoys music, his children and grandchildren and the myriad of sports in this state. He loves great food and hates bullies and people who think they are smarter than everyone else.
This whole Internet thing continues to baffle him, but he's willing to play the game as long as OnMilwaukee.com keeps lending him a helping hand. He is constantly amazed that just a few dedicated people can provide so much news and information to a hungry public.
Despite some opinions to the contrary, Dave likes most stuff. But he is a skeptic who constantly wonders about the world around him. So many questions, so few answers.