A Great Game In New Orleans

Super Bowl 47 had something for just about everyone including big plays, a power failure, a scintillating halftime performance by Beyonce, a very cute Clydesdale,  a bit of controversy, a fantastic finish and in the end a 34-31 victory for a Ravens team that looked anything but Super just 7 weeks ago.

It was a wacky night in New Orleans that took 4 hours and 14 minutes to complete and saw former South Jersey high school star Joe Flacco utter those famous words, “I’m going to Disneyworld” after being named the game’s MVP.

Of course one of the main story lines coming into the game had to do with the coaching matchup and both John & Jim Harbaugh had meltdown moments before it was over.  John’s came during a 34-minute delay early in the 3^rd quarter during a power failure which seemed to zap the Ravens of the strength and momentum they built along with a 28-6 lead.  At that point it looked like we might be in for a Super blowout but when the lights came back so did Colin Kapernick and the 49ers who got to within 34-29 late in the 4^th quarter.  The rookie quarterback drove San Francisco to the Ravens 5-yard line before throwing three straight incompletions.

The last came on 4^th down and saw Jim Harbaugh throw a temper-tantrum when officials did not throw a flag against Baltimore for grabbing Michael Crabtree in the end zone which ended their comeback attempt.

Of course the Super Bowl is more than just a game and many were cued in to see Beyonce at halftime and she did not disappoint.  Her 13 minute show was by all accounts sensational and featured a brief reunion with her Destiny’s Child band mates.  Beyonce looked and sounded great and the same could be said for Alicia Keyes during a moving rendition of the National Anthem before the game.

As for the Super Bowl commercials the word I would use is “disappointing” although there clearly were some that stood out.  No doubt Budweiser’s baby Clydesdale commercial is the one that will resonate with viewers of all ages.

Others that I liked included the Tide “Miracle Stain” spot, the Taco Bell commercial with the senior citizens busting out of their retirement home as well as commercials for M&M’s, Oreos and the Toyota Rav4.  There was an interesting two-minute commercial about farmers for the Dodge Ram featuring the voice of Paul Harvey.  It became more interesting when I learned that a few scenes were filmed on my sister-in-law’s ranch in Montana.