Pack mentality

Just got done watching Super Bowl XLV for the second and not necessarily the last time. It’s much less nerve-racking when you know the outcome. But I still found myself pumping my fist after big plays and cursing Jordy Nelson’s name when he dropped passes.

Upon further review, the Green Bay Packers still are Super Bowl champions. Here are several random thoughts on the game and the other junk that has become part of the game.

• Aaron Rodgers, deservedly, was named MVP after completing 24 of 39 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns. So much for any notion that he might have Super Bowl jitters. Rodgers was surgical, and his numbers would have been even more impressive had his receivers (mostly Nelson) not dropped so many of his perfect throws. He did miss on a few attempts, but the rest of his throws were right on target.
• Speaking of those drops, Nelson had nine catches for 140 yards and a touchdown. If he hadn’t dropped a few balls, he might have had close to 200 receiving yards, which could have given him MVP honors over Rodgers. But you have to give Rodgers credit for sticking with Nelson and continuing to find him despite his butter fingers.
• The injury bug that’s plagued the Packers all season showed up again. At the end of the first half, Donald Driver, Sam Shields, Nick Collins and Charles Woodson all went to the locker room early with injuries. When we learned Woodson was out and saw that Driver wasn’t going to get back in, I feared the worst. But as they’ve done all season, the Packers overcame.
• Now that my team won the Super Bowl, I’m trying not to be too bitter about the Defensive Player of the Year award. But who had the bigger impact on the biggest game, Troy Polamalu or Clay Matthews? It wasn’t close.

Now some off-the-field stuff:

Joe Buck is the most overrated broadcaster in sports. Fox’s No. 1 guy is borderline awful. His tone drives me nuts and he’s way too opinionated. The one thing I will give him credit for is shutting up occasionally and letting a big moment speak for itself. Troy Aikman is growing on me as a color commentator, but he needs a new partner.

Much is made of Super Bowl commercials, and more often than not, they disappoint. Some of them were amusing (the car commercial with the kid dressed up like Darth Vader and the Pepsi Max spots were my personal favorites), but it seemed like a lot of companies wasted a lot of money.

Speaking of money, while watching a couple hours of post-game coverage, I felt I had no choice to be to online and spend more than I ever have on a hat. My Super Bowl XLV Champions lid should be here within a week.