The Dogs Did Their Job

It has been a year since I pleaded to the Football Gods and expressed my anger for letting Tom Brady and Bill Belichick capture their fifth titles.

Time to celebrate!

And they lost to a backup; that’s even better!

So here we are in the aftermath of Philadelphia’s first Super Bowl win, the biggest accomplishment in its sports history since Rocky and that time the Phillies somehow won. I extend my congratulations to Philadelphia. Go out and party, surf some cars, punch a police horse, burn down Broad Street, and spend a night in jail (that’s how they celebrate, right?). It might sound rough, but the hangover isn’t so bad with a ring.

As for New England, fans, players, and analysts alike are wondering how Philly’s team of young, inexperienced players could take down a dynasty. In my preview, I wrote that the Patriots would win, because it’s system versus talent, and New England’s system would win. What we all overlooked is that the Eagles have a strong system of their own and were ready for everything the Patriots could throw at them.

From the very beginning, the Eagles tore apart the Patriots’ defense, eating up about half the first quarter on their march to an opening field goal. They were later able to dissect the Patriots by targeting weaker cornerback Eric Rowe’s side of the field, resulting in a 34-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Alshon Jeffery.

But after the Eagles took a 15-3 lead, the Patriots responded with nine points, cutting the deficit down to 15-12 just before the two minute warning in the first half. Just when it looked like the Eagles had been figured out, they faced fourth-and-goal, and a direct snap to end-around to pass to quarterback Nick Foles turned things back before halftime, giving Philly a 10-point lead heading into Justin Timberlake’s performance.

Can I also just say that I miss Prince? Okay, back to sports.

From there, things went back and forth, and while the Patriots once held a lead, the ultimate “oh shoot, here we go again” moment came following Philadelphia’s last touchdown. After being unable to extend the lead to seven on a failed two-point conversion, the team had to give Brady the ball back with 2:21 left on the clock. Touchdown to win, and NBC pulls up a stat showing off Brady’s five game-winning drives in the Super Bowl.

What’s pretty boy going to do this time?

Probably tick it down to the last 30 seconds and get a walk-in touchdown to seal the game. Maybe he’ll mess around a bit and have to convert a fourth down. But he’s definitely got this one in the bag. Right?

Nope. For the first time all game, the Eagles got to him and forced a game-clinching fumble. Just like David Tyree and Mario Manningham before, defensive end Brandon Graham shot down the Patriots. After another 136 clicks on the clock, the Eagles brought the Lombardi Trophy home to Charlie Kelly, Dennis Reynolds, and the rest of the gang.

As for Brady and the Patriots, I love saying their dynasty is over. So many of us do, especially here in New York. Maybe it is, maybe everything ESPN said is true, maybe Belichick will leave and everything will burn to the ground.

But it probably won’t. They’ll be back again. I talk a lot of smack, but they’re the best ever to do what they do. And Brady especially proved that this game. As he defies age and adds yet another chip on his shoulder, don’t be surprised to see him in the big game one last time.

So congratulations one more time to the City of Brotherly Love. Hopefully, it still exists when this article is published.