The sports pundits will be out in full force all week. Many, including Tome Brady's wife, will point to one thing. Inability to count. A dropped pass in the fourth quarter. A safety on the Patriot's first play from scrimmage.
But did the Patriots lose because of one thing?
Here's the fascinating thing. One more play in the Patriot's favor and all the talk would be the other way around. What if someone had caught the hail mary in the end zone at the end of the game? What if there had been no safety early in the game. What if twelve men were not on the field on a critical play?
Go back even farther. What if San Francisco's punt returner had not muffed a punt? The Giants would not have even been in the Super Bowl. Everyone is going to overanalyze to where it gets ridculous.
If it helps with the ratings so be it.
We could even step back and say, "Why didn't the Patriots have another receiver who could step in and help fill the gap with Gronkowski injured?" Then we could say the coaches were at fault.
How many of you noticed the one misspelling at the beginning of this post? Bothers you doesn't it? Wow, he can't even spell Tom right! In fact, for some of you that's all you can think about. I guess it is just human nature to focus and obsess on a mistake.
I like what Belechick said. He praised his team and admitted they came up short on winning the Super Bowl. In a nutshell that's about it. In any game you could have executed better. It's not like the Giants played flawless.
In fact, think about this. Which player made what could be called two bonehead plays? I can't think of anyone except Bradshaw. He fumbled early in the game and scored prematurely at the end of the game. But who cares? No one, because the Giants won. Had the Giants lost that fumble would be the talk of the town and Bradshaw may not be able able to show his face in New York.
Bottom Line: The Patriots did not lose because Wes Welker dropped a pass late in the fourth quarter. The guy was phenomenal all season with over 120 catches. But he's not perfect and even the best will drop a ball at some point in the season. Sure, you would rather not do it in front of the largest TV audience of all time, but no one and no game is flawless.
Let's just admit that it was a great game. And do we really need a scapegoat? The Giants did not win because of one thing, and the Patriots did not lose because of one thing. Win or lose; it's rarely just one thing.
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