Be A Tomorrow Person: Charging Into The NFL "Offseason"

Chuck Noll would not approve of me taking a break right now.

When the Steelers won their first Super Bowl on January 12th, 1975, it took coach Chuck Noll all of ten minutes to look ahead to next season. In his postgame speech to his players, he challenged them to be "Tomorrow People." As safety Mike Wagner explains, "if you're satisfied with what you're doing now or what you did yesterday, then you're gonna fail...Be a Tomorrow Person." The Steelers went on to win three more Super Bowls in the next five seasons, and many of those players are now in the Hall of Fame along with their coach.

Super Bowl XLVI: Behind Enemy Lines

Me before kickoff of Super Bowl XLVI. The calm before the storm.

One...two...three...four...five...six. When I got to the sixth row of the corner mezzanine of Lucas Oil Stadium, the one between the New England sideline and the Patriots end zone, I was greeted by a large man in a Rob Gronkowski jersey.

"I don't think these are your seats."

I chuckled, assuming that he was just giving me a hard time. But he didn't smile, and instead repeated himself.

"Seriously, you shouldn't be here."

I looked up, and quickly realized what he was talking about. Brady. Welker. Mankins. Mayo. Every jersey read the name of a Patriot. Somehow, for the biggest (and most expensive) sporting event of my life, I was surrounded by the enemy.

We Won

As we were sitting in the field section, confetti falling on our heads, Colin asked me how I was feeling. It's tough to describe the joy that comes with seeing your favorite team reach a goal that you've focused on for five months. I guess the easiest way to put it is that it hasn't hit me yet. You tune into the game every Sunday, just hoping for a win. No matter how far they get, you are still anticipating the next challenge. As long as the second half of Super Bowl XLVI was, the finish still snuck up on me. When Tom Brady was sacked by Justin Tuck on his last drive, the image of him calling for a timeout on his back was nearly identical to his reaction to the Jay Alford sack on the last drive of Super Bowl XLII. I felt the Patriot fans' pain at that point, but I also reflected on the times this year that this moment didn't seem possible. There were dozens of reasons why the 2011 Giants should not have been champions, but all that matters is that they had the opportunity to be in this situation and they took it. As the Patriots lined up for 4th and 16, I had tears in my eyes.

Of course, it wouldn't be that easy. It never was with the Giants this season. Of the New York's 19 games, 17 of them came down to the fourth quarter. This one would be no different. As the Patriots' hail mary fell into a crowd of players, my heart stopped. When I saw the ball roll out of the back of the end zone, I screamed. The rest of the night was a swarm of confetti and high fives and celebratory shots. I'll watch this game again and again over the next few weeks, and at some point it will all hit me. There's plenty of time to analyze how this game unfolded and what this means for each player's legacy and each franchise's future. For now, I'm just happy to be as lucky as I am. My team and I went to the Super Bowl, and we won.

We fucking won.

Preparing For Kickoff

We're ready.

I couldn't handle the anticipation before kickoff of Super Bowl XLII, so I left my aunt's party and went to my grandmother's house. The couple of hours we spent chatting was one of my favorite memories of her, and I wish I had the chance to again escape the hype going into the game today. Instead, I'll be in the epicenter of it all.

The next post you see from me will be incredibly euphoric or crushingly depressing. Either way, I will probably not be sober when I publish it. I hope everyone enjoys the game, and follow me on Twitter to see my thoughts as it plays out. Thanks for reading. All in. Go Giants.

Saturday Night At The Super Bowl

Our group with Matt Hasselbeck, my new favorite former BC athlete.

Much of the atmosphere of Super Bowl weekend comes from all the crazy parties that Playboy, Maxim, and every other male-oriented brand throws. Pat managed to get us four tickets to a concert party at the Bud Light Hotel, and a quick count of the number of neck tattoos in line told me that this wasn't the most exclusive of parties. However, the hour we spent in line was well worth it when we got inside. Some highlights of the night included:

- Lil Jon pausing Get Low (one of my favorite songs of all time) to point out to us which side of the tent was the window, and which was the wall. I want him at my wedding.

The NFL Experience

After arriving in Indianapolis, we took a walk downtown to soak in the atmosphere. I've visited Indy once before for last year's Manning Bowl II, but doesn't look like the same city now. The streets are teeming with people in Giants, Patriots and Colts garb, and every building and sign is branded with the Super Bowl XLVI logo.

Welcome To Indianapolis

What bars in heaven must look like.

Before we hit the Chicago bars last night, our group agreed to leave for Indianapolis this morning no later than 8:00am. Many beers, some shots, one 3:00am burrito, two aspirin, and a large coffee later, we were on the road at 10:15.

The Road To Here, and My Pick For Super Bowl XLVI



 As a Giants fan, this Super Bowl run has been a rather reflective one for me. I'm not old enough to remember Super Bowl XXV, so February 3rd, 2008 was my first Giants championship. Back then, I was completely caught up in the desire for a Super Bowl. Only afterwards did I realize that my favorite moments from the season came long before Tom Brady's final pass fell incomplete. This season, I've focused on the journey more than the destination.

The Journey To Indy Begins

Heading to Super Bowl XLVI, one beer at a time.

Three years ago, I made a deal with my roommate Colin, a die-hard 49er fan. The next time one of our teams made the Super Bowl, we would go to the game. We never imagined it would work out this way, but when the Giants and 49ers both secured a spot in the NFC Championship, it was settled that we’d be heading to Indianapolis for the mecca of all sporting events. I’m just grateful that I'll be able to cheer for my team on Sunday. Thank you, Jacquain Williams.

Our trip started this evening with a flight from Boston to Chicago. The $140 airfare was about a tenth of what we’d have to pay to fly directly into Indianapolis. As my roommate Kevin drove us to Logan Airport, he asked if I had packed more Giants jerseys or pairs of underwear for the trip. Underwear, of course. But it’s close.

I received a lot of good-natured ribbing from the TSA agents at Logan Airport. They sent my bag through the metal detector twice. Colin says that it’s because I neglected to pull my toothpaste of my luggage, but I swear I saw the guy at the x-ray monitor glaring at my Giants cap.

Walking through the terminal, one Bostonian yelled “Down! You’re going down!” as he passed by. I laughed and told him to enjoy the game. He yelled over his shoulder “You too!” In the end, we’re all football fans.

We landed in Chicago at the same time as our other college buddy, Omer. The three of us are staying at a friend’s place, and the fourth member of our party, Pat, joins us tomorrow night. We’ll spend another night in The Windy City, and then it’s a very early (and hopefully not very hungover…who am I kidding) drive to Indianapolis. 

As you can tell, the blog is going to take a bit of a different format this weekend. I’m going to do my best to capture the sights, sounds, and general excitement of a football fanatic’s dream weekend. Bookmark the home page and keep checking in for my latest photos, observations, and analysis from Indianapolis and Super Bowl XLVI. The journey is underway, and we're all in.

 

Super Bowl XLVI: What's At Stake For Bill Belichick

Already one of the greatest coaches of all time, how much will a fourth Super Bowl help Bill Belichick's legacy?

As I concluded yesterday, a win Sunday would nearly lock up a Hall of Fame spot for Tom Coughlin.  Bill Belichick, on the other hand, has had a place reserved in Canton for some time now. He's one of only four coaches with three Super Bowl wins, and a victory in this game would tie him with former Steelers coach Chuck Noll for the most all-time. That begs the question: if Bill Belichick wins Super Bowl XLVI, is he the greatest coach in NFL history?

Super Bowl XLVI: What's At Stake For Tom Coughlin

Few coaches with Tom Coughlin's resume have been kept out of Canton.

Seven weeks ago, Tom Coughlin was a Tony Romo wide open pass away from possibly losing his job after a third straight season collapse.  Yet on Sunday, he has the chance to win his second championship in five years.  Such is the thin line between success and failure in today's NFL.  The questions is, if Coughlin wins Super Bowl XLVI, will he be a Hall of Famer? Let's look at his case:

Coughlin's 142 regular season wins, .555 win percentage (minimum 200 games coached), and nine playoff berths puts him at 19th, 22nd, and 15th all-time, respectively. Nearly all the coaches ahead of him on those lists are in the Hall of Fame.  Some, like Bill Belichick and Bill Cowher, are not eligible for induction yet. Bill Parcells, in his second year of candidacy, is expected to make the cut this Saturday. Marty Schottenheimer, Dan Reeves, and Chuck Knox are the only coaches ahead of Coughlin that aren't in Canton.