What to learn from Super Bowl 42

Ah... so I finally have the time and words to write about last week's amazing upset. The 18 win, 0 loss New England Patriots were beaten 17-14 by the underdog New York Giants... what a game it was... the first 3 quarters were ho-hum... but the 4th quarter was heartstopping!

1. In the biggest stage, the biggest battle of your life... you got to play loose... you got to enjoy the moment! Patriots QB Tom Brady was as tense and stiff as he was on a first date... (haha... ok that didn't sound right... he is after all dating Giselle Bundchen), while the Giants offense and defense were getting it done by enjoying the game... playing the game, being loose... having fun!

2. DEFENSE wins championships... indeed the maxim holds true... a ton of offense won't do you good if you can't hold your fort. In life... as boring as it may sound... conservative and sensible plays win the game... the truth is... bold, pivotal moments are too few and far between... what we need to learn is to muster the energy to fight for the slow grind... for every inch.

3. Karma is a bitch... Yep... allegations against the Patriots were still flying around on Super Bowl Week about the videotaping scandal that happened on Week 1 of the regular season. Indeed... it cast a dark shadow over the Patriot's dynasty of 3 Superbowl wins. There's probably more controversy to come once new evidence surfaces against them during their match against St. Louis several years back.

4. Pedigree means something... got to admit... blood matters... first it was Archie Manning as marquee quarterback for the Saints, then its his son Peyton (who won last year's Superbowl/MVP) and then this year Eli Manning (the youngest of the brood) wins the Superbowl and MVP award in the most miraculous fashion... escaping 3 sacks and hitting David Tyree on a leaping catch... with Patriots safety Rodney Harrison battling him every inch of the way down for ball possession. That's pedigree. It runs in the blood!

5. In life, the pivots/junctions are the most important... The quarterback of the offense (in the NFL) is the most important position, because he makes the calls, adjustments and executes the pass plays... which is why... the New York Sack Exchange... headed by the chief broker... Michael Strahan, and his colleagues Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyora, et al. were vital in disrupting the flow of the game. In life... just as in biology and football... if you want to take something apart... start with the joints.

There's so much more to be said about the game... with all its storylines...  prettyboy QB Tom Brady being humbled to the ground... Patriot headcoach Belichik running off at the 1 second mark... without finishing the game... 18 year veteran linebacker Junior Seau coming out of retirement only to lose in the big game again... the former pain-in-the-ass drill seargent/coach Tom Coughlin transforming to a fun, affable, team leader... all of which are very fertile ground for life lessons... who says sport isn't applicable to real life? Now back to real life for me