We’ll take one of these guys in DC, please. Oh and the guy that threw the ball too.
As a Redskins fan, it wasn’t easy watching Eli Manning lead the Giants to another Super Bowl win last night, but I’m among the many that can’t help but give the man- and his team- props for handling business the way they did.
They’re Super Bowl champions for a second time in 6 years and both times they did it by defeating what many agree is the greatest football dynasty of the last 20 years.
So now that it’s over, was there anything to be taken from the game? Yes, after all is said and done it was just one game, but I do think there were some things that can be taken from it.
Do they mean anything in regards to the Redskins? Maybe a bit, but they were more overall observations than anything else. But hey, anything to get our guys closer to where the Giants and Patriots got to be last night I’m all for.
1. You need a franchise QB.
I know- tell me something I don’t know. Really no need to explain this one any further. But it was fun following tweets all night half-joking that the way these guys play football, it’s like they’re playing a different sport than the Redskins. The half-jokes were only half-funny because they were half-true.
2. The Wide Receiver position may be the most important position in the NFL after QB.
Seriously. I apologize to all those along the offensive and defensive lines, but I think that talent and skill rises to the top more at the wide receiver position and it’s more important that you have great ones than any other position. How many crucial 3rd and shorts were converted by RB’s last night and in the playoffs? Some, sure. But when plays need to be made, it starts with the QB and ends with his WR’s. And as great as Eli was, his receivers made play after play after play all year and last night. The Patriots proved that with an elite QB, tight ends can be used effectively and good receiving backs are all fun and cute. But if you want to win big games consistently, get yourself some play-making, game-changing wide receivers above anything else.
3. The New England Patriots may need to change their ways a bit
Am I the only one that thinks Chad Ochocinco could have helped last night? And he’s sort of a microcosm of the way that coaching staff seems to run things. I know he’s been stuck on the sidelines because he’s had a hard time learning the playbook. So you know what I’d do? Create a few plays that he could have learned. I may be in the minority here, but I don’t think his skill level or speed has diminished that much that he couldn’t have made more plays for them this season and last night- when just a few more could have meant a different result.
4. The New England Patriots may need to change their ways a bit, part 2
Do you think there’s a chance, even a slim one, that the Patriots wish they had used a couple more of their first-round picks and had some more first-round talents out there last night? The thing about the Patriots is that they are great at finding diamonds in the rough later in drafts. But have they spent too much time trading down to acquire too many middle round picks and not giving themselves more opportunity to draft better talent at the top of drafts? It’s something to think about.
5. Sports are the best reality television ever.
You can break down all the film you want. You can talk all you want about how good the QB’s were or how good of a gameplan the coaches had last night. But a couple dropped balls that were caught here and a few fumbles that a guy held onto there- and the ending to the story of the NFL 2012 is completely different. I’m not trying to get all sappy on everybody, but I will get all fanboy. The NFL is simply awesome.
Maybe, just maybe, it’ll be the streets of DC full of joy and dancing sometime soon.
If we learned anything from last nights game, it’s that we simply need a once-in-a-generation QB, the best wide receiver corps in the NFL and an upgrade in talent at nearly every position.
To quote little JP from Angels in the Outfield- “It could happen!”
