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The last line on my blog last week was “Enjoy the game”. I obviously meant the Super Bowl. In all honesty, it was hard to enjoy because almost nothing happened. There was one touchdown and there were 14 punts, nine by the Rams alone, one meaningless turnover, two missed field goals and little “official calls” controversy. In a word, the game was “boring”.
But I did keep some notes as I watched so here is how the broadcast unfolded for me in no particular order:
- You may have missed the best commercial of the day because it occurred in the post-game. Take a look. It is hilarious. Helium never fails to disappoint.
https://www.ispot.tv/ad/In2V/state-farm-helium
- I also enjoyed the Peyton Manning-John Malkovich introduction to the game. Manning has impeccable comedic timing and Malkovich is Malkovich. Despite its length, it was a great way to start the pre-game.
- There were 115 cameras at the game, according to CBS. That’s 109 more than we use. Our crew still seems to get all the important shots. But imagine if we had 109 more.
- Why does anyone interview Bill Belichik? His pregame stop to talk to the CBS announcer was a total waste of time and Belichik looked totally disinterested and put out that he had to answer. The NFL requires the coach to do it.
- Wal-Mart did a clever job with the famous cars from TV and movies. I’m sure many, like me, spent the time trying to figure out where you had seen that vehicle before, while getting the subtle Wal-Mart message. Isn’t that what a good ad is supposed to do – get the viewer involved? This one did for me.
- I did not like the early penalty on the Rams for making a tackle on a Patriot receiver. They said he was defenseless. It did not appear that way to me. Not much was made of it. If it occurred later in the game, it would have been emphasized more.
- The Hyundai “elevator” commercial was one of the best of the day. Car shopping was put into the same category as root canal, jury duty, a vegan dinner party, etc. as the elevator was going down. The message was clear that would not be the experience if you shopped for a Hyundai. The elevator was going up for that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5FzKB5TW0Y
- Mermaids selling spiked Seltzer did not work for me – I never heard of Bon-Vivo.
- The announcers’ jinx came into play on the first New England field goal attempt. No one had missed a field goal in that stadium all year (31-31), the announcers said. Of course the field goal was missed and so was another later in the game. I have the same problem when I mention a player is a really good foul shooter.
- I’m not a beer drinker, but based on Bud Light’s plethora of commercials, corn syrup is bad for me. It’s some form of sugar, I assume, and is in some beers, but not Bud Light. I heard the corn farmers were really upset with the spot, as were the beers that were attacked for using corn syrup. Let them battle it out in next year’s pre-game. I know it’s not the Puppy Bowl, but….
- Okay, I am going to say it here – I am not a fan of Tony Romo. I know he has been getting a number of plaudits lately, but to me, he is annoying and has managed to bring Jim Nantz down with him. There you have it. Let me know if you agree or disagree. The people I talk to tend to agree with me.
- The Audi electric car looks great! I want to drive one. I also was amazed by the Google translator app. Just point to the foreign phrase with your phone and your phone translates it into English – Oh, My!
- Did you see the set CBS built for the pre-game, half-time, and post-game announcers? A bit much, but impressive.
- I thought the Halftime show with Maroon 5, etc. was a bit disjointed and underwhelming. It was certainly not one of the best.
- CURE Auto Insurance “screw in head” commercial was really strange and cost @ $5 million. What?
https://www.popisms.com/TelevisionCommercial/207939/CURE-Auto-Insurance-Commercial-for-Super-Bowl-LIII-2019-Screw-in-the-Head-C
- Did you know there was skull shaver? Me, neither.
- Have you noticed I am not writing much about the game because nothing happened!
- Eat at Burger King, like Andy Warhol does. I can’t wait for my next Whopper now!
- The MVP went to Julian Edelman for his 10 catches and 141 yards. It should have gone to the defense of the Patriots, but it is hard to divide it up into so many pieces.
- Sony Michel, the Patriots running back played for the NCAA national championship on the same field a year ago, only to come back and play in the Super Bowl. What a year!
- CBS’ Tracy Wolfson had a tough job after the game trying to interview Tom Brady. It was a mob scene and she was getting crushed. You would think there would have been some post-game preparations for the interview. And, how do all those people get on the field?
- With all that, I still can’t wait for LIV!
- Finally (this blog is almost as long as the game – my apologies), I did predict the correct winner. My final numbers are:
Gary’s Guesses: NFL Picks (Last week: 1-0) (Overall: 168-82-2 67% )
SUPER BOWL WINNER – NEW ENGLAND
