Five things I liked about the Super Bowl

(JOE RIMKUS/McClatchy-Tribune)
1. The Colts won. I’ve always been a Colts fan. They’re not my favorite team, but I’ve followed them since I was a kid and they were in Baltimore. When I was a child, and we lived for a few years in Virginia, they were the team I watched. They always had a big rivalry with the Green Bay Packers, and my best friend in the neighborhood was a huge Packer fan. I adored Johnny Unitas. Never mind the dull white uniforms with the horseshoe on the helmet.
2. Tony Dungy. He is one of the classiest head coaches in football. Very disciplined and a “player’s coach.’’ Never raises his voice. Never uses profanity. I felt so sorry for him last year when his son died during the playoffs. History could not have picked a better person to have the distinction of becoming the first African-American coach to win the Super Bowl.
3. Peyton Manning. I like him, even if he did play for Tennessee. His dad, Archie Manning, was one of my favorites. He’s paid his dues, worked hard and managed the deflect much of the undeserved criticism over the years. I love his commercials, too. He’s witty and a likeable guy.
4. It was an entertaining game – from the opening kickoff right down to the final minutes. So what if there were eight turnovers? You can't blame all of them on the weather. There was some fierce hitting going on. There have been so many blowouts over the years, the Super Bowl has often been called the Super Bore. This one had some drama.
5. Sure it was soggy, sloppy and even bloated. But the game was played in the elements, the way football was supposed to be played. No indoors and 72 degrees. It rained almost the entire game. Granted, rain in Miami in February isn’t as bad as rain somewhere else. But it was there, and it was a factor. The Colts weren’t afraid to get those white uniforms dirty and break the curse of teams playing in domed stadiums cannot win the Super Bowl.