That didn't mean the Patriots made it easy to win, or easy to watch. This was probably the worst coaching performance by the three-headed monster: Belichick, Weis, and Crennel. Weis made the playcalling very ultraconservative, and didn't take any chances downfield. After they went up by ten, it seemed as if the offense felt the game was over and that they didn't need to play anymore.
Crennel really looked bad, IMO, especially when he called for man-to-man coverage and had no one covering deep on the huge touchdown pass McNabb connected to Greg Lewis with less than two minutes left in the game. It didn't help that he had the corners play soft on the Eagles receivers in the 3rd quarter scoring drive that tied the game at 14. Believe me; if the Pats would have somehow lost that game, even on a fluke, everyone would have been crapping on Crennel today.
Lucky for them, McNabb was terrible. If you would have told me that NE would only win by three points, yet McNabb was picked three times I would have thought you were crazy. The truth is, McNabb could have had a couple more picked off as well, as it seemed as if the accurate passes were the ones thrown to NE's secondary. I think it's a testament to the improvement of the Eagles receiver corp that they were able to make big catches that were often overthrown or thrown behind them. And the blame for the horrible clock management - not only in the fourth quarter but before halftime as well - goes to him as well as Andy Reid.
There were some bright spots. Deion Branch, who was the Super Bowl MVP, and Terrell Owens stole the show. Branch bruised the Eagles secondary for a SB record-tying 11 catches for 133 yards. If it wasn't for him, the Pats would have been in serious trouble in this game. And Terrell Owens definitely showed he is the best WR in the league, catching nine passes for 122 yards on a bad leg that for all intents and purposes isn't fully rehabilitated. (It should be noted that Branch missed most of the season, and was almost placed on IR. I'm sure the Pats are glad they didn't.)
Philly's defense kept them in the game to the end, making great stops and never allowing Corey Dillon and Kevin Faulk to stay consistent with the running game. That surprised me, because Dillon generally does his damage in the fourth quarter by breaking tackles, consistently getting those six yard runs, and killing the clock. The fact is that the defense gave the Eagles more than enough chances to win this game, but the offense - with the exception of TO - was abysmal.
Now that I've talked about the game, let's now talk about Freddie Mitchell.
I said it like that because Freddie Mitchell wasn't in the game. One catch for 11 yards. That's absolutely sad. I'm listening to Jim Rome and the Clones rip into him throughout the show today, but let's be real...you knew he wouldn't produce anything. He never has! And with TO in the game you knew McNabb isn't looking at him as an option unless everyone else is covered and he is WIDE open.
And another thing: Mitchell called out Pats cornerback Rodney Harrison, yet Harrison had more catches than Mitchell did. Harrison had two picks and a sack last night, and would have been MVP if it wasn't for Branch's performance. This will go down as one of the biggest flops in sports history, and Mitchell deserves every bit of the criticism he gets from here on out. I wouldn't be surprised if the Eagles cut him in the offseason.
Mitchell wasn't the only one; Todd Pinkston was a joke too. Pink actually had a great first half, catching four passes for 80 yards including two tough catches to help the Eagles get on the scoreboard in the second quarter. But he was "injured" in the second half, and never finished the game.
The injury? Cramps. That's right; you're playing in the SUPER BOWL and during the first half was putting up great numbers and helping your team move the ball down the field, yet you are going to leave the game because you have cramps. I tell ya; the Super Bowl is one helluva time to go on your period. People were trashing Chuck Badnarik last week for claiming today's football players were soft and hoping the Eagles lose so the 1960 team would be the only Eagles team to win the championship, but Pink helped cement that assertion.
All in all, the Patriots deserve praise for what they've done. Regardless if Belichick can get it done next year without his coaching staff (Weis has been hired to be the head coach at Notre Dame, Cremmel will be the head coach at Cleveland), no one can deny their place in NFL history. Rest assured, Brady and Belichick have their spots prepared at the Hall when they hang up the cleats (or the clipboard if you're Belichick).