Some looking back, and some looking ahead:

1. Peyton Manning. There is no question – he lost that game with a pass he shouldn’t have made. That’s not the only reason that New Orleans won, of course, but it was the final straw, and he made the mistake when the team had a very legitimate chance of, at the very least, getting to overtime. I had a long debate with a guy at my Super Bowl party last night. It’s not that I really hate the guy. I don’t like because I haven’t since college, but I can respect what he does. What my issue is, though, is that he gets far more credit than he deserves – than any guy deserves. He’s a great regular season quarterback, but the fact is that he is just 9-9 in his career in the playoffs, and he has now made the Super Bowl twice and played well below his capabilities both times. I believe in giving lots of credit when it’s due, but I have a real issue with worshiping a guy just because he’s a good guy if the facts don’t back it up. The facts are this – if anyone other than him had his playoff record they would face serious criticism. All I’m saying is that he should, too.

2. The performance Drew Brees put together in the last three quarters of that Super Bowl is only going to get better with time.

3. The Who were terrible. Incredibly awful. Epic fail. There was only one interesting thing about it in my eyes, and I didn’t learn it until today – the drummer is Ringo Starr’s son. Beyond that it was just a sad, pathetic spectacle. Anyone disagree?

4. The odds for next year’s Super Bowl came out to day from a few sports books. There are no real surprises at the top – the Colts are favored at 7/1, followed by the Chargers at 8/1, Saints at 9/1, and Pats at 10/1. This is not the time when the betting public is going to show any creativity or insight, so this is pretty much what you would expect. There are a few jokes on the list, too – most notably that the Rams, though the worst price on the board, are just 150/1. Do you honestly think that the Rams would win the Super Bowl once out of every 151 times the season is played next year? Knowing what we know now – and fully admitting that a lot can and will change – I think that that’s a truly terrible value. I wouldn’t be particularly tempted at 1500/1. Heck, I would even be willing to debate whether 15000/1 offers real value.

5. I’m fully aware that my rant in number four virtually guarantees a championship in St. Louis.