Believe it or not, I was actually initially planning to write a post on Super Bowl XLV being the first proper Super Bowl blowout since Super Bowl XXXVII. After the Packers raced out to a 21-3 lead, it seemed like a reasonable idea for a post for this blog. So of course the Pittsburgh Steelers promptly scored 14 unanswered points and out the window that idea went.

But you know what? I’m glad they ruined that idea. Mind you, I’m not too upset about Pittsburgh losing. Never having rooted that strongly for any team that won two Super Bowls in three years, nor, as a Giants, Bills and Sabres fan, being all that likely to root for such a team anytime soon, I was perfectly happy to see Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay hoist the Lombardi Trophy. But an underrated part of loving sports is that you want to see the best, most exciting game possible.

Obviously being able to wake up in the morning in 2008 knowing that the team I rooted for was a “world champion” was pretty cool. But watching John Elway’s Broncos upset Brett Favre’s Packers, Kurt Warner leading the Rams over the Titans, Adam Vinatieri’s last second field goal to help the Patriots beat the Rams and Sean Payton’s onside kick are all among my favorite Super Bowl memories too. The drama of seeing the game shift in the final 10 minutes of a game is a beautiful thing and one of the things I’ll miss most if the NFL lockout is still going next September. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen but let’s also hope the players who give us that excitement, especially those without huge contracts, are better compensated for the physical price they pay for giving us that drama.