$.01--What started out as a quiet affair erupted into a highly entertaining game. A scoreless first quarter gave way to one of the best championship games in any sports in recent times. The term “instant classic” gets bandied about a lot, but this one truly fits the lofty billing.

The New England Patriots rallied from a 24-14 deficit in the fourth quarter to vanquish the Seattle Seahawks 28-24. Tom Brady shook off a shaky game to earn MVP honors with two brilliant touchdown drives, the first of which culminated in a laser to Danny Amendola in the back of the end zone.

Seattle had a chance, but a play which will live in infamy ended that opportunity. Undrafted rookie cornerback Malcolm Butler picked off Russell Wilson’s slant pass at the goal line with under 30 seconds left to seal New England’s victory. The play call from Seahawks Offensive Coordinator Darrell Bevell, and by extension Head Coach Pete Carroll, to try and throw the ball from the 1-yard line is ponderous at best. Even though Marshawn Lynch is surprisingly not a good short-yardage back, Beast Mode is the reason why Seattle got this far. You dance with the one who brought you.

Butler’s play was fantastic. The rookie got burned a couple of plays earlier despite making a great play in tipping the ball into the air in tight coverage, but somehow Jermaine Kearse caught the ball after it caromed off several body parts as he hit the ground. He was not going to leave anything to chance.

From the second the Seahawks went into the stacked receiver formation, the entire Patriots secondary knew what was coming. That much is obvious. Corner Brandon Browner--a former Seahawk--put a vicious jam on the front receiver Kearse, allowing Butler an unimpeded path to the inside slant. He beat wideout Ricardo Lockette to the point, never hesitating from the snap and closing with outstanding speed and purpose.

Lockette could have gone a little harder after the ball. Yet Bevell bringing that up in the postgame is completely classless, throwing Lockette under the bus and refusing to acknowledge Butler’s awesome anticipation. Nobody’s star has fallen quicker than Bevell, who called a terrible game two weeks ago against Green Bay and got away with it thanks to Packers coach Mike McCarthy’s own asinine game management. Now everyone is beginning to remember Bevell made his name as a coordinator by having Brett Favre ignore his play calls in that one fantastic season in Minnesota.

It was one of many facets where Bill Belichick and the Patriots outcoached Carroll and the Seahawks. New England’s game plan was masterful, using the smaller and shiftier receivers to nullify the Legion of Boom secondary. Whenever Brady saw Rob Gronkowski isolated in space on the linebacker, he went there right away. As soon as vulnerable Tharold Simon entered the game for injured Jeremy Lane, New England’s offense attacked immediately. Belichick and his staff authored a masterpiece, preparing their players for everything Seattle threw at them. They made better in-game adjustments as well. There were no gadget plays, no deceptive formations, no controversial calls or incidents with equipment.

The game was one of the most memorable, epic Super Bowls. The outcome was undecided throughout the game. New England’s fourth Super Bowl victory--all with Belichick and Brady at the controls--in this incredibly competitive era cements them as the preeminent dynasty in the modern era. 

$.02--The halftime show is as much a part of Super Bowl Sunday as the game itself for many people. I don’t quite understand that, but then again I don’t know Kanye West from Drake from Lady Gaga and don’t particularly care to, either.

Katy Perry was entertaining. There, I said it. I’m not a fan of pop music at all. I hadn’t ever even heard of the song she was singing with the dancing sharks, but it was colorful and amusing in a kitschy way. The quick costume changes kept things moving. The crowd seemed into it. My wife and daughter loved it.

The inclusion of Missy Elliott is somewhat baffling. If the creators were hoping to add grit or street cred, they probably should have chosen someone anyone under the age of 20 would recognize without Google. At least she seemed genuinely happy to be performing, unlike recent turns by bands like The Who.

The whole spectacle seemed fun in an absurdist sort of way. But that’s exactly what the Super Bowl demands, and Katy Perry delivered. The context of the performance is important. While I would love nothing more than Turisas (Google “Ten More Miles”) or Coheed and Cambria to play the halftime show, my musical heroes are not appropriate choices.

$.03--The Super Bowl ads!

There were some impressive ones this year. Among my personal favorites:

--The “First Draft” with Doug Flutie, Jerry Rice and a caveman from the avocado people. Sets itself up naturally for sequels too.

--For the first time ever, the GoDaddy.com ad was impressive. It was understated, a man missing the Super Bowl because he’s working to make his business survive. Poignant.

--Kate Upton for Game of War. Just because.

--Liam Neeson for Clash of Clans. I’m not even kidding, I downloaded the game within five minutes.

--Bud Light’s human Pac-Man ad. I can’t stand that swill but I’d happily drink a case of it to participate in that.

--Coca Cola’s first-quarter spot on changing things around and being positive. My 9-year-old son paid rapt attention to that one. Thanks, Coke!

--The Kia ad featuring Pierce Brosnan, though I’m afraid we’ll see way too much of that one in the next few days.

--Microsoft’s “Empowerment” piece with rapper/actor (I know him from Smokin’ Aces) Common narrating was outstanding.

Then there were the bad. And perhaps the worst ever came courtesy of Nationwide. I hope their spot about a dead child not experiencing life as a result of bad parenting never sees the light of day again. I also wasn’t a fan of either celebrity-led T-Mobile ads. 

$.04--Josh Gordon, the embattled Browns wideout, took a stab at some damage control with an open letter to his critics. Most prominent among those he tagged were Charles Barkley, Cris Carter and Stephen A. Smith, as well as a not-so-subtle jab at my good friend Ben Allbright for (correctly) once tweeting that Gordon had not gone a calendar year without failing a drug test since the seventh grade.

The letter, which can be viewed here from The Cauldron, created quite a stir. Gordon--if he wrote it in his own words--proved introspective, erudite and illuminating. He reflected on his own myriad poor decisions and how his unsavory childhood contributed to his drug use and poor decisions.

It’s nice to see Gordon showing some maturity and accepting responsibility for his own repeated mistakes. Unfortunately, he has lost all benefit of the doubt. After his latest mishap, he’s thrown away what should be his last NFL chance.

Gordon tested positive for consuming alcohol before the end of the season, a violation of the terms of his involvement in the league’s substance abuse program. He apparently did not realize that the NFL season was not over just because Cleveland’s was, as he correctly noted in no small part because of his chronic weed consumption for most of his life. He drank two beers and two other drinks on a private plane to Las Vegas with some teammates.

Hold up. You’re a guy desperately trying to salvage your pro career and stay away from any sort of illicit activity…and you’re flying to Sin City on a private plane with millionaires? You’re not even a social drinker but you down four on one flight?

The bad decisions strike again. As much as I want to pull for Gordon after penning such a heartfelt and deeply personal letter, his words mean nothing. His actions prove his NFL career needs to be over. Three strikes and you’re out, and that’s after fouling a few off too. Good luck in whatever you choose to do. 

$.05--Saturday night brought the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2015. It’s an impressive class.

Those are the modern five players, and for once not a single football fan needs a positional designation for any of the players. Okay, maybe not everyone knows Will Shields from his days in Kansas City as the best guard of his era.

Bill Polian and Ron Wolf earned gold jackets as contributors. They absolutely earned it for their legendary work as team architects with several teams. Polian put together the Bills team that made four Super Bowls in a row, then built the expansion Panthers into a quick winner before constructing the Manning-era Colts. Wolf is renowned for his work in Green Bay for the 1990s and 2000s, though older folks know him as Al Davis’ good eye for talent in the 1960s and 70s or the one good Tampa Bay year in 1979. Mick Tinglehoff also made it from the senior committee, a deserving nod to the longtime Vikings center.

As for snubs, it’s always tough to make the argument. I strongly believe Orlando Pace deserved inclusion in this year, but was he really greater than any who got in? Moreover, he’ll certainly find his way to Canton in another year or two. I would have put Marvin Harrison in ahead of Brown on the receiver pegs, but again both belong. And Kurt Warner belongs too, but more than Bettis? It’s subjective. At some point Jimmy Johnson will get in too. Actually, next year’s class might be right there: Pace, Harrison, Warner, Johnson…and some guy named Favre.