Man up

It's like the effin Zapruder film. You watch it only with morbid curiosity. Over and over again. No matter what angle I watch it from or how slow the films rolls... I still say the fault lies with Brady missing a wide open receiver.

But Brady still can't say it and take the heat off his little buddy. Maybe Giselle has threatened him to keep his mouth shut. Or maybe he really thinks it was a decent pass ... nah.

Brady looked sharp at the first round of OTAs this week. He's ready for another shot at the fourth Lombardi. I like his team's chances. How could you not? But I guess he's still not ready to man up. The well-groomed quarterback was asked about the heart-breaking Super Bowl loss and its effects. He could have said "It still stings. I wish I had made a better throw to Wes on that play. I hope I get another chance shot at it."

Instead the new comic star said, "At this point you try to move on."

Not "I'm the quarterback and I take responsibility for the loss. I will use the fact that we didn't win that game for Mr. Kraft to motivate me to win the next three." He hasn't taken any of the blame. Maybe it wasn't his fault. Maybe I've been wrong all this time. Maybe there was someone behind the grassy knoll that forced Brady to throw the ball high and on the wrong shoulder instead of into Welker's lap for a clinching score.

Maybe he ... nah.

The 'drop'

Where's Tom Brady?

Penn State's Bill O'Brien came out this weekend and said that the Brady-to-Welker touchdown-pass-that-wasn't in the Super Bowl "wasn't a drop."

That's right. It wasn't. I've been saying that since the play happened. As the ball rolled along the Lucas Field turf, I believe my words to the room full of stunned family members were "How can Brady miss a wide-open pass like that in the Super Bowl?" Then the replay was shown. Bad pass. And shown again. Bad pass. And shown again. Bad Pass. In the 30-plus times I have looked at the play ... bad pass.

Former offensive coordinator O'Brien defended his player. "That would have been a tremendous catch and he should never think twice about that. I would tell (fans) they should be very grateful ... to have a player like Wes Welker as a Patriot. He is what Boston is all about, in my opinion. He's a hard-working guy, he's a tough guy, he's an honest guy, nothing was ever given to him." Couldn't have said it better myself.

So where's Brady?

Welker has taken a lot of criticism for "the drop." There seemed to be more people willing to let the All-Pro wide receiver walk in free agency after that play. (Fortunately he and his 122 catches aren't going anywhere). I was surprised how many NFL experts -- not the media, but ex-players and ex-coaches -- who said they thought it was a decent throw and a catch that should have been made. No matter how many times I watch the replay I can't see that. (Skip the next few graphs if you don't want to go back there).

Super Bowl. The Giants and little Manning -- again. Pats up 17-15 with just over four minutes to play and a 2nd-and-11 at midfield. Score on this drive and the game is over and the fourth Lombardi is hoisted high. As the ball is snapped, TV analyst Chris Collinsworth says it looks like the Giants D is confused. He is right.

Welker, lined up in the left slot, flies past the defensive back down the left hash marks and comes wide open at the 30. If Brady -- as he should have -- hits Welker in stride on the inside shoulder Welker goes for a touchdown. Watch the replay. He's that open and going that fast. The safeties are a good five yards away and out of position to break the play up. Instead Brady throws it outside shoulder -- way outside shoulder -- and a little too high. Welker spins around to grab it. He leaps and the ball hits him in the hands... ... but it bounces away. Welker usually catches the ball when he gets both hands on it, but not when he has to twist his body back-around 90 degrees and hurl himself in the air. Welker feels he should have caught the ball. And maybe he should have. But what really should have happened is Brady dropping the ball right into the cradle of Welker's arms for a touchdown and a highlight that would have taken its place next to some of the best moments of the past ten years.

The defense had done its job. Brady and the offense were making a memorable championship drive. They had a chance to secure the victory -- which is what great players and offenses do -- and they let it slip away. Those things happen. That's sports. You really can't win 'em all. But it doesn't make it any less tough to take. You could see the look on Brady's face. He couldn't believe he had blown such an easy, Lombardi-clinching play. (Giselle apparently couldn't believe it either).

Welker came out after the game and -- team player that he is -- took complete blame for the play. "The ball was right there. I've got to make that play. It's a play I've made a thousand times, and at the biggest moment of my life I don't come up with it." Class act. The Globe's Greg Bedard quickly came out with a story saying that, actually, it's not a pass that Welker has caught a thousand times. Not even a dozen. Bedard went over every pass to Welker throughout the whole season (when does he find the time?) and, not surprisingly, found that Welker never had to make a leaping, twisting, spinning catch a couple feet above his head.

But Welker still took the blame. "I let the team down," he added. That's being a stand-up guy.

Where's Brady? On the beach with Gisele somewhere (with Welker, by the way).

The last thing Brady was heard saying about the "drop" was this right after the game ...“Wes went up to try to make it, as he always does, and we just couldn’t connect. I’ll keep throwing the ball to him for as long as I possibly can.”

There's a word implied in that statement. "But." As in "... we just couldn't connect BUT I'll keep throwing the ball to him for as long as I possible can." That was the sound of Brady very subtly throwing Welker under the bus. Translate it into "Wes dropped the ball but I still love him." Where was the "It was a bad throw. I put it too high. It's as much my fault as his."? Anything like that. He didn't say it that day and, from what I've read, he hasn't said it since. Hopefully he has said it to Welker while strolling along the beach. And hopefully Gisele didn't hear him because it might have gotten ugly.

"It was my fault." How hard is that? Brady said it two weeks earlier after the AFC Championship victory over the Ravens. "I sucked," he said in front of the home crowd. He made some big mistakes. But he also made some great plays, including the tough-as-nails goal-line dive into the teeth of the Baltimore D for the winning score. That's why it was OK to say "I sucked." Because he was also great. But I guess the real reason it was OK to say it was because the team won the game despite Brady's mistakes. Not so in the Super Bowl. Not so in what could have been the biggest moment of Brady's career. There really is no shame in competing but coming up short. But the pressure of trying to cement his place in NFL history seemed to get the best of Brady. You could see it in his face. He knew he had made a huge mistake but he was so upset and disappointed that he couldn't bring himself to say it.

It was disappointing. Bourque would have said it. DJ would have said it. Bruschi would have said it. Brady should have said it. "It was my fault," It's what has separated Brady from most other star players in today's "me first" sports world. While Manning was blaming his offensive line or his coaches, Brady was always saying "It was my fault. I have to do better." He learned that from Drew Bledsoe. You are the leader. Take the blame if you deserve it. Brady always has.Till this time. It was surprising, especially since it's clear how tight Brady and Welker are together. I guess the pressure got to Brady that day -- on the field and off.

Brady losing in his last two Super Bowls hasn't lowered my opinion of him as one of the greatest players ever. But his letting Welker take the heat for that play has lowered my opinion of him as a person. A despondent Welker concluded his post-game comments back on Super Bowl Sunday by saying "I'll have to figure out a way to shake this one off."

Maybe if Tom Brady came out and said "It was a bad pass" it would be a little easier for Welker to do that.

We'll be seeing the highlight of the "drop" for years to come. Here are a few that are more fun to watch...

Blue Monday

SUPER BOWL XLVI
Wes Welker was wide open. A better throw and he goes for a touchdown. Game over.

There were a lot of big moments in another Patriots-Giants classic Super Bowl battle. A safety on the first play. Twelve men on the field negating a turnover. An ill-timed Ninko offsides. Fumbles bouncing all over the place but ultimately back into the hands of the Giants. A very bad decision early in the fourth quarter by Brady that led to a pick. A failure by the D to make a game-saving play anywhere in the last three minutes. A Hail Mary that was almost answered. But it really all came down to that one pass from Tom Brady to Welker.

Brady and the offense had put together a championship drive to that point. The Pats D had done its job and forced a punt. They had held the Giants to just 15 points with nine minutes to play. And two of those points were on the Brady safety. Great job by the defense. So starting at their own 7 with 9:19 to play, the Pats moved all the way to midfield on an impressive, smart, focused drive. It looked like Brady was going to have another hall of fame moment.

A scrambling pass to Welker for five. A swing pass to Woody for 19. A short Bennie run. A Welker end-around reverse for 11 and a huge first down. Woody for a clock-eating yard. A pass to Gronk for six. Brady to Hernandez on a great quick-out on 3rd-and-3 that gave the Pats what looked like the biggest first down of the game at the Giant 47. Bennie for a loss on first down, giving the Pats 2nd-and-11 at midfield with 4:11 to play. Brady was in complete command. The play-calling was nearly perfect. Things were looking great.

As the ball was snapped, Chris Collinsworth said the Giants D was confused on the play. They sure were.

Welker, lined up in the left slot, flew right by the defensive back down the left hash marks and came wide open at the 30. If Brady -- as he should have -- hits Welker in stride on the inside shoulder Welker goes for a touchdown. Watch the replay. He's that open. Instead Brady throws it outside shoulder -- way outside shoulder -- and a little too high. Welker has to spin around to grab it. And he should have grabbed it. He leaped and the ball hit him in the hands... but it just bounced away. That's what is so great -- and painful -- about football. One play can really make a difference. If Brady and Welker connect, the game is over. The defense had done its job. Brady and the offense were making a memorable championship drive. They had a chance to secure the victory -- which is what a great offense has to do -- but let that chance slip away.

Brady couldn't connect with Branch on 3rd-and-11 and the Pats had to punt the ball back to little Manning and the Giants with just under four minutes to play.

Deja vu all over again.

Not again

How many times can little Manning lead the Giants on a last second victory against the Patriots? Apparently the answer is ... every freakin' time. It sure feels like we are stuck in a moment that we can't get out of. Another great season of football comes to a disappointing end. The image of Mr. Kraft standing there by himself after the game ended was sure sad. No more Sunday afternoon distractions. Time to get back to reality. But soon it will be draft day. And soon me and my friends will be firing up the grill and cracking open some beers on a beautiful September afternoon. "It's just a moment... this time will pass."

Pick 'em

Has there ever been a more anticipated sporting event in New England? Maybe even the country? I think not.

Super Bowl XLVI between the Patriots and the Giants reminds me of the great Super Bowl matchups I grew up watching in the '70s between the Steelers and Cowboys. Even if you weren't a fan of either team you watched just to see football played at its most intense, highest (and entertaining) level. Most of the country will be rooting against the Patriots (does that make them the Cowboys now?) getting their fourth title. That's how I felt about the Steelers.

So who will win? I'm leaning towards the Patriots. As is Vegas. But the reality is this game is up for grabs. As even as they get. A toss up. A pick 'em game. These two teams have staged three very entertaining games in the past four years. Each one featuring many lead changes in the second half. There was the finale of the perfect regular season in which Brady and Moss both broke passing records to win a shootout 38-35. A month later there was that other Super Bowl that I have blocked out of my memory. And this past November there was the Giants handing the Pats their first regular season home loss in three seasons. That game featured a last-second comeback led by little Manning that was eerily familiar.

The two teams don't know how to play boring games against each other.

It's being called the rematch, a chance for the Patriots to avenge their epic loss to the Giants in Super Bowl XLII. The NFL Network has seen fit to show that game several times during the past two weeks. Thanks for that. But the two teams are very different and there's not a lot to be learned from watching that film ... except one thing. An offense that looks unstoppable can suddenly become very stoppable in a pressure game against a very good defense. I can still remember the week before that other Super Bowl when then-Giant Plaxico Burress predicted that his team would win 23-17. When Brady was informed of that he laughed. He wasn't surprised Burress predicted New York would win. Of course he would. But he was surprised at one thing. "We're only going to score 17 points?" Brady asked incredulously. He thought it was impossible for the Pats offense to be held completely in check. He learned he was wrong. As did I. We both know better this time around.

A game that you can learn a lot from is the one at Gillette in Week 9. The final score was 24-20 Giants. The score at halftime was 0-0. That's the kind of games these two teams play. Standoffs that morph into shootouts. Brady and the offense struggled -- again -- against the Giants vaunted defensive line. Then Brady, Gronk, Welker, BenJarvus, and Co. got it going and put up 20 points in a little more than a quarter. Brady finished with 342 yards passing and two touchdowns. He completed many key passes with a Giant in his face or chest. But, to quote Brady, there were times he "sucked." He threw two picks and fumbled once. Three turnovers. He got away with that two weeks ago against the Ravens. He can't get away with that again.

The matchups have been broken down, turned inside out, and X-rayed. The two teams are talented, well-coached, and disciplined. You have Brady and little Manning. Great receivers on both sides of the ball. Two not-so-great secondaries. An awesome D line and a very good D line. A very good offensive line and an average offensive line. Solid but not dominant running games. Effective special teams. It's hard to give one team a clear edge in any category. Including coaching. It's that even.

But the majority of the national media is going with the Giants. The main rationale for that is New York is the hotter team, playing the better football. The Giants are playing very good football. No doubt. But hotter? The Pats have won ten straight since their loss to the G-Men in Week 9. I would offer that they have played their best two games of the season in the playoffs. Especially on the defensive side of the ball. They shut down two of the best running attacks in the league in Denver and Baltimore. I would also offer that the Pats played their best all-around game in four years against the Ravens and would have won by 10 or more points if Brady had not made some very big mistakes. But the Pats were lucky that kick went wide left. Just as the Giants were lucky that the Niners muffed two kicks to hand them 10 points.

Both teams are playing well. Both teams have been lucky. Again... even.

My prediction for the game? Patriots 33, Giants 30.

I almost lowered that score by 10 points each after watching the replay of the November game at Gillette because the score was only 10-3 at the end of the third quarter. But I figure that these two offenses have seen these two defenses a lot recently. They know what to expect. They will be able to make some big plays. In a game like that, I like Brady and Belichick. I always will.

I was watching the local news and a report about grade-school kids getting excited for the game. The reporter put the mike in the face of a little boy wearing a Gronk jersey and asked him his prediction for the game. His eyes lit up as he said "Patriots, like by a score of 45-3!" I looked at him and laughed. He's only eight. He doesn't even remember 2008. He doesn't know what it's like to see his team lose in the big game. I hope he doesn't get to find out what that's like any time soon.

We need this guy

Time to kill

When the team you root for is in the Super Bowl, the first of the two weeks before kickoff is a long week. There's a lot of chatter in the blabosphere but not a lot of information or analysis. There's lots of dead time. Time for one's mind to wander...

• It's not good when the NFL Network shows their top five plays from last weekend's championship games and the two that are from the Pats-Ravens game is the pick by the Ravens in the end zone and the great touchdown catch and run by the Ravens' Torrey Smith. Not one good Pats play. They were really lucky to get out of there with a victory.
• I heard Jim Irsay, owner of the Colts, say that he was disappointed that his soon-to-be-former franchise quarterback spoke out about his frustration with all the staff changes since the team's impressive 2-12 season ended. "I don't think it's in the best interest to paint the horseshoe in a negative light. The horseshoe always comes first." The horseshoe? I could understand if he said "the team" always comes first. Or "the franchise." Or "all my millions." Something like that. But the horseshoe? And people hate Belichick? And that kind of talk coming from the guy whose family packed up the horseshoe in the middle of the night and drove it out of its sacred Baltimore and took it to Indianapolis. Ya, the horseshoe comes first... if it's wrapped in money.
• Watching a replay of the Week 9 game between the Pats and the Giants at Gillette did not fill me with confidence. With just two minutes to go in the third quarter the Patriots offense had three points and just as many bad turnovers. Brady, to quote him, "sucked." The offense had more punts than first downs. It's not pretty to watch. And then Brady, Welker, Gronk, and Hernandez caught fire and the Pats would score 17 points in the final quarter to take a lead with just more than a minute to play. Then little Manning attacked our shaky defense and pulled out another last-second victory. I can't take another one of those.
• The Jets implosion just keeps getting better and better. After team "leader" LT blamed everyone else for the Jets missing the playoffs amid a storm of tantrums and arguments, actual leader Darrelle Revis came out and said that coach Rex Ryan had no idea of the turmoil that was bubbling through the locker room all year. The coach who keeps predicting he's so good he will take his team to every Super Bowl played on this planet had no idea that his players were abandoning ship? Well, there might be another ring on Belichick's hand that he didn't come to NY to kiss.
• The Globe's Greg Bedard, one of the best football writers the city has had in years, says that people are being too hard on Brady's AFC title game performance. Two picks (should have been three), no touchdown passes. He said Brady got the job done when he had too. True enough. But I think he's going a little too easy on #12. Brady has passed Neely as the player I have had the most fun watching, but it hasn't been that much fun in the playoffs the last few years. And it's not just because things come harder and defenses get better in the playoffs. Brady made several unforced errors last week. He wouldn't have made it through the first round at the Australian Open. I'm counting on that not happening two games in a row.

When's kickoff?