There is always more to the Super Bowl than the game itself.
And it’s the only time I choose to use the bathroom or run to the refrigerator during the game, as opposed to the commercial breaks.
I have always enjoyed the advertisements. I once again took a few notes to discuss the ones I liked and the ones I didn’t like.
Before I get into that, the game was fantastic, too. The Patriots had a great gameplan offensively, using the dink and dunk to perfection. They hit Rob Gronkowski with a few big plays but mainly got Julian Edelman and Shane Vareen in space and let them make a few plays. It is hard to beat the Seahawks on the outside, but the underneath routes seem to be effective and could be duplicated by other NFL teams moving forward.
Tom Brady is now tied with Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw as four-time Super Bowl winners. As a long-time and die-hard 49ers fan, that was the only reason I didn’t want to root for Brady’s Bunch.
However, I can’t stand the Seahawks and the arrogance of Pete Carroll, Richard Sherman and Marshawn Lynch.
So, when Carroll and Seattle Offensive Coordinator Darrell Bevell decided to throw it from the 1-yard line instead of running it with the game on the line, I was excited. I still question the call and that was even after hearing Carroll’s explanation.
Tell me what you want, if I had Lynch on my team, there is no way I don’t hand him the ball in that spot.
It gave me flashbacks to two seasons ago when the Niners trailed the Ravens late in the game and decided to throw it three times from inside the 5 instead of feeding Frank Gore and letting your bell cow bring home a sixth championship.
Coaches sometimes outsmart themselves. Don’t get cute on the goal line. Just hand the ball off if the power running game is your strength. You should be able to get 3 yards in three plays or less.
I thought the halftime show was entertaining. Katy Perry gets after it and the Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott additions added to the set.
My 2-year-old daughter and I had a blast dancing to some of Perry’s hits. It was fun.
Now, to the commercials.
Bud Light, Doritos and Coke and Pepsi usually have their signature ads. But the ones I too look forward to are the movie trailers.
And I am now excited for the release dates of the new Terminator, Jurassic World, Fast and the Furious 7 and Ted 2. The wife and I just recently checked out Pitch Perfect and we predicted a sequel was coming. The trailer Sunday confirmed that.
Nationwide made me laugh and then made me cry all in about a 30-minute span. The invisible Mindy spot was hilarious, but the spot about kid dying was a little over the top for me, especially now that I am now a dad.
The Brady Bunch Snickers commercial was dumb. It’s the same commercial with new twists. I think it’s time for a new path all together.
The least popular commercial was most likely the truck commercial that involved a tease of your cable going out. I, for one, thought it was brilliant. It got your attention, which is the whole point of advertising.
The Doritos airplane spot with the blonde, her and baby and the Fiat-Viagra spot were two of my early favorites. Doritos also had another one with the “pigs fly” bit that was funny.
Then Bud Light gave us real life Pac-Man. How is that not the best commercial ever?
The dad theme in many of the ads were fantastic. Good touch for those of us who feel dads get a bad rap sometimes.
Some of the worst spots of the night included Coke and “Dreaming with Jeff.” And Geico decided to use old spots with Salt N Pepa. So did Jimmy Johns with their anniversary spot and U.S. Cellular with Russell Westbrook. The Pete Rose commercial also was old.
The car commercials had interesting twists. Kia Sorento used a James Bond theme. I liked it. Dodge also had a creative way to mention that they have been around since 1914. They used people who are more than 100 years old. It took a minute to figure out what they were trying to do, but it was a different approach that I thought worked well.
McDonald’s wasn’t trying to be funny or different. They just let everyone know that through Valentine’s Day, you can possibly purchase your food with a simple form of love. But it is done randomly, which makes it more interesting if you are someone who eats there regularly.
Overall, the spots were rather weak. But that probably has something to do with the fact that the commercials are so darn expensive.
But when the Super Bowl is the highest rated show of all-time, most companies are OK with opening the wallet and reaching that many eye balls.
I know I was watching. Most of you were too.
Contact Troy Hyde at
641-792-3121 ext. 6536 or thyde@newtondailynews.com