Super Bowl 50

I actually think he pulls up because he thinks he'd be more useful in the event the ball popped out of that scrum. It reminds me of a rebounder in basketball trying to determine where the ball is likely to come off the rim. And if you watch, he's right.

 

This was my thought. The people I watched with were quick to call him a pussy. I had to remind them that he's one of the toughest QBs in the game that is regularly getting tackled and chased down because of his mobility. If he were a pussy, he wouldn't be in the league anymore.

I'm sure he's thinking about that play today and wondering why his brain made him hesitate for that split second.

 

Honestly, I think he saw his own guy diving in their out of the corner of his eye, and figured the ball was going to come squirting out the other side. He was ready to go in there until the Panthers' player enters the frame.

 

That could be. And if he had been in position when it squirted out to recover it, it would have been deemed a very heady play by the league's MVP. Either way, I don't think you can say he didn't dive in because he was scared. He had less than a second to think about it and instinct took over, either to save himself for another play or get in position for the inevitable squirt out (ew).

 

I don't think he was afraid, or that it was some big strategy involving the physics of a bouncing ball. I think he thought it was over. When he starts to move away, Ware has his big mitt on the ball. The ball then squirts away and Newton dives back in. If he'd gotten in on the first chance, he could have been right on top of it.

 

It really was a failure by the NFL. I've never covered anything on the level of a Super Bowl, but I've never seen a media setup like that, and the NFL really should be getting more blame. Should Cam have conducted himself better? Of course. But it's in the NFL's best interest to shine a positive light on all of their players, even the losing ones. That interview setup was just idiotic.

 

Agreed. And funny thing is he would've received more scrutiny for that if it weren't for the post-gamer presser thing. We're an easily-distracted lot nowadays. Shrewd move by Cam, he got that "looking for something to criticize" energy diverted away from a blunder that actually mattered onto another that doesn't mean a damn thing.

 

Sorry to play the stupid "did you ever play sports?" card, but this post begs the question. No way in hell this thought was processing in his head in that split second. That's a microscopically quick decision made by one's instincts rather than reasoned thought. Either instincts tell you to dive at that motherfucker, or they instead tell you to protect yourself. There's no thought opportunity for "well maybe it'll pop out of the scrum...."

Or have I just fallen for another one of those damn Dick trolling post?

 

Also, people have never cared about the PED issue in the NFL like they do in MLB. I'm not sure why, but that is nothing new.
Maybe it is guys like Golic desensitizing the public. Maybe it is the fact that we know there are guys in the Pro Football Hall of Fame who used. Mike Webster is one I can think of off the top of my head. I'm sure there are others.

 

Andy Dalton is the prime example for why you don't get involved in a scrum or even a tackle aside from pushing someone out of bounds. Too many long-term variables on one play.

 

I do wonder if it would have been received in such a negative light if he hadn't added that qualifier. He clearly knew how it would sound to give that answer, but he was right. And it wasn't just the first half. On the defensive stand that should have clinched the game, the Colts had some sort of miscommunication and left Joey Porter unblocked for sacks on two plays in the same series, including a desperation fourth-down. That was how the Steelers got the ball in close, setting up the fumble by Bettis. Porter was their best pass rusher and there was no excuse for losing track of him twice in a keys situation like that.

 

I guess, but Week 14 when you've got the division all but locked up is a lot different from the Super Bowl.