how things outside of your control affect your life

If the Patriots defense stops Jacobs on 4th and 1 with 1:34 left, or they sack Manning with 1:15 left, or they intercept the ball with :51 left, or if they don't let them score that touchdown with :39 left...then Tom Brady is having a completely different night right now.

He's probably the MVP, just for engineering that touchdown drive that wins the game 14-10. He's 15-2 lifetime in the playoffs, 4 super bowl wins, 3 super bowl mvp trophies--the youngest to do all that, compares favorably in the best QB all-time discussion because of that 19-0 thing...all in all a pretty darn good day. He wouldn't have had a great game, but he took them down the field when it mattered, and he'll be remembered as the winning clutch QB.

But his defense let him down. They couldn't stop the unnatural force that is Eli Manning. If Samuel holds onto that ball, or if Harrison pops that ball out of Tyree's hands, then Brady is a hero. Now, who knows what happens...with Moss likely leaving, and the difficulty of trying to bounce back from 18-1. The Buffalo Bills are remembered for being notorious losers, even though they accomplished a great thing in reaching 4 straight Super Bowls. Now, Brady and the Pats face that same fate, but ratcheted up because of that perfect season on the line.

Things I've learned after all this? It's really hard to go undefeated and maybe Mercury Morris does deserve the right to pop off his champagne every year. And that defense still wins Championships. Peyton only won his ring after Bob Sanders and company started playing like a top 3 unit.

Also, Eli looks went from shaky QB in December to hero in the making. After 4 years, he's been to the playoffs 3 years in a row. He's 4-2 in the playoffs, including a MVP performance in an upset Super Bowl featuring one of the best Super Bowl plays ever.

Oh and one last note about how things outside of your control affect your life--if Tynes doesn't make that record-setting 47-yard field goal on the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field in overtime...Eli Manning is no hero.