As we all know, with the extra week before the Super Bowl there are a lot of pages that need to be viewed. A lot air time that needs to be shouted into. A lot of ‘Tomato Cans’ (read Straw Men) that Need Crushing. That usually means we get an insane, regurgitated, ALL CAPS version of the season’s scandals (unless they involve Peyton Manning’s wife chewing HGH like Pez). But this year, I think we will see something decidedly different. Before we look forward, let’s reflect on the media narratives going into the Patriots previous eight appearances:
XXXI (GB): Parcell is leaving?! WTF!? Why?! Huh?! … Wait, What?!! Why?!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChdtkBo35YI
This was the weirdest Super Bowl Week narrative. And I’m not sure we ever got a full explanation on it. This is one of the few media narratives that appeared to affect the game’s outcome. When Howard returned the kick, everyone was dead.
XXXVI (STL): David vs. Goliath, a story as old as time…
This marks the last time I didn’t feel nervous before a Pats game. Pure bliss just to be there… and then they came out as a team, as Patriots, after 9/11 – admit it, if you weren’t a Rams fan, you were rooting for the Pats. Different times.
XXXVIII (CAR): Who’s going to win? The Patriots? Or The Panthers?
The football game was the focus of the coverage. What a time to be alive!
XXXIX (PHI): Are the Patriots a Dynasty? Is Brady Better Than Montana? Is Belichick the Next Lombardi?
The metanarratives begin…
XLII (NYG): Spygate!!!!!!!! Undefeated!!!!!!! America Hates The Patriots!!!
Goodell’s marketing portfolio takes full form with “the heel turn” when a dead story for 18 weeks became the most dominant in football for the 2 weeks off.
Quick relevant note: Google, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat have all discovered what Mike Felger and Vince McMahon have always known, the thing that keeps people engaged in their products is not enjoyment, it’s anger. Trolling drives traffic and Spygate was just that. Also they might have been trying to kneecap Belichick. Nice try.
XLVI (NYG): America hates the Patriots more now! Eli is a surefire Hall of Famer! Also Spygate again!!!
This was the worst of all of the weeks because they were throwing spaghetti at the wall. This could be the way this week plays out, you’ve been warned.
XLIX: Deflating footballs is that a thing? It is. Is it? It is. It isn’t! IT IS!!!
It wasn’t.
But they suspended Brady with the sequel media narrative in mind.
LI: GOAT Meet Goodell on a stage. And bring the popcorn!
The Patriots finally had begrudging support. The people wanted to see Brady beat Goodell with the trophy and he did his version of that. A smile and weirdo handshake-yank from Goodell.
That brings us to this year. What will be the narrative in the next two weeks?
There’re no stupid charges of warm Gatorade. Or air pressure. There’s no obvious angle for trolls (that haven’t been done to death). The teams have healthy respect for each other, so I wouldn’t expect any asinine Bart Scott – type comments. And I don’t think the spaghetti at the wall of — Brady vs. Belichick vs. Kraft; Trade Fall Out; Can Pats succeed with a distracted coaching staff?; How many fights will security have to break up in Minnesota between the two most angry, drunk and aggressive fanbases? – works this year.
But you know what really works as a storyline for this season: the game. The Super Bowl itself. Two teams: the Patriots lined up against the Eagles in all three phases. It’s interesting. Worthy of the Super Bowl interesting.
Don’t watch the game for some garbage precieved controversy about Jimmy Garoppolo or Janet Jackson’s nipple. Watch the game because the game will be awesome. It will be back and forth, both teams will have a chance to win in the end and you know why I know, because that’s what the football played at its most elite level does. And that is what we’re getting in two weeks, a great game, Belichick, Brady, Pederson, Schwartz, McDaniels and Patricia will make sure of it.
It’s time to abandon the Facebook/Twitter way of inspiring engagement by making people angry and get back to marketing your product.
This has been a weird year for NFL fans. The NFL was dragged into a controversy that forced us to choose sides. To divide us. There are a million things that divide us as a country, a love of sport should not be one of them.
This is the year to do something special. This is a year to do what the NFL has forgotten to do for too long. This is the year to celebrate the game of football in all its glory. It’s all it’s complicated, violent, edge of humanity, melting pot of supporters glory.
Remind us of the feeling when Clark hauled in The Catch, remind us when the Patriots stormed back against the Rams, remind us when Santonio Holmes came down with the touchdown and remind everyone but Pats fans that Eli Manning and David Tyree can defy physics. We’re ready. Tell us why football is great.
Chessmatches, comebacks, stars, power, running backs, tight ends, defensive backs, (I’m just listing positions), 12 Formation, takeaways, giveaways, elite athletes, the best of the best.
Can Chris Long replicate what he did last year in the big game matched up against the people he fought everyday in practice? Can Jim Schwartz out-gameplan McDaniels? Can Butler or Gilmore shut down Alshon Jeffrey and the Eagle offense. Can Nick Foles continue his bizarre reemergence? Can the Patriots get a turnover? Ever? Seriously, just once. Please!!!
It’s all going to be on display. So let’s focus on that. Football needs you, media, now more than ever. We will definitely get some of the insanity because the NFL’s greatest marketing tool is anger and animosity and they will lay those narratives everywhere they can. But I’m an optimist who says they won’t dominate the next two weeks.