Game 39: Jimmy Carter vs. Super Bowl XXXIX

Patriots versus Eagles. Talk about an "America Bowl." Sounds like the sides for a flag football game at Toby Keith's backyard barbecue. American Flag football.

This game threatened to break out into excitement on several occasions, and it stayed close all the way. By beating the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX, Pats QB Tom Brady lifted his career record to 3-0 in Super Bowls and 9-0 in the postseason. Basically he was making a mockery of the NFL's "Any Given Sunday" mantra -- that idealized notion that any team can beat any other team if they really want it. On the contrary, it seemed like the more a game mattered, the more invulnerable Brady and his Patriots had become.

Philly scored first, and Eagles receiver Terrell Owens, coming back from a broken leg, was stunning with nine catches for 122 yards. But by the end of the second quarter Brady had his rhythm. He hit receiver Deion Branch to spearhead touchdown drives late in the second quarter and early in the third. Pats RB Corey Dillon started finding holes; his runs allowed Brady to use play-action passes to keep it moving. With the score tied at 14-14, Brady, rattled off a quick flare to Troy Brown and a dropped dump pass out of the shotgun to running back Kevin Faulk. Then in a beautiful play-action, Brady faked a hand-off to Branch, and Branch sprinted to the sideline to haul in a pass. Five plays later, Dillon punched in another TD, and the Patriots were up 21-14 (and a FG made it 24-14).

 The Eagles had a little time to come back -- but acted like they had a lot. With 5:40 left, they took almost four minutes to drive downfield and make it 24-21. When a Patriots punt gave the Eagles the ball at their own four, the only thing QB Donovan McNabb had time for was to chuck a game-ending interception. Philly fans ever since have doubted coach Andy Reid's clock-management expertise and McNabb's stamina (allegedly he was nauseous and exhausted during the final scoring drive). 

Jimmy Carter came into office amid high hopes and tough times. The former peanut farmer and Naval officer from Georgia found it difficult to get traction during a period of inflation, recession, disco, and general national crankiness in the late 1970s. His affable personality magnified the sense that maybe he was just too wimpy to get it done. It's unclear whether anyone got nauseous, but it didn't end well.  In November 1979, 52 Americans were taken hostage in Iran and held for 14 months, a period that included the Presidential election of 1980, in which Carter got the goobers beaten out of him by Ronald Reagan.

Carter, make no mistake, was genuine patriot. But he was no Super Bowl XXXIX.

Score after this match: Super Bowls 20, Presidents 19.


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