No Shame in Losing?

At least it appeared that way just hours after the New England Patriots' 21-17 Super Bowl loss at the hands of the New York Giants, when star tight end Rob Gronkowski was seen dancing shirtless with tackle Matt Light to LMFAO at the Pats' post-Super Bowl party (Tom Brady, Wes Welker, Vince Wilfork, Chad Ochocinco and others didn't attend).

Gronk's high-ankle sprain appeared to have limited him all game against the Giants, where he recorded just two catches for 26 yards after having fifteen receptions in the previous two postseason games. But on the dance floor? See for yourself in the video above: he looked perfectly fine. Sure, not as much stress is put on the ankle dancing as making high-impact cuts on a football field, but nonetheless, his actions still raise questions.

It's especially annoying to Pats fans, who listened in all week to SportsCenter's 24/7 Gronkowski ankle updates. His questionable status didn't appear to be a hoax, either, as his play did seem directly affected.

And of course, there's the matter of losing. I was sitting next to a Patriots fan for the entire game, and he seemed a lot more upset by the loss than Gronk did at that party.

2011 NFL Regular Season Projections

 AFC East:
1) New England Patriots
2) New York Jets
3) Miami Dolphins
4) Buffalo Bills

AFC North:
1) Pittsburgh Steelers
2) Baltimore Ravens
3) Cleveland Browns
4) Cincinnati Bengals

AFC South:
1) Houston Texans
2) Indianapolis Colts
3) Tennessee Titans
4) Jacksonville Jaguars

AFC West:
1) San Diego Chargers
2) Kansas City Chiefs
3) Oakland Raiders
4) Denver Broncos

NFC East:
1) Philadelphia Eagles
2) New York Giants
3) Dallas Cowboys
4) Washington Redskins

NFC North:
1) Green Bay Packers
2) Detroit Lions
3) Chicago Bears
4) Minnesota Vikings

NFC South:
1) Atlanta Falcons
2) New Orleans Saints
3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4) Carolina Panthers

NFC West:
1) St. Louis Rams
2) Arizona Cardinals
3) Seattle Seahawks
4) San Francisco 49ers

SUPER BOWL: Battle of the Birds: Eagles vs. Ravens

Super Bowl XLV and Its Aftermath

Greg Jennings was able to "put the team on his back" once again in Super Bowl XLV yesterday (from the YouTube video, if you haven't seen it). The veteran receiver had two touchdown receptions from Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers while helping to write Green Bay into the history books, with the storied franchise's fourth Super Bowl victory. Jordy Nelson caught nine passes for 140 yards and a touchdown as well for the Cheeseheads.

The veteran star cornerback Charles Woodson finally will receive the ring he's relished, after breaking down in tears, being so upset that he broke his collarbone in the second quarter and wouldn't be able to return. But his team won the game for him, the man who's been the leader of this defense for years. Green Bay also lost receiver Donald Driver in the second quarter, though this was offset by Jordy Nelson's huge day on the most important one of his career.

Safety Nick Collins made the most vital play of his life twelve minutes into the game, when he intercepted an underthrown pass by Ben Roethlisberger and took it 37 yards to the house to give Green Bay the 14-0 lead. Fifteen minutes later Green Bay would make the score 21-3 on Jennings' first TD reception, and Daniel Tosh's 49-6 Packers prediction looked like a possible reality.

But the always resilient Steelers would work their way back into the ballgame, and came within three points with seven minutes left on Mike Wallace's 30-yard TD reception from Roethlisberger, to make the score 28-25. However, in their final drive, the Steelers  turned the ball over on downs with 50 seconds left, and the celebration began in Title Town.

Schools in Green Bay let out early for today's celebration, and seemingly half of the city was there to greet their team as they arrived home. Green Bay has just over 103,000 residents, and 73,000 will pack Lambeau tomorrow for the official celebration, tickets running at just $5. For the city of Green Bay, Vince Lombardi's trophy is in its rightful place.

While Green Bay is ecstatic, the NFL lockout looms over the rest of the league. Yesterday's Super Bowl is possibly the last game we will see for the next year and a half or so.  Fans may not be able to cheer on their team next season for a Super Bowl victory, a quest for a repeat in Title Town may have to wait.