New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) celebrates after the NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game against the Seattle Seahawks Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015, in Glendale, Ariz. The Patriots won 28-24. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
It’s been a long, suspenseful and emotionally draining 10 years for the New England Patriots franchise.
Since 2004, there have been two Super Bowl appearances for the Patriots and no victories. After winning three in four years between 2001 and 2004, two losses in the Super Bowl seemed to put an asterisk on the accomplishments of the franchise. From spy-gate to deflate-gate, there was a dark cloud hanging over Foxborough, Massachusetts.
The proverbial dark cloud went away Sunday evening, as the New England Patriots stormed from 10 points down in the fourth quarter to defeat the NFC and defending Super Bowl champs, the Seattle Seahawks, 28-24 to give the Patriots their fourth Super Bowl title in franchise history.
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was named MVP of the Super Bowl going 37-50, passing for 328 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions. However, Brady did not make the most important play of the game, despite being named MVP.
Defensive back and Vicksburg, Mississippi, native Malcolm Butler jumped a slant route thrown by Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, intended for wide receiver Ricardo Lockette, and intercepted it. The interception by Butler sealed the improbable victory in one of the wildest finishes ever seen in Super Bowl history.
“I just had a vision that I was going to make a big play, and it came true,” Butler told ESPN after the game. “I’m just blessed. I can’t explain it right now. It’s crazy.”
Tom Brady had high praise for the underrated rookie from West Alabama. Brady even called him a playmaker in practice all season.
“Malcolm, what a play,” Brady told ESPN. “I mean, for a rookie to make a play like that in a Super Bowl and win us the game, it was unbelievable.”
Even Patriot fans didn’t know who Malcolm Butler was before the Super Bowl, but his name will now live in Patriot lore forever. Butler started his college career at Hinds Community College in Raymond, Mississippi, and eventually transferred to West Alabama.
Butler earned all-Gulf South Conference honors twice while at West Alabama and was barely looked at going through the NFL draft process. There wasn’t a lot of interest in Butler, but the one team that seriously considered signing him while going underrated was the Patriots. The franchise took a shot on Butler, and it paid off.
Former Ole Miss running back Brandon Bolden also won his first Super Bowl of his career in the win Sunday.
Deflate-gate surrounded Tom Brady and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick for the two weeks leading up to Super Bowl XLIX. It was an eventful week for all the wrong reasons and could have had a large impact on the outcome of the game.
Instead, Brady came out angry, looking to prove all his doubters wrong and put on the best performance of his career against the best defense in the NFL. Besides the two interceptions, which were both his fault, Brady looked in control from start to finish. No matter the amount of distractions that surrounded him about the air pressure of footballs and questions about his legacy, the four-time Super Bowl champion led two touchdown-scoring drives to seal the victory.
The offensive game plan was simple; get the ball out of Brady’s hands quickly and throw fast, underneath routes and let the receivers out-run the defensive backs for Seattle. The game plan resulted in long, sustaining drives for the Patriot offense and crucial scoring drives in the most opportune moments of the game.
The 68 and 64-yard drives in the fourth quarter solidified Brady’s legacy as one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game.
Demons were exorcized, legacies were solidified, and controversies went away. It was vindication for the New England Patriots.
Born and raised in Connecticut, I was taught to love the Patriots and to this day, they are my favorite professional team to root for. This Super Bowl win means a lot more for New England than the other Super Bowl titles in the early 2000s. The win hushed the doubters and set the Patriots’ name in stone as one of the greatest franchises in sports history.
My dad called me last night after the win and told me, “I don’t know who I love more, you or Tom Brady.” The man loves the Patriots more than life itself.
Yes, it means that much.
