As The Ball Bounces: Post-Super Bowl

Congratulations, Laurence Tynes. You got your team to the big game, and they won it. So, what will you do now? Kick off the final potpourri article of the year, of course! Disneyland's old hat, I hear (Disney's California Adventure in Anaheim, for example, is being remade to appeal more to young people), though it's still a nice place to visit. For you, Laurence, a much higher honor. Mickey and Donald can wait. Tynes booms one out of the end zone. He's still on cloud nine.

Two guys that might have made a difference on Sunday: Sammy Morris. Rosevelt Colvin.

Oh, yeah. Remember them?

Colvin's loss prevented the platoon with Junior Seau and Tedy Bruschi. While this cannot really be traced to the loss on Sunday, might Colvin have been able to bring more pressure on Eli Manning and prevent him from winning game MVP?

As for Morris, he has been almost forgotten. Not next year, if he stays healthy.

Yes, Laurence Maroney had the two good games in the AFC playoffs. But Morris might have allowed the Patriots to deal with the Giant defense better.

If this is it for Asante Samuel as a Patriot, it is a shame that some team will overpay for a guy who is good but not great. He will get Champ Bailey money though he is no Champ Bailey.

But he is the best the Patriots have. The "have" will likely change to "had".

Geek of the week: United States senators are gentlemen, but not always "distinguished" gentlemen. It would be nice if Senator Arlen Specter would stick to things like roasting Anita Hill and Robert Bork and leave the NFL alone, especially during Super Bowl week. If nothing more comes of this SpyGate garbage, his making waves with this subject last week was a gross injustice to the Patriots.

Instead of slamming the Patriots, someone please tell the gentleman from Pennsylvania to ask Donovan McNabb if he has learned proper game clock management in the three years since he lost the big game.

Because the Patriots will spend the next three years retooling and fixing what went wrong, not coming up with outlandish accusations over how the Giants pulled off the win.

Maybe it will take only one year. Las Vegas already has the Patriots as Super Bowl faves next year.

Matt Light has always come off as a humorous guy. Every time you see him on a DVD or a TV interview, he is engaging and fun to listen to.

Is he not mean enough to be a great offensive lineman? He's good, we know that. But on Sunday he needed to be mean to properly deal with Osi Umenyiora.

Logan Mankins is mean. But how Justin Tuck was able to beat him may haunt the distinguished gentleman from Fresno for a long time, if not for his whole career.

Ellis Hobbs should not be shooed off the team. He could do well as a return man and a nickel back. Randall Gay is better, if he can only stay healthy.

That said, the Patriots need cornerback help this offseason, and bad.

Back to school: Here's to that stout hockey squad from Harvard, and best wishes in their quest for Beanpot glory. Always nice to see the school best known for CEOs, top-flight lawyers and those kooky Hasty Pudding awards get some athletic props now and then. Time was Harvard used to have itself a pretty nice football team, and by that we mean many years before 1968.

What's this? Three days removed from the big game and Grafton's Steve Spagnuolo is still not the head coach of the Redskins? The former Springfield College standout out-Belichicked the Patriots Sunday with a stunning defensive game plan.

Do you really see a run of sustained high output for Eli like his big brother in Indianapolis? Sorry, but if I have to choose, I take Peyton any day.

But I still take Tom Brady over any Manning.

This next year is when you'll find out what the Patriots are really made of. Anyone ever heard of "Super Bowl hangover"?

Some history while we're on that subject: In each of the two previous Patriot Super Bowl losses, they won the division the next year (1986, 1997). They went one-and-out in Denver in 1986, then beat Miami before losing at Pittsburgh in 1997.

You'll find out how much Randy Moss wants to stay when he starts talking about how much money it will take to make him happy. Until then, pay him no heed.

Unless he starts blabbering again about how the Giants had more intensity than the Patriots. He might have been better advised to hold his tongue, but it is hard to argue with him.

Remember him: It's too bad the Giants couldn't have won a title when those of us who grew up in the sixties were Giant fans. One of their standouts during this time period was Ron Johnson, a two-time 1,000-yard rusher for the G-Men. The Cleveland Browns drafted Johnson in the first round out of Michigan in 1969, and he played that season for the Browns. In 1970 he came to the Giants and topped the 1,000-yard rushing mark in two of the next three seasons, the first two 1,000-yard rushing seasons in Giant history (thanks, Wikipedia). He retired in 1975, having never played in a postseason game. By the way, Johnson still holds the record for most yards gained in a game by a Michigan back, with 347 yards rushing in a game in 1968 against Wisconsin.

So, we close the books on the 2007 Patriots. Great season, no matter what you think of the Super Bowl.

The record books will always say "16-0" for the Patriots in 2007. That is something to be proud of.

However, I do have one request. May all the people I come across on a day to day basis please stop bringing up the game. Admittedly I am trying to put Sunday behind me. If my environment would just let me, I might just do it. After a while, being sad really stinks.

And for those of you with the means and the time to head for Fort Myers next week, all the power to you. The equipment truck leaves Fenway on Saturday. Great therapy, folks.