FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Showtime’s “Inside the NFL” program had a terrific recap of Super Bowl XLIX, mainly because it had on-field microphones that captured some great moments.
Some of our favorites (which really need to be heard, more than read, to truly feel them):
Brady’s pregame fire. This is part of what Tom Brady said to players before the game: “It started seven, eight months ago, right? All for this moment. It’s about honor! It’s about respect! We win this game, you’re honored! Your kids are honored! Your families are honored! Win on three -- one, two, three, win!”
Sherman extends hand to Brady. As Brady crouched on one knee, savoring the immediate joy of victory, Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman came over and extended his hand. “You’re a great player, man. A great player,” Brady said to him as Sherman touched on his facemask in response.
Brady entering the huddle before go-ahead drive. It is often asked what Brady says in the huddle before big moments. His remarks to teammates prior to the go-ahead drive? “We need a big championship drive. That’s what we need,” he said.
Edelman, Amendola exchange. One could feel the emotion in the huddle on the Patriots’ go-ahead drive. Danny Amendola turned to Julian Edelman and said, “Hey, you gotta believe, bro.” Edelman’s response, “You got to believe. I love you buddy.” Then Edelman went up to the offensive linemen and told them he loved them before saying, “Let’s go!” Later, Edelman said to coach Bill Belichick, "You gave me the best year of my life. I'd do anything for you." Belichick turned it back to Edelman, saying, "You guys went out and won it. It's a player's game."
Brady finding Butler after the game. In the celebration after the win, Brady found rookie cornerback Malcolm Butler in an emotional moment. "Malcolm!" he said. "Are you ... kidding me? You're unbelievable man. Hey! You did it."
Belichick’s hands-on coaching. The “Do Your Job” motto that came to define the season was real, as evidenced by Bill Belichick’s remarks to members of the defensive front seven on the sideline. “Look fellas, it’s the same thing we talked about in the Baltimore game. We just need everyone to do their job! All right? There are no new plays. We have to contain the quarterback and get to his level. We’re getting high-armed because we’re not playing with our hands. We have to step up and challenge the line of scrimmage. We have to wrap [Marshawn] Lynch up. We have to do a good job in our man-to-man coverage. There is no mystery here, fellas. It’s trusting each other and everybody doing their job!”
Brady as Luck? After Brady was crunched by defensive lineman Michael Bennett in the third quarter, he followed him a few steps up field before saying, “Good hit, 72!” Maybe this was Brady taking a page out of the Andrew Luck book of “Compliment Your Opponent Even When Getting Clobbered” playbook.
Carroll and Wilson after interception. As quarterback Russell Wilson came to the sideline following his game-ending interception, he asked coach Pete Carroll what happened. Carroll, in despair, simply said, “They undercut the route.” Prior to the play, there was a great shot of Patriots safeties coach Brian Flores and defensive line coach Brendan Daly signaling in for the three-corner defense, calling Malcolm Butler on to the field.
Brady’s swinging emotions. One could feel the despair with Brady on the bench as Jermaine Kearse made his remarkable, juggling 33-yard catch on his back. “Oh, man,” he said on the bench, as he sat next to offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. After jumping for joy following Butler’s interception, Brady jumped up and down, his emotions overflowing as he hugged McDaniels and said, “We did it, Josh! We did it!”
EXTRA POINT: A few links from NFL.com -- first half and second half video.