It’s Super Bowl Sunday. I imagine that you and I are less excited about this fact than much of America, but the nightmare is almost over. Just a dozen more hours of nauseating coverage of two teams you can’t stand. Be strong, Eagles fans, be strong.

Last night featured the first-ever NFL Honors award show, where Aaron Rodgers received the award for being the season’s MVP from Peyton Manning, even though that fact that he was voted MVP with 48 out of 50 votes was announced hours earlier.

Alec Baldwin hosted the inaugural program, and LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson were in attendance. It didn’t take long for the jokes about the Eagles and VY’s proclamation of a Dream Team to start. In fact, this is what Mr. Baldwin, who I normally quite like, had to say:

“It was a dream – like a dream where you show up at school naked, you forget to study for the test, and you lose four of your first five,” said Baldwin, who then called Jackson “DeSean Johnson” and asked if he and McCoy were “laughing. I’m not looking.”

So you know, DeSean did not look at all amused by Baldwin’s joke. Shady smiled.

NBC10′s John Clark had a chance to ask DeSean about his contract situation on the red carpet, and not surprisingly no light was shed where D-Jacc stands with the team. – CSNPhilly

Though imagining any outcome to SB46 is painful, the game must not end with any members of the New York Giants being able anywhere near the Lombardi trophy.

Obviously, the Giants web team is hoping for the exact opposite result and, in fact, seemed to be helping the team to visualize a win. They took it a little far, though, announcing for all the world to see that the Giants had won Super Bowl 46. On Saturday. Simmer down, Giants web and marketing team. There is still, like, a game that must be played. – ProFootballTalk

Another Super Bowl Sunday, another day that Andy Reid is doing exactly what we will do this evening: Siting on the coach on our duffs. Le sigh. – philly.com

Want more Philly Sports Muse? You can find me on Twitter at @sports_muse and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/phillysportmuse.

Pro Bowl Voting ended after Monday night’s Steelers-49ers game, and (some of) the results are in. And it’s clear that you like Shady. You really like him!

That’s right, ladies and gents, LeSean McCoy received the most votes of any running back in the National Football League. Well deserved honors that are fitting for his amazing season.

McCoy was thrilled at the results and thanked his fans via Twitter.

Shady received 962,824 fan votes.

McCoy was in 6th place in top overall votes. Not surprisingly, he is in some impressive company with the other top vote-getters. The top five were Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Calvin Johnson and Wes Welker.

Pro Bowl squads will be named next Tuesday, but who are we kidding? We know Shady will be on the NFC’s first squad. This will be his first Pro Bowl appearance.

I hear the weather is lovely in Hawaii in late January, Shady. Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition from football fans.

Want more Philly Sports Muse? You can find me on Twitter at @sports_muse and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/phillysportmuse.

And the ESPY goes to...

There is still no football, but now you can vote for some of the NFL’s best players and moments from the 201o season. This is where the fans’  voice really matter: Go forth and vote, my friends!

There isn’t a strong presence for the Eagles in this year’s nominations (BOOO!) but where there is, there is no contest. The Birds’ stunning victory against the Giants in December’s Miracle at the Meadowlands is nominated as the Best Game of the year. Other contenders are Auburn’s win over Alabama in the Iron Bowl;  Butler University’s upset of Pitt in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament; and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s victory over Memphis in triple overtime in the NBA playoffs.

Those were all some great games, but seriously. No contest for the Eagles. The Miracle is one of the best games I have ever seen in any sport, in 2010 or any other year. I mean, for God’s sake, no one even bothered to name those other games!

Sadly, the Best Game category is the only place where the Eagles are nominated for this year’s ESPY’s.

The nominees for Best NFL Player are New England’s Tom Brady; Houston’s Arian Foster; Clay Matthews of the Packers; Pittsburgh’s Troy Polamalu; and Super Bowl winning quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Rodgers is also up for Best Male athlete, and Foster is nominated for Best Breakthrough Athlete.

A full list of this year’s nominees can be found here. Place your votes for the 2011 ESPY’s here. Who knows, maybe by the time the broadcast airs (on July 13 at 9 pm EST) the NFL will be back in business!

The Lombardi trophy is going home. The Green Bay Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 Sunday night to become world champions.

The second youngest team in the NFL proved that recent experience in the Super Bowl doesn’t mean a thing. Other games in the season or in a franchise’s history don’t matter. Super Bowl Sunday does.

Packers head coach Mike McCarthy had his players fit for rings Saturday night. His team put aside all of the distractions of the week and played the game of their lives. They wanted those rings, and now they’ll have them.

Green Bay had to overcome injuries to key players. Packers wide receiver Donald Driver suffered a high ankle sprain and cornerback and captain Charles Woodson suffered a broken collarbone. Their injuries kept them on the sidelines for the second half of the game.

Woodson gave an emotional message to his teammates at halftime that helped to inspire his the team to hang on to their lead over the Steelers and become Super Bowl XLV champions.

The Packers led the Steelers the entire game, at one time leading by as much as 21-3. In the second half, the Steelers were able to close the gap to 28-25 with 7:34 remaining in the game.

Despite the fact that Pittsburgh was able to shut down the Packers’ running game, the Steelers still couldn’t find a way to win.

The difference in the game was turnovers. The  Packers intercepted two Roethlisberger passes and recovered one fumble, with a one of the interceptions resulting in a pick six from safety Nick Collins.

Rodgers was named Super Bowl XLV MVP. He threw for 304 yards and had no interceptions. Rodgers has earned a permanent place in Packers history with the win and receipt of MVP honors. Brett Favre, his predecessor, also won a Super Bowl but was never named the game’s MVP.

Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy realizes that the the victory formally starts the Aaron Rodgers era in Green Bay.

“Brett Favre is a great quarterback for the Green Bay Packers. He’ll be a great Packer for the rest of his life. But this is about passing the torch from one quarterback to the next, and Aaron’s off to a heck of a start.”

For his part, Rodgers has never felt overwhelmed by succeeding Favre. Once named Green Bay’s starting quarterback in 2008, he has focused on playing as hard as he can for himself, his team, and the Packers organization.

“I’ve never felt like there’s been a monkey on my back. The organization stood by me, believed in me. That’s what I did on the [postgame] podium — I thanked [Packers GM] Ted [Thompson] and [team president] Mark [Murphy] and [McCarthy], really, for believing in me and giving me the opportunity.

I told Ted back in 2005 that he wouldn’t be sorry with his pick. And I told him in ’08 that I was going to repay their trust and get us this opportunity.”

Many businesses in Green Bay are allowing employees to leave early today in order for them to greet and congratulate the Packers upon their return from Dallas. The team will travel from the airport to Lambeau Field this afternoon for a celebration with their fans.

Congratulations to the Packers and the city of Green Bay.

Statistics courtesy of ESPN.com



Photo: Reuters. Aaron Rodgers celebrates after defeating the Chicago Bears to win the NFC Championship

The Pittsburgh Steelers are about to find out what the Philadelphia Eagles were unfortunate enough to discover several times in the 2010 off season. The Green Bay Packers are a formidable opponent. The championship aspirations of the Eagles were shattered after a 21-16 at home loss to Aaron Rodgers to the Pack during the AFC Wildcard game. It’s ironic that their last game of the season came at the hands of the team that handed the Eagles the season’s first defeat, with a 27-20 loss, again at home, in the 1st game of the 2010 season.

The Packers seem to be an unstoppable force this year. Their incredible defense paired with Aaron Rodgers accuracy and overall athleticism as a quarterback, and the Lombardi trophy seems ripe for the Packer’s taking. If the Eagles had to lose in the first round of the playoff, at least it’s to a team that’s now in Super Bowl contention.

As the Eagles are watching the playoffs from home because of the Packers, will you be rooting for or against them in the Super Bowl?