Chuck Roots
6 February 2017
www.chuckroots.com
Don’t Count the Score at Halftime
Well, after
Sunday’s Super Bowl game I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to put in my
two cents worth. Wow! What a game!
In an
attempt at full disclosure, I freely admit that I love sports. In particular,
football sits at the top. My step father played football in the early 1930s at
the University of Alabama. He actually played with Bear Bryant! That’s during
the era when the players wore leather helmets! Fortunately, I came along in the
50s and 60s when we had transitioned to hard-shell polycarbonate helmets which
also sported a single crossbar as a facemask, but eventually expanded to
provide more protection for the face along with a rubber mouthpiece.
I would
have loved to have been a star football player. Alas! Twas not to be. I was a
perennial benchwarmer. But it wasn’t for lack of effort. I played in 9th
grade at Highland Park Junior High in Dallas, Texas, a geographic region in the
country where football is a religion! In 11th grade I played on the
JV Team at Wellesley High School in Massachusetts. In one game I really got my
bells rung! The good news is I laid a good lick on the quarterback, tackling
him for a loss. After the pile of players moved off, I stood up, weaving from
side to side. A couple of guys directed me toward the sidelines where I promptly
walked into the head coach. He grabbed me and sat me down on the bench. I was
still out of it even after the bus ride back to school. I played again in my
sophomore year at Azusa Pacific College (now University). I also played for two
of my four years in the Marine Corps. One year I played for the squadron team
at VMFA 531 at MCAS El Toro, and the next year I played with a combined
Navy/Marine team at Naval Station, Subic Bay in the Philippines. Later as a
Navy chaplain I coached the MAG 39 Marine Team at Camp Pendleton, California
for two years. All told, I had a blast in and around the game of football. I
often thought the best job in the world would be as an NFL coach.
Since I
was born and raised in New England, and my step father was from the Boston
area, we rooted for all the professional sports teams from Boston. The Red Sox,
the Celtics, and of course the Boston Patriots (later renamed the New England
Patriots). California has pretty much been home for me since 1965, so I’ve
always rooted for a local team. I have been a San Francisco 49ers fan for the
last 30 years. However, with Colin Kaepernick’s disrespectful behavior toward
our flag this past season, I have taken a leave of absence from the Niners.
Ah, but I have
always followed the Patriots! And ever since Coach Bill Belichick and
quarterback Tom Brady teamed up around the turn of the century, it has been an
amazing run of victories culminating in what was their 5th Super
Bowl victory on Sunday. The game was, dare I say, one for the ages! One of the
monikers attributed to Tom Brady is “Tom Terrific”. This has been well earned
because of his ability to will his team to win when things were just not going
their way. This last Sunday’s Super Bowl was no exception.
The young,
fresh, upstart Atlanta Falcons had arrived at the Super Bowl having easily
vanquished opponents with a frightening ease, bearing a confidence that was palatable.
But this bunch had never been in a Super Bowl game before. In fact, only four
players on the Falcons had ever played in the Big Game. On the other hand, the
Patriots had 22 players who had been to the “Big Dance”. Two years ago they had
won their fourth Super Bowl in a squeaker. Now they’re back for another try.
The
buildup to this clash between these two titans of the pigskin had the
adversaries trading body blows, scoring somewhat at will, believing the team in
possession of the ball in the final minutes of the game would win.
Well, some
of that prediction was realized. But no one could have foreseen this Hollywood
movie ending. Both teams remained scoreless at the end of the first quarter,
all the while testing each other for weaknesses. The second quarter was a
disaster for the Patriots, and a boon for the Falcons. In uncharacteristic
fashion, the Patriots committed not one, but several egregious errors which the
Falcons pounced on, gaining what appeared to be an insurmountable lead of 21-3 at
the end of the first half. The tree points the Patriots managed to get was at
the very end of the half, appearing more cosmetic than surmounting any sort of
scoring threat promised in the second half. The 21-3 halftime score was grim
for New England. But this game was far from over!
The start
of the second half didn’t seem to go any better for the Patriots. Instead, the
Falcons marched down the field, easily scoring a touchdown, boosting the score
to 28-3. Any reasonable person would have said, “This game is over”. But I’ve
watched Tom Brady too many years to ever count him out. The Patriots finally
scored their first touchdown at the end of the third quarter, but missed the
extra point kick. Score: 28-9. The fourth quarter was another story altogether.
The Patriots, under Brady’s steady command, began a comeback that will be
discussed, dissected and debated for years to come. The Falcons at this point
still had an apparently insurmountable lead. But little mistakes crept into
their nearly flawless game to that point. The Patriots made them pay with
touchdowns, finally scoring the tying score with less than one minute left on
the clock.
Regulation
play ended in a tie at 28 apiece. This was now the first ever overtime period
in the 51-year history of the Super Bowl. After the coin toss, the Patriots
elected to receive the ball. You could sense this was it. Tom Brady led his team
down the field with a touchdown to end the game and secure a fifth Super Bowl
victory and set all kinds of records on a career that is nothing short of
amazing. The Patriots overcame a 25-point deficit, the most in Super Bowl
history.
Often during
the years we were raising our daughters, when they seemed to drift from what we
had taught them, I would say to my wife, “Don’t count the score at halftime”.
So, let me ask you, “What are you
going through at this time?” Whatever it is, “Never give up!” Because it’s
never over until God says it’s over.
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