Patriots win the game and TO gets mad respect

As most expected (except apparently anyone that Rodney Harrison and many of the Patriots players heard in their heads), the New England Patriots won their 3rd Super Bowl in the last 4 years.

They played their usual solid team game and forced their opponent to make more critical mistakes than they did.

But to me at least, this game will be about TO and his ankle. So many talking heads didn't believe TO's talk that he'd play and that he'd be very effective.

Some even suggested that TO was being selfish by insisting on playing when his doctor refused to clear him. They said that he was putting himself before the team in that he wanted the spotlight even though someone else could use his roster spot more effectively.

Well, I think there should be a baker somewhere cooking up a whole lot of crow pie right about now. Not only did TO play, he was to me at least, far and away the best player in an Eagles uniform and he would hve gotten my vote as the game's MVP.

If busting your rear end to come back from surgery faster than anyone, including your doctor, thinks that you can, taking a pain killing injection to get on the field, and then playing like you merely sprained your ankle is selfish, then I want the Redskins to load up on selfish guys this offseason.

Mike Golic said it best this morning when he said that TO was a football player. Golic went on to explain that that is the highest form of compliment that he can give a guy in the NFL.

I have to agree. TO did what pretty much everyone said he couldn't do. And he should have proven every single one of his doubters wrong.

But, you know that TO's 'tude rubs many the wrong way. And so while others are called team players, TO will continue to get labelled as a selfish big mouth.

But to me at least, TO's actions in this Super Bowl, and all season, have spoken much louder than his words. And that's really tough.