Analyzing the big game

Just in time to start high school girls basketball playoffs this week ;)

Now that the big game has come and gone, let's take a few minutes to review some of the highlights.

Drew Brees was named MVP after tying Tom Brady for most completions in the Super Bowl (32).

I thought the kicker, Garrett Hartley, deserved the most credit. He drilled three kicks over 40 yards, a Super Bowl record. He also made the Saints' onside kick at the start of the second half a success.

Visit the sports page at http://www.lemarssentinel.com/sports/ to vote in our latest sports poll - Who was your pick for Super Bowl MVP?

Perhaps one of the best highlights was the halftime show. The Who was amazing and I was actually glad the whole Janet Jackson fiasco went down so that we could enjoy these classic bands performing at the Super Bowl. Seriously, much better than Lady Gaga, Beyonce or Miley Cyrus.

Of course, the commercials always draw the non-football fans into the viewership. And according to the NFL PR guy (seriously, that's his Twitter name), Super Bowl 44 was the most-watched TV show ever with a total audience of 153.4 million. The audience topped last year's big game, which had 151.6 million viewers.

The commercial everyone was waiting to see was revealed early in the broadcast and I have to say, as Jesse and I watched the 30-second spot featuring Tim Tebow and his mommy, we were extremely disappointed.

In case you missed it, here's the "controversial" ad:

Now on to my picks for the best commercials:

I have to say, my favorite was the Brett Favre Hyundai Sonata ad. My dad even called me after it aired to say, "That was the best one so far."

Here's the old man:

My No. 2 would be the Coca Cola ad with the guy sleepwalking in the jungle. Jesse and I particularly enjoyed the "kitty"

The fiddling beaver for Monster.com would rank No. 3 in my book. My best friend texted me to say the only thing funnier than a beaver with a violin would be a weasal playing the harmonica.

Troy Polamalu's spoof as Punxsutawney Phil for truTV was pretty hilarious - I'd give put it fourth.

Of course, no Super Bowl would be complete without a handful of Doritos - both the chips and the commercials. My favorite is tough to pick, and while the guy in a casket full of chips watching the game was funny, the cute little kid threatening his mommy's date was funnier. But the funniest Doritos commercial? The dog putting his bark collar on the guy and stealing his Doritos, then barking to shock the guy.

The Flo TV commercial with the guy picking out lavender candles with his girlfriend is also pretty hilarious, as was the CareerBuilder ad for "Casual Friday" - although I don't know if men walking around in their underwear is really appealing to anyone. Dove's Journey to Comfort commercial was funny and I enjoyed the frightened chickens in the Denny's ad...although those really just made me angry that I can't go get free breakfast on Tuesday because there's not a Denny's in Sioux City.

Here's the "spineless male" commercial, which gets my honorable mention title.

Finally, the movies I want to see based on last night's commercials:

I was most intrigued by the new Tim Burton version of Alice in Wonderland, which stars my favorite actor Johnny Depp. Those two always seem to make wonderful movies together.

The other one I would see is the new Robin Hood movie. It's been a few years since I've watched Robin Hood, so I suppose that could get me to shell out $8 to see it in the theater. But I'll probably wait for it to come out in the RedBox for a dollar - if I can weave through the potholes to get to Hy-Vee.

Before I go - what was your favorite commercial? Did I miss any that deserved "applause"? Post your thoughts - likes or dislikes - on the Super Bowl 44 commercials.