Eight hours of sleep later, a few observations on the Super Bowl and how we got there:

1. In how many thousands of living rooms early Sunday evening did some high-school kicker jump up and say, "Geez! I coulda made that!"?

'Cause, you know, most high school kickers could have. And would have.

2. Speaking of which, it may be bad form to say a team got lucky at this juncture of the season, but the Patriots got lucky.

Outplayed all day -- even at quarterback, and who figures that? -- the Pats punched their ticket to Indianapolis because Lee Evans couldn't hold onto a pass he had secured in the end zone, and because Billy Cundiff shanked a chip shot he normally makes in his sleep.

Maybe Bill Belichick really is Voldemort in a hoodie.

3. At some point in the next two weeks, we really do need to get Reggie Miller, John Starks and Spike Lee in a room together to talk about how weird this is, Indianapolis rooting for New York.

'Cause, you know, Indianapolis will be.

4. And finally, the Blob's early, early, early Super Bowl prediction:

Snow. Lots of it.

Oh, and Giants 27, Patriots 20.