Seattle’s comprehensive 43-8 rout capped a spectacular week for Super Bowl XLVIII. But even before the game kicked off at MetLife Stadium, Giants co-owner John Mara had declared the event a success, enough that the NFL should bring it back as soon as possible for a cold-weather encore.
“It’s pretty safe to say we’ll be looking to do this again … and I think we should,’’ Mara said an hour before the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks kicked off.
He said a host of other owners spoke to him about the event, with each offering praise that buoyed hopes of getting another.
Asked if he could see the NFL sprinkling in cold weather locales amid the traditional warm-weather destinations, Mara made it clear he didn’t view New York as just any cold-weather city.
“You know, there are a lot of worthy cities,’’ said Mara, the Giants’ 59-year-old president and CEO. “But let’s face it, there’s only one area like this … in the world.’’
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell opened his statement at the Vince Lombardi trophy presentation with praise of the area: “Let me first give a great shout-out to New York and New Jersey for a spectacular week here at the Super Bowl, so thank you.’’
It remains to be seen when the event will come back. But the Super Bowl was treated to unseasonably mild weather, with the 51-degree temperature at 5 p.m. actually two degrees warmer than at the first pitch of last year’s World Series. After much hand-wringing, weather turned out to be a non-issue.
Transportation, on the other hand, was another matter entirely.
Asked if he would make any logistical changes, Mara said, “No.” But when the subject of the predictable but unfortunate overcrowding at Secaucus Station was broached, he acknowledged, “Well, maybe that’s one thing we’d do differently.’’
According to the AP, “several people” collapsed while waiting in line to get to the game at Secaucus. The transfer is crowded for regular-season games, but with the extra security Sunday it became a mess.
The Seattle Seahawks had used the Giants’ training facility in East Rutherford during Super Bowl week, and Mara said it wasn’t an issue at all, and wasn’t even a minor inconvenience for Big Blue because most of their offices are on the second floor.
Mara watched the Super Bowl from his box with his family. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie wasn’t with him, but Mara said he spoke to the embattled politician Saturday and several times during the week. He also spoke with Michael Strahan on Saturday after the former Giants defensive end was voted into the Hall of Fame.