5. I think as I watched Tony Dungy for 80 minutes after Sunday's win handling well-wishers, a stream of interviewers asking almost identical questions, fans tugging at him for pictures, media tugging at him for pictures, players tugging at him for pictures (all true), with such aplomb, class and joy, I knew a great thing happened for sports and for this country. A thoughtful, considerate, flatline, smart, teaching coach had won the Super Bowl. For years to come, coaches of all colors will model themselves after a man all players want to play for.

6. I think this is what I liked about Super Bowl XLI:

a. The Colts' ability to sustain drives in all ways.

b. The in-stadium music. With Roger Goodell, apparently, comes some modern flavor to the tunes played in the stadium.

c. Sitting next to Rick Reilly in the press section. "You know what I call Prince?'' he said before halftime. "Not 'The Artist Formerly Known as Prince.' But 'The Artist Formerly Known.'''

d. The Dolphin Stadium turf, which really held up well.

e. Tony Dungy passing up the late field goal from 34 yards away, which would have meant the difference between the over/under line being hit or not. With the score 29-17, three points were needed in the final minutes for the Colts and Bears to go over the number, which was 38. Dungy didn't care. Though half of Vegas, I assume, was jumping off the top of the Hard Rock Hotel.

f. Jeff Saturday's efficient snapping in bad weather. No screwups all day. The guy's an excellent center.

g. The fact that we can now put to bed, in addition to the Manning thing, that Bill Polian and Tony Dungy can't win the big one.

7. I think this is what I didn't like about Super Bowl XLI:

a. Rex Grossman floating balls deep.

b. Rex Grossman's father sending Chicago Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti flowers in his room here with what we all think is a sarcastic note of admiration. Mariotti wrote after Grossman's horrible season-finale against Green Bay, "To say he looked like a deer in headlights would be to insult the deer.'' Mr. Grossman, just one piece of advice: That is not going to help your son. I, uh, know.

c. The opening kickoff. Adam, Adam, Adam. Either kick it high to Devin Hester or kick a squibber, or kick it out of bounds. The kid can return anything if he gets a strong running start.

d. Sloppy game. The ball's wet, yes, but six fumbles? Careless.

e. In the first 40 minutes of the game, the Bears' offense had drives of 7, 0, 57, 8, 8, 6, 9, minus-1 yards and 1 yard. Now you know why you heard the smattering of boos for Grossman.

f. Dwight Freeney: no tackles, no assists, no sacks.

g. I did not understand the pregame show or the halftime show.

8. I think even if Brett Favre breaks Dan Marino's most significant records next year (he is seven TD passes and 3,862 yards from breaking the touchdown and passing-yards records held by Marino), they'll only last another five years. Peyton Manning is 145 touchdown passes behind Marino right now. Look for him to play until he's 76.

9. I think this is a beautiful stadium and game site, but, as you can probably tell, I'd prefer a few other cities for the Super Bowls.

10. I think these are my non-football thoughts of the week:

a. I couldn't stop thinking of the line, "Stay on Biscayne ... Don't get off Biscayne!'' from Morty Seinfeld in the famous Seinfeld episode about Jerry going scuba diving all week. Because I was on Biscayne, in a hotel that held me captive at night.

b. Waaaay too much Super Bowl on TV. Waaaay too much poker too. Think poker's a good thing for kids to grow up watching? I don't.

c. I swear Merril Hoge wakes up in the morning and says: "Green checks and brown plaid. Hmmm. Yeah, that goes.''

d. Coffeenerdness: Walked into the Sony Music Starbucks in Miami Beach Thursday morning, early, to write, and there was Judy Battista of the New York Times. "My God,'' she said, doing a double-take. "I was just thinking about you five minutes ago, wondering if you'd found this place.'' I did. Unfortunately, it didn't open till 7 -- ridiculous, in a town that never sleeps. So I found it, grudgingly, after I'd found it closed one morning that I'd gone to bang some copy out early before the daily press stuff. And one more thing about Starbucks music: We're finished with Al Green, Seattle. Enough, already. Move on. There's more Al Green in there than Bono, Lennon and Sinatra combined. It's just not right.

e. I love how Favre announced he was coming back on the Friday of Super Bowl week, and told the local paper in town. That is so classic Favre. He picked the time where the world would be most focused on something else, so he could get the minimum amount of attention. Beautiful.

f. The Devils might actually catch the Sabres in the East. I can tell you all care.

g. Red Sox got a closer yet? Dick Drago in the fold? Reggie Cleveland? Dick Pole?

h. I wonder if Matsuzaka watched the Super Bowl.

i. Too many hotels don't have HBO. I'm on a four-hotel non-HBO streak.

j. Thanks to Dan Marino and Harvey Greene for one heck of a restaurant recommendation -- Anthony's Runway 84 in Fort Lauderdale, a place so Italian that John Gotti ate there.

k. Hey, the column doesn't die. We just go into offseason mode now. I'll still be there, every Monday except my four or five vacation Mondays.

l. I forgot. There is no offseason in football.