Pats will have a tough time forgetting Super Bowl XLII
After Tuesday morning's Pro Bowl practice, New England linebacker Mike Vrabel splashed in a gorgeous hotel pool with his two children. He then chilled with a beer — until Patriots teammate Dan Koppen stole it.
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Such shenanigans will continue all week here in paradise. But both admit nothing will lessen the gloom from Sunday's 17-14 loss to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII.
"It hurts, but that's the reality of it," Vrabel told FOXSports.com. "Guys here respect what we did throughout the season, so that makes it a little easier. But it's still tough to think we didn't finish it off."
Koppen was even blunter.
"There's no consolation for losing the Super Bowl," he lamented.
Dallas has 13 representatives here, but New England's seven selections should have been the life of the party. With an expected Super Bowl victory to cap the NFL's first 19-0 record, the Pro Bowl would have been an extended celebration.
The Giants crashed the whole affair in what Patriots left tackle Matt Light described as a "humbling" experience.
"Let's say you're having a big Madden (videogame) tournament with your buddies," said Light, trying to convey his disappointment in layman's terms. "You made it to the end. I'm sure when you didn't get it finished all the way, you're going to be a little stunned."
Amazingly, the real champs are represented by just one player: Defensive end Osi Umenyiora. Three of the five Patriots who came — Tom Brady and Randy Moss withdrew because of ankle injuries — are offensive linemen.
Yes, members of the same unit that made New York's defensive front four look like all-stars during the Super Bowl.
Umenyiora said the pressure placed on Brady — five sacks and 20-plus hits — made the NFL's regular-season MVP "a little bit ordinary." Such abuse contributed to Brady withdrawing from the Pro Bowl because of an ankle injury.
"You've got to give credit to what they did up front," Light said. "They were able to do a lot of things that were disruptive. We never got into a rhythm."
Vrabel feels just as badly. His defense failed to stop New York's game-winning drive after New England pulled ahead by four points with 2:42 remaining.
"There was a little bit of shock afterward, to watch it unfold and not be able to make plays we needed down the stretch," said Vrabel, who finished with two tackles. "You could sense right when it happened — you realized you lost. I'm not used to that type of feeling. Honestly, I'm at a loss for words to describe it."
That isn't the case with other Pro Bowl players who have spoken with Umenyiora.
"I get the sense a lot of them really wanted to see the Patriots lose," Umenyiora said. "For some of them, it's almost like they won. They're so happy. I don't know what the Patriots did to everybody."
Well, they were almost perfect. New England defeated 13 different franchises — including the Giants — while compiling the highest average regular-season victory margin (19.7 points) in NFL history. Plus, no other team has ever posted an 18-0 mark.
"A lot of records were set and things like that," Light said. "We didn't finish out the way we wanted to, but we have a lot to be proud of. We did a lot of great things."
Except when it mattered most.
"Ultimately, it comes down to losing the Super Bowl," Vrabel said. "All those (records) really don't mean a whole lot to me. We weren't able to win."
Alex Marvez will co-host with Solomon Wilcots from 2 to 6 p.m. EST Saturday on Sirius NFL Radio (Channel 124).
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