It was that cool demeanor that enabled Thuney and his teammates to stage the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history after falling behind 21-0 in the first half and 28-3 with 8:31 left in the third quarter.
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But from their corner end zone seats in Section 616, the Thuney contingent – which in addition to Centerville residents Mike and Beth included their son Eric, daughter Megan, Mike’s brother Mark and his wife Teri, and Joe’s cousins Kevin and Thomas Armstrong – felt a slight shift in momentum in the third quarter.
“When they got it to 28-12, Beth and I looked at each other and said, ‘Hey, it’s a two-possession game,’” Mike said. “You just can’t ever count those guys out.
“When Matt Slater won the coin toss for overtime so that we got the ball first, everyone was like, ‘Man, this is going to happen.’ And it really did. It was crazy.”
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“Everyone was hugging and crying and laughing at the same time,” Beth said. “It was a blur. I can’t wait to get home and watch it on the DVR just to see what we experienced through clearer eyes this time.”
Mike and Beth had field passes and were able to make it down in time for the trophy presentation.
“It was just so cool to see him so happy and relaxed,” Mike said. “He was a little dinged up, but nothing serious. He was just smiling from ear to ear. You could tell it was like a weight was lifted off his shoulders.
“I thought he played great, and he was really happy with his performance and just blown away by the end result,” Mike added.
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The analytics site ProFootballFocus.com agreed, giving Joe the fourth highest grade (77.4) on the New England offense behind tackle Marcus Cannon (84.9), center David Andrews (83.1) and quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady (78.3).
After watching the trophy presentation and the Patriots fans “booing the commissioner out of the stadium,” the Thuneys went to the banquet facility next door for the postgame party.
“There were probably 3,000 people there,” Mike said. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Top shelf all around. Food stations all over the place.”
There were performances from John Legend, Old Dominion, Pitbull, Lil Wayne and Snoop Dogg.
“It was like an LA type of thing,” Mike said. “We shut it down about 1 because we were done, but the kids stayed out til like 4. Our oldest son Eric is running on about an hour’s sleep.
“I think we’re all a little sleep deprived but just happy as can be.”
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