Gisele Bundchen is getting some heat for her F-word defense of Tom Brady's performance in the Super Bowl.

"You [have] to catch the ball when you're supposed to catch the ball," she is caught on video saying shortly after the game. "My husband cannot [expletive] throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time."

Before we conclude that "hell hath no fury like a supermodel disappointed," consider that her off-the-cuff verbal reaction to a heckler is nothing compared to the off-the-chart written meltdown of a Boston Globe scribe.

They say there's no cheering in the press box, and while that's largely true, there certainly is rooting in the press box. Picking a side in any contest is human nature and, trust me, it's more fun to write about the winning team than the losing team.

So online columnist Eric Wilbur either secretly bleeds Patriots blue or he dropped a pile of green when New England not only lost to the Giants but also failed to cover the point spread. How else do you explain Wilbur calling Brady's performance "hideous," and telling Brady he had embarrassed "your coach, your teammates, and your fans."

Brady, in fact, hit 20 of his first 23 passes, including a Super Bowl record 16 in a row, threw two touchdown passes to one interception and finished with a passer rating of 91.1 -- despite playing the last third of a game with a shoulder injury.

If New England's Wes Welker hangs on to a late fourth-quarter Brady throw -- or the Giants' Mario Manningham doesn't make an amazing sideline seconds later -- the Pats likely are hoisting their fourth Vince Lombardi trophy and Brady his third MVP award.

Instead, he's reading "You blew this Super Bowl. You denied your coach No. 4. You let down your teammates."

Hell hath no fury, it turns out, like a sportswriter disappointed.

• • •

Back to Bundchen.

She caught flak for her criticism of the Pats receivers, including a chauvinistic shot from Giants running back Brandon Jacobs, who said Bundchen should "stay cute and shut up," a comment for which he has apologized.

Bundchen also raised eyebrows before the game for an email to friends and family asking them to pray for Brady on game day.

Two comments:

1) I can't imagine anybody facing the Giants' pass rush objecting to prayers being solicited on his behalf (that probably would include Richard Dawkins).

2) While a team-oriented quarterback like Brady would never welcome a slight to those he works with, I don't know a husband who doesn't appreciate a wife's protective instincts.

In one of the lowest moments of Brady's athletic life, Bundchen was there to back him.

Good for her.

Contact Jim Gordon at gjames43@msn.com.