Skip to main content

This week

A few things.

• If I had to pick a Super Bowl matchup now, before the playoffs start, I’d go with San Diego over New Orleans. The Saints are a total default pick-it’s more that I just don’t trust Chicago or anyone else in the NFC. (Yes, I put the Bears at No. 1 in the NFC a week or two ago. That was before I realized how badly the fans wanted Brian Griese to take the field. I do think, though, that Lovie Smith is doing a better job this year than he did last year, when he won Coach of the Year.)

• It was smart for Alabama to guarantee Nick Saban all that money, because it might motivate him to stick around in the future. That guy’s about as loyal to his employers as Rick Majerus is to the Food Guide Pyramid. Yes, I more or less supported T.O.’s holdout, but I think it’s different for coaches, since being a coach is a lot more like having a regular job than being an athlete is. And I think most people would leave their job for more money, so it’s not like Saban’s a bad human being. But I wouldn’t really want to hire him, either.

• Speaking of coaches, Bill Cowher is supposed to retire today. It’s funny how much his legacy has changed. Before last year, I’d always thought of the Steelers as underachieving, though that probably had a lot to do with their inability to find a steady quarterback. Now Cowher’s considered one of the absolute best coaches in the game. And considering how well he did with guys like Neil O’Donnell and Kordell Stewart behind center, I almost have to agree at this point. Weird.

• Game-by-game playoff previews for this weekend will be coming later today.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The NFL hates you.

It's no joke. It seems like the more devoted of a fan you are, the less the league cares about your continued patronage. The best example is the league's blackout policy, a wonderful gift from the league to its teams granting them added market pressure to charge whatever ridiculous amount they want for tickets. If a game doesn't sell out, the home market doesn't get to watch it on TV. (Basically, a 75-mile radius around the stadium doesn't get to see the game on TV if all the tickets aren’t bought first.) The NFL, like a needy girlfriend, says, "Hey, fans, you like us? Prove it." Then the league asks us to prove it again and again, week after week, year after year. I live within 75 miles of what should be John Elway Stadium, but Broncos fans are pretty much shielded from this stuff, right? Not all of them. One of my friends is as supportive a fan as the NFL can have: he's a Broncos season ticket holder and an NFL Sunday Ticket subscriber. That mean...

An innocent mistake

Sorry. Here I am to catch up on a few things from the past week... 1. Vince Young will be on the cover of Madden 08. Good for him, I guess. Much is made of the Madden curse. It's not a self-fulfilling prophecy, but it almost feels like one. The real problem is that a) football is a very violent game, and b) Electronic Arts typically selects a cover athlete who's already very well-known. Unfortunately, the players are therefore often a year (Shaun Alexander) or more (Ray Lewis) off their actual prime, and old enough that a serious injury is more likely. Young is an up-and-comer, and to avoid a horrible pun let's just say he has less age than most of those guys. I think he'll be fine. 2. Of course, the reason EA went with such a youthful player is that superstar Chargers back LaDainian Tomlinson turned them down . Why? Money. No surprise that'd be a point of contention, considering how "generous" EA is with its regular employees . 3. That's why re...

Super Bowl XLVI revealed!

The Patriots and the Giants. Things just work out sometimes. * * * Two new teams, the England Patriots and the York Giants, will play for the NFL title in Super Bowl Forty-Six in two weeks. I can't wait. The matchup comes too late, and after too imperfect of a season, to make up for the wounds inflicted by the Giants in early 2008. The Patriots' undefeated season, a 16-0 masterpiece in which they set the league's single-season scoring record, broke at the hands of the upstart Giants in that year's Super Bowl. The way the Giants won made their win feel especially flukish...Eli Manning, known more for his entitled attitude than his athleticism (the only player to which his moves have ever been compared favorably is his brother Peyton), somehow scrambled free of a Patriot pass rush in the closing minutes, and lofted a pass down the middle of the field to David Tyree, who caught the key throw against the top of his helmet. Then a touchdown pass to Plexiglass provided the wi...