Name of New Franchise Really No Big Deal

As of yesterday, the city of Houston has officially joined the ranks of Major League Soccer with the unveiling of the team name and logo of the league's newest addition, which immediately caught the attention of many across the nation.

Not at all because there is an exitement to see MLS expand to another part of the country, because afterall, where do the ratings for the sport rank, somewhere between NASCAR and Bowling, if even that high?  Nor is it because Houstonians may turn out to be mildly interested by the fact their city was chosen to berth MLS's newest franchise, but only because with the Texans and Rockets playing so badly, the city is desperate for another professional team, other than the Astros, that can win on a some what consistent basis, even if it is soccer.  No, all the hubaloo regarding Houston's newest professional team has only to do with the franchise's selected name.

Right out the gates, a new ball team,  in an already struggling league, has to deal with adversity over the fact that the team's new name, selected by team president and former Houston Oiler quarterback, Oliver Luck, not only is the year during which the city of Houston itself was established and the reason Luck chose the name, but also because it is the year that Texas won its independence from Mexico after General Sam Houston defeated General Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana at the battle of San Jacinto near Houston.  Some Latino residents are rather perturbed with the franchise's chosen name for this reason, for they see it as an insult to their heritage and identity.

Now there is no doubt that naming the team "1836" would lead to mixed results, but one would figure it would be merely because having a year as a team name just sounds so absurd.  Imagine if it were the Philadelphia "1776", or the San Francisco "1849"?  If you want to use a date in history as your team's namesake in order to draw attention to your city's history and heritage, a move which has worked brilliantly for both of the aforementioned ball clubs, especially in San Francisco's case, then follow suit with those teams and name your team the 36ers.  Saying "I play for 1836" or "I am a 1836" sounds completely ridiculous and would be extremely awkward for any player to have to say.  And when a fan says, "I am a 1836 fan", you wouldn't know if they were a fan of MLS or just happened to be a history buff.

But it is rather surprising that so many have chosen to interpret the team's name in such negative conotation.  There was an almost immediate uproar on blogs, the radio, and the local print media all condemning the franchise upon the unveiling for what critics assert, is a poorly chosen and racially insenstive move on part of Houston's franchise and Luck.  One such editorial even went as far to ask, "If the New Orleans Hurricanes were going to be MLS' next franchise, or if New England might be re-named the Minutemen to set up an instant classic rivalry between them and Chivas USA?"

While it is true that 1836 also marked the year in which Texas officially parted ways with Mexico once and for all, at least as far as sovereignty is concerned, as the captured Santa Ana granted Texas its independence in exchange for his life.  It was in no way an easy decision for the victorious Texans to make given the immense blood shed and brutality that Santa Ana had demonstrated to Texan prisoners, all of which were executed for treason, both at the Alamo and at Goliad, and Texans were eager to return the favor.  However it wasn't merely a victory for the Anglos of Texas, but for Latino Texans as well. 

Numerous flags have flown over Texas since it was first settled by Spain in 1519, six to be exact, a historical lineage that is among many other things, the namesake for the "Six Flags" theme parks, which began in Texas.  The flag of not only Spain, but France, and later Mexico at one time flew above the territory prior to the flag of the Texas Republic (Now the State Flag), Texas Confederacy flag, and then ultimately, the flag of the United States.  The Texas that existed, both prior to and during its succession from Mexico, was a frontier region for both Anglo Americans Settlers from the north, and hardy pioneers from the Latino South, all looking for a more prosperous life.  Both groups fought against Santa Ana during the Texas War of Independence after Santa Ana abandoned the Mexican federal constitution and declared himself dictator.   

The important thing to take from this brief history lesson is that both Anglo and Latino Texans fought side by side, spilling blood together to win their independence.  Texas was not at all like other states, they were forming their own country, which remained in tact for nearly ten years before joining the Union.  It was truly a date of independence, not much unlike the one celebrated by all Americans on July 4th, and saw the berth of a city, a country, and a Republic.   Has anyone ever questioned whether or not the 76ers name might offend the British?  Afterall, both dates of independence commemorate victories over foreign nations who once held claim to what is now American soil, and both love Soccer. 

Latinos and Anglos both fought and died for the right to the dream that was Texas.  If anything, it should be a positive reminder of not only the city's roots, but the entire State of Texas.  It should not be a divider of the races, but a reminder it was a victory celebrated by both races, with a common culture and dream.   A dream that was fully realized in 1836 at San Jacinto, and a date in Texas history that has the right to be reflected through such an effective vehicle as the name of a professional sports franchise if so chosen. 

If not for the 49ers would anyone really ever remember the year of the California Gold rush that began the rapid shift west and helped California become what it is today, the most populous state in the Union?  Of course the great weather doesn't hurt the cause either.  Does Houston not have the same right to commemorate the date that led it to where it is today?  Perhaps the solution to the problem is to just change it from "1836" to the "36ers", and hopefully it will make everybody happy, or at least not quite as upset.  If not, at least it doesn't sound quite as awful.

Perhaps it is just me, but I can't help but notice the void of quality football commercials that make gamebreaks a little more bearable, and even provide some quality football entertainment in the process, in between all the hard hits, majestic runs, thrilling catches, and waves of emotion generated by a NFL's season of action this year.  Quality commercial programming and football are usually discussed most frequently during the Super Bowl, but football inspired ads are most commonly found, and discussed among NFL fans during the regular season and the playoff games leading up to the Big Game, not during it. Marketers and Ad agencies seeking to entice consumers into purchasing their products know that one very profitable way and commonly used method to acheive their goal is by tapping into the large captive audience of the extremely lucrative NFL who are always eager to see some creative, humorous, or nostalgic incorporation of America's favorite sport into ads. 

In year's past, advertisers have accomplished their goal with presitgious results, and even made some of their ads legendary in the process.  This season however has netted less than desirable results for advertisers and left this NFL fan wanting for most of the season.  Looking back to just last year it is easy to recollect some effective and stimulating spots that effectively utilized the NFL and its players.  We had the Sirius Satellite Radio spots featuring John Madden and Tom Brady that not only marketed a superior product providing fans with all the action the NFL season has to offer at the touch of a button, but added fuel to the debate among Fantasy Football owners as to just who exactly is Brady's favorite receiver?  David Givens thought it was him, but we all know that is and has always been Deion Branch, right? 

The Madden games, that are easily the most successful video game of all time, provided fans with an emotional charge and further compulsion to buy their product with thier creative Madden 05 ad featuring Ray Lewis.  It was a brilliant spot in which Lewis and his then intimidating Baltimore defense made it seem like converting on fourth and short was going to be much farther than appearances dictated and seemingly next to impossible, more than adequately advertising the new emphasis on defense the game was designed to address.  It was a highly effective ad, though I still regulary ran up some insane numbers just like I had in year's past.  A game in which I rountinely pass for over 4,000 yards, run for over 1,000 yards, and combine for 65 TDs with Michael Vick in a season on the All-Pro setting still leaves a lot to be desired for quality defense.

Speaking of Michael Vick, arguably the best football commercial from not only last year, but that advertisers have produced over the last several, was NIke Grid Iron's "Michael Vick Experience".  Even the Vick haters themselves couldn't but help be won over by the ad.  Who wouldn't wait in line no matter how long it was or what the price of admission happened to be to take a thrill ride like that?  It was the best football commercial since the last two featuring Vick, the insane TD completion to Terrell Owens ending in T.O.'s outlandish Pom-Pom celebration as fireworks explode above a Swoosh, yet another creative ad by Nike.  The other one being the "Very Real Power" Powerade spot in which Vick blasts his receivers back several yards with the strength of his passes, and then launches on out of the stadium from the other end of the field with just the flick of his wrist.  Perhaps this season has suffered from a lack of Vick commercials demonstrating his superhuman abilities, or perhaps it is superhuman abilities did not appear enough in NFL games this season to allow advertiser's to roll out another insane Vick commercial without some serious blow back from NFL fans. 

Whatever the case has been, there has unarguably been a shortage of quality football commercials throughout the NFL regular season.  However, once the NFL playoffs rolled around this year, several commercials spots that started out as lame ducks, have definitely taken off as of late.   As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, perhaps it is just me.  But take a look at all the candidates below and opine with your opinion.

Started Out Lame, But Rebounded

Coors Light "LOVE TRAIN" Series-  The mercury in the thermometer is poised to explode off the charts, the Patriot and Raider fans present are hot, tired, depressed, and not the least bit excited about the game.  Suddenly the tempertaures dramatically drop, and a silver Coors Light Train erupts from the tunnel as the O'Jays tune "Love Train" booms in the background.  Suddenly all the fans are excited as snow showers down, and everyone's happy.  First off, when does it ever get that freaking hot in Foxboro?  Second, if it did, don't you think New Englanders would be more than just a little upset that the cold and snow so commonly associated with their venue, and that is present throughout so much of the winter, has robbed them of some decent weather and come three months early?  Three, wasn't that game between the Pats and Raiders played at night and not in the middle of the day?  Lastly, how lame was it when that guy went to give a rival fan a high-five, and then changed his mind midway and went Alicia Silverstone on him, giving him the "As if" hand gesture?

Rebound -  Train makes a second and much more noteworthy appearance that actually makes sense this time as the "Love Train" chugs along through time visiting memorable Super Bowl Moments along the way as if it were being engineered by "Doc" from "Back to the Future".  The fantastic voyage begins with a handshake between Hank Stram and Vince Lombardi in Super Bowl I, stops by to hear Joe Namath's "Guarantee" in Super Bowl III, rolls by Pittsburgh to admire "The Steel Curtain", and cruises along with Marcus Allen for his thrilling Super Bowl Performance.  The train also visits Bill Walsh and Jimmy Johnson, before finishing its journery where it originally began in the first spot, with the Super Bowl Champion Patriots.  The whole trip through time provides some fantastic nostalgic visuals for football fans and reminds us all that Coors Light has been there for all of us during the whole journey, though I haven't personally, hum... "enjoyed" a Coors Light since high school.

Super Bowl Legends Commercials-  Throughout the year on game day, and daily on the NFL Network, fans have been shown brief clips of Super Bowl legends walking in behind various NFL stars, believed to be contenders to become the next great Super Bowl hero, as they are engaging in some of the various extracuricular activities in which a football player engages, such as speaking with the media.  In every instance in which one of these Super Bowl Legends touch a present day player on the shoulder, the player receives a glimpse, or blast rather, of a sudden montage containing various Super Bowl moments the Legend is passing along to them in order to remind the players what it takes to get there, which sends them rushing off to practice to get extra work in. 

While the series demonstrated how NFL players can get side tracted by all the attention that surrounds them, I was never a big fan of the spots.  Never more so than after the one featuring LaDanian Tomlinson aired in which L.T. is actually taking the time to exhibit a geniune interest in the fans, and signing autographs (without asking to be paid for it), and the mentoring Legend comes along to remind him there are more important things he should be doing.  This one took the cake.  The NFL would not exist period if it were not for the fans, and it is so rare today to see superstar athlete's like L.T. doing what he did in the spot.  Instead of sending him running off to practice, the legend should have gone and touched the shoulder of the other players appearing in the series of commercial, and sent them to do what L.T. was doing.  It is also worth noting that these "Legends" jinxed every player they touched.  Daunte Culpepper, Roy Williams, L.T......despite all the expectations regarding each player's team at the beginning of the year, not one of them made the playoffs.  Guess all that extra practice didn't pay off afterall.  Most importantly, the spots weren't adding any extra anticipation for me, nor getting me anymore pumped up to watch the Super Bowl a few months earlier than it begins than I already was before, which is what they were designed to do.

Rebound-  Don Cheadle comes to our rescue, which is another great turn around for another sports commercial series in itself.  After a disappointing circuit of substitute commentators last season by performers like Benjamin Bratt and Rene Russo, the original returns with the "If I Were A Super Bowl Legend" spot.  Nothing againt Bratt and Russo as performers, it just reminded me of hearing about a major news story at some point during the day and wanting to turn into my favorite news show, the O'Reily Factor to hear what old Bill's take on it was going to be, only to find John Kasich or John Gibson filling in for him on that day.  Both Johns do a fine job in their own right, but just don't bring that same "umphf" as Bill.  I am sure you Fox News fans know exactly what I am talking about.  Ditto the situation for the Cheadle spots.  Though I don't enjoy the newest spot as much as some of the previous ones like the one on Michael Vick's insane rushing performance against the Vikings, Dyson falling short of the goal line in Super Bowl XXXIV, or the "5 seconds" and "Impossible" spots, the new spot reminds how great the series is, and how they pump extra adrenaline into my veins to ensure I don't miss a second of the NFL playoffs.  Thank goodness Cheadle is back!

Scared Me to Death At First, But Has Grown On Me

What could be freakier than waking up to a giant, plastic "King", with a creepy smile and frighteningly frozen expression upon his face, looming over you as you awake in your bed or as you open your blinds first thing in the morning?  The commercials creeped me out so bad I was scared like a liitle kid to even drive near a Burger King, lest I have to stop near it and as I turn my head in another direction, suddenly the "King" would be standing before me with a Crouisantwich in hand.  My wife shared in my apprehension regarding the "B.K."  We seriously and carefully debated the merits of the argument that waking up to the "King" would be freakier than waking up to the little neighbor girl in "Dawn of the Dead" who would then proceed to rip out the throat of your spouse with her bare teeth.  Yes, it took some time, but we decided to rank the "King" second to the little girl, but it was a highly contested ranking.

Rebound- My nightmares were further realized  when the "King" invaded some historic moments from the history of my favorite sport on Game Day.  How was I every going to escape this guy?  Sure it was a novel idea, but it definitely took some time getting used to. The opening spots were particularly creative and instantly enjoyed by some fans, but many of us who were still too recently haunted by the "King's" images needed more time to fully appreciate what advertisers had accomplished with the King on the Grid Iron.  By the time the King took to the air while performing the Lambeau Leap, and ran all over the Vikings as Steve Young did during the 1990 playoffs, (What is it about those Vikes and their propensity for allowing memorable performances against scrambling QB's anyways?), the King indeed went all out, and finally won over reluctant consumers like my wife and I. 

There is no doubt that advertisers have stepped up their game during the NFL playoffs, to add quality football commercials to the game break mix.  Up until a couple of weeks ago, the only quality NFL football commercial had been GMC's "Professional Grade", a brilliant 90 second spot depicting numerous mind boggling plays by NFL legends as a voice booms,"Time after time the impossible becomes routine. There's a name for belittling the insurmountable.  It's called Professional Grade.  A higher standard to which every professional aspires."  This import sedan buying NFL fan was inspired, by the footage of "bone crushing" runners like Tony Dorsett and Earl Campbell as they relentlessly charge forward through several defenders, and as Jerry Rice makes one of those patented one-handed grabs long before he was every referred to as looking "geriatric" on "Dancing With The Stars".  The nostaligic commercial would sometimes provide Monday Night Football fans with the only decent football footage of the evening to be found on certain Monday Night Games.  Unfortunately others that began lame, remained lame.  One of those was the FedEX football analogy series featuring former greats like Joe Montana, current greats in the twilight of their career like Jerome Bettis, and Over-rated stars, like a certain Minnesota Quarterback who greatly struggled after that towering, speed demon, distraction of a wide receiver who smokes weed on blue moons, and moons crowds, left town. Another example were the Visa 5 Layers of Protection, "Metaphor" Commercials featuring Tom Brady and all of his offensive lineman.  Only thing noteworthy regarding them is the fact that Brady refused to do the commercial series for Visa unless they featured all the members of his offensive line, and not just Brady in the commercial.  Props to Brady for showing the love to his O-line, but shame towards the advertisers for bombarding us all with such an annoying spot, not only on TV, but on NFL websites everywhere.

One other great football ad that I failed to mention earlier, but was recently introduced to football audiences everywhere, is the "Football Predictions" commercial currently being aired on game day which depicts Vikings fans boasting they are headed for some "smooth sailing" to the SuperBowl this year now that the distracting Randy Moss is gone, not to mention a Bears fans who says, "You know I love the Bears, but we are going to be horrible this year.  Three of four wins tops."  It just reminds us all of how wrong we can be so much of the time, but still enjoy the game whatever happens.  In fact, that is why we love the game. 

Perhaps there have been more quality football commercials this year than I have recognized as being great.  Perhaps you agree with my analysis completely.  Perhaps you don't care at all about a lack or a presence of entertaining football commercials. I am eager to hear from all of you and hear all your thoughts on an aspect of marketing for the game, that in a way, has become a part of the game's season.

For Carolina Panthers wide-receiver, Steve Smith, the 2005 NFL post season has been much like the 2005 NFL regular season, he has absolutely dominated both his position and the competition.  Though Smith was more than occassionally recognized throughout the regular season for his exemplary performance on the football field, and undeniably merited serious consideration from his fellow players, coaches, fans, and the media to be crowned the NFL's Most Valuable Player, when voting for the award finally did come around, Smith received nary a vote.  However, the MVP candidate to whom voters showed absolutely no love, has easily seen the lowest drop in his offensive production from the regular season into the post season of all the MVP candidates.  In fact, Smith has not only seen his production increase, but has noticeably played at a much higher level than any other MVP candidate, or player period for that  matter, during this 2005 post season.

To establish just how stellar Smith's   season actually was prior to his vaulted level of  play in the post season, let us quickly examine the stellular receiver's regular season numbers and how they rank in comparison to his peers playing the same position.

Smith's 1,563 receiving yards were hands down best in the NFL.  His 103 receptions tied him only with Arizona Cardinals wide-receiver Larry Fitzgerald for the most in the league.  Smith's 12 receiving touchdowns were matched only by Colts WR, Marvin Harrison, while his 13 total TDs were not only more than any other wide-receiver, but only four runningbacks (S.Alexander, L.Johnson, L. Tomlinson, and E.James) totalled more TDs than Smith. 

It is also worth noting that of all the wide-receivers who tallied at least 25 receptions this season in the NFL, Smith led them all in YAC (Yards After Catch) with an average of 7.9, very telling of his big play ability once the ball is in his hands.  70 of Smith's 103 catches resulted in a first down, a number that can only be topped by Bengals WR, Chad Johnson who registered 74 on the year.

With all the success Smith experienced during the regular season, it turns out he was just getting started, and is the only player among this year's pool of MVP candidates to propel his team into their league's Conference Championship game.  Before all of the Seattle faithful point out that their team has advanced to the NFC Championship Game as well, let me remind them that S.Alexander is not the one who got them there this weekend.  After carrying the ball a total of six times for a meager nine yards and then having to leave the game with a concussion, Alexander watched from the sidelines while Matt Hasselbeck proved to the country that perhaps Alexander is not the only reason Seattle secured homefield advantage throughout the playoffs this season. 

Carson Palmer was absolutely brilliant on that 66 yard completion against Pittsburgh, but that was his only play as a vicious injury ended both his season, as wells as his team's hopes of victory at the same time.  Tiki Barber managed to tally an uninspiring 41 yards on 14 carries, and though also registering 28 yards receiving off of three catches, it was a far cry from his 200+ total yards from scrimmage games that catapulted the Giants into the playoffs.  Peyton Manning and Tom Brady each contributed decent enough numbers in their respective efforts to lead their team to the AFC Championship Game, but just an averge completion percentage and turning the ball over more often than you are throwing touchdowns is not going to allow your team to advance in the post-season. 

Smith on the other hand is the only candidate to take a very successful season and build upon it further when the wins are the hardest to come by and count the most, and was unarguably the single player most responsible for his team's advancement in the playoffs.  In Carolina's two playoff victories, both of which came on the road, Smith has averaged 11 receptions, 170 yards from scrimmage, and two touchdowns.  Those numbers are very impressive for a regular season game, but are down right unfathomable to post in two consecutive playoff games on the road! 

The most mind boggling aspect to take into consideration is that the most recent of those road playoff games, and the one that launched Carolina into the NFC Championship game, was played against the Monsters of the Midway on their homefield were the Bears tallied a 7-1 record this season and allowed an average of 7.6 pts in those games, including a victory over Carolina in which the Panthers scored a grand total of three points.  If you told Bears fans that they would score two offensive touchdowns and still lose they would not have believed you.  Had you told them that the Bears would score three and still lose they would have tried to have you committed. 

Yet that is exactly what happened at Soilder Field this Sunday evening as Smith wasted no time to establish his presence and put his team up early with a 58 yard TD reception on which he completely blew by Bears defender Charles Tillman less than a minute into the game.  Tillman, who despite drawing an illegal contact penalty couldn't keep up with Smith on that first big play, surrendered another to Smith on his watch.  This time, it was a 46 yarder that Smith was able to wrestle away from Tillman, setting up a Carolina field goal that put the Panthers up by 10.

Tillman wasn't the only Bear defender to be embarrassed by Smith's blazing speed, as Chris Thompson shared in Tillman's feelings of exploitation after surrendering a 39 yard score later in the third quarter.  Chicago's entire secondary appeared to be at a loss as how they were to contain him.  Though Smith never reached the endzone when the two teams matched up in the regular season, he did drop 14 receptions for 169 yards on them, so the Bears experienced first hand what he is capable of, and as Lovie Smith pointed out, knew what they had to do.  The answer appeared simple enough to Lovie, "Don't give up the big play and try to keep Steve Smith contained by doubling him and playing him deep", obviously Chicago could not figure out how to do that on this day, and Smith went on to register the fourth best playoff performance by a wide-receiver in NFL history, compiling 218 yards on 12 catches for 2 touchdowns, and playing the key role in Carolina's 29-21 win.

Smith will get the opportunity to prove himself further next week in Seattle when his team faces the NFC's top seed and the league's actual MVP recepient, who is expected to be fully recovered from his concussion and back on the field in an effort to grant his team and its city their first Super Bowl berth, is facing him across the sidelines.  For added fuel to the debate, Carolina will be without their top running back DeShaun Foster who broke his ankle in the third quarter of today's playoff victory over Chicago, putting more of the offensive burden and hopes squarely on Steve Smith's shoulders. 

If Smith comes through successful yet another week, and his team marches on to its second Super Bowl appearance in the last three years, Shaun Alexander should do the commendable thing and meet Smith mid-field to surrender the MVP trophy to the player who proved himself more worthy.  Well, not really, but wouldn't that be a shocking spectacle!?  Truth is both guys earned it, but only room for one receipient this year and its too hard not to give it to a guy who led the league in rushing and set the NFL record for the most rushing TDs in a season, but Smith was far more deserving than his voting total reflected. 

"Turn out the lights, the party's over!"

As the phrase once regularly utilized by Don Meredith goes, one of the three original members of the Monday Night Football broadcasting team along with Howard Cosell and Keith Jackson, it is indeed now all over.  Meredith sang the tune to describe the bleak situation whenever one of the teams featured on MNF happened to find itself getting blown out.  But now the famous chant would be fitting to use in regards to ABC itself.  Tonight's Jets vs. Patriots game bears little impact on the current standings in the NFL as the Patriot's can't really change their playoff seeding, and the Jets are just trying to get the year over with.  But in regards to MNF history and its legacy, it is the grand finale to a party that has been hosted and enjoyed by ABC for the past 25 years.

Origin of the Overnight Success Story

MNF on ABC began with a Jets game on September 21, 1970, so it is fitting that it will end with one, though in all liklihood it won't be nearly as great as that first one.  The ingenious idea co-engineered by ABC Sports boss Roone Arledge and NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle, that blossomed into the spectacular prime time sports event we see today, has easily been the most successful and longest running prime-time sports show in history, and only trails 60 Minutes by two years as the longest running primet-time show period.  It was and has been everything that ABC could have hoped for and more.  Some of footballs greatest memories took place on the Monday Night Stage.  The show has served as a National Showcase of sorts for whichever teams have played on it.  The entire NFL and fans alike were all huddled around their TV sets, all equally mesmerized by ABC's weekly spectacle that gave birth to some of the greatest moments in the history of the NFL, and started the weekly tradition of tuning in to see what some of the best in the league had to offer.

MNF is Moving on to Greener Pastures, Emphasis on the Green

However, now that ESPN has an 8 year contract to air MNF games on its own network, a privilege for which they will pay 1.1 billion a year, the ABC legacy of MNF football has reached its end.  Long standing host Al Michaels will join ESPN's Joe Theismann beginning next year to start a new era for MNFon ESPN.  Many do not like the change just because of ESPN's choice to put Theismann in the booth of all people, but MNF on ESPN just seems out of place to me.  Its like seeing your favorite team move from the old stadium where your father took you to see your first game and you grew up watching them play, only to watch your team move into a bigger, fancier, and corporately inspired ball park named after a bank or cellphone company.  Sure, eventually you get over it, but it just has that awkward feeling that won't go away for a little while. 

One of the great things about having MNFon ABC was that the entire country had access to seeing it.  MNF's corporate move over to cable-only ESPN is a bit disheartening, but most people nowadays do have cable or at least live near a bar with 20 plus flat screens all dedicated to showing the game, so the diminished degree of access won't be felt nearly as bad as it would have 10 or 15 years ago. Though I am sure MNF will continue its fine tradition on ESPN, the end of MNF on ABC still has me feeling a bit nostalgic.

The Best Moments on Monday Night Football

There have been many historic nights and performances over the years, from Tony Dorsett's record setting 99 yard TD run in 1983, to Brett Favres magical performance against Oakland just one day after his father died in 2003. 

Who have been some of your favorite or least favorite broadcasters in the booth? Cosell, Gifford, Dierdorf, Miller, Madden? 

 What have been some of your favorite memories from the last 25 years?  Was it when the Jets came back from being down 30-7 against Miami in 2000?  Was it when Miami ended the Bears quest for a perfect season in 1985?  Maybe it was when Lawrence Taylor broke Theismann's leg for all the sadists out there?  Or perhaps it was when Nicolette Sheridan dropped her towel for T.O. and the rest of the country last year? 

Take a little stroll down memory lane with me and voice your comments as we wish farewell to MNF on ABC this evening.

That Lambeau Magic Seems To Have Vanished

2005 has definitely been a year that Brett Favre and Packers fans would absolutely love to try and forget, but it certainly will not be easy to do.  Watching the Packers abysmal play this season has been about as enjoyable for Packers fans as being locked in a room while forced to watch the Super Bowl Shuffle as it is replayed over and over on a 24 hour loop.  This year must have been down right depressing, not only because it was the worst season Green Bay has had in quite some time, and the worst of Favre's career, but because Green Bay's Superman himself has to bear the greatest amount of blame for this embarassing and somber season.  A man, who they so regularly saw lead their team to greatness and glory, is now the driving force behind its plunge into the ground.

Brett and Green Bay have heard the criticisms before.  Time and time again over the past few years the questions surrounding Brett's diminishing talents and whispers about whether or not he should retire have been met with strong numbers from Brett and a playoff berth by Green Bay.  This is afterall, a franchise that has never had to endure  a losing season so long as Brett Favre was at the helm.   It was Brett who took them to two Super Bowls, managing to bring home the bling on one of those two trips.  This is a man who helped  rescue and fully restore the mystique of Lambeau Field, vindicating the once battered reputation of one the most storied franchises in the history of the NFL in the process.  Yes indeed, for a brief length of time during the 90's, it seemed as though the dynasty days had returned once more to Green Bay. 

However, this year things have been dramatically different and there will be no impressive final numbers from Favre, and definitely no postseason appearance by Green Bay to save either from facing the truth.  In all honesty this is the best thing that could have happened to this franchise.  The stats and playoff berths were only helping to blind many from accepting the inevitable, Favre's time had finally reached an end.  There was not going to be any dramatic finish to what has been an extremely impressive career like John Elway enjoyed as he rode off into the sunset with two straight Super Bowl victories for his team.  The expectations and the results have been in a steady decline for Green Bay for some time now.  They went from winning the Super Bowl, to just making it, to hoping to make the NFC Championship game, to winning a playoff game, to merely making the playoffs.  When the Eagles converted on fourth and mile against Green Bay two years ago, it was over for them and Favre, neither party just knew it yet.                                                                                                                          

Farve's style of play has just become too much of a liability for today's NFL game.  He is a gun-slinger better suited for a different era of the NFL.  Today's game demands consistency, control, and responsible decision making.  Turnovers are more dangerous and will absolutely destroy your team's chances of victory in the NFL today.  Farve loves to throw the ball up, even if it is into triple coverage and hope that one of his receivers can make a miracle play on the ball.  Sometimes they do.  But more often, the other team jumps in front of it and runs it back the other way.  Interceptions have been a concern for Farve in the past, but this year they have been a downright embarrassment.  Before this season it was hard to remember a time when Favre didn't throw a TD in a game, but now its been more than a month.  Last time he did throw one was on November 21 against Minnesota.  Since that game he has thrown 7 interceptions to zero touchdowns, with four of them coming on Christmas Day to the Chicago Bears.

Realizing this was probably going to be his last season, which would mean his last time on national television in a football uniform, I tuned into the game with an interest level that would usually be reserved by a Chicago or Green Bay fan, I am sure I wasn't alone on this.  Though I was majorly let down on what was most likely Favre's last  Monday night appearance just last week, I told myself that it is Christmas, and Green Bay is facing its most hated rival.  I found myself clinging onto just a little faith, in hopes Farve might just blow us all away one more time, surprise the world, and get the debate started once again on whether its really time to rebuild or if Green Bay should take one more shot at it with Favre at the helm.  Needless to say, the result left no doubt as to whether that debate should even be entertained any longer at this point.  Favre just looked absolutely dreadful once again, and had the undeniable look of  a man who is just tired, beaten, and ready to shut it down.  A story book ending would have been nice, but it has to be obvious to everyone, Farve included, that there is zero possibility of it actually happening.

Favre can retire after this year's final game with dignity.  He is  a three time NFL MVP and a Super Bowl Champion.  He is among the top leaders in virtually every statistical category in the books. A bust in Canton is already assured.  Green Bay owes it to him for him to start this year's final game with Seattle to keep his streak alive, but that is where the guarantee should end.  If Green Bay is honest with itself they will realize that a Super Bowl season is not a reality for the Pack next year, which is the only reason Brett should return, and not to chase down records in the stat book.  It is time to enter the rebuilding years for Green Bay.  If Brett wants to stay around as a mentor for Aaron Rodgers next year that is fine, but Rodgers needs to be your opening day starter in 2006, and he must be assured he will not have to look over his shoulder once all year.  It will be hard for Packer fans and Favre to accept, but that era is over.  Its time for a new one to begin, even if it takes some time to develop.  Farewell Favre, you will be remembered as one of the all-time greats, but it is definitely time to go.