Myron Cope passed away today at the age of
79. For those of you who have never
heard of him (and I bet that is many of you), Cope was not only the inventor of
the “Terrible Towel”, but also an announcer for the Pittsburgh Steelers over
the course of 35 seasons, before retiring in 2005.
However, there is more to Myron Cope than meets
the eye. He wasn’t just an
announcer. Not even close. Cope’s legacy should draw inspiration from
many of us, including yours truly.
Growing up and spending my college days at Penn
State, I encountered countless fans of both the Pittsburgh Steelers and
Philadelphia Eagles. The passion ran
deep with all of them, but it was the Pittsburgh fans that I first found to be
so peculiar.
You see, if you’re me, a person approaches you
and asks you about your favorite team and favorite players, and you immediately
will jump into talk about the glory days and players you grew up with, maybe
the current stars, or the hot shots that find themselves in the media spotlight
the most.
But not Steelers fans… no way. When I talked Pittsburgh Steelers football
with close friends in school, there was one individual that each person always
brought up at some point in the conversation…
Myron Cope.
I’ll be honest, at first, I didn’t get it. On multiple occasions, I would visit a
friend’s place to watch football, and the group would mute the television, only
to replace the sound with the audio of Cope.
Believe me, Cope’s voice was not what you would expect out of an
announcer. The best way for me to
describe Cope’s voice would be as an adult version of Screech from Saved by the
Bell. I mean no disrespect, that’s just
honestly how he sounded to me, and quite honestly, the first time I heard him
on the radio, my gut reaction was to quickly reach for the “off button”.
Not for Steeler Nation though… he was music to
their ears.
Therefore, over the course of my years at Penn
State, I was continuously force fed the commentary of Myron Cope. In time, I became used to hearing his
trademark line “Double Yoi!”, as well as a number of other colorful, yet quirky
phrases.
Discussed in a 2002 article via the Pittsburgh
Tribune-Review, after getting sick from inhaling polluted Monongahela River water (due to a lost bet - so to speak - in 1976), Cope was quoted as saying, “Even in a river, I could not keep
my mouth shut.” That was beyond the
truth, but in a good way. While he was
outspoken, nothing could beat his passion for football, specifically the
Pittsburgh Steelers. That’s why they
could relate. That’s why they loved
him. That’s why they thought of him
first, because Cope would toss out so many colorful lines, many of which were a
close facsimile of what the local fanbase had in their own minds.
What many people don’t know about Myron Cope is
that he wasn’t always a radio announcer.
In a 2005 AP article via The Valley website, a portion of the article’s
subject was instead about Cope’s freelance sportswriting days, during the
1950’s and 1960’s. That should draw
inspiration for many of us, who have dreamed of getting into
sportswriting. Furthermore, it should
bring back memories of our childhoods, where as kids, we would announce games on
our own, while pretending that our fist was a microphone. C’mon, we’ve all done it at some point. I know I have.
This was just the tip of the iceberg in regards
to the career of Myron Cope… a unique man that took a path to success that many
people haven’t crossed.
Steeler Nation is in mourning today, and will be
for some time. NFL fans worldwide are
in mourning today. The world should be
in mourning today, because a man filled with great passion and accomplishment
has died.
The holidays are over with and another year has
flown by. 2008 has arrived, and with
it, comes another batch of New Year’s resolutions, among which many never get
fulfilled. Yet, each year, each of us
try and try to cross each off our personal lists. What about the individuals in sports? Surely they have some resolutions of their own. Let’s speculate on some resolutions for 2008
that should or could have been generated by some of the people in the world of
sports… New Year’s Resolutions in Sports **
City of Cleveland Boycott country music
Matt Hasselbeck Change my appearance. Try to look like a young Dr. Phil. Seattle Seahawks Make sure no one involved with Seattle’s “12th
Man” makes a comment about putting Joe Gibbs in a casket.
Pittsburgh Steelers Buy more grass than Ricky Williams has stashed in
his closet (Only… buy the kind to help Heinz Field).
Bill Parcells Convince Wayne Huizenga to officially change the
name of his football franchise to the Tunafish.
Cam Cameron Get a job.
Win two games. If anything, try
to avoid sitting at home watching Spongebob Squarepants in your underpants.
Rich Rodriguez First things first, beat all 1-AA schools. Lloyd Carr Send a freshly baked “humble pie” to those who had
Florida in a blowout.
Mark Richt See Lloyd Carr, except send to the chumps like Mark
May who thought Hawaii could compete with the ‘Dawgs.
Mike Vick Invest in “soap on a rope”. Colt Brennan Invest in an ice bath.
Joe Paterno Sell my car.
Charlie Weis Eat less, win more.
Bob Stoops Win a BCS game… uhh… in 2009. Yeah, 2009.
Bill Stewart Teach a class on interim coaching.
Detroit Lions Fire the coordinator with the poorest numbers next
time. Detroit’s
defense was last in yards per game and points per game.
Bill Belichick Send Eric Mangini some choppy videotape footage of New
York’s 4-12 season.
Marvin Harrison Remember what it’s like to play football.
Todd Collins Accomplish something great, but this time, wait less
than 10 years. Tom Brady Buy a bigger trophy case. Also, buy a bigger “little black book”.
Mike Martz Find someone who can manage my attitude while
equally appreciating my talented offensive mind.
Eli Manning Duplicate last week’s performance (vs. New England)
in the playoffs.
Kyle Boller Follow Brian Billick wherever he goes.
Boston Bruins Win 20 straight games so we can compete with the
other local franchises.
New FOX show “The Moment of Truth” Invite Nick Saban, Bobby Petrino, and a handful of
players from the Mitchell Report to participate.
Kobe Bryant Learn the Nair jingle (“We wear short
shorts…”). Then call Janet Jackson
to discuss wardrobe malfunctions (just in case the Lakers bring those shorts
back again). Carlos Delgado Get a clue. After
being quoted as saying that the New York Mets were “the best team last
year”… Uh, hello? The Mets fell harder than the Berlin
Wall…
Willie Randolph Learn the Heimlich Maneuver Inspired
by Carlos Delgado… and the stretch run (or lack thereof) of the Mets
Roger Clemens …
where to begin? Or should I say… where
to end?
Barry Bonds Work on perfecting my “head is big because of my
ego” speech.
Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees Learn to share. Like
anyone ever fulfills their resolutions anyway…
And finally…
The BCS Ha
ha, yeah right… like its creators have any.
** Please note the above resolutions are all
fictional, and simply a product generated from the twisted mind of the
author. While many may seem accurate,
in no way are they the words and thoughts of the aforementioned athletes,
coaches, or organizations. With that
being said, I hope they provided some amusement to help spark a great 2008 for
you. Happy New year and thanks for
reading - KP
Sometimes, I
really wonder about football fans in the New England area. Yeah, I’m calling you out. Are you real football fans? I have to question it, specifically starting
out with the individuals that run the local television stations. But hey, now that I have everyone’s attention
anyway…
I get it
that your team was entering Sunday’s showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers with
an unblemished record. I get it that
you are gunning for a perfect season. I
get it that you have interest in watching your beloved team play. I GET IT.
But
shouldn’t it be OK to miss perhaps the opening kickoff and first few minutes of
the game to see the completion of another?
Specifically one that has playoff implications and is about to go into
overtime?
Case in
point, yesterday’s game between the Tennessee Titans and San Diego
Chargers. Let me transport you to the
waning moments of the game. The
Chargers were flat all game, with injuries being sustained to key players such
as Philip Rivers, Antonio Gates, and Shawne Merriman. Gates and Rivers fought through the pain and kept playing. As a team, San Diego kept fighting, eventually
clawing their way back, to the point where it was 17-10 in the final minutes,
with the Chargers driving down the field for a game-tying score. The once raucous Tennessee crowd was
becoming uneasy, quieting from deafening cheers to borderline murmurs. You could almost hear each fan squirming
around in their seats. With the game
clock further ticking towards zero, Rivers lobbed a pass to the corner of the
end zone, where star tight end Antonio Gates waited to try and win a jump ball
situation. As Gates reached up into the
sky and snagged the ball, his feet came down near the sideline. In slow motion, I watched in anticipation,
as a fan of the game, and one who loves last second heroics. The official slowly crept up from the side,
and appeared to be raising his hands towards the sky to signal a touchdown
when…
“… 0% down,
come by and pick out your favorite model today…”
No, that
wasn’t an advertisement geared at getting the attention of Tom Brady. It was a car commercial.
I was now
watching a local car commercial highlighting some cheesy jingle and an end of
the season sale. I kid you not.
The first
thought that popped into my head was… “No, they didn’t… they couldn’t have.”
Giving the
local executives the benefit of the doubt, I thought maybe it was a glitch with
the TV programming, and the game was cut to commercial on accident, or just
prematurely.
They didn’t…
they couldn’t have.
THEY DID.
New England
pulled a “Heidi”.
Heidi, the lovable Swiss girl, also the focal point of a children’s movie that so rudely
interrupted a tight matchup between the Jets and Raiders four decades ago next
year. That game was another matchup of
two of the better teams in the league during that time.
The
commercials finally ended, yet the battle between the Chargers and Titans was
gone and off my television airwaves for good.
Instead, the pre-game for the Steelers and Patriots match replaced it
faster than you can say “Spygate”. I
was officially thrust from the climax of one game with playoff implications,
and into a pre-game chat filled with pointless banter.
Is there a
legal contract here that something like this must happen? Or is it that New England is so
self-centered that no other game matters?
Contractual legality is the only thing I can come up with besides the
fact that the head of the TV station is more of a “homer” than a football
fan. Either way you slice it, I see it
as serving up a plate of “just plain ridiculous”.
Say what you
want about it, but my message to the New England media is that you’re an
absolute joke. There, I said it. What are you going to do about it, cut my
cable line?! You simply can’t block out
the final minutes of an OT thriller (with playoff implications) to present the
pre-game for the local team’s matchup.
That’s against “Football Viewing Code” if you ask me.
This further
tells me that there could be a major event in our world today, good, bad, or
tragic, and the local news stations would not dare report it because the
Patriots or Red Sox were on TV. I wouldn’t
be shocked if it were only presented to me in the form of a ticker at the
bottom of the screen.
And that, my
friends, is my rant for today. New
England pulled a “Heidi” on me yesterday.
I wonder what they will do next.
My guess is something new happens by the final week of the season, when
the locals do whatever it takes to get that Week 17 matchup against the Giants
on local TV. Remember, it’s on the NFL
Network. Attention New England: Since
your beloved Patriots will be 15-0 at that point, why don’t you just put it on
every station, much like the press a Presidential address gets. You should put pre-game shows on during the
1 and 4 o’clock time frames too. And
yes, you can cut my sarcasm with a knife.
Who knows
what will go on with the TV broadcast in upcoming weeks. Stay tuned… literally. With all my frustration, maybe I should just
read a book.
This year, I decided that I wanted to throw the greatest Super Bowl party ever. In order to get the ball rolling, I decided to consult my little black book, which happens to contain contact information for a number of various celebrities in the entertainment business and sports world. After numerous phone calls, I struck out on every single one of them! Oh well, I will just have to make do. Either way, I felt it would be worth sharing the responses that I received from everyone, and here they are…
Celebrity Excuses for Not Attending My Super Bowl Party
O.J. Simpson – He said he couldn’t make it, but this week he was free, and would just be killing time until the “big game”. I wanted to mention to him that he could have used a better choice of words, but thought better of it.
Barry Bonds – He said he couldn’t make it, but he was pretty juiced up for the game. Again, another bad choice of words, but I kept my mouth shut.
Roger Clemens – He simply told me that he couldn’t decide where he was going to watch the game.
Brett Favre – He couldn’t decide either.
Pete Rose – He didn’t want to gamble with making the trip, and risk not arriving to my place on time. That came as quite a shock actually
.
Doug Mientkiewicz – He informed me that he would be at the game, and hoping to get his hands on the winning game ball.
Michael Richards – Nah, I’m not going to go there.
Tom Brady – He mentioned his disappointment that he will be spending time at home, and not playing in the Super Bowl this year. During his speech, I really started to feel for the guy, but he later expanded as to how he would be spending time with Gisele, and those thoughts quickly faded away. Jerk!
Howie Mandel – He told me he was watching the game with all of the “Deal or No Deal” ladies. I then began to attempt to make plans to cancel my party and tag along with him, but he declined. Jerk times two!
Bill Cowher – He respectfully declined stating that he would be watching the game on a tropical island, while drinking out of a coconut. Rumor has it that Mike Tomlin sent him a thank you letter while he was there.
Kevin Federline – He simply stated that he could not attend, and would only be able to catch some plays of the game after the fries were done cooking, and the burgers were flipped.
Vice President Cheney – He didn’t have the “heart” to tell me the real reason why he couldn’t come. That’s a tough joke, but it was quite easy to come up with. In fact, coming up with it was easier than shootin’ a can off of a fence… well, maybe not.
Bill Parcells – He said that he would be watching the game at his house, while playing darts on his new customized dartboard (see right).
Neil Patrick Harris – He said that he was making up some mean French onion dip with the “Fab Five” (and he didn’t mean the former Michigan basketball players).
Lance Bass – He’ll be with “N.P.H.”, except he’s making the seven layer dip. Man, those guys are going to have quite the feast, but "Not that there's anything wrong with that!"
Jessica Simpson – She was rattling on and on as to whether or not my TV was broadcast in 1080i, which it is. After all that, she informed me that she hoped to be watching the game with John Mayer.
Nicole Richie – She told me she was going to some five star banquet with friends. She is eating at a five star banquet? Yeah right, she could have used a better excuse, such as “I’m watering my plants” or something along those lines.
Terry Bradshaw – He said he was getting his hair groomed. Man, I don’t know what excuse was worse, Bradshaw’s line or the one by Nicole Richie! These guys are killing me!
Jimmy Johnson –The former coach also said he was getting his hair groomed. Now THAT one I believed.
Matt LeBlanc – He said that he planned to head over to NBC and try to once again convince the network to put “Joey” back on the air. There was something else about a career, and a toilet… or something. I can’t recall. My apologies to FOX for mentioning NBC on my page…
Chris Henry – Yeah yeah, ok, so I’m “beating a dead horse” with the Bengals at this point. Beating a dead horse… now there’s an event one of the Bengal players hasn’t been arrested for yet.
And finally…
Tank Johnson - Tank stated that the ruling (regarding weapons charges) was in his favor, and he will therefore be playing in the Super Bowl after all. Therefore, I wished him the best of luck…
… And overall, the best of luck to all the members of the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts! Good luck to the officiating crew as well. Let’s all hope they do a better job this year!
As for me, it appears as if I will not be having any famous people over for my Super Bowl party. Maybe I can at least get the recipe for that French Onion Dip.
Disclaimer: In all honesty, I know zero celebrities, and don’t even own a little black book. Regarding the beautiful women and models mentioned in this post, I would like to mention that I have eyes for only one beautiful woman… and now she can punch me less after reading this!
Toss out the records. Throw away the seeds. Ignore the home field advantage. It’s the Pats and the Colts in the playoffs… again. This time, I’m not fooled… and I see a matchup truly reminiscent of “David vs. Goliath”. Yes, I am comparing Peyton Manning to “David”, and the New England Patriots to “Goliath”. And yes, I do realize that the Indianapolis defense is clicking and the Patriots have shown that they are more vulnerable compared to recent years.
When it comes to Peyton vs. the Pats, the matchup should be compared to David vs. Goliath
Enter David…
In college at the University of Tennessee, Peyton Manning set a number of SEC records, including most career passing yards (11,201), highest completion percentage (62.49%), lowest career interception percentage (2.39%), and the most career 300+ yard passing games (18).
Manning’s impressive career did not slow down once reaching the NFL, and playing for the Indianapolis Colts. Among the milestones of his career thus far with the Colts include the 2003 co-MVP award, the 2004 MVP award, most touchdowns in a season (49), most touchdown passes in a rookie season (26), most consecutive games with a touchdown as a rookie (13), best passer rating in a season (121.1), 7 pro bowl appearances (including 2007), and an overall QB rating of 94.4 (which is 2nd all-time).
It may be difficult to imagine a two time MVP who arguably already has a pathway paved into the NFL Hall of Fame labeled as “David” in a David vs. Goliath comparison, but in my mind, that is basically what Peyton Manning is at this point.
Sure, while Peyton’s college and professional statistics are impressive, I still have to come and out say… Who cares? I also realize that the Colts have managed to defeat the Patriots two straight times during the regular season. Let’s keep in mind that this was during the regular season though people! Instead, more importantly, it should be noted that Peyton Manning has yet to win the “big game”. To further prove this point, let’s take a brief look back at some of the biggest games of Peyton Manning’s football career thus far…
Wow, 62 points! That result obviously can’t be blamed entirely on Manning and the Tennessee offense, but either way, it still equals a loss to Steve Spurrier and the Gators.
Manning and the Volunteers were #2 in the AP poll and playing at home, but still could not manage to come back and win the close game. This result would later land Tennessee in the Citrus Bowl, where they would defeat Northwestern 48-28. However, the early season loss to Florida (combined with a late season blunder against Memphis) would eliminate any National title hopes for Tennessee.
With his final chance to defeat the Gators, Peyton Manning fell short once again. This time, it wouldn’t hurt the team’s standing as much as in previous years. Manning and the Volunteers would win out and earn a spot in the SEC Championship game.
Tennessee did manage to squeak out a one point win against the Auburn Tigers in the SEC Championship game, which would land Manning and Tennessee in a major bowl game, and a possible outside chance to win a national title.
With an outside shot to compete for a National title, Manning and Tennessee would get crushed by the Nebraska Cornhuskers. All in all, it was a disappointing finale to a solid collegiate career for Peyton Manning.
National Football League (Indianapolis Colts)
January 18, 2004 (AFC Championship Game)
Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots – Patriots win 24-14
Two playoff wins against Denver and Kansas City would earn both Peyton and the Colts a spot in the AFC Championship game. In his first playoff matchup against the Patriots, Manning and the Colts were manhandled in New England. While the score appears to be close, the game really wasn’t. New England scored seven times, including five Vinatieri field goals, a safety, and a touchdown from Tom Brady to David Givens. The Pats led the game 15-0 at halftime, and took a 21-7 lead into the fourth quarter. New England’s inability to score touchdowns allowed the Colts to remain in the game, especially after Indianapolis added a touchdown in the fourth quarter (to narrow the lead to seven points). However, an Adam Vinatieri field goal shortly thereafter would ice the victory for New England. Peyton Manning’s first big game playoff opportunity was one to forget, as he was intercepted four times (including three by the pesky Ty Law, who also happened to intercept Peyton twice in this year’s playoff game against the Chiefs).
January 16, 2005 (AFC Divisional Playoff Game)
Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots – Patriots win 20-3
Peyton Manning and the Colts started off with another playoff victory over the Denver Broncos, but a much bigger challenge was ahead a week later. Once again, Manning had to face Tom Brady and the Patriots, but this time, Indianapolis came in sporting the highest scoring offense in the NFL. Even so, the Colts still had to travel to Gillette Stadium, where it was bitter cold and snowing during portions of the game. The high octane Colts offense would once again be grounded by Belichick, as Indianapolis was held to a measly three points. As for Manning, in this game he would throw for 238 yards, while having zero touchdowns and one interception.
January 15, 2006 (AFC Divisional Playoff Game)
Pittsburgh Steelers at Indianapolis Colts – Steelers win 21-18
Last season, the Colts came in with the number one seed in their conference, and guaranteed to play in the comforts of the RCA Dome throughout the AFC playoffs. Once again it didn’t matter, as Bill Cowher and the Steelers blitzed their way to an upset win, despite a late comeback by Indianapolis. Overall, this was one of Peyton Manning’s better playoff performances, as he had 290 yards passing and a touchdown. However, at times, Manning looked rattled and confused by an aggressive Steelers defense, which often never even allowed Manning to throw the ball away. The Steelers led the game 21-3 after three quarters, all while playing at Indianapolis. Late blunders by the Steelers allowed Manning and the Colts to stay in the game. Jerome Bettis had a critical fumble near the Indianapolis goal line, which was recovered by the Colts. Instead of being returned for a touchdown by Indy, Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger made a critical tackle that saved the game for Pittsburgh. The game was then put into Manning’s hands, who managed to get the Colts into somewhat respectable field goal range. Later, Indianapolis kicker Mike Vanderjagt would miss the 46 yard field goal (and this one wasn’t even close to going in), which would have tied the game. The result was another devastating loss for the Colts, and a number one seed in the AFC had been squandered.
“Big Game” Synopsis
During Manning’s college career, Tennessee and Florida were considered not only among the elite SEC football teams, but also among the best in the country during the mid to late 1990’s. During his time at Tennessee, Peyton Manning was unable to defeat Steve Spurrier and the Florida Gators.
In the NFL, Peyton Manning has had an extremely successful career thus far from a statistical standpoint. However, during the playoffs, Manning and the Colts have sputtered. Overall, Peyton Manning has a career playoff record of 5-6 (which includes this year’s wins over Kansas City and Baltimore), including zero Super Bowl appearances and a 0-2 record against the New England Patriots.
Enter Goliath…
The “Goliath” of this story is the New England Patriots, the most dominant NFL franchise of the new millennium. Plain and simple, Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, and the Pats know how to get it done, especially when it comes to crunch time in the playoffs. After all, the Patriots already have three Super Bowl rings to prove this fact, and still remain alive in this year’s playoff chase. With the New England steamroller still trudging along, if another team such as the Colts do not step in and stop the madness, Belichick, Brady, and the gang may soon run out of fingers for all of their rings. OK… so that may be exaggerating slightly, but you get the idea.
The most recent example of New England’s postseason mastery is a comeback victory against this year’s best regular season team, the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers led the game 14-3 late in the first half, and 21-13 late in the fourth quarter, but costly turnovers, mental errors, stupid penalties, and poor late game clock management eventually did in the NFC West Champion San Diego squad. Inside two minutes, Patriots rookie kicker Stephen Gostkowski did his best Vinatieri impression by launching a go ahead field goal straight through the middle of the uprights. Shortly thereafter, a last gasp 54 yard field goal attempt by San Diego kicker Nate Kaeding was a hair short (and right) of tying the game. The result sealed yet another postseason victory for the Pats, and as a result set up another epic battle with their AFC rival, the Indianapolis Colts.
The victory over San Diego is an example of one of many impressive playoff performances by the New England Patriots in recent years. To drive the point home, here are just a few critical statistics to prove that the Patriots are the “Goliath” in this story.
>> Since 2001, the New England Patriots have won three Super Bowls
>> Under Belichick, the Patriots are 12-1 in the playoffs (dating back to the year 2001)
>> One stat during the San Diego game this past weekend mentioned that during the playoffs, Belichick (as the Patriots coach) has not allowed a single point to any opponent on their opening drive
>> Tom Brady has 19 TD’s and 8 INT’s in the playoffs compared to Manning’s 16 TD’s and 13 INT’s
>> Tom Brady has two Super Bowl MVP awards along with a career 12-1 record in the playoffs (including ten in a row, which is a current NFL record)
Combine the story of New England’s recent incredible playoff stretch along with the fact that Peyton Manning has not proven to any of his critics that he can win the big game yet, and the perfect David vs. Goliath scenario is set into place.
“David vs. Goliath” Part III
With the Patriots in the way, Peyton Manning and the Colts still have quite the uphill battle ahead of them if they want to reach their ultimate goal, that being a Super Bowl title and hoisting up the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
With the Patriots in the way, Peyton Manning still has quite the uphill battle ahead of him.
This is Peyton’s best opportunity to date, as the Colts have again made the AFC Championship game, but this time, the Pats have to come to their house. Here are a few key points to the AFC Championship this weekend.
>>New England is more vulnerable compared to recent years, and Tom Brady’s game has been flawed at times this season. However, Brady proved against San Diego that he can still step it up when the game is on the line.
>>Playing on the home turf of the RCA Dome should help an already red hot Colts defense, especially speedy playmakers such as Dwight Freeney and Bob Sanders. The dome turf will also help Indy’s offensive weapons, mainly receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne.
>>The raucous Indianapolis crowd likely will be a factor in the game… that is of course, unless Tom Brady and the Patriots can manage to quiet them down in the early going.
>>The New England running game and clock management will be an important key to the game, along with Peyton Manning’s ability to adjust to Bill Belichick’s game plan.
>>Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are not the only difference makers on the field. The winner of this game will advance due to an overall team effort.
Stemming off of my final point, I do in fact realize that I have put most of the focus on Peyton Manning, and not the Colts as a franchise. While it is also very clear to me that football is a team game, critics will always still try to find someone to blame. The blame game of the NFL almost always falls into the hands of the head coach and/or the quarterback, which is why my focus has been mainly on Manning and his inability to lift his team to a crucial “big game” victory. While the Colts defense was the main issue during the regular season, the Indy defensive unit has righted the ship and performed nearly flawlessly thus far in the playoffs. As a result, the game could fall back onto Peyton Manning, who likely will be the deciding factor of the AFC Championship this year.
Now the question looms… should you root for “David” to slay “Goliath”?
Why you should root for David
In my mind, the average NFL fan should be cheering on Peyton Manning and the Colts in this year’s AFC Championship game. When I say average fan, I mean those fans that do not have a vested interest in this game. Therefore, fans whose favorite team is no longer in the playoffs (so calm down New England, cheer all you want for your beloved Patriots). The obvious exceptions to the rule are fans of the Baltimore Ravens. As most of you know, Baltimore fans had their hearts ripped out by the Colts years back when the team left them (for Indianapolis) overnight. Salt was recently poured into the wounds of Baltimore football fans when the Colts defeated the Ravens in the AFC Divisional Playoff game. Toss in there the occasional non-Gator SEC fan who is still bitter at Manning, the fantasy football manager who lost in the playoffs due to Manning’s statistical performance, or even maybe the occasional Saints or Bears fan who feels that his/her respective team will fare better against this year’s New England Patriots team in the Super Bowl.
Why else should you root for Peyton Manning and the Colts? Well, certainly everyone is entitled to their opinion. I just see Manning as a poster boy for the game today, and I overall have a great deal of respect for him. Not only does he show up on TV with a number of likeable commercials, but Peyton is a supreme example of an individual working hard to attain a goal. Every time the cameras pan over to Manning on the sideline, he is looking at film printouts, and researching ways in which he can get better. I don’t think you see enough of that in the game today. Why not root for one of the poster boys of the NFL today, and a model citizen who gives money to charities, works hard, is a good role model, etc? If all the hard work by Manning doesn’t eventually translate into a championship, Peyton will likely be called the greatest player to never win a major title (even ahead of former Miami QB Dan Marino). That is a story for another time though.
In Conclusion
From my standpoint, I do understand that in the historical story, David eventually defeats Goliath, and he does so by using a sling to launch a stone at Goliath’s head. Overall, in my mind, the story is an improbable one about a man of small stature armed with only sticks and stones, but who manages to defeat the giant Goliath, when many thought it was not possible. Peyton Manning is by no means a small man, and is also a very likeable person actually… well… that is… “if you like 6’ 5” 230 pound quarterbacks… laser…rocket arm”. Instead, my comparison to the story is that to this date, Peyton Manning has gone nearly a decade without winning the big game, and he always seems to find a nemesis at every level of football (Florida in the college ranks and New England in the pros).
All in all, eventually I do think that Peyton Manning will eventually defeat the Patriots in the big game (a.k.a. the playoffs), but the real question is… when will it happen? Will it be this year? Will this be the year that David finally slays Goliath? Only time will tell.
* All College Rankings were taken from the AP Poll during the week of the actual game
I know that I am not the first one to blog about the Super Bowl or the officiating, and I also certainly will not be the last.I am also not one to frequently write about common topics, but this time it is just too hard to resist.Even after a week, my brain just will not allow me to move on without creating a posting about the final game of this most recent NFL season.Ahh, yes… the final game… “Super Bore XL”. I mean, Super Bowl XL… my fault.It has been over a week now, but the game is still fresh in my mind.I have had this posting brewing in my archives for a while now, and it is about time I just posted it and moved on to my next piece.
Yes, the Super Bowl… the center attraction of what I like to call the “NFL Zoo”, which features all of the league’s “animals”.Among the list of “animals” at the “NFL Zoo” include the league officials, coaches, players, past players, owners, celebrities, media, and advertisers, who all flock to one place for one final time that year, that being the Super Bowl.Two teams, the “kings of the jungle”, remain in the running to get their hands on the Lombardi Trophy.One team would finally emerge as the solo king of the zoo’s jungle, and this year that turned out to be the Pittsburgh Steelers.The exciting road to being the “king of the jungle” is what keeps the “NFL Zoo” in business.Along that road though, the zoo has to keep all of its parties happy.
However, this year, the main attraction for the game was actually the officiating crew or “zebras” as they are often called.The “zebras” stole the headlines at the “NFL Zoo” on Super Bowl Sunday this year.
But why were the “zebras” the main attraction at this year’s Super Bowl?
Where does one start to answer such a loaded question?There were so many questionable calls and glaring moments in Super Bowl XL.First of all, isn’t this supposed to be the best crew in the NFL?Come to think of it, the officiating was pretty horrible throughout the playoffs.
I want to start by stating that I was an indifferent fan during the game.I am not a die-hard Seahawks fan, and you will never see me waving a “Terrible Towel” and rooting for the Steelers.Furthermore, I am a die-hard fan of the Washington Redskins, and an avid football watcher.I crave a solid and competitive game, and usually am more likely to let somewhat questionable officiating slide by the wayside, unless it happens again between Michigan and Penn State in college football (but that is a topic for another time).
Bear in mind, I realize and understand that it is not easy to call a game in the NFL, and certainly us as fans have the luxury of seeing all replays in slow motion, when the officials have to make every call at full speed.Thankfully, instant replay now exists to assist with more consistent officiating.In fact, there are many occasions where great calls are made, and these officials should be applauded more for when those instances do happen.Honestly, I even think a few blown calls a game are OK, as long as not during completely critical times.What really “grinds my gears” though is when a game is so completely lopsided, and every call is going one team’s way.As an indifferent football fan, I witnessed this during Super Bowl XL.And as a fan of the game, I am almost inclined to consider taking the “conspiracy theory” approach and begin wondering if this happened for a reason.
Ahh, conspiracy theories… fun stuff, don’t you think?Consult the great website “dictionary.com” and you are provided with the following definition:
conspiracy theory n.
A theory seeking to explain a disputed case or matter as a plot by a secret group or alliance rather than an individual or isolated act.
conspiracy theoristn.
Secret group or alliance?Doubtful… or is it?There couldn’t possibly be some kind of secret alliance within the NFL, could there?We know the “zebras” were not behind it, but if at all, just a cog in a more deep routed plan.
If the “zebras” were behind this plan, what kind of conspiracy theories could one accuse them of?I tried to brainstorm reasons, and only could come up with a series of discredited conspiracy theories.Among those include the following…
-- The Officiating crew got scared when seeing all of the Seattle Seahawks logo “foamhead” hats worn around the stadium, and reacted against their team in thinking it would keep them from contracting the “bird flu”.
-- Prior to the game, the officials had likely heard all the rumors about Pittsburgh’s Joey Porter. They were aware that he threatened to “tap out” as many Seahawks players as possible.Perhaps the officiating crew feared that Porter would further threaten to “tap them out”, as he did with his NFC opponents.
-- Being at Ford Field, perhaps the officials thought if they did not let the city’s hometown boy Jerome Bettis win the game, the Ford family may find a way to lay them off.
It wasn’t these zebras (above) that blew Super Bowl XL… but why the fuzzy image?Hmm, perhaps this is a view from the eyes of one of Super Bowl XL’s officiating crew.In all seriousness, was there a method to the madness, or just bad luck for Seattle?
And back to the definition from earlier…
conspiracy theory n.
A theory seeking to explain a disputed case or matter as a plot by a secret group or alliance rather than an individual or isolated act.
conspiracy theoristn.
Conspiracy theorist, that is me in this case.
The Conspiracy Theorist in me, Part I
Perhaps the NFL was simply trying to extract the best possible Super Bowl story for its own good.The NFL would make the most of having “the longest tenured coach” in Bill Cowher to battle through and get his first victory for a popular NFL franchise in the Pittsburgh Steelers.Even more of a story, maybe it was too irresistible for the NFL to paint the perfect storyline for the media, that being future Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis going back home to Detroit for his last game, and have it result in a Super Bowl victory.
Now, before the Pittsburgh fans get their shorts all up in a bunch, I am not discrediting the heart and grit the Steelers had at clawing their way to a fifth Super Bowl title.It was very impressive to go through and beat seeds 1 through 3 in the AFC, and then take out the number one seed in the NFC for the title.
As for the Seahawks, isn’t it enough that Seattle fans had to sit through such a frustrating game, but now it is probably raining on them?Perhaps it was foreshadowing Seahawks fans.You received almost forty straight days of rain (I know for a fact it got into the upper 20’s).Forty days of rain, but to get to Super Bowl XL.Only to be in a dome, but the officials still “rain on your parade”.
The Conspiracy Theorist in me, Part II
Could you imagine the response that Joey Porter would have had if the Steelers were on the opposite side of the questionable officiating?Heck, Porter made comments about the Colts getting favored by officials even after a Pittsburgh victory!What would have happened if Seattle received all the calls in the game, and it resulted in a Pittsburgh Super Bowl loss?Porter may have completely lost his mind.The amount of possible scenarios and thoughts in my head for his actions are endless.
Again, I am not discrediting the Steelers, but there were just way too many questionable calls in this game.Let me list a few that come to mind, and hopefully I have remembered the details correctly as it has been a few days since the game took place…
Darrell Jackson Pass Interference Call:
Calling Jackson on offensive pass interference in the first quarter is a joke in my mind.I realize that after five yards, there should be no contact, but here there was contact by both players.That plus this is the NFL, which is supposed to be a full contact sport.Let them play, especially in the Super Bowl!Did anyone else notice how the official tossed the flag out late only after the Steelers defensive player went over and complained?Unbelievable, and critical to the game, as the Seahawks could have jumped out to an early 7-0 lead but instead had to settle on a long field goal.While it happened in the first quarter, this was “only the tip of the iceberg”.
Jackson kicks the pylon before halftime
Approaching halftime, Darrell Jackson had a great catch down near the goal line.This play was called as out of bounds, which I do believe was the right call.So why am I arguing this play?My reasoning is because it was a close call, and Jackson did kick the pylon with his foot.Does anyone recall during the regular season when Michael Vick was called in because his body crossed the goal line and not the ball?That is a rule in the NFL now.It does appear that Jackson may have been out of bounds before kicking the pylon.However, inside two minutes, the officials can and should review close plays.They reviewed a few tight plays for Pittsburgh, but not this one for Seattle.My question is why?This play should have been looked at to make sure that Seattle did not get into the endzone and add seven points before the half.
The Roethlisberger TD Run
This play was reviewed, and the call was not overturned, and Big Ben received the touchdown.However, did he really get in?It was very close that is for sure, but it looked like he did not score.Even Roethlisberger himself admitted to David Letterman on national television that he did not score on that play, yet the officials let the play stand even after a review.This play is not as big of a deal as Pittsburgh would have likely put some points on the board anyway.
The Phantom Holding Call
In the third quarter, Hasselbeck completed a beautiful pass to Jerramy Stevens down inside the five yard line, which would have set up a first and goal for the Seahawks.However, this play was called back due to a holding call… a holding call that on the replay did not exist.I don’t call myself a master of play calling in football, but even the announcers and other professionals admitted that there was no holding on that play.Instead of having first and goal, the Seahawks were now pushed back to a third and long play, which Hasselbeck ended up tossing an interception instead of having the opportunity to hand the ball off to RB Shaun Alexander.This was one of a few holding calls that were questionable during the game, and all of them appeared to occur after big plays by Seattle.
Hasselbeck and Roethlisberger Tackling and Blocking Techniques
The rules of the NFL have been stated that a player can make a tackle below the waist on the player who has the ball, but they can’t make a block below the waist on an individual who does not have the ball.A block below the waist will result in a penalty.After the phantom holding call mentioned above, Hasselbeck tossed a long pass on the next play, resulting in an interception.After the interception was made, Hasselbeck hustled down to make the tackle, and he did so by going below the waist in order to bring the player down.This was called as a penalty, yet the rules are stated by multiple sources that Hasselbeck should have been allowed to do this.Even more curious is later in the game during the trick play called by the Steelers.Did anyone notice Roethlisberger during this play?Bear in mind, this was a great call by the Steelers, and it was perfectly executed.However, once Randle El had the ball in his hands, Big Ben moved in to block for him, in which he did so below the waist just like Hasselbeck (except Matt’s tackle was on a player who had the ball).I am not the master of the NFL rulebook, but should this have been allowed and did anyone else notice this?Either way, it is possible that this could have resulted in a penalty, but no flag was thrown and Pittsburgh was awarded with a touchdown.
Hasselbeck Scramble and Fumble
Late in the game, Hasselbeck made about a twenty yard scramble for a first down as Seattle was driving.If you recall this play, you will also remember that the play was overturned to the correct call.At first, Hasselbeck was ruled as fumbling and losing the ball, but since there was next to no other players around that would result as obstructions, it should have been blatantly obvious that the Pittsburgh player had made contact with Hasselbeck’s jersey before the fumble.However, he was called as untouched.My issue with this play is that the Seahawks had to waste a challenge in order to get the proper call made here, when it seemed obvious in full speed that this was clearly not a fumble by the Seattle quarterback.The officials did eventually get this one right, but it still took away a challenge as well as some of Seattle’s momentum.
Now that I have discussed some of the play calls that irked me during the game, I shall break off into a tangent and briefly touch upon the players and coaches themselves, and attempt to back them up as not part of the “secret alliance” that rigged Super Bowl XL.
One last time let us revisit the definition for “conspiracy theory”…
conspiracy theory n.
A theory seeking to explain a disputed case or matter as a plot by a secret group or alliance rather than an individual or isolated act.
conspiracy theoristn.
Who could this secret group or alliance be?
Let’s first focus on the two teams participating in Super Bowl XL.
The Steelers
Here you have the Pittsburgh Steelers, a proud historical franchise who took home their fifth Super Bowl title. Featured on the team is the longest tenured coach in the NFL in Bill Cowher, along with a popular and well known owner in Mr. Dan Rooney. I have to give Bill Cowher some credit.For years, I saw that man on the sideline and thought that he looked evil with that glaring stare, and someone that would step on whoever he wants to get what he wants.In all honesty, after these playoffs, I now see Bill Cowher as a classy guy and a warmhearted family man.That grimace and stone cold stare was simply resulting from pure focus and determination.Cowher did a great job keeping the Steelers on track throughout the playoffs. He got the job done and deserves credit for doing so.Perhaps you could look to Hines Ward, who has made it known how he feels about Jerome Bettis, and his overall desire to get Bettis a title before he retired from the game.But could Ward seriously have enough power to make something like this happen?Again, it is more for the fun of discussion, but all of the Pittsburgh players very likely had nothing to do with such a crazy plot.As for Ward, he simply played hard and had extra incentive in also playing for Bettis.Speaking of Bettis, you have a future Hall of Famer who came back to his hometown of Detroit, won his final game before retirement, and finished his career as a winner and a champion.You can be happy for Bettis sure, but he is the possible reason for this outcome.I do not intentionally mean to sound bitter and I am not trying to discount the way that the Steelers played during the stretch run.Pittsburgh played well throughout the playoffs, and they did play well in the second half of the Super Bowl, making the plays they had to make to win the game.With exception to Joey Porter, the Steelers are a group of mostly classy and exciting football players.Even Kimo von Oelhoffen, the defensive end who may have ended Carson Palmer’s career, is a good hearted individual as you could tell how torn apart he was to even have injured the Cincinnati quarterback.Porter, on the other hand, complains about the officiating, and discusses plans to “tap out” his opponents.Even Porter though would not put out this personal vendetta to the officials, but instead he is the type of player that would leave it all out on the field and bust his backside to try and humiliate his opponents as much as humanly possible.Count these individuals out of this plan, as per the definition of “conspiracy theory”, it is not by individual, but if an actual conspiracy, there would be a group involved.Therefore, it would have to have been the team as a whole, and I sure hope that this did not happen, even for Jerome Bettis.It likely did not.
The Seahawks
Obviously, the Seahawks would never purposely attempt to take themselves out of the game, so one could count them out as a team group and as individuals.The ‘Hawks would not purposely rig a loss in the Super Bowl, as they are by no means the fictional Cleveland Indians from the movie “Major League”, in which the owner purposefully tried to get the team to lose games so she would be able to move the team to Miami.Even though Seattle can be easily counted out of the conspiracy, I still want to touch on some of their players as I did with that of Pittsburgh.I was impressed to see the Seattle players avoid talking trash on the officials after the game, but instead congratulate the Steelers on the victory and state that they simply did not make enough plays to win the game.Hasselbeck and Alexander were classy during interviews after the game, as was Holmgren.Coach Holmgren finally made a statement to the fans about the officiating simply stating that he was surprised to have to not only have to play against the Steelers in the game, but also the game’s officiating crew.I can’t blame Holmgren for stating that to the disgruntled Seattle fans, as he is human. Even TE Jerramy Stevens, who got a bad rap with the pre-game comments he made, never threatened to “tap out” or provide any other hostile remarks directed at his opponents. Stevens was instead honorable in finding a way to state that he meant no harm with his original comments, but would also not back down from them.In the end, Jerramy Stevens accidentally got his name thrust into the headlines, and never was able to hold up his end of the bargain.Maybe being in the spotlight razzed Stevens too much, as he had three or four perfect passes from Hasselbeck that he was not able to come away with.Being open almost all night long, Stevens had many opportunities, as did kicker Josh Brown.However, you can’t blame Josh Brown, as all his field goal attempts were up in the upper 40’s to 50 plus range.Brown does have quite a strong leg, and almost hit all of them, but even though he is paid to kick the ball through the uprights, those monster kicks are not guarantees.Furthermore, Seattle dominated most of the game (turnover battle in favor of Seattle 2-1, as well as time of possession 33:02 to 26:58 - most of the time Pittsburgh added in the fourth by running out the clock), yet still did not win.The Seahawks had 7 penalties for 70 yards, while the Steelers had 3 for 20 yards (with two of those I believe being false starts early in the game). Seattle had the opportunities, but certainly was not helped by the officiating.However, even if the officiating had been more even throughout the game, I’m not saying that Seattle would have pulled it out.The game likely would have been much closer, and more exciting. Enough about the ‘Hawks though, as they would obviously not intentionally make winning the Super Bowl more difficult for themselves.
Hmm, secret group or alliance… the secret group…not Pittsburgh, and not Seattle…
Perhaps the NFL league officials are the secret group or alliance?Maybe the zebras became the focus of the game at the request of the NFL league officials?But why??
The Conspiracy Theorist in me, Part III
If there were ever a reason that some crazy conspiracy theory was actually true, and the Super Bowl was rigged, why would it be?A simple question leads to a simple answer.
Money.
Dollars.Coin.Bucks.Dough.Bling Bling.Greenbacks. Money, money, and more money!It could have been all about the revenue for the NFL, and one could argue that the NFL would have lost a vast amount of revenue if Seattle had won this game, just like in past Super Bowl games such as the Patriots / Packers game (when New England did not have the revenue draw, as they do today), as well as others.Perhaps the NFL media wanted the Steelers to win and this is why the officials swayed their calls in Pittsburgh’s favor.Even the game coverage showed more visuals and highlights of the Steelers.Anyone recall the player bio’s with the Lombardi Trophy?My one friend during the game pointed out that they were all Steelers players.Unless I missed some of those, he was right.The only Seattle player I recall was Hasselbeck in the third quarter, and the rest were the Steelers including Coach Bill Cowher, QB Ben Roethlisberger, WR Hines Ward, and RB Jerome Bettis toward the end of the game.They saved Bettis for last, because perhaps they knew that they could?
I want to reiterate that I am not a Steelers hater, so don’t even go there.A number of my friends are Pittsburgh fans, as I am a Penn State graduate, and I’m happy for them as they are able to celebrate a Super Bowl championship.I’m especially happy for my friend Sean, who I also went to college with.During Super Bowl XXX, I heard from a mutual friend that Sean practically gave himself a concussion by ####ing his head off his dresser after Pittsburgh blew an opportunity to defeat the Cowboys.Being a Redskins fan, I feel his pain, as it is always tough losing to the Dallas Cowboys.However, I can’t imagine inflicting bodily harm on myself.Anyway, I was happy sitting at home knowing that Sean’s wife more then likely did not have to take him to the hospital after the victory.Then again… the victory celebration could have resulted in its own set of problems.Oh well, either way you look at it, what a controversial game the Super Bowl was this year.
As for Seattle fans, while I feel for you in this time of frustration, I have supreme confidence that all of you are already doing just fine.It takes a positive attitude to deal with all that rain, and I’m sure that many of the fans of Seattle will certainly turn a “positive spin” stating that their team did get to the Super Bowl, and could very well be back again next season.Perhaps the Seahawks fans should look to the Raiders for help, as they are no longer a division rival and had to deal with the agony of the infamous “tuck rule”.Speaking of the “tuck rule”, I still to this day have never heard one Patriots fan admit that they got lucky with that play, and that the rule was a joke.If there is a New England fan out there that would like to admit it, please post a comment for my own sanity.If you are going to state what every other Pats fan says up here in Boston, then please spare me!
To summarize, I am taking an approach as a football fan who feels that Seattle was not the only team and fan base that was cheated on Super Bowl Sunday 2006.The general populous of football fans were cheated by watching this game.Not only was the game not that exciting, but also sloppy and poorly officiated.Some of the guys at our party were falling asleep.I almost found myself hoping for commercial breaks to see what ads were featured.Alas, not even the commercials were great this year, which is equally frustrating.I am however working on building my own “Magic Fridge” though.What can I say, my roommates get thirsty.Let’s hope that the NFL gets “thirsty” for a cleaner and more exciting Super Bowl XLI.Or maybe that will only happen if two storied or popular franchises are playing in the game, such as the Cowboys and Steelers, or the “New Patriots” and Packers, or the Colts and Redskins, etc.Or perhaps that is just the “Conspiracy Theorist in me”.
Every now and then I will post a “tidbits” blog, which features a random sampling of recent sports stories.The reason for “tidbits” is basically that I don’t have enough details for a full article, but still would prefer to blog about it.
For this week’s “tidbits” segment, I am focusing on Super Bowl XL, Ben Roethlisberger, Alexander Ovechkin, and Jay Gibbons.Enjoy!
Big Ben Saves the Day
Ben Roethlisberger single handedly saved the victory for the Steelers in the AFC divisional playoff game against Indianapolis.It was him, not Vanderjagt losing it with his wayward kick.It was not the Steelers defense, though they certainly helped in keeping Peyton Manning and the Indy offense off balance.Big Ben saved the day, and not on offense.Roethlisberger saved the game when he hustled down the field immediately after the Bettis fumble and put himself in position to make the game saving tackle at the 40 yard line.If Roethlisberger did not immediately drop back to make the play, the Colts instead cruise down the field for an easy TD and a four point lead with less then a minute to go in the game.The Steelers may be a six seed, but they are not playing like one.They have the talent of a team that deserved a bye week.Furthermore, Roethlisberger is not playing like a second-year player, but instead one with poise to take his team to a Super Bowl title.One more game to go and Ben and the Steelers will already be there.The only team in the way is Matt Hasselbeck, Shaun Alexander, and the upstart Seattle Seahawks. Sunday promises to be an interesting game for sure.
Super Bowl XL Prediction
Steelers vs. Seahawks
Pittsburgh has made a great run after rattling off three straight road wins against the 1, 2, and 3 seeds in the AFC. Many people out there feel they will continue that streak and take the title, allowing for Jerome Bettis to retire on top.However, you cannot underestimate Mike Holmgren and the very balanced Seahawks squad.Seattle has the league MVP in Shaun Alexander, who has had an additional two weeks to fully recover from the concussion he suffered against the Washington Redskins in the NFC divisional playoff game.While the Steelers were very efficient in blitzing and causing multiple headaches against both the Colts and Broncos, I see Seattle QB Matt Hasselbeck keeping his composure even with the pressure of the big game.Hasselbeck was able to handle Washington’s “D”, as well as the aggressive Carolina defense.He will find ways to be efficient and move the Seahawks offense when necessary.This game may not be the most exciting matchup, but it should be a tight game and an exciting Super Bowl.After a series of blowouts over many recent years, this Super Bowl game should be far from that.In the end, Mike Holmgren will find a way to get it done and beat out Bill Cowher for the title.Look for the ‘Hawks to eke this one out in the fourth quarter, even without the presence of their precious “12th man”.
version of Screech from Saved by the
Bell. I mean no disrespect, that’s just
honestly how he sounded to me, and quite honestly, the first time I heard him
on the radio, my gut reaction was to quickly reach for the “off button”. 
sion airwaves for good.
Instead, the pre-game for the Steelers and Patriots match replaced it
faster than you can say “Spygate”. I
was officially thrust from the climax of one game with playoff implications,
and into a pre-game chat filled with pointless banter.
I kept my mouth shut. 
