Reconnecting With An Old Friend

Over the past year, I have been reconnecting with an old friend, Hockey. It is much harder nowadays to catch a game of hockey than I previously thought, but they are getting more nationally televised contests. Getting back to my point, in getting back in touch with thw sport, I managed to find a Penguins game, doubly difficult since I live on the West Coast, and was flooded with memories of games past and a remembrance of why I loved the game way back when.

I first started watching hockey and the Penguins in particular, in the mid to late 80’s. At the time I was but a budding sports fan who concentrated mainly on the Steelers and Pirates. But during one lull between football and baseball season, I decided to check out hockey and see what it had to offer to me, the sports consumer. What I saw blew me away and I found I had picked the exact right time to investigate this sport. The Penguins at the time were building toward a back to back Stanley Cup run. Their young and talented team was lead by a growing superstar by the name of Mario Lemieux, who by that point had already earned the nickname Super Mario. I was enthralled by the speed, action, skill and strength it took to play professional hockey, and mesmerized by the grace and talent put on display by the players and by Lemieux in particular. I never really knew what it was like to watch early Gretzky, only seeing him in his mid to late years, but by watching Lemieux, I got to see a superstar come into his prime. I saw how he could take over games, how his presence on the ice would change how the opponents would play the game. I saw how Lemieux would create scoring opportunities for not only himself, but also his teammates out of seemingly nothing. Watching Lemieux was a thrill each and every game and it drew me into the game of hockey.

There is a beauty to the game that is unmatched by any other sport. Each player has to have such a diverse level of skills that the men who play could be tremendous athletes in any other sport. To play hockey, you must have the hand-eye coordination and wrist speed and strength of a baseball hitter. You must have the physical strength and willingness to sacrifice your body of a football player. You must have the stamina of a NASCAR driver. You must have the vision and court awareness of a basketball player. Plus, a few times, you need to have the skills of a boxer. And you must incorporate all of these skills together and perform them on a pair of skates on a sheet of ice, which requires the grace and agility of a figure skater. This combination of skill sets made hockey, at least for me, irresistible.

Now, beyond the sheer beauty of the game itself, I found I had much to love in my hometown team.

First, they rocked the same colors as the Pirates and Steelers, which made it easy to already be sporting the right threads. Pittsburgh is the only North American city where all the professional sports teams in the big four (football, basketball, baseball and hockey), wear the same color scheme. Thus, to stand out in such a way in the sports world, and yet stand together as brothers playing for the same fan base, was appealing to me. Sure, now the gold in the Penguins uniforms is a bit different than the other two teams, but that matters little. The Pirates have incorporated red into their uniforms, so no big deal. Hey, each team has to be a bit distinctive in their own way. And if you doubt their connection to the Burgh sports world, just check out the shade of gold on Fleury’s pads, and you tell me that does not make you think Steelers and Pirates.

The team and its star came of age at same time I did, with both myself peaking with high school graduation and moving on to college and into the world at large just as the team secured their second championship. It felt as though we were intertwined on our separate paths. Sure, that sounds a bit nutty, but hey, sports can do that to you.

The Penguins Stanley Cup victories were my first real experience with watching a hometown team secure and celebrate a championship. The Pirates and Steelers, my teams from before I could even remember, had not won a championship since 1979, and being only five at the time I barely recall them. The two Cups that the Penguins brought home to Pittsburgh, I watched the team capture them from start to finish. And it began even before the start of their run as I watched them in the seasons previous as they began building toward that memorable first cup run. It was an intoxicating experience, and unfortunately one I was only able to relive again when the Steelers captured their fifth championship in Super Bowl XL.

And of course, one can never overlook Jaromir Jagr, who had perhaps the best mullet in hockey, and maybe one of the all time best. That alone would be enough of a draw for even the most casual of fans.

But like any good episode of behind the music, after the initial run of success and joy comes the downfall and split, and the Penguins and I experienced both.

The downfall began in 1993, after their disastrous playoff collapse against the Islanders. The team that year was even more powerful than the previous two squads, and was the odds on favorite to capture the cup. However, Mario’s bout with lymphoma had produced a pall over the team, one that at times was difficult to shake. And in a span of seven games, the tenacious team from New York managed to upset the favored Penguins. The series loss crushed me and left a harsh aftertaste, and unfortunately the team was never the same afterward.

That was followed by the players strike in 1994. This was a tough pill to swallow, since baseball was also going through a strike that ultimately ended their season without a World Series, and also brought an end to the contending Pirate teams of the 90s and seemingly beyond. Hockey did manage to at least salvage their season, but after being so disenfranchised by both sports, it was hard to get into the swing of things again, and the rift widened. My personal rift with baseball has never healed, and will never, but that is a story for another day.

Then came Mario’s first retirement. It was not surprising, looking at it now, to see why. He had won two championships, established himself as one of the all time greats and had even survived a bout with Hodgkin’s lymphoma while still playing, at one point coming to a game after treatment and scoring a goal. Plus, the game had changed by the point of his retirement to favor defense, which stifled Mario’s creativity as a player and a scorer. This change also begat more punishing defenders and abuse on scorers, and Mario was target number one. He had already been in the league since 1984, and with the punishment increasing and rules being made that hurt the type of player he was, it was no real surprise that he decided to hang them up. But it was still a blow to fans of the player and franchise that was hard to overcome.

Without Mario, watching Jagr try unsuccessfully to lead the team did nothing to help keep the interest of fans in watching the Penguins. Jagr at the time was an exciting player in his prime, with the ability to score at will. But he was also prone to moody play and had a tendency to be streaky. It was much like watching Pippen take over the alpha dog position in leading the Bulls when Jordan retired for the first time, with the same level of success, unfortunately.

During this entire period, the team was being horribly managed by the ownership group at the time. They wrote ridiculous contracts, paying exorbitant salaries to players in a misguided attempt to keep together the aging cup teams. Their financial management was poor, at best, and they were terrible at marketing and bringing in additional revenue. On top of that, they ignored the fact that to bring in more revenue, the Penguins desperately needed a new home to replace the aging and dilapidated Mellon Arena, but did little to solve this problem. As the team sank deeper into financial trouble, thus began the great player fire sale of the late 90s.

In hopes of reversing some of the financial troubles, they dumped player’s salaries as quickly as possible. In the process, they also stripped the team of any elite talent they had on the ice. This caused a severe drop in the on ice product and an increase in the already waning interest of the fan base. As people watched the team fall apart, they started staying away in droves. It was not that their hopes for another cup were lost, no that had long ago gone. It was that their hopes for a competitive team were gone as well, lost in the shuffle of departing players and impending bankruptcy. And when hope is gone, there is not much left.

This downfall coincided with the Steelers rising again to prominence in the mid 90s. As I am a football fan first and foremost, the Steelers took precedence in my sporting world, leaving me to only start following hockey regularly around January or February, depending on how deep the Steelers went in the playoffs. I had not quite mastered the ability to focus on two sports at once while studying, working and living life. There was just a little too much going on at the time. I am still not sure I have been able to master that skill, but I have improved since I did see a few Penguins games this season before football was over. Of course, that could also be attributed to the Steelers’ lousy season.

If I may a tangent, my worst time as a sports fan came at the end of the decade, as all three of my teams were on a downward slope. The Pirates were still mired in their swoon, one they still have yet to emerge from successfully. Although, on a side note, there does look to be more than a spark of hope from this season’s squad. But only time will tell, as the saying goes. The Steelers were in the midst of a rare slide that saw them miss the playoffs several years in a row, a phenomenon I would prefer not be repeated ever. And the Penguins were rapidly falling apart before my eyes. During this time, let’s just say no home team really captured or held my interest or spawned a blind devotion, since they gave me no reason for said devotion with their play. Now, mind you I am no fair weather fan, I support my teams whether they win or lose and through the thinnest of times as well as the thickest. Nothing drives me nuts more than seeing some cat run around with the hat or a t-shirt of a recent champion, suddenly proclaiming themselves to be lifelong fans of said team. You have to go through the pain to enjoy the pleasure when it comes to sports. If you don’t, the victories are hollow and empty. I went through four AFC Championship losses and one Super Bowl loss with the Steelers and it made their Super Bowl win that much sweeter. I went through the dark 80s with the Pirates, and it made their successes in the early 90s that much sweeter and coincidently that much more painful when they lost the NL crowns. And I went through the step sibling type struggles with the Penguins as they worked to not only become competitive and successful, but also to be looked upon as more than an afterthought in a football/baseball town, and it made those Cup victories as sweet as honey. You will not see me jumping on a band wagon just because the good times are here. But with that being said, one fan can only take so much heartbreak and losing, and all three teams were more than happy to dish out both in droves during that time period, and I found myself needing to take a breather or two from time to time. I would step back and remember all the good times they brought, the championships they won, the players that captured our hearts and imaginations, and remind myself that things can and will change. I reminded myself that one day they will all be back on top and I will be right there with them. Then I would throw myself back into the fray, cope with the losses and continue to hope for a better tomorrow. But it was a tough time for a Pittsburgh sports fan. Luckily, things are looking brighter now. A few weeks ago, I noticed something that made me take pause. At that moment in time, the Pirates were 3-0, the Penguins were in the playoffs and the Steelers had, just a few months before, anointed a young, competitive head coach to lead the team after the retirement of a local legend. It suddenly felt like 1992 all over again. But enough of my reminiscing tangents let us get back to where we left off, the fallout.

The culmination came with the 2004 strike, which really hurt sport on a multitude of levels. Personally, I fell on the side of the players. I felt like they really work hard for their money, and it is a highly specialized and demanding sport. But no one was seeing eye to eye at the time. The players wanted more money, but missed the point that it really was not there. And stubbornness and an inability to see beyond the moment stifled both sides and led them to damage the sport. And even now they are struggling to regain the same level of relevance they once had, although they are making great strides in their new incarnation. The league in its return has changed rules to favor scoring and a more wide open style of play. A style that is far more exciting to watch than what it had become. They got smart and installed salary caps and floors, insuring teams spend money on players and keep themselves competitive. They changed the scheduling around to favor regional match ups and long time rivalries to invigorate the interest of fans. All of these changes have helped in creating a brighter tomorrow for the sport, one that is just on the horizon.

Now, throughout this seemingly endless downward spiral, I kept an eye on the Penguins. While my interest may have waned from time to time, or been captured by other things, my devotion to the team never did. And I watched them through their trials, always hoping for a better tomorrow. Occasionally, there would be sparks of hope, but most of the time they would be extinguished by the splash of failure or mismanagement. But I always followed them hoping for those moments when the team might rise again. And as I watched, miraculous things began to happen.

It began with Mario’s return. Now, while he is a great player, he could not carry a below average team by himself to a championship. But just his return did wonders for the team and the fan base. Hope began to trickle.

That was followed with the drafting of goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury was considered one of the best prospective net minders in a long time, and had the potential to be a franchise player that could backstop a team to a title. When the Penguins acquired him, hope began to flow. As his progress has shown, he is well on his way now to becoming a top flight goalie.

After the strike, there was a real need for hope, since the Penguins needed something drastic to happen to save not only interest, but also their place in Pittsburgh. This came in the form of lucking into the top draft position and grabbing the phenomenon that is Sidney Crosby. Most hockey experts and talking heads kept saying that Crosby could be better than Lemieux and Gretzky, and now he is wearing black and gold. Hope began to rush.

But just as rushing hope began to swell, suddenly up came a log jam. With a mix of fear and hope, I watched over the past several years the ongoing drama of the Penguins attempting to build a new home unfold. When it reached the breaking point of possible relocation in early 2007, fear seized me and all other lost Penguin fans. When I asked myself, why do I care so much, that’s when I realized I had forgotten how much I loved hockey and the Penguins. With that revelation, hope began to come on in a torrent. And much like any good Behind the Music, after that came the redemption.

I began to follow them in the box scores and paper. I suddenly had a slew of Penguin and hockey websites I checked with regularity. I tuned into any Penguins games I could find, which were few before the playoffs began, but like a thirsty man in the desert, I took every drop I could find. This renaissance has reminded me of everything I loved about the game and how exciting, thrilling, fast paced and fun hockey can be.

Now as they embark on their first playoff foray in years that old thrill is back in full force. Watching the maturation of Crosby and this team of young future stars is exciting, and knowing that one day he could be better than his mentor harkens back thoughts of those heady days of watching a young Lemieux come into his own.

But as good as Crosby is, and will be, he will never achieve what Lemieux has for the Penguins. Lemieux has saved hockey in Pittsburgh multiple times, and this cannot be overstated in any way.

His first save came as a player when he brought two championships, respectability and viability to the team. Not an easy task to do, since at the time, and still now, the Penguins rank third in the city behind the Steelers and Pirates. Lemieux almost single-handedly shed the perception that the Penguins were a mere afterthought in the Pittsburgh sporting scene, and helped bring the team into the fold of beloved local franchises. I also believe that now with this youthful, exuberant team he has built they can overtake the Pirates in local popularity.

His next save came as the owner, when he purchased the team in order to save it from bankruptcy and keep it in Pittsburgh. As the team roiled in financial trouble, to the point where it could not afford to pay Lemieux himself, he stepped into the breach and took over the responsibility of leading the organization and kept the team away from potential ownership groups that would have relocated the franchise. He continued in a capacity of owner and player, and eventually just owner, helping to guide the team out of bankruptcy and onto stable financial ground.

Then as a personnel man and smart owner he saved the team yet again in several ways. One by shrewdly identifying and amassing a large collection of young talented players whose maturation will only make the team stronger, more competitive and place them at the top of the NHL mountain for years to come. By becoming a player again and leading by example, showing his young charges how to play the game and imparting upon them his years of amassed wisdom and experience, teaching them in ways that no playbook or scheme ever could. And finally and perhaps most importantly, he helped the team by knowing when to hang up his skates for the last time and to hand the team over to his young protégé and allow Crosby and the young Penguins to find success on their own.

He followed that up by saving hockey in general by playing a role in the creation of a new collective bargaining agreement following the 2004 strike. With this in place, and both sides happy about the outcome, the games finally began again. If it were not for this agreement, there would have been no one on the ice, and no game to save.

And finally, he saved the team as a steward of the team and an adopted son of Pittsburgh, by finding a way against incredible odds to get a new arena plan put in place and signing a long term deal to keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh for a long time to come. This may be the best save of all. And even though he said he would then be selling the team, even this did not happen. The potential buyers fell out, and after this Lemieux announced he would remain as owner. He is a Penguin through and through, and now a Pittsburgher through and through as well.

The Penguins, in their first foray into the playoffs in nearly six years are not faring as well as many had hoped or predicted. But they are a young team and have such bright promise and potential yet in front of them that this first adventure into the post season will one day be looked upon as a mere prelude to what is to come. Heck, most of them look like they do not have the ability to even grow a playoff beard. But one day, and that day will come soon, they will be the toast of the NHL, and their young leader will ascend to the stratosphere of not only hockey greats, but sports greats, and carry his team and the league with him. Crosby does look to one day be able save the sport of hockey by generating a mass amount of interest in hockey by his sheer brilliance and play, and that will be good for everyone. But Lemieux has saved hockey in Pittsburgh more times than Superman has saved Lois Lane, and that is good for all of us Penguin fans, the devoted and those of us who had lost their way and now, finally, found our way home again.

The Crystal Ball The Offseason

Originally Posted on Quick Thoughts on February 8, 2007.


Congratulations and hail to the champions of Super Bowl XLI, the Indianapolis Colts.

Now what did I say last week, the team with the least scandals and distractions would win. And look who won, the team with the least scandals. Shocked I am at this development. Good players and coaches who keep their focus on the field and do not get embroiled in controversies and trouble off the field succeed. The Colts did just that, kept their focus on the game, had no one wrapped up in some off field distraction, kept their minds on the task at hand and came out with a tiffany trophy in their hands. Quality men like this are hard to find, and when they can be found, should be highly regarded. The Colts are such a team, from their head coach to their last player on the practice squad. Coach Dungy said as much too after the victory parade in Indianapolis, saying to the gathered masses how he felt about all of his players and the kind of men they are.

“The thing I love about these guys is there is not one guy out here that you would not want your son to be like, and that is most important to me.”

That is the most telling statement about this Colts team. They are not a collection of characters, but a group of men with character. I feel good about this team winning the Super Bowl because of who they are as people. Too much anymore in our world, and in the sporting world as a microcosm, we see the rewards and spoils being given to those who exhibit poor characteristics such as lawlessness, spoiled entitlement due to their position in life, rampant egomania, selfishness, poor treatment of other human beings, preening self promotion and a general lack of class. It is nice and refreshing that for once, you get to see men who lead by example and work hard not only to be successful athletes, but to be successful human beings as well, walk away as champions. I have mentioned previously that professional athletes should not be looked upon as role models, and I still believe that. These are grown men who play a game for money. Role models should come from those who make a difference in shaping the world of the next generation. They should come from parents, teachers and civic leaders and from those who work to make the world we live in a better place, like scientists, police and doctors. Far too often many of these people fall short of providing a good example to follow, and more often young people look to professional athletes as people to look up to and emulate. While I feel this should not be, if it must then this team would be one that kids can look up to and say, yes, I want to be like them when I grow up. It is nice to see some good people finally come out on top. I certainly would feel far less satisfied and more revulsion if we were talking about the Super Bowl champion Cincinnati Bungles.

I would like to also send a hearty congratulation to all of the Indianapolis fans. This is the first time they get to celebrate an NFL championship. It is an exciting time when your team brings one home for the very first time. Yes the Colts have won a Super Bowl before, but that was when they were still located in Baltimore. Indianapolis has never seen or experienced this, and I will bet they are delirious with joy right now. My only advice is to soak in every moment. You never know when you will get a chance to celebrate again. I had to wait 26 years for my next chance, and I certainly hope I do not have to wait that long for the next one. I have a friend, a Colts fan, who attended the game, and I cannot imagine how thrilling it must be to be at the Super Bowl and watch your team win. Last year, I was on cloud nine for weeks afterward, and all I did was watch the game on TV. I imagine it is an indescribable once in a lifetime experience and I am slightly envious. Come on Steelers, get back on the horse and I will meet you in Arizona in early February 2008.

The game itself was a water logged affair that affected play throughout the evening. Both teams set a record for turnovers in the first quarter with a combined total of 4. But the game had another record to start, that being the first opening kickoff returned for a touchdown. Of course, this excitement was provided by the elusive speedster Devin Hester. He is just amazing to watch. His speed, footwork and field vision are spectacular. After that things did not get better for the Colts, and began to look downright bad. They had a few stalled drives in the first half and more than a few miscues, including a flubbed extra point attempt and an extremely rare field goal miss by Adam Vinatieri. Before too long into the game, the Colts were down 14-6 as the Bears executed a long touchdown drive with a rare big play, and momentum was decidedly in the Chicago camp. But like true champions, they did not panic. They knew they had the preparation and talent to overcome, especially knowing they overcame much more in their victory in the AFC championship game. They showed their ability to remain in control during adverse times throughout the second quarter, and by the end of the half they grabbed a lead which they would never relinquish for the remainder of the game. They played like champions.

As everyone saw, this was a very sloppy game brought upon by rain that poured for the entire contest. Almost everyone figured this kind of weather would favor the Bears. Being an outdoor team far more accustomed to playing in adverse conditions than the Colts, who reside in a dome, at first it did seem exactly that. The Bears shot out of the gate from the opening kickoff, and for a while looked as though they may leave Indianapolis’ title hopes floating in a mud puddle. But there were two major obstacles that the Bears could not overcome, Rex Grossman and the Indianapolis offense.

The first obstacle, Grossman, is one many pundits and fans saw coming in the two weeks leading up to the game itself. Grossman has been too inconsistent to this point in his career. That is not saying he will not develop into a quality quarterback, but he still has a way to go with his passing accuracy, decision making and on field leadership. I have previously said that he is not a good quarterback, and right now, he is not. He has the talent and is capable, but not at the moment is just not very good. Watching him this season you could see his potential, but also how long the road he has yet to travel to become an elite quarterback. But everyone should lay off on busting on the kid too much. While this was his fourth season in the league, it was only his first full season as a starter. It takes time for a quarterback to become comfortable in his offense on the field, with his line and his receivers and with in game conditions. No quarterback will be successful until he reaches this comfort level. It is a lot to ask a first year starter to march through the playoffs and win the Super Bowl. While Tom Brady managed to do it in his first year as a starter, he had years of experience behind him in Drew Bledsoe to lean upon. Having a resource like this I am sure helped tremendously. Grossman does not have a quarterback mentor behind him to aid in his development and therefore does not have this added resource. And it was not until a few years later that we really saw Brady blossom as a starting quarterback. Ben Roethlisberger tore up the manual regarding what a rookie quarterback can do, and even he could not finish the job. Now, he managed to take the Steelers to a championship the next season, but that showed how much more comfortable he became within the offense, with his teammates and on the field. We still have yet to see him blossom, and he may be a year or two away from reaching his true potential. Like I said, it takes a quarterback time to get comfortable and into a groove, and the key to this is patience. Remember, the Chargers drafted Phillip Rivers after two seasons of Drew Brees because they figured Brees would never become a big game quarterback. Look at him now. After a few seasons, he got it. It just takes time, and Grossman still has some time in front of him to develop.

The other obstacle was the Colt offense. The Bears defense played a tremendous game, but they could not, with any sustained success, stop the Colt offense and get them off the field. The Colt offense controlled the entire game and dictated the outcome by staying on the field. Indianapolis held the ball for almost 40 minutes. I know the Bear defense is good, and they did hold the Colts to only 22 points on offense on a sloppy night. But even the best defenses cannot keep an offense from scoring if they are exhausted. And by the end of the game, the Bears defense was just that, exhausted and drained. They gave everything they could to keep their team in the game to the very end. And despite their efforts, they neglected to give themselves more opportunities to win. With the rain coming down in sheets, the Bears, who were so scared of Peyton burning them with the big play kept their alignment in a Cover 2, taking away the big play. However, no Bear coach seemed to notice that Mother Nature had effectively taken care of the big play. Instead, the Bears stayed in this formation, instead of keying on the run, which Indianapolis turned to early and often. By the end of the game, the Colts had built an average of 5.3 yards gained per play average with a significant amount of help coming from big running plays, controlled the clock and dictated the momentum of the entire contest. By not switching their defensive keys, the Bears defense was not able to give the ball, and opportunities to score, back to their offense enough. And when they did, their offense squandered them, turning the ball over five times, once on an interception that was returned for a Colts defensive touchdown. These problems are what the Bears could not overcome, and why they lost.

One other thing I noticed about the game, there was not one single gadget play the entire time. With the increasing usage of gadget plays and trick plays in the NFL over the past few years, I figured we would see something out of at least one team. But no, neither team employed any diversionary stunts or pass receiving linemen. Perhaps the rain put a damper on such things. Something to think about, especially since the game last year was iced on a gadget play.

I would like to send out a special kudos to the Colt offensive line, who, as a unit busted their humps and opened up big holes for Addai and Rhodes against a tough defense known for stopping the run, for creating a virtually impenetrable pocket for Manning all day and for taking control of the game for Indianapolis. Doing these jobs is difficult under ideal conditions, but in a driving rain and on a sloppy field, these tasks become immeasurably more difficult. The entire line did a spectacular job keeping the Bears out of the running lanes and out of Manning’s face, allowing only one sack all game, which came at the end when the outcome was already decided. Without these gentlemen, none of this would have been possible and the Colts would not be world champions. Personally, I could see an argument that these gentlemen were the real MVPs of the Super Bowl. Interestingly, I am not the only one. SI.com’s Peter King runs a column each Tuesday where he responds to reader email. One reader stated this very point, and pondered to King, who has a vote for the game MVP, if we would ever see linemen as a game MVP and said reader went so far as to say that knowing the bias toward traditional skill players that we would never see such an award being granted toward the unsung heroes in the trenches. King’s response confirmed the reader’s assumption. King stated he voted for Manning over anyone else, the running backs and the line, because of his excellent field leadership in adverse conditions. I do not disagree with King, he has a valid point with all that Manning did during the game. But he is overlooking one vital fact. If those five gentlemen in front of him do not do their jobs, Manning would not be able to do his. Does that not embody the definition of valuable? It certainly does to me. Perhaps one day the men on the line will be honored appropriately, but it would seem that day will not come anytime soon.

I am also very happy for Tony Dungy, who with this victory becomes only the third person to win a championship as both a player and a head coach. In Dungy, we have a good man of deep faith who always puts his family first and football second. He has stated he learned how to prioritize what is truly important in his life while working under Chuck Noll. Unlike some other coaches who feel the need to put in 20 hour days to succeed, basically eat, sleep and be consumed by football, Dungy never thought like that. He feels if you had a strong family and strong faith, the work will get done and success will follow. He is a humble man, a leader of men, a teacher and a person to look up to and emulate. It is nice to see the good guy win in the end. Not to take anything away from Lovie Smith, who by all accounts is much the same type of man as his mentor Dungy, but Tony has had to handle rawer deals thus far in his career, and each time he did it with grace, class and dignity. I am thrilled to see a man like this hoisting the Lombardi trophy, a true role model in the sporting world.

Now, much has been said over the past few weeks about the significance of the first African American head coaches to participate in the Super Bowl and now the first to win a Super Bowl, and much of it has been said by those with better prose and insight than I. But what I take away from this is that it is a triumph of opportunity and talent that will influence others for generations to come. Many gentlemen of a different color or race for years had to fight an old boys’ network just to get an assistant job, regardless of their ability to coach. And if they were lucky to get one of those positions, they had to be better, smarter and work much harder than their white counterparts not to get ahead, but merely to stay employed. However, thanks to many forward thinking and trailblazing individuals over the years, such as former commissioner Paul Tagliabue and Steelers owner Dan Rooney, more excellent men and coaches that would have previously been overlooked now have better opportunities to ascend to the top post of a team. These individuals spurred a shift in culture and mindset within the ranks of the league, and many others spurred social changes in our society as well, to assist in changing perceptions and opening doors that had once been permanently closed. Thanks to these changes and the men and women who instigated them, each year we see more young men get opportunities to lead teams. In the coming season, we will see 6 African American head coaches at the helm of NFL franchises, one of whom will be starting his first head coaching job ever. That number constitutes close to 25% of all head coaching positions in the NFL, and a good sign of progress. Now, these are good signs, but there is always progress still to be made. If you stop growing, then you stagnate. But the NFL continues to grow, and that is the best sign of all. As a side note congratulations to the AFC North, who has three African American head coaches amongst the four teams in the division, which shows how dedicated that division is to progress and opportunity.

But this overall shift in mindset and culture is what is most important. It has helped to create opportunities for those with talent to not only coach, but to be a leader and a teacher of men as well. Whether the coaches who earn these opportunities turn out to be Tony Dungy or Art Shell is not the point, and often mistaken as the focus of the discussion. African American coaches, and coaches of any race for that matter, should not have to be perfect or work harder than any other coach or bring in 12 wins a season each year just to keep their jobs. They should be allowed to make mistakes, take chances and win and lose based upon their abilities as a coach and leader. They should be able to know when they pursue a coaching position that they will be given a fair shake based upon their track record and how they perform.

And to me that is the significance of Dungy winning the Super Bowl; that coaches of different races now get, more than ever before, the same opportunity to succeed and fail as every other coach. Dungy has been a very successful coach in the 11 years he has helmed a team, taking 9 of those teams to the playoffs, but not perfect. He has taken chances, some of which paid off and other chances that have not, but he has been able to continue to have opportunities to coach as he sees fit. Tampa Bay foolishly forgot all he did for them in not only building a playoff contender, but resurrecting a franchise, changing the entire mindset of the organization and building a team of quality players and men. The Buccaneers lost sight of all of this and unceremoniously fired him. Perhaps if they did not, Dungy would have already won his first championship as a coach and perhaps have kept the Buccaneers reloaded and primed for continued runs toward another championship. As they stand now, the Bucs sold out a solid future for a sexy hire who, to date, has not been able to maintain any long term success with the team. Jon Gruden won that championship in 2002 with Tony Dungy’s team. Now, after five years and with the team indelibly stamped as Gruden’s, they are back to being cellar dwellers and has beens. But Indianapolis wanted a quality coach like Dungy, one that would not only build a successful team and be able to utilize the pieces they already had, but to shape and build successful men, and immediately snatched him up and let him coach the team his way. Now, five years later, he has triumphantly returned to Indianapolis with the Super Bowl trophy in hand.

Dungy’s success in being able to do things his way has created more quality candidates for coaching positions and more opportunities for other minority coaches, and these men have been able to lead teams based upon their ability and talent, as it should be. And the additional benefit of seeing these coaches given these opportunities to succeed and fail and strive and try is that it becomes an influence for the next generation of coaches. Perhaps there are young African American kids out there who may not be talented players, but love the game of football. Now they know they can be an integral part of the NFL by looking at men like Dungy and Lovie Smith and seeing how they are able to get opportunities and succeed. These young kids now can see new career paths open before them that at one time may have been unimaginable. Instead, now they can easily imagine growing up and coaching a team to a Super Bowl victory. They now know it is possible, because Tony Dungy has showed them it can be accomplished. That is the true triumph of opportunity and talent, and what really emphasizes to me the significance of Dungy’s victory. I imagine in the next few years, we will see our first Hispanic head coach and our first Asian head coach in the league as well. Then we will see the real benefits of these changes, when young Hispanic and Asian kids can grow up imagining coaching a team to a Super Bowl victory.

I am also happy for Peyton Manning, who was able to shed the unfair shackle of being called a big game loser. Peyton can now continue his career without that albatross, and who knows how good he may be before he is done without being fettered by such talk. Whether it has been fair or not, Manning has been scrutinized far more harshly than any other quarterback since Dan Marino for not being able to win a championship. This is based upon not only his talent and abilities, but I think probably it has also been fueled by jealousy. Personally, I have busted him from time to time since he can be an easy target. He’s tall, kind of goofy looking, kind of dorky and with his willingness to pitch just about every product under the sun, it is pretty easy to bust his chops now and again. But I will admit that much of that chop busting is born out of jealousy. Manning is uber talented, highly motivated, extremely prepared and very successful. All the work he does to be ready for each Sunday pays off, and because of it he makes it look very easy. In reality, it is not, it comes from his drive to be the best he can be. Most of us when we see someone succeed in such a fashion will develop feelings of jealousy. Why do things seemingly come so easily for him when the rest of us have to strive so hard just to get by? But the truth is, it is not easy. He works hard and diligently to be as good as he is, and his work ethic is infectious to the entire team. And he knows his success is not based upon his skills alone, but a result of those around him. I have seen a few interviews with Manning since the game, and in each one he is very gregarious and generous with praise for the team as a whole. He has said each time that he does not feel this is a personal accomplishment, he is happy to just be a part of a team that won the championship. What made him happiest was to be able to share this with all of his teammates, to be able to hug and congratulate everyone on the team that worked so hard to get them all there. I have blasted Manning before regarding throwing teammates under the bus, specifically calling out the protection problems he brought up to the press last year after their playoff loss. But I have felt that ultimately he is a team first type of guy, and everyone who knows or even spent some time with him echoes the same sentiment. It is great to see him give congratulations around to everyone, show he is a team guy and make me believe more than ever that those comments came from a place of frustration and anger at losing a winnable game and not from a selfish me first outlook. In his statements and interviews, he even went out of his way to speak of the play of his line. It would seem that Peyton truly understands how valuable the work those five gentlemen do really is. Because of his work ethic and attitude toward his teammates and how these things spread to everyone is one reason why since 1999 no team has won more games in the NFL than the Colts. And I imagine that this trend will probably continue for at least a few more years.

If you had any doubts who would win the game, you need only look at the quarterbacks. In the history of the game, the better quarterback always wins. In this year’s tilt, it was pretty obvious that Manning is a better quarterback than Grossman. Sometimes it can be painfully obvious, other times it can be more difficult to tell who is better, and a few times it comes down to who is better that day. In the Denver/Atlanta Super Bowl, it was obvious who the better quarterback in the game was. Going into the game, everyone knew that Elway was much better than his Atlanta counterpart Chris Chandler. Last year some thought Hasselbeck was the better quarterback, and he may have been. But ultimately, I think over time Roethlisberger will prove to be the superior quarterback. In the Denver/Green Bay Super Bowl, how do you pick between Brett Favre in his prime and an aging John Elway? Favre is the obvious pick, but on that day, Elway was the better leader. Perhaps one of the most difficult to choose was the 49ers/Dolphins Super Bowl. Montana versus Marino could be argued until the end of time precisely who is the superior quarterback. But Montana had the edge in having been there before and knew what it would take to win. Marino, unfortunately, did not and thus proving that the best rises to the top when the stakes are at their highest. Now, since football is the ultimate team game, it does not come down merely to which team has the better quarterback. It takes eleven gentlemen working in unison on offense, defense and special teams to win games. If one of those gentlemen fails, then the whole unit and the entire team will fail. This is not like baseball, where if one batter has an off night the team can still win, certainly not. In football, if the left tackle has an off night, the team loses. It takes the best effort from each and every person for a team to find themselves triumphant at the end of the game. But the quarterback can be seen as a window of the team. Since they are the leader of the offense, and most likely a team leader in the locker room as well, the quality of a team’s quarterback will show throughout the team. Any team will find themselves more confident and ready to perform at their highest at the end of a game if their field leader is someone like Joe Montana, but maybe not as sure of themselves or harboring doubts if the man at the helm is Jim Everett. So while quarterbacks are not the beginning, nor the end of a team’s ultimate success, they do play an integral role. So always look for the superior quarterback. It will give you a good idea how successful the team can be. And no, I have no explanation for the Giants/Ravens Super Bowl, since both Dilfer and Collins stunk in the game.

As I stated above, the better quarterback in this game was obviously Peyton and everyone knew that before the first offensive snap. For his efforts, Peyton was awarded the game’s MVP award. As I mentioned above, I felt the offensive line deserving but a highly unlikely choice, and I was proven correct. Looking at the traditional skill position players, I thought perhaps it would have gone to Dominic Rhodes for his stellar ground game performance. Alas, that did not come to be, but at least Rhodes got to share the Disney World commercial with Tony Dungy, which is an honor in itself. I suppose by granting him the MVP, this was a way for many writers to say to Manning, you are an excellent field leader and sorry about all the big game loser cracks and backhanded comparisons to Dan Marino. Although, to his credit, Manning has been saying that he has never felt there is anything wrong with being compared to Marino, considering how great of a quarterback Marino was, and to be mentioned in the same breath as the former Dolphin quarterback is an honor in itself. Being the stand up guy he is, he looked at those comparisons not as most have, that like Marino he is a great quarterback but cannot win the big game, but as a positive that few did, that he is on par with one of the all time greats and a hall of famer. Well, Peyton, enjoy that honor, plus the honor that one day you will be mentioned as a better quarterback than Marino and the honor that will come one day when people compare some hot young gunslinger to you. You have earned it.

So, with Manning’s new status as Super Bowl champion, there needs to be adjustments made to the best active quarterback in the league today. As before, this discussion is regarding current quarterbacks that are active in the league. Once retirement hits, some of these, if not all of them, will fall far on the list when compared to the greats that came before them. But still, in both active quarterbacks and retired greats, in my mind the discussion of who is the best signal caller starts and ends with championships. Sure, statistical brilliance and victories play a part, but with the ultimate goal of the game being bringing home the championship hardware, how many championships you win is what matters the most. It should be the one factor that skews every opinion poll regarding the subject, with the other factors used merely as tools to determine final seeding. Although this is a discussion for another day, using the above criteria, the best quarterbacks of all time are Terry Bradshaw, Bart Starr and Joe Montana. Starr, with two Super Bowl wins and three NFL championships, would be third, based upon the facts that it was a smaller league then and he ran an offense that relied heavily on the power sweep. Plus, it is hard to compare Super Bowls with NFL championships based upon how much the landscape of the NFL changed with the merging of the NFL and the AFL. Normally, with five rings I would put Starr in the pole position, but there is too much difference in the league between pre and post merger to be able to accurately compare the pre and post Super Bowl era teams. Bradshaw, with four Super Bowls, comes in second. A stellar quarterback with four Super Bowl victories and two Super Bowl MVP awards, he created a template for winning the big game. But number one would have to be Joe Montana, who also has four Super Bowl wins but also has an astounding three Super Bowl MVP awards. When the stage was the biggest, the lights their brightest and the pressure the most intense, no one was better than Joe Cool. Now, while you chew on that for a bit and create a new debate, below is the new ranking of the best quarterbacks in the game today.

1. Tie: Tom Brady – Stays here based upon his three Super Bowl victories. But now he is joined by…

1. Tie: Peyton Manning – With Sunday’s victory, he vaults from 5th on the list to a tie for first. If anyone else had more than one victory other than Brady, Peyton would be relegated to a tie for second. But since all the other active quarterbacks below have only one ring, Peyton grabs a share of the top spot. Why? Because statistically, Manning is the best quarterback in the game today. And before he hangs up his cleats for good, he will probably own all the significant quarterback records Brett Favre is methodically taking from Dan Marino. Speaking of which….

3 Brett Favre – Still on course to be a first ballot Hall of Fame entrant, Favre has announced his return for a 17th season. With a young, hungry and more experienced team behind him, Favre could not only make a run for the playoffs, but also wrap up grabbing all of the significant all time quarterback records from Dan Marino. I am sure watching Favre do this will cause Marino to break his own jaw as he congratulates Brett every week through clenched teeth. If anything, that will make watching Brett break records entertaining

4 Ben Roethlisberger – An excellent young quarterback who has not yet reached his full potential or his prime. Plus, he is the youngest quarterback on this list. Could easily move up on the list as time goes by and before he retires be at the top.

5 Brad Johnson – He still blows this theory out of the water, and will continue to do such until he retires. Since he is 38, that time may not be too long from now.


For those of you not watching America’s Game, well shame on you, you should be since it is excellent programming. But in case you missed it, they revealed the top three teams in the top twenty during the two days before the Super Bowl. The 1978 Steelers came in at #3, which is pretty good. Of all teams with multiple entries in the top 20, the Steelers trumped them all. The 1985 Bears hit at #2 and the 1972 Dolphins were #1. I was not surprised by this, since the Bears defense that year was unparalled and the Dolphins did go undefeated. Both were excellent teams and excellent choices for the top two spots. However, let us not overlook a few huge factors that seem to be left out when ranking the teams. Pittsburgh’s 1978 squad was a team that was Super Bowl experienced and far more potent on offense than it had ever been. The team also went on to win another championship the following year, bringing their total to four wins in six years. Also that season, they played in what is regarded as one of the best Super Bowls of all time against the defending champion Dallas Cowboys. They were in the midst of an unprecedented, and thus far unduplicated, run of excellence that still sets the standard for dynasties today. The Bears and Dolphins, on the other hand, the same cannot be said for them. That Bears team, while potent on offense and unbelievably devastating on defense, was merely a shooting star. They put together a season that could not be duplicated, not even by themselves. They had no long run of dominance, nor a string of championships. The Dolphins, while they did win another championship the next season, were neither dominant on offense or defense nor did they have a long run of success. If they did, they would be the team of the 70s and not the Steelers. The overlooked thing about that season is that they got more than a few lucky breaks, starting with the fact that they played the weakest schedule of any Super Bowl winning team. They played few teams with a winning record during the regular season, a season which at the time was two games shorter than it is today. I do not want to overlook nor minimize their accomplishment of going undefeated, since no matter who or when you play it is one of the pinnacles of success. Not once were they bested the entire season, and an accomplishment of that stature is next to impossible to obtain. But let us not forget that they had much in their favor that season that no team would have today. I am certainly not spreading sour grapes, since I am thrilled that Pittsburgh put two teams into the top seven, something no other team can say. And also, those Bears and Dolphins teams were very special and one of a kind and deserving of their rank, regardless of whatever else they accomplished before or after their magical seasons. But I just felt that perhaps these points should be made and not entirely glossed over.

With that being said, I cannot wait to watch the remaining twenty and hopefully twenty one, since I hope they make one on this years champion as well. None of the remaining twenty are ranked, but I know they still will be fascinating to watch; even I am sure the ones about the stupid Patriots. The people they interview are great, and the memories and stories they recall about their championship season are just mesmerizing to watch and hear. Listening to Mel Blount talk about the Mel Blount rule (in 1978 the NFL instituted the rule that states a defensive back may not make contact with a receiver beyond five yards past the line of scrimmage. Many around the league stated this rule was instituted because of Mel Blount and his penchant for punishing anyone in an opposing jersey that ventured into the Pittsburgh secondary, whether they had the ball or not) or Joe Greene talk about compensating for the decline in his physical game by increasing his mental game enthralled me. Hearing Mike Ditka talk about how coaching the Bears was a fulfillment of a dream and how that team was a motley crew that bonded with each other, their coaches and their city. Or George Seifert saying how superstitious he is and how it intensified in trying to lead a Super Bowl winner back to the championship in his very first year as a head coach while trying to replace the legendary Bill Walsh. These stories and so many more are captured in these episodes. Even if you are just a casual fan, you will find the history of these teams, their seasons and the NFL enthralling and a must watch show. I urge everyone to check out these wonderfully done and excellently produced pieces. They will be running all through the spring, so tune in each week. You will not be sorry.

Before we enter into the wasteland that is the football off season, let us catch up on a few tidbits from Pittsburgh and around the league.

Darren Perry, long time Pittsburgh defensive back and defensive back coach resigned a few weeks back after speaking with new coach Mike Tomlin. I know this is old news, and by now just about everyone knows that he was the only defensive coach to leave in the changing of the guard. Well, in this league if you are good you will always be able to find work. This week, it was announced that Perry will coach in the same capacity with the Oakland Raiders under new head coach Lane Kiffin. Darren, I know work is work, but come on, you are better than that. Here is hoping this is only a short stint and Darren can find work with a team soon that has a culture of winning, something he has become accustomed to after spending years at Pittsburgh and Penn State.

Pittsburgh center Jeff Hartings made his retirement official this week. He stated that the wear and tear on his body was becoming too much, and he did not want to get to a place where the rigors and long term injuries from the game would affect his life afterwards. He wanted to leave while he was still in relatively good health and able to play with his children instead of limping around due to chronic injuries. I do not blame him at all for this; especially knowing how demanding it is playing his position can be on a body. Already, Hartings is living without most of the cartilage in his left knee due to injury, which, I am sure will affect him down the road. I am glad he left while he is still able to and on his own terms. Although, I did feel weird about his retirement, because it made me feel like I have done so very little with my life. You see, I went to college with Jeff; we both attended Penn State at the same time. During my times at PSU, I worked for the one dining hall on campus that had a private dining room reserved just for the Nittany Lion football team. During my years there, I met quite a few of the players on the team. As with any large group of people, you will get a thorough mix of personalities. Some of the players were your typical spoiled jocks, and some were really great guys. Jeff fell into the latter group. He knew his physical talents could take him far, but he never let that affect how he saw the world, nor treated other people. I always thought he was one of the best gentlemen on the squad, regardless of how he played. Plus, he played guard, and being a former guard myself, I found it fascinating to meet and on occasion chat with someone who had what it took to play at the next level. I never did, but then again, I was not nearly as huge as Jeff. Perhaps that had something to do with it. Now, flash forward to 11 years after we both graduated and Jeff, who has done missionary work around the world, is retiring as a championship athlete and a millionaire to spend time with his family and start a church for people of all faiths. Me? Well, uhhh, I have a blog. Kind of makes you feel a touch unaccomplished. But since our lives have taken very different paths, I suppose it is not really fair to compare the two. But he does set a good example for many to follow. I wish Jeff all the best in his post football life and all the success in the world.

Congratulations go out to the latest inductees into the Pro Football Fall of Fame. This year’s class will include, in no particular order, Cleveland Browns guard Gene Hickerson, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin, Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans offensive lineman Bruce Matthews, Detroit Lions tight end Charlie Sanders, Buffalo Bills running back Thurman Thomas and St. Louis Cardinals cornerback Roger Wehrli. All are deserving of this honor, and more than a few of these gentlemen have been waiting for far too long. A note to all of the hall voters out there, you can induct more than six per class, start raising that number. There are some long overdue linemen out there who need to be enshrined and now. Without these men, all those skill position players you keep inducting would not have a career to speak of. Put in the men who truly make the good things happen. And also, put in former commissioner Paul Tagliabue. Sure, it may seem too obvious to vote him in, especially right after he retired, but the era of prosperity and labor peace he brought to the league is unparalled. He is a very humble and unassuming man who through his intelligence and leadership was able to move the NFL forward to heights never before imagined, and rarely did he feel the need to trumpet his own contributions for the successes that followed. He deserves to be honored among the greats of the game. Remember, if he did not do his job so well, you would not have a job to do at all. So get off your duffs and do the right thing on this one as well.

The Hall of Fame weekend, as always, will conclude with the playing of the annual Hall of Fame game. This year’s tilt will feature the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New Orleans Saints on August 5th. This game will give Pittsburgh and New Orleans some extra time in camp, as the two teams featured in this game are allowed to report to camp a week early. This is particularly good for Pittsburgh, because they could use some extra time with their new coach. I also found out an interesting rule that states any team that has a new head coach is allowed to have one additional mini camp during the off season. Well, they will need that too. This is still a Super Bowl caliber team, and they need to show it this season. Strike while the iron is still hot, guys. Make your goal to be cavorting in a confetti shower in Arizona.

Dallas has not named a head coach as of yet. They spoke with both Chicago defensive coordinator Ron Rivera and Colts assistant head coach Jim Caldwell this week, but no word or indication as of yet as to who will lead the Cowboys next season. The front runner still seems to be Norv Turner, and mostly because of his ability to develop young quarterbacks. It will be interesting to see what move Jerry Jones will make.

Philadelphia quarterback Jeff Garcia is harping about money. After helping to save the Eagles season, Garcia, who is a free agent, wants a new contract commiserate with his worth. What Jeff did for the Eagles was admirable, and at bargain basement prices for the NFL. But at this stage in his career, Jeff knows his next contract may be his last. So now his decision for his future will hinge on one decision. Should he go for a big paycheck or go for his best chance at the elusive championship? A tough decision for sure, but Garcia should keep one thing in mind. Money comes and goes, but a championship is forever.

In other Eagle news, head coach Andy Reid has some major family issues on his hands with both of his sons mixed up in various traffic altercations and drug usage. We see this kind of thing all the time in our world, and it is sad no matter who is involved. It becomes much more intensified and scrutinized when the parties involved are the children of the rich and the famous. One thing I wonder about is if the incredible time demands that come from helming an NFL franchise take away from needed parenting time. Is the time Reid is using leading men on a football field affecting the time he needs to be leading his sons in becoming men and in life? I hope this is not the case, and their actions come from boys being rebellious and taking such rebellion too far. One thing is for sure, I hope the Reid’s are able to show their sons the dangers of the paths in life they are flirting with, and how ultimately they lead to nothing but sadness and self destruction.

It would seem the love affair between the Denver Broncos and Jake Plummer will soon come to an official end. Word is the Broncos may be looking to trade Plummer sometime during the off season and hand the reins officially over to Jay Cutler. Look for this to happen, if it indeed will come to pass, around draft time.

Well, the only game left to follow is the Pro Bowl, and hardly anyone watches that. I find the Pro Bowl to be more of an excuse for a bunch of buddies to hang out in a tropical location for a week and then run through some plays at the end in some garish free shirts they give out. Maybe I am wrong, but I bet I could bust one for 50 yards in the Pro Bowl. Now, I am certainly not saying I am Pro Bowl caliber, no no no. What I am saying is the competition might not be what you would see on a normal Sunday. Regardless, I think I will pick the AFC. I would usually go with the NFC since the AFC won the Super Bowl, but with Belichick coaching the AFC teams, I bet he plays to win. Belichick hates to lose, and I bet he works it extra hard for this game, especially since he does not want his last game of the season to be a loss. I must admit, I caught a bit of coverage of the Pro Bowl, and it was interesting seeing Belichick there, joshing with the players and being downright open and gregarious, well, at least for him. Considering all of their past failures in the AFC championship game, I became used to seeing Bill Cowher prowl the sidelines in Hawaii. For a while, I began to wonder if he was just using it as a free family vacation. I wonder if Belichick will get so spoiled there this week he will begin to do the same. One can only hope. Something to ponder during the off season.

I received excellent feedback regarding the idea for the Super Bust. In case you missed it, check out the The Crystal Ball the Super Bowl column. Commissioner Goodell, people want to see this game. This needs to happen. If the wheels do not start turning, I will be knocking on your door.

There are two stories of import that have been getting more, and much needed, press as of late. I have been reading as much as I can regarding both issues, and I would like to pass along some of what I have found to you.

The first story involves the severity, frequency and long term damage of concussions. This has been a major hot button topic in the NFL for some time. As players get faster, stronger and hit harder, the severity and frequency of concussions has risen. However, not much more than talk has been done to help combat this issue. The NFL may soon have their hand forced to take real action.

This story recently appeared in the press, regarding former player Ted Johnson, a star on the Patriots Super Bowl winning teams. Johnson, who retired two years ago and now is only 34, has a multitude of problems stemming from multiple concussions from his playing days including memory loss, loss of short term memory, addiction to pain killers, depression and early signs of Alzheimer’s disease. These are things that will affect him for the rest of his life, and for a man who is only 34, there is a lot of life in front of him. He states he knew when the initial damage came, from playing full contact too soon after suffering a concussion in a pre season game. Johnson also levels accusations that he was put into full contact situations too soon by head coach Bill Belichick, and the coaches actions are what led directly to him sustaining additional concussions, ending his career and ultimately to where he is today. The ramifications of the story could be long reaching, if Johnson is successful in his fight to bring this issue to the public and to a head. It could also be devastating to the Patriots, since players will shy away from playing for a coach if they believe he may threaten their long term health. At the very least, it causes a huge chink in the armor of the Patriot organization and takes away from some of the things I said about them being an organization to be emulated. Johnson’s condition deteriorated with each successive concussion, to the point where according to neurologists, the typical post concussion symptoms people experience are now most likely permanent in Johnson. Another frightening revelation from the article that the suicide of former player Andre Waters last year was directly linked to brain damage suffered on the football field.

A sad example of how this damage, suffered during the playing days, can shape a player’s post football life can be found in the story of former Steelers center Mike Webster. Webster for years took the NFL to task regarding how head injuries suffered during his career affected his life after he left the game. Webster’s trials in life after football reached many lows, including periods of isolation from his family that eventually resulted in divorce and even went so low that there were times this former Pro Bowl, Super Bowl champion and Hall of Fame player was living in his car. Webster’s condition included memory loss, depression and dementia. Webster knew that the trials he suffered in life were caused by the punishment and injuries he suffered on the football field, and tried mightily to get the NFL to acknowledge this and have the Players union pay him the disability money he was owed. Unfortunately, Webster never saw a conclusion to his efforts. He sadly passed away before any decision was ever made. His family took up the mantle of his crusade, and ultimately won a decision. It was shown that the damage he suffered as a player did affect his life after football. Unfortunately, it was far too late for it to have any positive effect in his life. Perhaps, though, it can have a positive affect on the lives of other former players.

The culture of the NFL cultivates the notion of being tough and playing hurt, but this mindset can create many long term injuries and cause former players to suffer long after their playing days have concluded. No player is under an illusion that what they do is safe or easy. All players in the league know the dangers of their profession and what can happen. But players will throw themselves back out onto the field, oftentimes far sooner than they should. Many will never report injuries, just continue to play through the pain. Often this is done not through some sort of notion of strength, but out of fear of losing their jobs. Since competition for jobs in the NFL is fierce, once a player obtains a starting position, they will do everything to keep it. Many players fear if they are out for a long period of time with an injury, someone younger, faster or better will come along and take it from them. Unfortunately, this fear is not unfounded, as we see this occur all the time. So, to avoid losing their jobs, players will take the field injured to avoid a demotion or unemployment, thus exposing themselves to further injury, shorter careers and long term health issues.

And we as fans love to see these gentlemen play hurt. There is a certain nobility that comes from it that appeals to all of us. It derives from the idea of overcoming any obstacle to succeed, even if it is pain and injury. A willingness to sacrifice yourself for the greater good, a trait we would all like to see within ourselves and, with the game of football, can see manifested in a physical form from countless players on countless Sunday afternoons. It is one of the appealing aspects of football, and everyone involved knows it and it may be one of the many reasons players push themselves past previously thought limits to take the field of battle each week and coaches push players back onto the field as soon as possible.

Of course one of the reasons coaches push players back into play is also the need to win in the hyper competitive game of football. Coaches are constantly trying to win football games, not only for the drive to succeed, or the drive to win championships, but just to keep their jobs as well. With competitiveness between franchises and within the league reaching all time highs, owners are far more scrutinizing of their coaches than ever before. If a coach has a few bad seasons, owners are more than ready to jettison them and bring in the next hot thing. In years past, players were looked upon as disposable and coaches as kings of individual fiefdoms, but no longer. Nowadays, coaches are far more expendable than players for a litany of reasons. A star player will last far longer than a coach, because that player is the draw the fans come to see. A star player is who brings in the fans, revenue and publicity to an organization. They are the drawing card for many teams, not the coach. Even coaches who have reached the top of the profession and are well known are no longer the draw. Do you think Dallas fans were coming out to see Bill Parcells, or were they coming out to see Tony Romo and Terrell Owens? If you doubt any of this, look to the Atlanta Falcons as a perfect example. Jim Mora is a decent coach, and he was only on the job for four seasons. Do you think that is enough time to really build a team, to put together a strong core of players and to drive home a philosophy and plan of winning? Perhaps it is, or perhaps not. But since he had one of the biggest stars on his roster, everyone felt he should be winning and winning big. When he had two seasons in a row that were under expectations, Mora was shown the door. Atlanta owner Arthur Blank certainly was not going to give up on his underachieving star Michael Vick; that is his cash cow. Vick brings people into the stadium, both his and to the stadiums of other teams. Sales of Vick merchandise line his pockets. He is the face of the franchise. So if he is doing poorly, and the team is doing poorly as well, it must be the fault of the coach. With this attitude of job insecurity pervasive throughout the league, with the notable exceptions being Pittsburgh and perhaps recently Indianapolis and a few others, some coaches will do whatever it takes to win and keep their jobs, even if it means sacrificing the long term health of the men under their charge. But even though the players know the risks and take them in their hands willingly as they gird up each week, or sometimes hesitantly, that should not stop the league from working to ensure their safety and continue to look for ways of improving it.

The time for the NFL to do something is now, and they need to step in to protect not only their players, but their reputation and standing as the most popular sport in the country and one of the most popular in the world. Changing the culture and mindset of playing hurt may never go away. This attitude has been present in the league since its inception when men played without helmets. There is very little that the league can do about that. And I doubt very much there is anything the league itself can do about the hiring practices of teams and how they handle the business of their coaches. I imagine that if in the future we see more teams sticking with one coach over long periods of time and that coach shows consistent success, many other teams will want to emulate that pattern. But that is a change that will take time, and will only work itself out. What the NFL can do is work to keep injured players off the field and to protect the players when they are on the field itself.

The best way to avoid future concussions is to avoid situations where you can get one, and the best way to do that is to keep the players on the bench. While rule changes can sometimes be tedious or over reactionary, they can also be helpful. Outlawing helmet to helmet hits and hits that lead with the head in 1995 has led to a sharp decrease in head and spinal injuries. Perhaps it is time for the NFL to add new legislation and create a mandatory time of inaction for players after suffering a concussion. Considering it can take time for the post concussion effects to pass, the NFL may want to look into mandating that any player sit out the next two games or two weeks after suffering a concussion. Since one of the biggest dangers from someone suffering a concussion is the increased risk of suffering another concussion shortly thereafter, this could help keep them out of situations where they would be exposed to that potential risk. It would also give the player time to rest and concentrate on getting well.

As for on the field protection, the NFL should mandate all players protect themselves with the best equipment. Technology of equipment has improved in the game, and the Riddell Revolution anti concussion helmet is one of the few products out there that has been shown to reduce the damage that can be inflicted upon players. However, this helmet is not mandatory in the NFL, and many players opt not to use it for various reasons, including such asinine reasons as aesthetics. The time for the NFL to mandate this helmet be used by all players is well past, and the league needs to step in to add protection to those who bring in the revenues and the fans. I would hate to see this issue come down to something tragic happening to a star player to force this issue. The NFL should be proactive in player safety, and not wait until a star is permanently disabled or killed before they take action. Do not spend a season second guessing or wondering what if like NASCAR did in the wake of the death of Dale Earnhardt. NASCAR did not mandate head and neck restraints, leaving the usage of such devices to the discretion of the driver. After their brightest star was killed on the track, they immediately mandated their usage. But is should not have come to that, and I hope it will not in the NFL either. Do something now, before you are forced to do something when you have more and more former players like Ted Johnson, Andre Waters and Mike Webster hanging over your heads. No one wants to see that.

The other issue that needs to be addressed by the league is regarding the well being of former players and the disability issues they face and the retirement and disability benefits they receive. This issue, which includes concussions and head trauma but encompasses many other disabilities that former players face, is one that unfortunately does not get much press at all. The NFL Players Union has been slow to act, and at times seemingly disinterested in the concerns of former players. The league office itself has also been slow to act, at times giving the concerns little more than lip service and others seemingly defensive about the subject. Many of these former players find themselves left out in the cold, long after their playing days and worth to the NFL have past, with bodies racked with lingering injuries that were suffered upon the field of play. It is difficult to find a multitude of information regarding the subject, as those who are fighting for disability and improved retirement benefits do not have a well known spokesperson to spearhead their cause, nor are they a part of an organization that can give them a united front. Many players are fighting this battle on their own. It seems absurd to think that these players would need disability payments and retirement benefits, or not be able to get the best care since we live in a world where players make enormous amounts of money. But many of these former players were not in the rarefied air of stars nor did they make huge sums of money, and most played in a time where even the big money of their era would seem like pocket change in today’s NFL. Unfortunately, long term care for many injuries takes a lot of money and many players are not able to get that care without receiving disability. There are many efforts from various people to bring light to the plight of many of these former athletes. Some of the most notable and vocal proponents for assisting former players and improving benefits have been former linebacker Carl Banks and former player and coach Mike Ditka. Former receiver Ron Dixon has been working on developing a health and disability insurance program for athletes to help protect them against career ending injuries. And there are many other former players out there working tirelessly to improve retirement benefits for themselves and their brethren who helped make the league what it is today. But until they can unite under one banner, or a major star of the league will step forward and help champion their cause, their fight may continue to go unnoticed. The NFL and the Players Association need to do the right thing to make sure these men, who helped build the league into what it is today on their blood, sweat and tears, are properly taken care of and cared for now. They gave everything they had to the game of football without question; give something back to them now when they need it most.

Now, there is one last thing I need to do, and that is to wrap up my record for the season. With my final prediction proving correct, this brings our final season record to the following.

Last Week: 1-0
Playoffs to Date: 6-5
Season to Date: 156-111

Overall, not too bad, and it certainly was no worse than most of the self proclaimed experts. Plus, it gives me something to improve upon next year.

Well, that seems to bring us to the end. After 52 pre season games, 256 regular season games, 11 playoff games and 1 Pro Bowl, the 2006 NFL season is officially over. And with it, so are we. But fear not, loyal reader (s), The Crystal Ball will return next season. I may have a special around draft time, and perhaps one or two during training camp. I have not decided about draft time, since I know very little about gauging talent, but it might be a fun exercise. And I need to do at least one during camp; I will have to get in shape for the season just like anyone else. So look for us then. In the meantime, get out of the house! Do something active on your Sundays, read some books, or other great columns featured here that do not involve football. Yes, a shameless plug, what can I say, I learn from TV. Or perhaps you could take a hike in the mountains, ride a bike or sky dive. Do something each Sunday to make up for a sheer lack of nothing you will be doing this fall. And look, I did not need to wait until next year to hit 10,000 words. I went over 11,000 this time. Told you I would do it soon. The goal for next season, a 15,000 word column. So rest everyone, by fall I will be even more verbose than usual, and you will need your stamina. See you next season.

The Crystal Ball The Super Bowl

Originally Posted on Quick Thoughts February 2, 2007.


Welcome one and all to Super Bowl XLI. The 41st edition of the biggest football game of the year will kickoff on Sunday and has turned from small idea to pseudo holiday. How did we get here so fast? I know two weeks is a long time, but is it just me or did it seem like the time flew by? Last year, it felt like an eternity before Super Bowl Sunday actually arrived. Perhaps because I was so anxious watching that water boil. I imagine that is how Colts and Bears fans are feeling right now. I do recall last year watching NFL network every night for two straight weeks, absorbing every detail and minor piece of information. It mattered not to me how inconsequential the information was, I wanted to know. If I did not know it, I found it out. And if I could not, then I felt I was missing something from the experience, and I wanted to experience everything possible. Not that I did, though, since I was nowhere near Detroit when kickoff occurred. No matter, when Pittsburgh retools this year and makes another run, I will be in Arizona when they take the field next year. Good times to be had. But before we get to next year, we have a small matter yet to determine. Who will carry the mantle of Super Bowl Champions for the next twelve months?

As we gird ourselves for this edition of the Super Bowl, I would like to take a moment to look back at how the game has changed and how the Super Bowl has gone from an idea that almost faltered to the extravaganza it is today. When the Super Bowl was first played in 1966, it was viewed by many as nothing more than an exhibition game. The upstart AFL had been nipping at the established NFL for six years by this point. The NFL had survived and buried many upstart leagues during its tenure, but the AFL was a new challenge. The AFL had a large number of teams led by owners who had wanted to be in the NFL but were denied a franchise and therefore motivated to succeed. They had cities where there were no NFL franchises, and could thus bring the people out who were looking for some professional football. They also were shrewd in that they placed a few teams in cities that did have NFL franchises, thus giving the football consumer a choice in how to spend their pro football dollar and bringing the competition directly to the NFL. And to keep the turnstiles moving, they had an exciting style of football centered around high powered, high flying offenses. In a battle that began with the first season of play, they also fought hard to get the best players out of college, beating the NFL many times in acquiring big name, big talent men. And most importantly, they had money. The competition for players drove up salaries to heights no one who played the game ever thought they would reach. Most players up until this point in NFL history had regular jobs in the off season, and most held them down during the season as well. Salaries, which by today’s standards would seem quaint, were growing at an astronomical rate. The NFL saw that they could be beaten by this upstart, exciting league, and did three things that I believe helped create football as we know it today. One, they began expanding. They awarded franchises in cities that had been begging for one, cities such as Atlanta and New Orleans. Two, they decided to merge the two leagues, incorporating the AFL into the NFL, absorbing the teams, restructuring them into two conferences and eliminating any outside competition. The original NFL teams would form the NFC conference, and the AFL teams would join the AFC conference. The merger officially took place in 1970. And three, they created a championship game to be played between the two conferences. This championship game was to be first played in 1966. Since the merger would not take effect until 1970, and the conferences would not form until then, the two leagues decided that the NFL champion would play the AFL champion until the two leagues became one. The two separate league championships became the basis for the NFC and AFC championship games. A fun fact regarding the merger is that there were not enough teams for the AFC to equal the NFC. At that time the NFL had 16 teams and the AFL had 10. To even this out, three teams were asked to join the AFC. These teams were the Cleveland Browns, who were once a part of the AAFC league in the 40’s, the Baltimore Colts, and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

So the first championship game, or Super Bowl as it became known as, was a meeting of league champions between the AFL and NFL. Some looked upon is as merely an exhibition, since the NFL was regarded by most as the stronger of the two leagues. The AFL looked upon this as their chance to shine. Many in the NFL world were frightened of what it would mean if the AFL won the game, and tremendous pressure to win was brought to bear upon the Vince Lombardi and the Green Bay Packers, who were the NFL’s first entrant into the new game. The Packers and Lombardi ultimately prevailed, and did again the following year. The AFL showed they could compete with the NFL teams and the impending new league in the third Super Bowl when AFL entrant the New York Jets defeated the heavily favored Colts, and AFL teams solidified their standing in Super Bowl IV with a Kansas City win over the Minnesota Vikings. Since then, it has been a competition between conferences as opposed to leagues, and the game and league itself has grown exponentially each year since the merger. But the first Super Bowl had its share of issues. They did not know what to call the game, coming up with the name when Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt, in a joking manner, referred to it as the Super Bowl after seeing his children playing with a super ball. Hunt had meant for the name to be a stopgap, until a more suitable name could be found, but Super Bowl stuck. And the game was not popular at first. There was a scramble to fill the Rose Bowl for the first game, with some tickets even being given away. Now, you almost have to sell body parts to obtain tickets these days, which seems in odd contrast to the humble beginnings. And after the Packers won the first two games, many thought the idea, and the merger itself, might fail since many perceived that the AFL was lesser competition than the NFL. Luckily for all of us, the Jets and the Chiefs took care of that perception.

Despite the rough start, from the beginning the foundations for what we see today were in place. Television coverage for the first game was intensified more than any other game, and today we see more coverage both before and of the game itself than any other sporting event. Then commissioner Pete Rozelle wanted this game to be special, and made sure that all stops were pulled out in not only advertising, but in the pomp and circumstance. He wanted it to be more than just a game, but an event. Pre game ceremonies and lavish halftime shows were incorporated, and set the basis for what we see today. The tradition that started then has given way to shows that feature some of the biggest performers in the world vying for an opportunity to be a part of the biggest game of the year. Rozelle’s idea of the game being an event took off, and now many people and businesses use the Super Bowl as the focus of their year. Businesses pull out all the stops to debut commercials during the game, where prices for ad space have risen to $2.6 million for 30 seconds of air time. Snack food, fast food, soda, catering, party planning, electronics and beer companies along with venue rentals, clubs, bars, and sports bars amongst others see a large spike in business leading up to and during the game. Gambling, sports books and casinos see an abundance of betting done over Super Bowl weekend. Betting on a winner is no longer just an option, you can bet on everything including who wins the coin toss, first fumble, first touchdown, final score, number of field goals and on and on. If there is something to be determined by the end of the game, somebody somewhere is ready to take a bet on it. People from all walks of life gather together and indulge in a variety of foods, beverages and social interaction all to watch the game. Planning and hosting a Super Bowl party has become a cottage industry in itself, with many businesses offering catering, planning and hosting services, and many others offering how to's, menu planning and even games to play before, during and after the game itself. The Super Bowl has gone from small idea that had many opportunities to fail to a de facto holiday, where celebrations abound all across the land. A fair portion of these have very little to do with the actual game itself, with many using the day as merely an opportunity, or excuse, to gather with friends and celebrate. In some cases, there are parties that are geared around the commercials themselves, with the game being merely filler between advertising breaks. The game has come a very long way from its humble beginnings. I think Pete Rozelle would be amazed, impressed, proud and maybe even a bit frightened by all that has become of this little idea, spawned from the merging of two leagues.

There is so much more information about the Super Bowl out there, that I could go on and on. If you are interested in it, there are many fine books and websites that contain interesting facts and stories regarding the history of the NFL, the Super Bowl, the teams and players and much more. Everything from players in the first game, to the history of home versus away teams, how each are designated for the game and when home teams were first given the option of what jerseys the wished to wear can be found. Since I found this out, I have to share it. Teams designated as the home team were first allowed to choose their jersey starting with Super Bowl XIII. Before that, if you were the designated home team, you just wore your home jerseys. Since then, only a handful of teams designated as the home team have chosen to wear their road uniforms. Those teams are the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XIII (they lost), Dallas in Super Bowl XXVII (they won), the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVII (they won), and the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XL (they won). I guess it pays to go against the grain sometimes. Take a moment to check out this and all of the other fascinating stories, factoids and history of the game and league, you will be entertained.

Now, our combatants for Super Bowl XLI are the Indianapolis Colts and the Chicago Bears. Let us take a gander at each team.

The Chicago Bears are one of the oldest franchises in the NFL, founded in 1919 as the Decatur Staleys. They moved to Chicago in 1920, and were renamed the Bears in 1922. The Bears storied history also includes 26 Hall of Fame players, owners and administrators. The Bears have had a rich history in which they have had some of the greatest players to play the game on their team. Players with names like Butkus, Sayers, Nagurski and Payton. They have won nine NFL championships in their existence, including Super Bowl XX against the New England Patriots. The team from that year is regarded as one of the best teams of all time, and arguably the best defense of all time. After their destruction of the Patriots, both head coach Mike Ditka and defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan, architect of the famed “46” defense, were carried off the field. The duel coach carry is a move that had never been done before or has been duplicated since. The 2006 Bears, the designated home team for Super Bowl XLI, come into the game with a record of 15-3, including two dominating playoff victories. This Bears team shows it belongs with Bears teams of yore, with a stifling defensive unit and an offense capable of beating opponents with the big pass play and a punishing one two punch at running back. The Bears will go early and often to running backs Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson, working to soften up the Indianapolis front seven, then unleash Rex Grossman with the deep pass. The Bears defensive strategy will be as it has been all season, punish the opposition. Led by perennial pro bowler Brian Urlacher, the Bears run a 4-3 defensive front with a cover 2 secondary designed to take away the big play and stuff runners at the line of scrimmage. The Bears have been stung on defense this year with the loss of defensive stalwart Tommie Harris to injury. And while some have noted their defensive production fell of near the end of the season, the team still finished the season allowing the third fewest points in the league.

The Indianapolis Colts have not existed as long as the Chicago Bears, but have a rich history as well, one that has seen them play in quite a few cities during their time in the NFL. Originally started in 1947 as the Miami Seahawks, the Colts moved to Baltimore in 1950. After a disastrous season, the team was sold to a Dallas businessman who moved the team to Texas and remained them the Dallas Texans, a name that coincidentally would be the original moniker of the AFL Kansas City Chiefs 9 years later. Another poor season left the franchise in shatters, and they became wards of the NFL, left to play out their games from a temporary home base in Hershey Pennsylvania. In 1953, Carroll Rosenbloom won the rights to a Baltimore franchise, and resurrected the team, where they remained until 1984 when owner Robert Irsay moved the team to Indianapolis under cover of night, a controversial move that is still a point of contention with many Baltimore natives. Many old Baltimore Colts and fans look to the Indianapolis franchise as separate from their beloved Colts, and the new Ravens as an extension of those teams of yore. The NFL looks upon the Colts as one continuous franchise, and the Ravens as an expansion, but many older Colts fans beg to differ. Colt legends of the past are known to frequent Ravens games, and the Ravens have even adopted the old Colts marching band, that was a staple for years at old Memorial Stadium. The Colts have won 4 NFL championships, including the 1958 championship against the New York Giants, a game that many point to as the greatest game ever played and a turning point in NFL history toward the game we see today. They famously lost Super Bowl III to the New York Jets, but followed that loss with a win in Super Bowl V against the burgeoning Dallas Cowboys. The Colts, both the Indianapolis and Baltimore versions, have 11 players and coaches enshrined in the Hall of Fame. The 2006 Colts will most likely have more than a few enshrines as well, starting with quarterback Peyton Manning. Manning is one of the best quarterbacks in the game today, and possibly one of the all time best. He is the face of an organization that has amassed a 2006 record of 15-4 heading into Sunday’s game. He leads an offense replete with weapons at both receiver and running back. Manning will direct an offense for Super Bowl XLI that will see receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne stretching the field, H-Back Dallas Clark working the seams and running backs Joseph Addai speeding from the backfield and Dominic Rhodes pounding up the middle. The Colts offense can be explosive, but is smart and experienced enough to take what the defense is offering; keeping the field and time of possession and wearing down a defense with their no huddle play calls. The defense has been known as a finesse defense, even though they run a similar setup as the Bears. They gave up a league worst in total rushing yardage this season, but have stepped up their game in the post season, holding down rushing teams such as the Chiefs and Ravens. With defensive end Dwight Freeney coming after Grossman, the Colts will look to pressure the young quarterback into mistakes and stifle a powerful Bears running game.

Ladies and gentlemen, there are your entrants for Super Bowl XLI. Pick your favorite and root them to victory. Or, pick your least favorite and root them to oblivion, since people rarely remember the losers of the Super Bowl. I know who I am rooting for; it is a pretty easy call. I will spend Sunday rooting for the Colts. Why you may ask? Well, I have a few reasons.

One, they beat the Patriots. That alone is enough for me to cheer them on to victory. I know also that I am not alone on this one by any stretch of the imagination.

Two, I am an AFC guy. Unless it is certain teams (read Patriots, Raiders and Ravens and I could even be talked into the Ravens and with enough booze the Raiders) I am going to root for the AFC team to win the Super Bowl. Unless Philadelphia is playing and Pittsburgh is not, only then I will go NFC. But with a few minor exceptions, I root AFC all the way. You have to support your conference; you always want to be a part of those on top.

And three, I am rooting for Tony Dungy. Tony is a class act all the way, an excellent coach, builder of men, a great teacher and leader who has been around football and the NFL for thirty years and has given back to the league far more than he has taken from it. And even though he masterfully resurrected a Buccaneers franchise that was nothing more than a joke and an afterthought, a team that fired him and then let another coach take them to the Super Bowl, he has been unfairly labeled as a good coach who cannot win the big game. Bill Cowher had that until last year, and now he is a winner. It is time for Tony Dungy to be a winner too. Plus, Tony is a former Steelers player and coach, who was a defensive coordinator under Chuck Noll and you always support those who spent some time in the Burgh. Especially those who helped bring a championship to the Steel City. And speaking of supporting former Steelers, one additional former coach on the Colts is to be cheered on, offensive coordinator Tom Moore. Tom was the offensive coordinator under Chuck Noll at the same time Dungy was the defensive coordinator. I think between the two of them, they have enough vibe from Noll and those Steelers to pull one off on Sunday.

Now I must admit I will have a little trouble rooting for Colts. I do not like rooting for teams that abandoned their original city. Allow me to clarify this a bit. I am not talking about the Cleveland Rams, who moved to LA after one season. Or the Chiefs, who were the Dallas Texans for one year then left because they could not compete with the Cowboys and Kansas City was salivating at the prospect of getting a professional football team. Those circumstances are different. Those moves occurred during a time when pro football was still trying to become something. During these times, pro football was not even competing with baseball as the number one sport, but with college ball as the number one football game. What I am talking about are teams from the last 30 years, when the NFL was on the rise, and moving teams became a way to extort money from taxpaying fans and cities to fund new stadiums. If a team wanted a funded stadium, they could just hold their city hostage until they either ponied up the money, or another city did the same. Super Bowl XXXIV was my least favorite Super Bowl, because each team had abandoned their former cities and fan bases for quick cash and new digs. Yes, it was one of the most exciting Super Bowls ever, but it felt hollow to me. Do not get me wrong, I am not stupid or naive; I understand that football is a business, and a business does what is best to keep itself viable and healthy. But we put different standards to sports and teams, for right or wrong. We look to teams as an identity of sorts. Who you follow and who you support says something about you, where you are from, and who you are. Newer teams do not have the years of tradition as older teams have amassed, although their fans still have a connection with them. A team forms a bond with a city and its fans, one that is established over many years. The city and its fans identify with the team, in both their successes and failures. The team in many ways becomes a part of their identity, and when you take that away it can be devastating. Baltimore fans love the Ravens, but still miss the Colts. The same could be said about Houston natives and their relationships with both the Texans and the Titans. Clevelanders fought hard to keep their Browns, even going so far as to hold onto the Browns legacy in court until they could get a new team. You may argue that it is unfair to hold teams to these standards, and I can see your point. Personally, however, what sports means to us as a society and as fans, things like loyalty, identity and community, goes beyond merely being a business, which some owners understand and others never will. And for that, I will root for the Colts, but in a muted way. The people of Baltimore deserve that much.

Moving on, there are a few loose ends to wrap up from news around the league. I know, who would have thought there are 30 other teams right now?

It is official; Brett Favre will be playing another year for the Packers. I know the older Favre gets, the more divisive his playing becomes. Some think he should retire, hang them up and stop tarnishing his image and stunting the organization’s growth into the post Favre era. Others say play as long as he wants, he has earned it. I myself have vacillated on this, but I tend to lean toward the latter. It is hard for an athlete to know when to hang them up. When you do, that is it. Playing professional sports is not like any other profession in that if you want to take a break, no problem. With sports, because of the rigors on your body, and how athleticism declines with age, once you are out, you are out. There is no going back, no return to form, no second coming. Many athletes have tried this to varying degrees of success. Michael Jordan won three championships in his second stint with the Bulls, but he was still young enough at the time. His two seasons with the Wizards were more telling of how an elite athlete cannot compete on the same level he once did. The same was proven true with Mario Lemieux and his second go around with the Penguins. As of right now, Favre still has skills, he has excellent leadership and he is great for the Packers. This year, he had some talent on the team, and it showed. They had a much better season than the previous one, and barely missed the playoffs. With those players gaining a year of experience, who knows, we could see one final run from Favre and the Pack before he rides off into the sunset.

Coach Mike Tomlin as filled out his staff and the coaches for the 2007 Pittsburgh Steelers are now finalized. I am glad to hear this, and all I have to say is, when do we start playing games?

In other Steeler news, center Jeff Hartings retired this week, ending an 11 year pro career. Hartings first played for the Detroit Lions as a guard after being drafted out of Penn State. Jeff then signed with Pittsburgh in 2001 and was moved to center, a position he had never played previously. But, his experience on the line, skills and work ethic transformed him into not just a center, but a leader on the line and in the offense. He joined the ranks of previous Steeler center greats that have held the position for the last 40 years. You thought Pittsburgh was stable at the coaching position, check out their center position. Their centers since 1964 have been Ray Mansfield, Mike Webster, Dermontti Dawson and Jeff Hartings. So after seeing just the third Steeler coach named in 37 years, we will see just the fifth Steeler starting center in 43 years. Now, that is enough, no more change this off season. I cannot take anymore. Keep everything else intact, and I will calm myself. Deal?

Also, Heinz Field was voted the worst grass surface in the NFL in a poll of players. They were second to last behind Gillette Stadium, but the Patriots replaced their surface with Field Turf midway through the season, thus relegating Pittsburgh to last place. Kind of makes you proud in a weird sort of way, does it not?

The New York Daily News has reported that Miami detectives have interviewed Chad Johnson regarding an ongoing investigation about the shooting death of a 27 year old man in a Miami neighborhood. Could #85 be the 10th Bengal arrested? Say it ain’t so Chad!

There is word going around regarding the Cowboys coaching search. Jerry Jones has been a big proponent of new offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, but is concerned regarding his level of experience and is looking to keep him as the offensive coordinator for a season or two. Jones has also been looking at former Dallas offensive coordinator and current 49er coordinator Norv Turner. Turner’s track record as a head coach as been mediocre, but the offenses that he put together in Dallas were some of the best. But now, Dallas may be waiting to speak with Chicago defensive coordinator Ron Rivera before making a decision. Rivera’s name has been floating around for a few years in association with head coaching vacancies, and he had an interview with Pittsburgh a few weeks ago. Dallas has made no decision as of late, but stay tuned, Jerry Jones hates to be out of the media limelight for too long.

This weekend I am proudly hosting my first Super Bowl party. This is something I am hoping to make a yearly tradition, since I have had fun at some in the past, and others, well not so much. Everyone has their own take on the Super Bowl party, and I have decided to create my own. No decorations are needed, but I do have a Gatorade bucket that will be filled with beer and soda. The menu is exactly what you would expect for a Super Bowl party. Meatballs, wings, guacamole, nachos, salsa, cheese, chips and dip will be served. And most important, you have to have a team and be a fan. Sure, a party for party’s sake is fine, but this is football, and the last we will see of it for months. No, the Pro Bowl does not count. I want people who love to be entertained not only by the commercials, but also by the game itself. Those who are invited are big fans, great people and fantastic friends, and I cannot wait for them to come on over, have some tasty treats and beverages and laugh, joke and talk football and commercials. It will be a great start to a new tradition. Is it Sunday yet?

So, I am sitting around last weekend, basically bouncing off the walls suffering from football withdraw. By Sunday evening, I was flopping around like Ewan McGregor in Trainspotting and watching Super Bowl recap shows on the NFL Network desperate for any fix I could get. Getting a taste of Sundays with no football did not agree with me. But I thought to myself, why do we need this early reminder of what the next seven months will be? Cannot we prolong this withdraw until after the Pro Bowl? Yes, I know, the Pro Bowl barely counts as football, but it is something, and as the long dark winter of the off season approaches, you always enjoy that one last sunny day, even if the day is cold and windy. But I kept coming back to last weekend. What could we do to have some football between the championship games and the Super Bowl? Sure you could move up the big game, but then no one would have time for the hype, travel plans, and general mania that is created with a two week build up. All the other playoff teams have been eliminated, and there is nothing left to play for from them. Sure, you could have the losers of the championship games face off, but why would they want to play? They were one step from the big game, and now you are asking them to play in a conciliation game? Those teams would probably punch you in the face. But what can we do? A college exhibition game? That does not feel quite right. An NFL Europe exhibition? Sure, they are pro athletes, but still not quite right. Then it dawned on me. During the off week, the NFL should play the Super Bust.

The Super Bust would match the two consensus pre season favorites to play in the Super Bowl, yet failed to get there, against each other. Every year, almost every talking head out there sputters who they think will go to the playoffs, go to the Super Bowl and ultimately win it all. Rarely are any of these prognosticators correct, and most of the time, they are way off on their playoff entrants as well. The Super Bust would give them a chance to see their initial favorites square off against each other, as well as give the rest of us one more game. Sure, it is not bound to be good football, remember these teams are not playing on Super Bowl Sunday for a reason. But it is still football. And I would take that over a Sunday movie any day, and I know I am not alone on this one. There would be a few sticking points of course, like if one of the favorites actually made the Super Bowl. Then the second consensus favorite of the conference would play. Or, if the teams just played the week before and lost, they might not want to continue their season. This would be resolved as they would be bound by it from an agreement that was ratified by the league and the teams. And anyway, the players and coaches are all professionals, so I imagine if they have to play, they will, at least for pride and some scratch. Now, while the Super Bust would be treated as an exhibition game, nothing would count toward post season or season records, there could be incentives for the teams involved. For instance, pride at not being the loser of the loser game. But since most teams operate on a bottom line sort of operation, how about an extra first round draft pick for the winner, and an extra fourth round pick for the loser and maybe some cash thrown in for the team and a set game rate for the players as well. If the players want more than a set rate, give them a game salary based upon ticket and/or advertising sales. Next, what if one of the teams was a playoff team and the other finished 4-12? Well, we have either a blow out or a close game since the 4-12 team will play above their heads against a deflated opponent. As for venue, you could have cities bid on this game, much like the Super Bowl. You could even think outside the box and have the game in cities with no NFL team. I was thinking of maybe a permanent location like the Pro Bowl, perhaps in Los Angeles, but a better thought sprung to mind. How about having the game in Las Vegas? There is a ton to see and do there, no one would really be taking the game seriously anyway, and Vegas knows how to host a party. For an example, if this was in effect now, last Sunday we could have watched live from Las Vegas the Carolina Panthers versus the Miami Dolphins in the Super Bust. That’s a great game, I would have definitely tuned in. It would be perfect. Think of all the things this game would give us.
- A chance for two fan bases to see their team in action one more time before next season
- An added opportunity for one team to end their season with a win.
- Some extra earnings for players, even though many do not need it.
- A chance for each organization to strengthen their team monetarily and physically with added income as well as additional draft choices
- An opportunity to show how wrong most prognosticators really are
- An extra game of football
- A weekend of football and fun in Las Vegas
- A perfect excuse to go to Las Vegas (like you need one anyway)
- An excuse to have another big game party, this one where the game does not matter
- A chance to use the game as a warm up to your real party the next week for the Super Bowl. Try out those far out recipes you think may not work on the real game day. Almost like a Party Pre Season.
- Staving off football withdraw for another two weeks
- Another game for the NFL Network to show, giving more practice to both their broadcast crews and technical crews, both of which need some work
- Something for the sports media to talk about during the dead time when all other Super Bowl stories and angles have been beaten to death
- food and service industries seeing a bigger bump in production and sales, thus adding more stimulus to the economy
- Businesses around the world that have a stake in football seeing an increased profit, adding even more stimulus to the economy
- The advertising industry having another forum to debut killer commercials, almost like an exhibition commercial season
- Better play from the preseason favorites during the regular season, since none of them would want to play in the Super Bust

See all the good this one little game could add? Seriously, this is a perfect idea that needs to happen before next season. This needs to be brought up at the winter meetings and ratified by the teams with a 32-0 vote. Commissioner Goodell, I put the onus on you to make this happen.

So, with a split in the championships, I am dead even for the playoffs. Check it out.

Last Week: 1-1
Playoffs to Date: 5-5
Season to Date: 155-111

So it all comes down to one game. I have long ago secured a winning season, but will I have a winning post season as well? There is only one chance left to make it happen, so here goes.

Indianapolis vs. Chicago

For the Super Bowl, it basically comes down to a coin flip when picking a winner, unless you have something invested in either team. At this point, you know both teams are good, have stellar records, have had a bit of luck, are well coached and have lots of key personnel that can change a game as well as loads of role players that get the job done. You do not make it this far without having those things. So your standard match ups and game plans really do not play well into picking a winner of the game. Yes, they will play a part in the final outcome, but it is so different for this game than any other that it is difficult to use them to accurately predict a winner. It really comes down to a 50/50 shot in the dark. So people begin to look at other determining factors, and some of them can get pretty crazy.
- Who has the better uniforms
- Domed versus outdoor stadium teams
- Domed teams record in Super Bowls versus outdoor teams in Super Bowl
- Teams record in coin tosses during the season
- AFC versus NFC regular season records
- AFC participant versus NFC competition
- NFC participant versus AFC competition
- Computer predictions based upon record, level of competition, points scored, points allowed and any other factor and record known in the universe
- Experience at key positions
- Players ability to withstand and tune out the hype of the week
- Coaching leadership
- Team leadership
- Teams records on sunny days, rainy days, cloudy days
- Teams records in afternoon and evening games
- Proper Zodiac alignment
- Avo Bowl team themed guacamole recipe winners (Yes this does exist)

There are about a million different factors that people can come up with that can determine who will ultimately win the game. Some make sense, some sound crazy, while others sound strangely logical. I tend to lean toward the strangely logical, and my determining factor is just that. My factor is based on scandals. Try to stay with me on this one, because it may get a bit confusing. I determine Super Bowl winners based on who has a scandal, started a scandal, is embroiled in a scandal or on the cusp of one. And by my definition, a scandal is anything off the field that takes away from the team itself, puts all the focus on one player or anything that may disrupt a team from properly preparing for the game. It does not even have to happen on the eve of the game, one can blow up during media day, which is a great way to determine the scandal of the Super Bowl. If it happens beforehand, even better determination, since that is all anyone will want to talk about during media day, especially to the player in question and to all of his teammates. This kind of distraction can impair preparation and even cause disharmony in the locker room, which is exactly the kind of thing that a team looking to win it all does not need leading up to the game. Here are a few examples of scandal in recent Super Bowls
- Super Bowl XL: Jerramy Stevens runs his mouth - During media day, Stevens stated he thinks the Jerome Bettis story is a good one, but will end unhappily when the Seahawks leave with the trophy. This may seem like a minor, innocuous statement and mere trash talking, but this is a huge one. With this statement, Stevens basically gave the media something to pester the Hawks about all week. Plus, he brought on the ire of trash talking champion Joey Porter, who took major exception to his statement. On top of that, he added fuel to Pittsburgh’s already raging fire, and may have brought on the ire of his teammates. What did not help him was his penchant for dropping passes, which he continued to do famously during the Super Bowl, killing his team in key situations.
- Super Bowl XXXIX: TO – How can TO be a scandal? He had a great game! The Eagles acquired Owens for one reason, to take the team to another level. And he did just that, taking the Eagles to another level all season. The team felt invincible until they lost him to a broken leg. When faced by the fact that they would need to do it themselves or fail again, the team found something deep inside and pushed their way to the Super Bowl. During this time, however, TO keeps talking about how he is going to play in the Super Bowl. How he is going to come back and save the day, how he will be the key to victory. This causes locker room divisiveness and diverts attention from the team to one player. The rest of the team looks at this and does not want to play for the glorification of one man’s ego, especially when they did all the heavy lifting to get there without him. With all the talk being about TO, the focus went away from the team, and they lost. And it didn’t help that McNabb choked at the end of the game either.
- Super Bowl XXXVII – Barrett Robbins and Tijuana Nights – Oakland Raider center Barrett Robbins had a bender in Tijuana for most of the week leading up to game, and was unable to play come game day. His backup had to step in and start the game at a key position on the offensive line. Robbins, it later turned out, was suffering from bi-polar disorder and depression. But the distraction was enough to trump the Buccaneers distraction, which was head coach Jon Gruden was facing off against the team he coached just the year before, and the Raiders lost.
- Super Bowl XXXIII – Eugene Robinson’s bogus journey – Atlanta defensive back Eugene Robinson was busted the night before the big game for solicitation of an undercover officer. It would seem Eugene was in need of a little oral gratification, the kind that only $40 and some loose morals could cure. Two big problems with his plan. One, he tried to get it from an undercover police officer. And two, earlier in the day he had been awarded the Bart Starr award for high moral character. These things combined to make a huge distraction, and Robinson was burned several times during the game, including once for an 80 yard touchdown. Atlanta lost.

There are a multitude of other examples out there, and most of them show the team with the biggest scandal as the loser of the contest. Now, it does not always work that way, there are always exceptions to every rule. Brett Favre, who had been suffering from alcohol and pain killer addiction, was reportedly seen drinking a week before the Packers Super Bowl in 1996. While this was a huge distraction, the Packers did go on to win. Max McGee, a notorious partier, skipped curfew to tie one on in LA the night before Super Bowl I, and tie one on he did. McGee did not return to the team hotel until the next morning. McGee’s thought process was that as a back up he would never see duty. But when the starter was knocked out, suddenly a hung over McGee was in the game. But this worked out in the end as McGee caught seven passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns, the Pack won going away and a great story was passed into Super Bowl lore. Maybe the curse does not affect the Packers. Let’s see, anything else here? Ahhhh, how about Super Bowl XX. Jim McMahon, who was already causing a stir through the entire playoffs, a topic of conversation during the build up to the game and a major thorn in Pete Rozelle’s side, continued his antics by mooning a news helicopter during practice the week before the game. But this had zero effect on the band of characters that were the 85 Bears, and they won handily. Or perhaps they won because it was found out that Patriots receiver Irving Fryar had cuts and bruises all over his hands because of a scuffle with his spouse. Hmmm, maybe the Packers are immune after all.

So what is this year’s scandal, or has it even happened yet? I can report that yes, barring something major happening before kickoff, and something could still happen, this year’s scandal is already in, thanks to Bears defensive lineman Tank Johnson. Tank was the talk of media day, mostly because he needed a judge’s permission to even be there. Tank has been arrested 3 times in the last 18 months, the most recent due to a cache of guns found in his home as well as a large amount of marijuana. Tank, however, is currently not allowed to have guns due to his parole, nor is he allowed to have the weed. Add to that, his bodyguard was shot and killed the same night Tank had his most recent arrest. It seems he and Tank decided to go out after Tank made bail. Because of all his self inflicted legal woes, Tank is currently under house arrest, only allowed to leave for work, which happens to be for the Bears. But one stipulation of house arrest is he is not allowed to leave the State either. So, just to play in the Super Bowl, Tank and his team of overworked lawyers had to petition a judge to let him come with the team to the Super Bowl. I think this more than qualifies as a distraction to the team and a worthy scandal. And with this information, I know exactly who to pick.


Indianapolis over Chicago


Now with that being said, and my explanation put forth, if the Bears win, I will not feel bad. They have always been a part of Chicago, and perhaps that is the karma that will lead them to victory. Plus, I really have nothing truly invested in either team, so it really does not matter much to me. And with two days left, the Colts could put out a scandal that would trump the Tank Johnson saga. If the Bears do win, at least I can yell, DA BEARS for the next 7 months. Now enough chit chat, let’s get this show on the road, it is time to crown a new champion.