The Crystal Ball Best Concepts 2006-2007 Season

Welcome all to the first Best Concepts article. Since we are mired in the long, dark and quite lonely off season, the crack staff here at the Crystal Ball thought it would be fun to go back and review everything from us over the last season. While there were more than a few head scratching moments, and even more head shaking moments, we found some gems buried in all the mess. So, for your off season reading pleasure, please feel free to peruse some of our favorite thoughts and concepts from last season. A few of these will pop up again come fall, and may even be regular features, so take notes, and start preparing for the excitement. After all, training camps start opening on July 23rd.


Concept – Coach Snoop Dogg

Oakland missed a golden opportunity when they hired their latest coach. No one wanted to coach the Raiders, which became painfully obvious the longer the process drug on. They are a mess from top to bottom, and they might not even be fixable at this point. I have recommended in the past a switch with one of the NFL Europa teams, but thus far no one has taken me seriously. Once again, I am digressing. There was one hire they could have made that would have had some relevancy to today’s culture, kept the team at least in the headlines and created a new buzz around the league. The Raiders should have hired Snoop Dogg.

Now, before you start thinking I am smoking something Snoop gave me personally, hear me out. This would have made too much sense. The Raiders are a train wreck, and the only person who was willing to take the job was an assistant assistant coach with barely any recognizable NFL experience whom no one has ever heard of before now. Seriously, Kiffin’s biggest connection, far overshadowing his own NFL experience, is that his dad is a successful coach. That makes Meghan Cowher about as qualified to take on head coaching duties as Lance. That also makes Snoop about as qualified, as he has about the same amount of NFL experience. But at least most people have heard of Snoop, unlike Kiffin.

Snoop would be a draw not only at home, but on the road as well. Tell me you would not suddenly find yourself interested in watching the Raiders led by coach Snoop Dogg? You cannot. I hate the Raiders and I would watch them! Plus, Snoop has said previously that he would love to be a coach, although he was talking about coaching the Steelers at the time. But a job is a job, and perhaps a lower tiered team such as Oakland would be the perfect stepping stone for rookie coach Snoop.

Considering his experience level, what are the Raiders going to do with young Lance Kiffin in his first season? They will need to provide him with extra support and from the front office and surround him with veteran coaches and staff as he adjusts to the rigors and demands of being an NFL head coach. If the team has a collective brain in left in their heads, this is the most logical thing they can do to help insure their coach gets off to a successful start in his career and his attempts to resurrect a flagging team and franchise. Makes sense, does it not? Now with that in mind, try to find just one good reason why that would not work with Snoop. I cannot, and I bet, knowing the video game junkie Snoop is, he has played Head Coach by EA Sports. That is at least more experience than Kiffin has to this point.

Also by hiring Snoop, the Raiders would also have hired a minority candidate, and diversification is always a good thing. By being an outsider to the NFL, he could have brought some radical new ideas to the league, and looked upon things from perspectives that no other coach may have even considered. Coming from the streets and hip hop culture, he would have been able to connect with players in a way no other coach possibly could. This type of connection could have a two pronged effect. One, by connecting with the players so intimately, he would be a very effective leader and able to get the most out of his charges each week. And two, with Snoop’s past, he could speak from experience as to the dangers and dead end roads that living a gang bangers life can lead. There are a few troubled players in the league who seem to be intent on throwing away their gifts and opportunity for a myriad of reasons, most seemingly foolish. And some do not seem to hear anyone who is trying to curb them from their self destructive behavior. Snoop has lived that life, and he can set them straight from his own trials and tribulations. He has lived it, he knows the truth behind it, and he could connect with these young players and help set them on the right path. His street credibility would be his in toward assisting in shaping the lives of these young men in positive ways. That alone makes him a worthy hire in my book. And honestly, how bad could he have been? The Raiders won two games last year. If they won three under Snoop, that would be a 50% improvement. If they won four, 100%, and the percentages sky rocket from there. Heck, even if they only won one game, that is only one less win than last year, so how much worse could it really get?

On top of that, the unintentional comedy from the hiring would be through the roof. How many sports writers out there would have a full coffer of ideas thanks to Coach Dogg and his band of merry Raiders? If Oakland looked sluggish on game day, the references in articles the next day that Snoop and the team had one too many “film sessions” would be astronomical. Watching straight laced coaches like Tom Coughlin or Brad Childress go out to chat with Coach Dogg during pregame warm-ups would be priceless. Seriously, what would they say to each other? The jokes at that point almost write themselves. Listening to the broadcast teams talking in serious tones about what strategy Coach Dogg is putting forth? I wonder what kind of breakdown Jaws would be able to put forth.

And that brings up another point, with no history to look back upon; you really would never know what kind of game plan Snoop would put in. Each week would be an adventure, since you honestly would never know what was going to come next from the team. They would be a constant, and potentially entertaining, surprise. Plus, if you thought the Raiders teams of the 70’s were wild and unpredictable under Madden and Tom Flores, I would be willing to bet they would have NOTHING on the teams from the Dogg era.

But alas, this was not to be, and for several reasons. One, the Raiders are stupid. They never seem to get anything right. They had a chance at the perfect bad season last year, and screwed that up royally. And when they did, everyone except the nut jobs in the Black Hole and prisons across the country stopped talking about them. By hiring Snoop Dogg, everyone would talk about them, and it would seem from their performance last year the team wants to avoid people doing that. Two, the NFL stands for No Fun League, and if you thought they had a hissy about touchdown celebrations, they would certainly have a hissy about a rap celebrity as a head coach. Three, the NFL is currently trying to rid themselves of the negative images brought upon the game and the league by frequent offenders such as Pacman Jones and Chris Henry, and lets just say Snoop has had a slightly checkered past. Even though he has moved on, at least seemingly, from that life, and as mentioned above could be an excellent mentor to some of the more troubled players in the league, some may see it differently, unfortunately, and the NFL would not want to take a chance in tarnishing their image. And four, Snoop is a Steelers fan; he loves the Black and Gold. Like there would be ANY way he would coach the hated Raiders. You might as well ask him to coach the Ravens. It would never happen. Plus, Snoop obviously has an affinity for winners, and the Raiders are anything but winners. But, perhaps one day a brave team may take a chance, and give us that magical concoction that would be Coach Snoop Dogg.


Thoughts– Defensive greatness

The Baltimore defense is not the greatest defense of all time, nor should they even be in the discussion. Greatness is achieved by a sustained period of excellence. Baltimore won one Super Bowl, and has not even been in consistent contention since then. Everyone is touting them this year as a return to form. First, they cannot be great if they are returning to form. That means they sucked last year, or for the last few years. Therefore, you have no sustained period of excellence, you therefore have no greatness. And second, it is pretty easy to hold opponents to a few points when your first three games are cupcake, your fourth is against a coach playing it safe, and your fifth is in a rainstorm. Denver scored 13 points, and had to fight off Mother Nature to get those. You want better defenses? Look to the Doomsday Defense, the Steel Curtain and the No Name Defense for better defenses. Also look, to a lesser extent, at the Orange Crush and Purple People Eaters, because at least they were in constant contention and took their teams to multiple Super Bowls, even if they did lose. Baltimore doesn’t even have a good nickname, how can they be that good? The Bears had the Monsters of the Midway, even if they only went to one Super Bowl in the 80s. Baltimore is like their team leader, well hyped. Personally, I am sick of the hype of both the team and Lewis.


Thoughts – Sportsman of the year voting

SI’s sportsman of the year for 2006 was selected, and Dwayne Wade was their choice. I read through the reactions of readers to the choice. Some were in agreement, some in disagreement, and some were downright venomous against the choice. I have no issues with the choice of Wade as the Sportsman of the year. He is a good choice, a great player who has shown he can improve his game when the stakes are at the highest. Many of the other candidates mentioned, Steve Nash, Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Tony Dungy, Jim Leyland, the Detroit Tigers, Drew Brees and the entire Saints team, all would have been equally compelling choices. However, I would like to put forth a choice that has been overlooked, mostly because his sporting days are over.

Jerome Bettis would have been an excellent choice for sportsman of the year. His greatest contributions were overlooked, since most of them happened after the 2005 sportsman was selected. At the start of Pittsburgh's run, he put the team on his back and gave them his last 100 yard game. After that, he was the on field role player he had become and the off the field leader he always had been. Part tank, part teacher, part cheerleader, part general and part mentor, he became the rallying point for a team and a city on a mission. His presence alone helped spur an entire team to reach greater heights. His mere absence this year has shown all of us how much he is truly missed in that locker room.

Plus, part of being a sportsman is not merely your on the field accomplishments, but also your off the field achievements. Bettis has been a fixture in the NFL, Pittsburgh and all over with his various charity work, including his the Bus Stops Here Foundation, which has been reaching out and helping underprivileged children since 1997.

He is a man who came from humble beginnings, and never forgot those who helped him achieve all that he has in life. He never let those who said he could not make it get him down. He knew he would be something. For these reasons and many more, I would have used my vote, if given one, to select Jerome Bettis.


Thoughts – The return of the well dressed coach

I am thankful for the NFL for finally finding a way to allow coaches who want to wear suits during the game to dress in this distinctive way. This is a fantastic move. Nothing conveys authority and control like the suited coach. They look confident, in charge, and ready to lead. It obviously helps, look at San Francisco; they are now 5-5 and a game out of the division lead. Who would have thought that at the beginning of the season? They might even go on a run now. And Jacksonville is now 6-4 and has a good edge on the ever tightening AFC wild card race. Both teams with suited coaches won this weekend, making the suit revival a strong 2-0 thus far. Plus, it looks cool for the football field, and as I said last week, really spurs images from the past. Landry, Lombardi, Stram and many others always wore a suit on the sidelines, giving no doubt as to who was in charge of their respective ships. I have said it before, adding that kind of history and imagery to your team can only help.

But I have a question, if the suit is 3-1, and seems to bring a certain cachet to the teams whose coach sports it, why are not more following this trend? I know the mandate is that you can only wear it twice a season, but hey, that is at least one win, and other than a collapse by the 49ers, would have been two guaranteed wins a season. Why are not more guys jumping on this? Plus the comedy effect would be fantastic. Brad Childress would completely morph into a junior college chemistry professor, and who would not pay good money to see Andy Reid in a suit? The NFL needs to rethink their suit policy. It should be mandatory for two games.


Concept – Best Active Quarterback

This constant fawning over Peyton reminds me of the never ending argument about the best quarterback in the NFL. Each year, and probably every year from now until the end of time, the debate rages about who is the best signal caller amongst the 32 starters, and in some cases the numerous back ups, in the league. Personally, I think the argument should start and end with championships. The ultimate goal is not to break records or pad stats; it is to win that ring. Right now, there are only a handful of quarterbacks in the league that can be put into this discussion. Below are all of them, in order of how they should be ranked as the best in the league.

1. Tom Brady – Woof does this pain me, but the truth is the truth. He has three rings, and before everything is said and done, he could have a few more. Plus, he puts up some pretty decent stats.

2. Brett Favre – One ring, another appearance, and working on grabbing all of Marino’s passing records. A first ballot hall of famer for sure, he lands in second only because of his lack of multiple rings.

3. Ben Roethlisberger – Yes, kiddies, Big Ben should be ranked higher than Peyton. Why you may ask? Because he got the job done, plain and simple. Plus, he will be entering only his fourth season next year, and is just starting to bloom as a quarterback and team leader. He could have a few more rings by the time everything is over as well.

4. Brad Johnson – Ok, he kind of blows this theory out of the water a bit, but the truth is he won a ring in Tampa Bay. You have to make that part of the discussion.

Everyone else, well, they line up at fifth spot and roll down from there. Sure, I would put Peyton at 5, unless someone else wins one this year, then the line starts at 6. And if Peyton goes all the way, then I will put him at two, and we can start an argument between who is better, him or Brady. But until then, he, and everyone else without that ring, is no better than fifth, period.

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.


Concept – NFL Playoff Horse

The NFL has ripped me off big time with something called the NFL Bandwagon. You put in your team, and if they did not make the playoffs, they ask you five questions and assign you, based upon your answers, a team to root for during the playoffs. Now, I figured you did not need some psychological assessment and assignment of a team; with a few ground rules you can pick your own playoff horse. But, in the effort of research, I thought I would go through the quiz and see who would be chosen for me. After putting in Pittsburgh, and the NFL Films guy, which I thought using his voice was a stroke of genius, saying how they’re great, but this wasn’t their year, I started answering the questions. They were fairly simple, like who is your college team, are you a night owl or morning person, do you like to do it yourself or hire help, if you see a penny do you pick it up or let it be. After answering the questions, they processed it and who was my team? The New England Patriots. So, after cleaning the vomit off of my laptop, I went through it again to see if it was a fluke, this time getting different questions, but ones that were along the same vein as the previous quiz. The results? You guessed it, the New England Patriots. Once I stopped bashing my head against the wall, I thought, well, maybe one more time, what the hell. I went through once again and received yet another different set of questions. The results this time? Yeah, it was, the New England Patriots. So, obviously, NFL.com has the same man crush on Tom Brady as John Madden. Since I don’t, and I’m sure I am not alone in that boat, I thought I’d tweak the Playoff Horse rules just a bit. Here they are in their entirety. And whatever you do, avoid NFL Bandwagon. If you are too lazy to pick your own horse, you should not be rooting for anyone anyway and should spend your time making sure your season ticket renewal form for the Black Hole is filled out in the proper color of crayon.

1. Avoid teams from your division – This has too many incestuous ramifications, and could create bad karma for your team the next year. Plus, if they won it all, would you really be able to live with yourself? Avoid division teams at all cost.

2. Avoid traditional rivalry teams – This is paramount, and can create as much bad karma as a division rival, perhaps more. If you are a Raiders fan, you do not root for Denver ever. You would never see a Cowboys fans rooting for Philadelphia either. Plus, if you did that, wouldn’t you just feel sleazy, like you slept with your best friend’s girlfriend?

3. Avoid teams that beat up on your team – Sure, your team had a bad year, but why rub their noses in it by rooting for a team who tortured them. Plus, you could possibly look like a band wagon fan, and you want to avoid that at all costs.

4. Never buy any merchandise of your playoff horse – This is a very short term commitment, no need to invest any money in it. Plus, you could be labeled as a band wagon fan or even bring bad football karma to your team. You never want to split your true loyalties. And, if any of your family or friends who know nothing about football sees this merchandise, it could lead them to believe this is your favorite team and the next thing you know you find Seattle Seahawks Salt and Pepper shakers under your tree next Christmas.

5. Look for teams that did not play yours - This makes it easier to cheer for your playoff horse, since you cannot create bad karma or look like a band wagon fan. Plus, you will not be reminded of when they played your team this season, which could be a bad memory for you.

6. Try to find some connection to your favorite team – Does your playoff horse play in the same state as your team? That works. Are their former players from your team on their roster? Probably, so why not root for those guys, you liked them at one point in their careers. Well, unless that player is T.O. Do you have a friend who is a big fan of a team? Go with his or her team. They would do the same for you, and maybe they have recently, like last year when they cheered on Pittsburgh and congratulated you on Pittsburgh’s Super Bow victoryl. Hee hee.
Look for the sleeper – This is a great one, since if you pick the right team, and they go all the way, you look like a genius. And if they lose, well, you have lost nothing. There is always one team lurking and ready to pounce; the only question is if they could go all the way. Maybe they just need some extra cheer.

8. Pick one team from each conference – Always have two, it increases your odds for making it through the playoffs. Plus, if they both happen to make it to the big game, then you look like an uber genius. On the chance this should happen, switch all support to the team representing your conference. Always good for your real team to be in the more powerful, and Super Bowl laden conference. Trust me, the 80’s and 90’s were rough on us AFC folks.

9. You must pick your horses before the playoffs begin – Yes, I know, this only gives you a week to mourn your season’s end and then find someone to root for, even if it’s only half heartedly. But you cannot cheat by peeking at wildcard weekend and seeing who might really have a shot.

10. If your horses lose before the Super Bowl, you are done – Just like if your own team were eliminated from the playoffs, so too go your temporary allegiances. After that, you can only pick winners for each game. Well, if you have a few bucks on the game, then cheer away. But if not, then just watch as an objective party. Now, if you want to root still, my advice is to root against the teams you cannot stand. If you are any true fan, I’m sure there will be more than a few of those around, even when there are only two remaining combatants.

Remember, this is only for the short term and just for a little fun. You are just rooting for a team so you can create a little vested interest in the playoffs without losing your savings. After the team is done, or the playoffs end, so does your support for your playoff horse. Any cheering for them after that means you are either gleaming off of their success and that would compromise your own team, or you are a band wagon fan, and that would really hurt your team and your credibility. You never want to do anything that would compromise your true allegiances. With that in mind, go out there and find your playoff horse. Since the full rules did not come out until this weekend, I am giving a temporary pass on rule 9. Call it a late Christmas present.


Concept – Advertisement Submission

Ok, I give up. I am only one man, and I can only withstand so much. You have pounded me into submission. I will be a good consumer from now on and follow your bidding. After enjoying some tasty selections from the McDonalds dollar menu and a Grilled Stuft Burrito and washing them down with an award winning Miller Lite while watching 24, Prison Break, American Idol, Without a Trace, Cold Case, CSI and Rules of Engagement on my Sony HD TV, I will get in my Nissan truck and crank Black Sabbath while I drive through ooouuuurrrr country to get a $2.99 Value menu meal from Wendy’s and pick up some Budweiser before buying a Sprint Mobile phone with my MasterCard and shipping it by UPS and then calling Southwest Airlines for reservations on my Cingular Blackjack because I want to get away from the giant Rock’em Sock’em robots attacking my Dodge Ram and boldly go somewhere only my H2 could possibly reach.


Concept – The Super Bust

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.


Concept – Picking a Super Bowl Winner

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


Thoughts – Superior Quarterback Determines Super Bowl Winner

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.