The Crystal Ball 2008 The Super Bust

Again I must revise the weirdest sentence I’ve ever uttered. This week, it is now the Arizona Cardinals are in the Super Bowl. I better darn well not have to revise this sentence again.


Opening Kickoff

I’ve gotta feeling, Pittsburgh’s going to the Super Bowl……Nothing like turning on the Pittsburgh area news and spending the first 10 minutes of the broadcast watching Steelers reports and updates. Ahhh, this must be nirvana.


Recap

Arizona 32 – Philadelphia 25

So much for that trust in Andy Reid

I’ll give Arizona a ton of credit for building a big lead and then not folding once the Eagles pulled ahead late in the game. As a matter of fact, Arizona’s game winning drive is the type that legends are built upon. But I take this away from that game. Their defense is weak and can be exploited by a good offense. And if it stays on the field too long, it tires easily and gives up big plays. Tomlin I hope you took note as well.

Also their offense, while prolific, can be stopped by a tough defense. The Eagles defense is tough, but perhaps the only thing that can stop the Cardinals is the number one ranked defense in the league.

Did anyone else wonder why McNabb was smiling the entire game? He had this look like he knew something no one else did. Perhaps he should have shared that mysterious knowledge with his defense on that last Arizona drive.

One point I have to bring up, because the yakking about it afterward has driven me nuts. Everyone has been peeing themselves about the innovative Cardinal offense, specifically the flea flicker/throwback to Warner who then threw a bomb to Fitzgerald that netted a touchdown. Ummm, how short memories most have. If anyone cares to learn their history of the game, this play is not new. I’m not even talking way back history where we could probably find evidence of it I’m talking three years ago. Pittsburgh busted this play out in the 2005 AFC Wildcard round against the Bungles, and it netted a touchdown. And last year the Patriots scammed this same play and laid it on Pittsburgh, torching Anthony Smith and scored a touchdown. Look, I know the play is sweet and will not debate that. But it’s not innovative and fresh.

Despite that, good on Ken Whisenhunt for so rapidly turning around the culture of the Arizona franchise where they believe they can be winners. That is one heck of a job and no matter what happens this week, he should be lauded for his work. But let’s also thank Denny Green. Yes, you heard me right we should thank Denny Green. Because he left the cabinets in Arizona stocked with some decent pieces with which Whiz used to build his Super Bowl entrant. Denny, you were more than we thought you were.


The Steel Pit

Pittsburgh 23 – Baltimore 14

Unbelievable!

Without a doubt that was some of the hardest hitting I’ve ever seen. I’m surprised someone didn’t get killed, and at one point it looked like that did happen. The Steelers resolve allowed them to overcome Ben taking a vicious, and very late hit, the loss of Hines Ward, a minor injury to James Harrison, and some horrid officiating, which we will cover in a bit. But some highlights of the game.

Hmmm, Mitch Berger had a nice tackle that caused a fumble, not too bad. At least it made up for a few of his poor punts.

Santonio Holmes had a beautiful touchdown thanks to Big Ben’s improvisation. Sometimes a play like that ends in disaster but when it works magic.

This game became one of attrition right from the start, with players falling from opening kickoff. One Baltimore player walked off the field unsteadily to the Steeler sideline. Suffice to say he had a concussion and did not return.

Baltimore also had more players from their injured secondary go out of the game, thus decimating their secondary more.

After a bad interference call led to Baltimore’s first touchdown you could clearly hear the crowd chanting Bullshit. I love Pittsburgh.

Limas Sweed dropped and easy touchdown. While that’s not a crime, what was a crime was him lying on the ground afterward thus costing Pittsburgh its last time out of the first half and at least three points.

He did make up for it by laying a wicked block on Corey Ivy clearing a few yards for Heath Miller. The Hines Ward effect showing itself within the Pittsburgh receiving corps.

Despite Hines being out, Heath Miller and Holmes came up huge. We could be ok, if Hines is not 100%

Jeff Reed consistently got the job done. I loved the story that he told the team he’d dye his hair platinum blond if they made the playoffs. Something tells me it wasn’t much of a sacrifice for reed to dye his hair.

For the umpteenth week, Willie Colon caused a penalty that caused a drive to go crappy. I’m almost superstitious enough to think if he doesn’t garner a bad penalty, we might not do well.

Pittsburgh started letting a lesser team hang around, and the only thing that could turn it around was a game changing defensive play. Troy Polamalu, come on down!

Ryan Clark/Willis McGahee, the microcosm of the violence of this game.

McGahee was carted off the field, much like Roethlisberger in the Browns game. Both teams prayed for Willis and afterwards the game went on almost anticlimactically. Mercifully, McGahee was released from the hospital the next day, and is on the road to recovery and looks as though he will recover fully. I cannot speak for all Steeler fans, but I know the ones around me were even praying he would be ok, and relieved to find out he would be. Yes, I cannot stand the Ravens, but you never ever want to see someone seriously hurt.

This felt, and might have been, the longest AFC championship game ever!

There was much talk before the game about the otherworldly Ed Reed. Many were predicting he would make for a very bad day for Ben Roethlisberger. But not many were talking about the other best safety in the AFC, one Troy Polamalu except to say that his injured calf could limit him severely. So what happened during the game? Troy was everywhere. It seemed on almost every play, a whirlwind of hair was involved in the tackle. Troy even went over the top to physically pull back Flacco to prevent a first down. And of course, his interception return for a touchdown put the finishing touches on a magnificent game.

And what about Ed Reed, well he was harder to find in that game than Waldo. So much for hype. Keep that in mind Cardinal fans as you pin your hopes on Fitzgerald.

Now, let’s move on to the Hines Ward injury. Yes a sprained knee ligament is serious and could limit him. But this is Hines Ward and he will be well enough for the Super Bowl. He all but guaranteed that. And you can put that in the Joe Namath wing of guarantees.

Now, to the most distasteful part of the game, the horrid officiating served up by the “officials” that worked the game. I, and many, have been complaining all season long about the quality of officiating all season, and this game proved a microcosm of how bad it really is. I do not want to spread sour grapes, and I know it was terrible on both sides. Mitch Berger should get an Oscar for that acting job that drew a penalty. But this is out of control and if Roger Goodell does not recognize the seriousness of it and address the issue in the offseason, he will begin losing fans and fast.

Both McFadden and Taylor were victims of terrible pass interference calls, each of which directly led to Baltimore touchdowns. It wasn’t until the Baltimore line horse collared Harrison that finally the officials called holding. It’s embarrassing for the NFL that it had to come to such a severe penalty before they would call holding against Baltimore. Three times by my count Baltimore defenders hit and drilled Big Ben into the ground and yet not once was a roughing the passer penalty called. I’ll yell this from the mountaintops like Don Quixote searching for his windmill, but if the NFL wants fans to take seriously their edict regarding protecting the quarterback, then their officiating crews need to call the penalties as they occur. After one blatant hit, Roethlisberger was sequestered in a Pittsburgh tunnel talking with trainers and Bruce Arians holding his back while Leftwich warmed up on the sidelines. If the NFL wants people to take their call for quarterback protection seriously, then call the penalties on the field as they occur. That the late hit on Roethlisberger that injured him was not called was ridiculous and anyone watching with a cursory knowledge of the rules of football could easily see it.

Now that being said I always say that a good team will overcome adversity and find a way to win. Pittsburgh did that, and now I get to watch them win an unprecedented sixth Super Bowl. Maybe, just maybe, I could see two as an adult. Dare a young boy dream…..


NFL The Alternative Universe

And let the comparisons begin!

Yes, we all saw Anquan Boldin blowing up with Todd Haley near the end of the NFC Championship game. We all know about it, they say it’s not a distraction and they’re most likely correct. But the longer everyone talks about it, and the more questions people ask and the more it is rehashed, it automatically becomes a distraction. More on this in the big Super Bowl blowout coming this weekend.

A sign in University of Phoenix stadium next to the Warner family read: “We are who nobody thought we were.” The Cardinal fan base may be small, but at least they’re clever.

Ok, so who’s ready for the big top? The Cowboy circus, since not on the NFL main stage, has kicked into high gear just to get some attention. So the latest update, and I know I’m missing stuff; I just cannot keep up with it all and my daily 12 hours of Steeler coverage.

- Accusations of tardiness and laziness flew about, including charges that the Cowboy charter left late 5 out of 8 times, not just because of late players but also Jerry Jones
- A general attitude of unruliness and inmates running the asylum permeates the team.
- Romo has demonstrated bad practice habits, and has not changed.
- Some members of the team lost respect for Jason Garrett for not reeling in Romo and his behavior
- Cowboy legend Troy Aikman publicly called out Tony Romo.
- There are plans for a Cowboy reality show where the winner will get a guaranteed spot on the Cowboys training camp roster. The proposed host is Michael Irvin and one of the judges is, of course, Jerry Jones.
- TO has been green lit for his own reality show where fans will get to see his life off the field. I don’t know if I could tune in for a half hour each week to watch him pump iron in his driveway.

I find this all entertaining, like watching a cartoon car crash. My question is this, with the talent on the team and obviously no institutional control from the coaching staff or ownership, does anyone think adding reality shows to the current circus atmosphere is really a good idea?

Did you hear about the Cardinal fans that burned Cardinal phrases into the lawn of Donovan McNabb’s offseason home in Chandler Arizona? My favorite part of this story is how the perpetrators left their address on a box they left in his driveway. I wonder if that stupidity comes because they just have had no experience in celebrating winning, or that they just learned from watching Raider fans.


Upon Further Review

If you recall, in week 7 I made a point to bring up the need for teams to practice good fundamentals. Specifically, I spoke about proper blocking and tackling techniques. That week I noticed four teams that did a very poor job in following the fundamentals, and I said at that point that none of those teams would win the championship. I believe I even predicted none would make the playoffs. Well, how did our four teams fair?

Baltimore Ravens – the Ravens did make the playoffs, and the AFC Championship game. However, they were beaten soundly by a team that does practice the fundamentals.

San Diego Chargers – Somehow, these kids did manage to win their division, make the playoffs and move to the divisional round. But they, too, were beaten soundly by a team that does practice the fundamentals.

Denver Broncos – At one point, they were 8-5 and had a hold on their division. Then they dropped three straight games, lost their division, a shot at the playoffs and then their head coach. I guess fundamentals could be important.

Dallas Cowboys – One of the most spectacular implosions in recent memory. They blew big games, still had chances to make the playoffs, and then completely collapsed in the last game of the season against Philadelphia. Since then, nothing good has happened. Well, if you love unintentional comedy tons of good things have happened.

So, what have we learned? If you practice the fundamentals and concentrate on execution of plays, good things will happen. If not, well, you end up with TO on a reality show.


The Super Bust

Welcome one and all to this year’s Super Bust! I still await the official inception of this great game, but alas Commissioner Goodell seems to always have other fish to fry at the moment. No matter, the game will go on, if only in the twinkling lights of our imagination! And perhaps one day, we can all sit in a stadium far off and witness this beautiful game in actuality.

As stated upon its inception, 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. This game allows a great many good things to happen. As we detailed in the past, here is a partial list of everything the Super Bust would provide.

- 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 Pre Super Bowl Exhibition Party.
- 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 (8 games a season just are not cutting it)
- 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

So this year, the NFC entrant will be the wonderful Dallas Cowboys, who went from preseason favorite to candidate for group therapy.

The AFC entrant of course is the New England Patriots, who stamped their ticket when Tom Terrific went down. Oh, they fought it hard, but deep down they knew where they were headed.

My Super Bust pick this year will be….New England! I cannot wait to see how it turns out!

(The “actual” results will be revealed in our big Super Bowl blowout. Stay tuned.)


He Said He Said

“Why are so many low seeds winning the title?” – SI.com’s Peter King

Because Pittsburgh cleared the way in 2005 that's why. They shall rectify that problem come Sunday.


"I want to say 'Arizona Cardinals' and 'Super Bowl' in the same sentence. The Arizona Cardinals and the Super Bowl. How about it?" - Kurt Warner

You can say it, I still cannot believe it. I think the devil just turned the thermostat up a bit.


"It's personally going to be very meaningful to me facing the Steelers. I'm here because of the training I got there. That's a great football team. I'm proud of the guys we coached there. I'm proud of Ben and how he's grown. It's really going to be a lot of fun.'' – Arizona head coach Ken Whisenhunt

Come on Ken, just say it. You want to show Dan he made a terrible mistake.


"Here's my advice to the Arizona Cardinals: Don't rush Ben Roethlisberger. That makes him a playground football player. That's what he is, and he's a damn good one." - Baltimore defensive lineman Trevor Pryce

Speaking as one who knows all too well.


"Don't shed any tears for me. I got to live a dream most people don't get to live.'' – Former Colts head coach Tony Dungy

I just hope his future is as successful as his past.


"Barack is selling hope. And I'm buying.'' – Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin

Aren’t we all?


"That was just ... so violent. These two teams play violently. You look out there and can't believe the hits you're seeing.'' – Steelers backup quarterback Byron Leftwich

You think Byron might look for a job in the NFC next year after seeing that?


"Seems like this was 10-times worse than the regular season against them. They had a chip on their shoulder out there, maybe because we beat them twice during the regular season. Whatever, it was rough out there.'' - Steelers OLB LaMarr Woodley

That’s an understatement. I was sore Monday and all I did was watch.


"I think, without a doubt, this is the best defense I've ever played on. This team had to rely more on its defense than the 2005 team.'' – Steelers SS Troy Polamalu

Troy, I hate to ask much more, but we’ll need to rely on you guys for just sixty minutes more.


“Berating any player on the sidelines during a game is poor coaching (rebukes should come in private), let alone berating a player who's normally a top performer. That (Andy) Reid lost his temper when the team needed him to stay focused possibly suggests he has trouble handling pressure.” – ESPN.com’s Gregg Easterbrook

Now, considering his track record, who would ever have imagined Andy Reid having trouble handling pressure?


"We are definitely not going to cut him out. We are going to save a seat on the bus for 86." – Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin on the status of injured Hines Ward

Like you could cut him out of game plan if you tried. He’d walk to Tampa to play in the Super Bowl.


"Our secret? We try to put a team on the field every year that can win a championship. And we never take a year off." – Steelers president Art Rooney II on the success of the Steelers

Lions fans, take note. Scratch that, fans of all teams take note


Ring around the Rosie

Oakland – Surprise, surprise no one has been hired.

New York Favres – the Jets plucked defensive coordinator Rex Ryan from Baltimore for their head coaching vacancy. Since they hired him Monday, it makes you wonder if his mind was elsewhere during the AFC championship game. If I’m a Raven’s fan I’m pissed for yet another reason.

Kansas City - in a surprise to no one, Pioli sacked Herm Edwards. A few names have been flown around, but no decisions have been made.


Idiot of the week

As I’ve mentioned before, some weeks the idiots just flow like a river. So who gets it this week? Jerry Jones for not realizing the biggest problem with the Cowboys is himself? Most media outlets for rapidly backtracking on statements the Cardinals were the worst playoff team ever after they finished off Philadelphia to punch their ticket to the Super Bowl? Total Access for offering milquetoast observations and having no one on their program brave enough to give and back up an honest but possibly divisive opinion? No, no and should be but no.

This week we honor the NFL, for their asinine idea to introduce a trophy towel. Someone in the NFL marketing brain trust decided it would be a good idea to introduce a bath sized towel to hand out to players after the Super Bowl and conference championships, so the players have something else to celebrate with and fans could have one more piece of memorabilia to purchase. I imagine they hope to introduce these to all teams eventually. Now, despite the obvious rip off of the Terrible Towel, this is an awful idea. You think players want to be waving around a bath sized towel? You think Steeler players will even consider that when they have a built in piece of memorabilia with which to celebrate already in towel form?

Despite the obvious rip off, it also is insulting to Steeler fans and the Terrible Towel. No, not because of some sports related or jinx type thought, but because it’s mere profit grabbing. They are trying to glean off of the Terrible Towel’s popularity to make a crass buck. But the Terrible Towel does not make a buck, it gives back. Profits from every single towel sold go to charity. Will the trophy towel do the same? Uhhhhh, no, I highly doubt it. I know economic times are tough, but does the NFL really need to make a buck this bad?

So, for ripping off a Pittsburgh tradition, and doing a poor job of it, while insulting an entire fan base and the late creator of the Terrible Towel and minimizing the good said tradition does for charity, NFL you are an idiot.


On Tap This Week

Nothing, nada, zip, zilch, zero. There was no football this week. We got a bitter taste of what the next 7 months hold for us. And you know what? I did not like it at all. Sure, winter sports, basketball, hockey, the upcoming motorsports and baseball seasons and dozens of other smaller sports are entertaining, but they are not football. Sigh. At least next week will have one delicious entrée left on which we can all gorge. And we must, as the winter months will soon bring hibernation from the NFL without so much as a bread crumb from which to gain sustenance. So grab your forks and napkins and prepare to dig in, as next week’s buffet had best last us all.