They did it. One for the thumb. Super Bowl Champs.
Big games are hard for me to watch. It's just a game...I know it's silly....but I get into them. I played in high school...coached at two high schools...I love football. The hardest thing for me is talking to someone after the game who never played.... or coached, talk to me about their "theories" on the game. I know you don't have to take crack to know it's not great for you...and you can know about a sport you never played....it's just that some people watch their team on Sundays and consider themselves experts.
Please don't talk to me about the game if you don't know the difference between a bubble route and a skinny post....or yell, "Off Sides!" every time the guard jumps.
"what's the difference between a 3-4 and a 4-3?" you ask...don't understand a nickel d or dime package...maybe we should just talk about the weather.
"they're lucky"
really?
They beat everybody.
They had the hardest road to the Super Bowl ever...
Lucky? Are you sure you know what that means?
(5 seconds 'til the Bengals rant)
Outside of a couple of weeks when Ben was hurt and coming back from an injury...they were the best team in football. There have been some frustrating moments. 3 out of 4 Bengals fans were telling me that they thought that Pittsburgh would beat them in the playoffs "but it's still been one heck of a season" (it sort of took the fun out talking smack that week)
...and then 3 out of 4 Bengals fans were telling me that they were lucky....even though the experts had Pittsburgh favored...even though it was in Cincinnati...."Carson was going to throw it 65 yards every time...how could they have lost?"
Really?
That's how football works? You're not just saying that as a Bengals fan? Because the national sports writers aren't really picking up on that story.
Then the Steelers beat the team with the best record. Then the Broncos. Today they beat the best team in the NFC by two scores....lucky?
They're the best football team on the planet. I can now prove it. No more rants...who really cares? Every fan of every other team is already talking about next year....that's fine. They have the trophy, the ring, Hines has the new car....I'm going to be happy for them.
As odd as it is to say...today still wasn't a very good day.
Annie is running a fever. Grif doesn't understand why mommy can't play...and Coop is still on antibiotics.
It's hard to care that much about a game with a bunch of guys in tight pants fighting over a ball when your wife is carrying baby #3 and is dehydrated from throwing up for 24 hours.
I'd rather my wife and baby were healthy than watch the Steelers win yet another Super Bowl.... Some things just don't really matter that much...honestly.
Murph,
ReplyDeleteFirst, I hope the family is feeling better. That, of course, is most important.
Second, don't take this personally, because it's just a game, but I have never seen a professional football game officiated more poorly than the game I watched on Sunday.
Ben did NOT score on that TD run. The official put his arm up to spot the ball, came running in, and THEN threw up the other arm for a touchdown.
The offensive pass interference on the first Seahawks TD was ridiculous. That doesn't get called 9 out of 10 times.
There was NO holding on the pass play down to the 3 yard line in the 4th quarter. They showed a replay and even Madden said he saw nothing.
The 15 yard penalty on Hasselback for TACKLING the DB who picked off his pass was a JOKE. They threw a flag for an illegal block when he made the TACKLE!
They tried to screw them again on the fumble...lucky for the Seahawks the replay was conclusive.
I usually make fun of people for saying games are fixed, but that game was FIXED! The NFL wanted Cower to get his ring, Bettis to go out on top, and the story of the greatest run in sports to have a happy ending.
The fix was in. Only seems fitting for a bunch of cheaters to win by...cheating.
Wow! Seems as though you are convincing yourself.... Whatever helps you sleep at night. Besides I'd rather be lucky than good, just think if my Bengals were lucky instead of good.... who knows maybe my blog would be justifying the win.
ReplyDeleteHonestly I do hope the Bus in done.
Who Dey!
Praying for Annie and the baby...
ReplyDeleteYou see character after big games like this. I work with a guy who could tell you the first guy cut from the Bengals. He honestly understands and follows the sport. After the Steelers soundly beat his team, he said 'Congratulations' In fact he said it again today..."congratulations, they played better"
ReplyDeleteHe gets it. His team lost. The better team won.
Another guy who knows bupkis about football was telling me that he knows that the Steelers posted an x-ray with Carson Palmer's leg on the bulletin board...and they practiced breaking legs that week. He really believes it....Just like this Pastor/teacher guy I know believes the NFL would fix a game...and plan that the receiver pushing off and Ben barely crossing the front of the paint in the end zone...and Big Foot is real...and the moon landing was fake...Bill Cower goes for it on fourth and inches and it's just one more play to score...That's how he plays...it was a done deal...your point is moot they won by two scores...if they hadn't already scored (which they did...and you didn't quote Madden on that one) You didn't even argue that the guy didn't push off...just that it usually doesn't get called because the ref isn't in position...so it doesn't bug you that it was illegal...just that you usually don't get caught (not an unbiased opinion...I'm guessing you might have been hoping Seattle would win???)
...and my log "justifies" the win?
THEY BEAT EVERYBODY...honestly? You didn't hear? They beat EVERYBODY! that sort of legitimizes the win...doesn't it?
i'm pretty sure espn columnist, mike smith knows a little bit about football... http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs05/columns/story?columnist=smith_michael&id=2320683&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos2
ReplyDeletebut is it really worth getting all worked up over?
Sean,
ReplyDeleteI love you.
- The Pastor/Teacher Guy
;)
you're just trying to get back to that whole "push up" scenario...
ReplyDelete(interesting?)
http://journeyon.net/midrash/flyer.html
Is it maybe a little silly to say that you can tell someone's character by the way they rezct to one of the poorest played Superbowls ever?
ReplyDeleteI hate the Steelers. But they did what they had to do to win. They didn't have to do much, because the Seahawks stunk it up, but they did what it took. And, in the end, I'd rather have a team that just barely does what it takes to win every game in the playoffs than one that gets giddy like a schoolgirl when they start running up scores on teams from the NFC North in week 2.
I just don't think that people's reaction to the outcome of a game says much about their character.
What does say a lot about someone's character?
1) How they react to being wronged.
2) How they act when they are shown to be in the wrong.
3) How they react to hardship and loss.
4) How they react to those who annoy the crap out of them.
5) How they act in any situation before they have to react.
I think those things matter more than what people do after a game that they didn't play in.
Murph,
ReplyDeleteI can imagine that it's maddening to be surrounded by bitter Bengals fans.
If you ever feel like returning to sanity and reason, our couch is a pullout.
...the fam can come too.
Here we go,
Ben