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Someday, in the Are Seven design reworking that I dream about but will probably never get to, I'll put the post labels up at the top. That way, you could quickly see that this post is entirely about football, and then you could see right up front whether you wanted to read it or immediately carry on with the Are Seven-less part of your life. Never let it be said that I like to waste your time. Because I don't.
Football topic #1: the BCS. I actually tend to subscribe more to the Kornheiserian Theory of College Football: that the ranking system, no matter how ridiculous it is, makes the sport unique and more exciting. It's what gives huge importance to the regular season, and what makes those upsets so huge. A playoff system would not only take that away, it wouldn't even get rid of the arguments; it would just change them. The idea that a playoff system would make everyone happy (or even anyone happier).
At the risk of philosophizing something that's not really worthy of philosophy, I actually like the flaws in the college system because it shows the flaws in all of sports. No matter how much is scored and how obsessive you are about stats, it's miles away from being an exact science. In any playoff system (the NCAA basketball tournament, for example), you're still going to get arguments over who gets in and who doesn't. There's arguments about the teams that played better down the stretch who should get in over the teams that faded but still made the postseason. Refs miss calls, people make mistakes, external factors come into play. In a word, it's unfair. Just like (yes, I'm gonna say it) life.
Football topic #2: last night's game. Listen, I hate the Patriots, too. It's not just that they win all the time: it's their bland and generic, mid-90's marketing-friendly uniforms, the fact that girls pick them as their favorite team because they have the cute QB, and Bellichick is redefining the asshole coach.
But: they're a team of destiny. They're like the 49ers in the 80's. There's no way this team is going to lose. There was never any doubt in my mind in the game last night that the Patriots wouldn't get a last-minute TD to win it. That doesn't mean that I didn't hope, or jump off the couch and try to will that amazing last-second catch into the end zone using The Force (which I was reminded again I don't have), but there was no way this team was going to lose that game. They're not like the '98 Vikings or the '01 Rams; teams with high-octane offenses that wilted as soon as they faced a quality foe. This team comes up when they need to, and make the most of the chances that they're given, which is more important than any other quality. Just ask the Ravens.
It actually kind of sucks to hate the Patriots. I wish I could enjoy this ride they're on. I wish I could enjoy watching potentially the best team in the NFL. But they're just so unlikable. Even the '90's Cowboys were at least fun to hate. This team just kind of makes me want to turn off the TV.
9 comments:
Yes, they are an amazing team, but I"m not so certain they someone isn't going to knock them off. It may be in the playoffs though, given how easy their remaining schedule is. The reason I think this? Two very ordinary teams with decent coaching staff's very nearly beat them. If not for two even more ordinary quarterback's and their penchant for ill-advisedly heaving the ball up for grabs, they would be a two loss team. Somewhere down the line a team with a good coaching staff *and* good players is going to knock these doods down. It's just too difficult to win 19 in a row. My bet? The Steelers take them down this weekend. You heard it here first!
Oh, btw, don't mistake my above comment for skepticism. There's no doubt that the Pats are the best team in football right now. I'm just saying I wouldn't be shocked if the Steelers or anyone in the playoffs figures out a way to beat them.
I also had the same feeling about that game last night Reid (that there was no way they weren't going to lose), and then I couldn't decide if I wanted them to just go ahead and lose then (because I don't like the Ravens either) or against another team (like the Steelers - who I kinda like). At the end, I pulled for the Ravens, but without a lot of stock in it.
About the BCS - I don't really have a problem with the 2 teams in the national championship (Geaux Tigers!) game - and I also sorta like that the whole season is like one big playoff - where, if it's like this season, you can get passes to come back into the tournament. What I don't like is how the other BCS bowl game teams are decided - which seems to be some strange mix of tradition and who will fill the most seats. And why are those called "BCS" bowls if they don't really matter towards finding a national champion anyways - I think it'd be great if those could somehow be a part of some small tourney between the 8 best teams or something...which would also help this season because Hawaii, who is undefeated, should get some sort of chance to play for a national championship - hell, in the end, they played about as tough a schedule as Ohio State! But anyway, what I really think should happen is just to get rid of the BCS and any notion of a tourney and we should go back to the old system of traditional bowl matchups and tie games - now that was fun - and made for some really great arguments (and only about 8 teams could ever really win it all)!
Thanks for the spoiler warning at the beginning of the post. If it weren't for that, I would have read the whole thing, and since I'm not caught up on the current NFL season (I keep waiting for previous seasons to show up on Netflix) it would have ruined everything for me.
Christian, that's what the hopeful part of me was telling me as well: that they're vulnerable. But it's the very fact that they've played these close games and come up when they needed to, and "when they needed to" is when they got the lucky breaks that they did. Remember also that they beat the 2nd and 3rd best teams in the league, too. Plus, the '85 Bears lost a game to a mediocre Dolphins team...but coasted to the championship.
None of this means anything, of course. They still have to win all those games. I guess I'm just saying that I think they're more than just a really good, really impressive team. They have the intangibles that make championship teams. I think the last time I saw a team who came up so solidly when they needed to was the 2000 Ravens.
Doug, I can absolutely see the benefit of a playoff system. But I've heard a lot of people talking as though a playoff system would solve everything, and it wouldn't. There would be just as many arguments, I think, and not as much fun.
Then again, it's easy for me to say. Of the two teams I root for, one (UNC) doesn't stand a chance anytime in the near future, and the other (Texas) just won a championship. So there's a grain of salt you can take this all with.
Hans: it's all I can do to keep from spoiling the ending for you. I'll just say these two things: "This Is Our Country" and fade to black.
Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose!
Last point on the Cheatriots, I mean Patriots...I agree that they have those intangible qualities of being a championship team. Like I said, I think they are the best team in the league. But I don't think they are unbeatable. Good teams with smart coaching staffs can find ways to hang with them. They've got the Steelers this weekend and nothing but good teams facing them in the playoffs. They are the odds on favorite, no question. But I think the Steelers and a healthy Colts is capable of beating them. Sometimes even the best teams can lose. That's what's great about single elimination playoffs, right? ;)
What y'all REALLY should be following is rollerderby! Last weekend #4 ranked carolina beat #1 ranked Kansas City in the last jam of the game by one point! Possibly the most exciting derby game I have ever seen. It all boiled down to strategy, I swear I thought I was watching an NFL game....
I love the pats, but y'all knew that....
That's fantastic! I had forgotten to check that. I'm sorry I missed it. People must have been going crazy.
You have the best reason in the world to love the Pats. Trust me: it's an enviable position to be in when everyone hates your team. I wish I got "I hate the Astros" more than I get, "Wow, I've never met a real Astros fan."
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