Introduction:
As someone who’s done more than my fair share of writing for almost thirty years — about science, about education, about sports, and about various other topics — sometimes it’s hard to be witty, cover all the thoughts rattling through my head, and distill it into a neat and tidy piece for reading consumption. So, in the spirit of stream of consciousness, here goes nothing as I offer my very first contribution to the Division of Professional Relations (PROF)...
Do you have a favorite movie, or perhaps a top five (or ten) list? I do! Among my favorite movies happens to be National Lampoon’s Animal House, one of the movies I and many baby Boomers came of age (or aged... or evolved) with. Oh, if you’re unfamiliar with it (yeah, like if you were born after the Beatles broke up), it’s a wonderful movie... Sort of like Rebel without a Cause, but a lot funnier. Anyway, if you’re like me, a baby Boomer stuck in arrested adolescence, you probably recall every scene and every dialogue.
One of my favorite scenes is towards the end of the movie, when the Delta House gang just found out they were expelled from Faber College, and Brother Bluto Blutarsky (played by the late John Belushi) offers these immortal words:
“Over? Did you say ‘over’? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no! And it ain't over now. 'Cause when the goin' gets tough... [pauses to remember the rest of the phrase] ...the tough get goin'! Who's with me? Let's go!”
Granted, that was memorable, but for the purpose of our discussion, let’s consider what Brother Bluto said after running out the front door with no one following him:
“[looking out among his morose fraternity brothers] What the [expletive] happened to the Delta I used to know? Where's the spirit? Where's the guts, huh?”
THAT’S the line I want us to think about when we ask ourselves why we need a Chemists with Disabilities subdivision!
You see, we Baby Boomers used to have spirit and guts, and not just for frat parties, homecoming weekend, or general rebellion. We used to take stands for noble causes, and action when we wanted to lead by example and make a difference in the world. We stuck our necks out when others wouldn’t, especially if we truly believed in something. But that no longer seems to be the case as much as we’ve gotten older and more wrapped up in our immediate worlds and issues, and next generations come along with their own agendas and concerns. In short, we’ve collectively lost our sense of outrage, and now merely shrug at things once guaranteed to make our blood boil.
Sometimes we take for granted what others struggle with on a daily basis, perhaps because we’ve never had to personally struggle before. Consider any disabled member in our chemical profession and in the American Chemical Society. Some disabled people have visual impairments, some have hearing problems, some have physical of neurological impairments, some have emotional or psychiatric issues, and some have learning disabilities. Some disabilities are more visible than others; some are more challenging than others. Any disability can create an additional struggle for a human being, not just a chemist, but in a profession or field of study as intellectually challenging as chemistry, some disabilities can be monumental without appropriate assistance or resources.
What happens if we’re visually-impaired and need others to serve as our eyes, or require adaptive devices, or require modified duties in order to be as successful in our jobs as possible? What happens if we don’t have full control of our arms or legs and require assistance for almost every physical task our gifted minds wish to carry out? What happens if everything we read is so scrambled within our brains that we require hours and hours to disentangle verbal and symbolic information and transform it into a sensible product? What happens if our personal imperfections --- beyond the superficial ones of appearance — dictate our ability to not only perform basic daily functions but to work as a chemist?
Making Sense of Things:
I can’t speak for everyone, but my somewhat large ethnic nose, annoying New York accent, extreme fondness for Beatles music and Mel Brooks movies, or my sometimes blunt and politically incorrect candor hardly inhibit my ability to work as a chemist, or more specifically, a science educator. My limited ability to use my arms and legs, or stand pain-free for more than a few moments, or sit pain-free for more than a short time, however, due to my spinal injury, does. A very good day for me is to be able to take a walk outside using a cane, and not falling and hurting myself. A typical day involves less mobility, more assistive devices, such as a walker, at least one fall and new bruises. I need assistive devices in order to take a shower and get dressed; preparing and eating meals also presents physical challenges, not to mention emotional frustration. A bad day could be spent in a wheelchair or in bed. The sky’s the limit as to my mind’s thoughts and what it wishes to accomplish. My body very often doesn’t work in conjunction with my mind, and in a world where one’s body and its ability to do things is highly taken for granted, my mind is of lesser and lesser value to colleges and universities that could employ me or chemistry students who could still learn from me. The United Negro College Fund used to have commercials with the slogan “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.” I may not be African-American, but my mind has been more than wasted by the academic world in its refusal to employ and support me and my disabled body these past 4-5 years.
My mind knows no intellectual limits despite my acceptance of physical limits. However, I, just like many in the disabled community, live in a world with virtually zero tolerance for any limits. Hey, why not?! In today’s perpetual economic crisis affecting the private, public and academic sectors alike, employment opportunities are at a premium and we’re all led to believe that employers want the biggest “bang for the buck” in terms of hires. Time is money and money is time. Why should employers invest in disabled people needing adaptive devices, work accommodations, and special dispensation for their “issues” when things could get done more efficiently, in terms of time and cost, by able-bodied people who can work in an “as is” environment, work longer hours, take fewer sick days, and impose less on the employee health benefits plan?
It sounds so logical and practical when we view everything as a matter of dollars and cents, doesn’t it? But humans aren’t commodities or currency or fiscal indicators for actuaries, accountants and economists to organize into flowcharts, pie graphs or spreadsheets. Humans are of flesh and blood and dignity. Consider the outrage folks have when adults over 40, women, ethnic minorities, or members of the gay community get short-shrift, shafted and discarded in our national workforce. We hear it all the time... Ageism, sexism, racism, jingoism, homophobia and any other kind of bias the disenfranchised masses can yell out. Funny, but you don’t hear cripple-ism, gimp-ism, blind-ism or deaf-ism much, do we? Hmmm... Wouldn’t THAT make for a juicy litigation involving Wal-Mart?!
In a way, this reminds me of a poem about World War II I’ve known about for many years... In fact, I even included it among the PowerPoint slides for my recent presentation (“Balancing the Americans with Disabilities Act with the academic setting”) at the Anaheim meeting, and now wish to share it with all of my fellow CWD and PROF members:
First They came...
Attributed to Pastor Martin Niemoller (Milton Mayer: They thought they were free. 1955)
First they came for the communists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist.
Then they came after the Jews, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came after me, and there was no one left to speak out for me.
Sometimes we tend to forget that the Division of Professional Relations serves all people, and that includes all “special interest” groups — young chemists AND old chemists, women chemists AND male chemists, GLBT chemists AND straight chemists, ethnic minority chemists AND white chemists, and finally, disabled chemists AND able-bodied chemists. We’re really in this together, folks... That’s why ACS is called the American Chemical SOCIETY, not the American Chemical Collection of Assorted Individuals. “Society” implies COMMUNITY, and we’re all part of one large professional community!
Young chemists issues are COMMUNITY issues. Old chemist issues are COMMUNITY issues too, just as women chemist issues, male chemist issues, GLBT chemist issues, ethnic minority chemist issues, and disabled chemist issues. Unfortunately, as the years go by, and we Baby Boomers get a little too settled, satisfied and complacent in life and career, we tend to ignore all the COMMUNITY issues and focus our thoughts on immediate and local issues. And we Baby Boomers aren’t the only guilty ones... The generation that preceded us are guilty, and the generations that followed us are guilty too. Think about it... Why should the old folks care about issues facing the young folks, and vice-versa? Why should chemists in the pharmaceutical industry care about issues facing chemistry students and their teachers? Why should straight chemists care about issues facing GLBT chemists, and so on, and so on?
Duh... Because it’s the right thing to do?! Perhaps if we all care about and stand up for each other’s issues, there will always be someone left to speak out for us when we need professional support? Perhaps it’s possible a similar issue will hit you down the road, and Karma’s not very nice to folks who turn their backs on others? Do I really have to explain to educated professionals that you need to give in order to receive? I honestly hope not, but sometimes I wonder.
It’s funny (not funny ha-ha)... When you have an issue you need support with from ACS, what is it you want to hear from your professional organization and community? Do you want colleagues to empathize with you and “feel your pain”, as former President Bill Clinton was famous for saying, or do you welcome or appreciate hearing:
Well, everyone’s got something going on.
You’re not the only one with problems.
Some people have worse than you.
You know how may stories like this I hear?
We can’t have special rules for everyone’s issues.
What do you expect us to do about it?
If you’re a genuine human being, you definitely prefer the empathy, and maybe a little artificial pity. After all, this is YOUR issue, not anyone else’s or even everyone else’s. Sure, none of us are foolish enough to believe we’re the only one going through a difficult challenge or tough situation, but we also don’t want it trivialized or genericized by others. We’re upset, and in need of support, and dammit, we expect others to be upset on our behalf, or at least upset with us, because that’s part of being human beings within a COMMUNITY. We don’t want to believe we’re all alone in our frustrations, and yet we also don’t want others being tone-deaf to the uniqueness of our challenges or situations.
Put it this way: if you were from special interest group A, and you reached out to special interest group B for support and solidarity towards an issue you hold near and dear to your heart, and special interest group B tells you to take a hike because group B only cares about group B issues, I’m willing to bet when the tables are turned, group A will tell group B to take the same hike. And where does that get us? A whole bunch of special interest groups warring against each other in the name of their own myopic interests. And you know what that sounds like to the average educated person? WASHINGTON, D.C., that’s what! Do we honestly want an ACS that resembles AARP lobbyists pitted against pediatric health care lobbyists, or affluent suburbanites pitted against urban working poor, or constitutionalists (I still can’t tell if these are the Tea Party folks or hyper-caffeinated bigots...) pitted against immigrants?
Is this the ACS or PROF we want to see, where colleagues get up and complain, why do we need all these divisions and subdivisions for a bunch of loopy interests or people?! Let’s just have the ACS like I remember it, plain ol’ chemistry and plain ol’ chemists. Either you can cut being one of us or go be a biologist, for criminy’s sake! If someone in ACS actually still spoke like this, wouldn’t you cringe from embarrassment?!
Implications:
I know this is leaning on the edge of good taste, and I do wish to preface this next thought with the fact that I do have friends, acquaintances and respected colleagues who are women, who are gay, who are ethnic minorities, who are under-40 and who are over-40. Some of these people are very accomplished in their professional careers, including careers very related to chemical literacy. But unless I’m missing something, none of these wonderful people require adaptive devices or any physical workplace accommodations because of their gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity or age (well, give or take stronger magnifying lenses). I hope you get my gentle point, because women, ethnic minorities and homosexuals have spent YEARS convincing the “old guard” in STEM-related professions that they can do the same jobs just as well, if not better, than white men, and I have long supported this (just check my publication record sometime). However, no one ever had to make special beaker tongs for a woman (PLEASE, let’s not debate manicure issues...), a special Bunsen burner for a gay or lesbian person, a special periodic table for African-Americans, or special glassware for Asians or Hispanics.
But we know of modified lab equipment for physically disabled people, if not entire lab stations specifically designed for physically disabled people to perform chemical investigations as safely as possible. Safety for everyone learning, teaching or practicing chemistry is of paramount importance in our profession, but it’s infinitely vital when we include and welcome physically disabled people into the laboratory setting. Although physically disabled people can be of any age, race, ethnicity, male or female, gay or straight — and not to take away from issues of age, race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation -- the bottom line is that being physically disabled is a very unique situation for chemical education and the chemistry profession, independent of other demographic information. Just as much as we can’t possibly (or idiotically) have one division or subdivision for “all the people who don’t fit into what chemistry and chemists used to be”, we can’t simply fold disabled chemists into other existing divisions or subdivisions. The needs of disabled chemists would simply not be addressed or met, just as was the case for young chemists, women chemists, GLBT chemists, and ethnic minority chemists. We’re all individuals with unique personal and professional needs, and those needs require a special home where those needs can be focused upon. However, we’re all more than our unique needs and part of a larger community, so we need to complement each other and mutually serve PROF and ACS as a whole.
So for those who wonder why ACS needs so many divisions and subdivisions, and even more new subdivisions, it’s because the face of ACS, and PROF, and the chemical profession are continuously changing... Make that evolving. We’re a community of inclusion and mutual support, and the more our professional community evolves, the more ACS needs to keep pace. Most importantly, ACS and PROF need a CWD subdivision because our subdivision shares the moral obligation to serve and support all ACS members, whether those members are disabled or not. The CWD subdivision maintains “old-time” Baby Boomer values and stands up for others. We invite you to stand with us now, so you never have to worry who will stand with you during your time of need.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
Mazal tov and other thoughts from Rosh Ha-Baseball Weekend... Sports Thoughts for April 4, 2011
Ever blink and miss an entire month? Welcome to my March!
Well, here we are, springtime, April, the month of showers for future flowers, about to crown new men’s and women’s NCAA basketball champs (on top of NIT, CIT, CBI and CIA champs... I made up the last one to see if you’re paying attention), and snow in the Midwest and northeast. But somehow, just like every spring, major league baseball teams return from Grapefruit and Cactus League camps and begin to entertain us with a six-month regular season of hope springing eternal and rabid fans calling their local sports radio stations to vent a spleen on a daily basis.
Anyway, in case you were too engrossed in the Final Four, traveling to research conferences, shopping for Passover or Easter, or making sense of the new movie Hop, this past weekend offered us MLB Opening Day with all the bunting and hoopla for 15 hosting teams, while 15 other teams wait for their opportunity to play before their own fans. But baseball is finally here, and even the most pessimistic fan knows that all 30 teams begins with a clean slate and bright days ahead at the ol’ ballpark.
Where did I come up with “Rosh Ha-Baseball”? Well, on Wednesday, one of my all-time favorite sportscasters, Len Berman, sent out this thought in his “Daily Top 5”:
Happy "New Year's Eve." Baseball season begins tomorrow.
My response? So is tomorrow Rosh Ha-Baseball? Hopefully you don’t have to be Jewish to get it...
Anyway... So what’s caught your eye and fancy during the first weekend of the 2011 MLB season? Have you made your predictions yet for the World Series, Cy Young, MVP, and Rookie of the Year? Are your predictions etched in stone or do you allow yourself unlimited times to edit and waffle as the roller coaster rhythm of the season goes on? I’m not making any predictions this year until I see enough of the season, thank you. Check back with me around Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day.
But a dozen things have already caught my attention:
1. The defending World Series champs, the San Francisco Giants, started their season in Los Angeles, rather than at home. Gee... You’d think the geniuses at MLB would’ve figured out a way to schedule the World Series champs to open at home, in Candlestick Park, especially when the Giants and Dodgers play the first Sunday Night game on ESPN? Is the story the Giants defending their crown or how the Dodgers will function under new manager Don Mattingly while the ownership is still being sorted out in divorce court?
2. After the very first game, two Dodgers fans beat a Giants fan so badly in the parking lot of Chavez Ravine he’s now in hospital with a fractured skull and brain swelling, a lousy note for all who love baseball. Not to be crass, but it seems folks in Los Angeles have a reputation for bashing in heads, don’t they? Rodney King, Reginald Denny... Odd coincidence? Certainly takes away some of that L.A. classiness.
3. For those with fond memories of past golden eras in baseball, it was both touching and sad to see tributes by the Cleveland Indians, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers for the recently-departed Bob Feller, Ron Santo, Chuck Tanner, Duke Snider and Sparky Anderson, five of the classiest members of MLB history many of us might’ve known.
4. As for the Indians, it was noted by USA TODAY that Friday’s starter, Fausto Carmona, was 7-0 with a 2.82 ERA in his last seven starts versus the Chicago White Sox. In case you didn’t notice Friday’s box score, the White Sox won 15-10. Carmona’s line score? 10 earned runs on 11 hits in three innings. Guess eight isn’t a lucky number...
5. It’s supposed to be cold in Cleveland; in fact, the Indians’ ground crew had to clean snow off the field prior to Friday’s game. You’d expect runs to come at a premium, right? Well, Friday’s game was 15-10, Saturday’s was 8-3 (also won by the White Sox), and Sunday’s was 7-1 (won by the Tribe). I’d say 44 combined runs in three days says enough about cold bats and cold weather, don’t you?
6. If the Indians are as bad as they’re projected and as they played during the opening weekend series, will it be long before we see Charlie Sheen appears in his Major League role of Ricky Vaughn? Sounds like a WINNING proposition, especially with negotiations underway to make Major League 4. If reviews about his traveling comedy act were truly accurate, perhaps Charlie Goodtime SHOULD consider suiting up and joining the Tribe’s bullpen.
7. Do you really think the cure to Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira’s notorious slow starts are as simple as opening the season March 31st? Sure, 4 hits in 12 at bats, 3 homeruns, and 7 RBIs is a nice way to open things, but April does have 30 days, you know. I know, I know... It’s more fun to talk about Teixeira being on pace for 162 homeruns than the fact that the Yankees pitching staff gave up 19 runs this weekend at the Stadium to the Tigers. Psst, psst... Should we mention the Yankees and Mets are both 2-1 after the opening weekend and tied for second place in their divisions? Just wanted to remind folks New York DOES have two major league baseball teams.
8. Let me get this straight... The Yankees have been directed by MLB not to give hand signals to batters from the stands during games? Hey, sometimes coaching has to be creative when you pare down your payroll to $203M! Of course, what Yankees fans should find most galling is that their front office is now associated with an offense one attributes only to professional sports teams northeast of I-87 (feel free to debate UConn basketball being a professional sports team, men’s and women’s).
9. Speaking of Belichickery and Boston, are the New York Daily News and Bergen Record going to spend all summer yammering about the Yankees being “underdog” to the Red Sox? C’mon... When you have two teams operating payrolls with Monopoly money, the AL East favorite is really just a matter of #1 and #1A, right? I mean, really! No wonder Buck Showalter’s Orioles are more worthwhile to root for. They’re already off to a 3-0 start, sweeping the Rays in Tampa.
10. If you’re looking for omens, consider the Red Sox, Rays, Brewers and Astros are the only winless teams after the season’s first weekend, while the Orioles, Rangers, Reds and Phillies are the remaining unbeatens. Oh, and not for nothing, but before we carry on too much about Yankees pitchers serving up 19 runs to the Tigers this past weekend, did anyone notice Red Sox pitchers served up 26 runs and 11 homeruns to the Rangers while being swept in Arlington? Yeah, let’s just keep making automatic presumptions about the AL East...
11. The ghost of Braden Looper?! Is there something rather eerie about Opening Day at home for the Cincinnati Reds and ninth-inning comebacks? Watching the Brewers bullpen meltdown and Ramon Hernandez’s walk-off three-run homer reminded me an awful lot like Opening Day 2005, when the Mets bullpen ruined the debut of Pedro Martinez. Yes, Mets fans... Time DOES fly! Hmmm... Do you think all those on the “Brewers could shock the world” bandwagon a few days ago might be rethinking their optimism, especially for a pitching staff that served up 23 runs, including 8 homeruns?
12. Did you catch Carl Pavano’s Opening Day performance Friday in Toronto against the Blue Jays? Four innings, 7 earned runs, 3 homeruns given up in a 13-3 loss. I don’t want to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but he did sign a nice multi-year contract after an excellent season last year (17-11, 221 innings pitched, 3.73 ERA) for the Twins. Does anyone want to weigh in on the amount of facial hair he’s sporting? Last year he did have that Rollie Fingers mojo going for him, so who knows what Pavano and his razor might do to mess things up. Perhaps Yankees fans might wish to weigh in on this phenomenon?
See how you can talk about baseball without any mention of Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, or Bernie Madoff? Let’s see how long we can keep it that way and truly enjoy this season!
Well, here we are, springtime, April, the month of showers for future flowers, about to crown new men’s and women’s NCAA basketball champs (on top of NIT, CIT, CBI and CIA champs... I made up the last one to see if you’re paying attention), and snow in the Midwest and northeast. But somehow, just like every spring, major league baseball teams return from Grapefruit and Cactus League camps and begin to entertain us with a six-month regular season of hope springing eternal and rabid fans calling their local sports radio stations to vent a spleen on a daily basis.
Anyway, in case you were too engrossed in the Final Four, traveling to research conferences, shopping for Passover or Easter, or making sense of the new movie Hop, this past weekend offered us MLB Opening Day with all the bunting and hoopla for 15 hosting teams, while 15 other teams wait for their opportunity to play before their own fans. But baseball is finally here, and even the most pessimistic fan knows that all 30 teams begins with a clean slate and bright days ahead at the ol’ ballpark.
Where did I come up with “Rosh Ha-Baseball”? Well, on Wednesday, one of my all-time favorite sportscasters, Len Berman, sent out this thought in his “Daily Top 5”:
Happy "New Year's Eve." Baseball season begins tomorrow.
My response? So is tomorrow Rosh Ha-Baseball? Hopefully you don’t have to be Jewish to get it...
Anyway... So what’s caught your eye and fancy during the first weekend of the 2011 MLB season? Have you made your predictions yet for the World Series, Cy Young, MVP, and Rookie of the Year? Are your predictions etched in stone or do you allow yourself unlimited times to edit and waffle as the roller coaster rhythm of the season goes on? I’m not making any predictions this year until I see enough of the season, thank you. Check back with me around Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day.
But a dozen things have already caught my attention:
1. The defending World Series champs, the San Francisco Giants, started their season in Los Angeles, rather than at home. Gee... You’d think the geniuses at MLB would’ve figured out a way to schedule the World Series champs to open at home, in Candlestick Park, especially when the Giants and Dodgers play the first Sunday Night game on ESPN? Is the story the Giants defending their crown or how the Dodgers will function under new manager Don Mattingly while the ownership is still being sorted out in divorce court?
2. After the very first game, two Dodgers fans beat a Giants fan so badly in the parking lot of Chavez Ravine he’s now in hospital with a fractured skull and brain swelling, a lousy note for all who love baseball. Not to be crass, but it seems folks in Los Angeles have a reputation for bashing in heads, don’t they? Rodney King, Reginald Denny... Odd coincidence? Certainly takes away some of that L.A. classiness.
3. For those with fond memories of past golden eras in baseball, it was both touching and sad to see tributes by the Cleveland Indians, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers for the recently-departed Bob Feller, Ron Santo, Chuck Tanner, Duke Snider and Sparky Anderson, five of the classiest members of MLB history many of us might’ve known.
4. As for the Indians, it was noted by USA TODAY that Friday’s starter, Fausto Carmona, was 7-0 with a 2.82 ERA in his last seven starts versus the Chicago White Sox. In case you didn’t notice Friday’s box score, the White Sox won 15-10. Carmona’s line score? 10 earned runs on 11 hits in three innings. Guess eight isn’t a lucky number...
5. It’s supposed to be cold in Cleveland; in fact, the Indians’ ground crew had to clean snow off the field prior to Friday’s game. You’d expect runs to come at a premium, right? Well, Friday’s game was 15-10, Saturday’s was 8-3 (also won by the White Sox), and Sunday’s was 7-1 (won by the Tribe). I’d say 44 combined runs in three days says enough about cold bats and cold weather, don’t you?
6. If the Indians are as bad as they’re projected and as they played during the opening weekend series, will it be long before we see Charlie Sheen appears in his Major League role of Ricky Vaughn? Sounds like a WINNING proposition, especially with negotiations underway to make Major League 4. If reviews about his traveling comedy act were truly accurate, perhaps Charlie Goodtime SHOULD consider suiting up and joining the Tribe’s bullpen.
7. Do you really think the cure to Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira’s notorious slow starts are as simple as opening the season March 31st? Sure, 4 hits in 12 at bats, 3 homeruns, and 7 RBIs is a nice way to open things, but April does have 30 days, you know. I know, I know... It’s more fun to talk about Teixeira being on pace for 162 homeruns than the fact that the Yankees pitching staff gave up 19 runs this weekend at the Stadium to the Tigers. Psst, psst... Should we mention the Yankees and Mets are both 2-1 after the opening weekend and tied for second place in their divisions? Just wanted to remind folks New York DOES have two major league baseball teams.
8. Let me get this straight... The Yankees have been directed by MLB not to give hand signals to batters from the stands during games? Hey, sometimes coaching has to be creative when you pare down your payroll to $203M! Of course, what Yankees fans should find most galling is that their front office is now associated with an offense one attributes only to professional sports teams northeast of I-87 (feel free to debate UConn basketball being a professional sports team, men’s and women’s).
9. Speaking of Belichickery and Boston, are the New York Daily News and Bergen Record going to spend all summer yammering about the Yankees being “underdog” to the Red Sox? C’mon... When you have two teams operating payrolls with Monopoly money, the AL East favorite is really just a matter of #1 and #1A, right? I mean, really! No wonder Buck Showalter’s Orioles are more worthwhile to root for. They’re already off to a 3-0 start, sweeping the Rays in Tampa.
10. If you’re looking for omens, consider the Red Sox, Rays, Brewers and Astros are the only winless teams after the season’s first weekend, while the Orioles, Rangers, Reds and Phillies are the remaining unbeatens. Oh, and not for nothing, but before we carry on too much about Yankees pitchers serving up 19 runs to the Tigers this past weekend, did anyone notice Red Sox pitchers served up 26 runs and 11 homeruns to the Rangers while being swept in Arlington? Yeah, let’s just keep making automatic presumptions about the AL East...
11. The ghost of Braden Looper?! Is there something rather eerie about Opening Day at home for the Cincinnati Reds and ninth-inning comebacks? Watching the Brewers bullpen meltdown and Ramon Hernandez’s walk-off three-run homer reminded me an awful lot like Opening Day 2005, when the Mets bullpen ruined the debut of Pedro Martinez. Yes, Mets fans... Time DOES fly! Hmmm... Do you think all those on the “Brewers could shock the world” bandwagon a few days ago might be rethinking their optimism, especially for a pitching staff that served up 23 runs, including 8 homeruns?
12. Did you catch Carl Pavano’s Opening Day performance Friday in Toronto against the Blue Jays? Four innings, 7 earned runs, 3 homeruns given up in a 13-3 loss. I don’t want to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but he did sign a nice multi-year contract after an excellent season last year (17-11, 221 innings pitched, 3.73 ERA) for the Twins. Does anyone want to weigh in on the amount of facial hair he’s sporting? Last year he did have that Rollie Fingers mojo going for him, so who knows what Pavano and his razor might do to mess things up. Perhaps Yankees fans might wish to weigh in on this phenomenon?
See how you can talk about baseball without any mention of Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, or Bernie Madoff? Let’s see how long we can keep it that way and truly enjoy this season!
Monday, February 21, 2011
A Smarter 16-game NFL Schedule for those wanting their cake and to eat it too -- Sports Thoughts for February 21, 2011
Of all the issues on the table of discussion regarding the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the proposed 18-game schedule is one among the most-contentious to me. I recently offered my unsolicited views to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith. Copied on that letter was New York Daily News columnist Gary Myers. No one responded to my thoughts. Here’s an edited excerpt from that letter:
The 18-game schedule idea is ill-advised, to put it diplomatically. League revenue and player salaries are irrelevant to me on this matter. A 16-game regular season is more than sufficient in terms of providing football fans their “fix” and duration of a season. I can take or leave preseason games, in all honesty, whether they be two or four. If the goal is to extend the NFL season’s three phases (preseason, regular season, postseason) with high-quality football fans pay to see in stadiums around the country, perhaps a wiser use of the existing 4-16 game setup is called for as opposed to a 2-18 setup.
As much as I love the Hall of Fame game, I no longer see the logic or value to two teams having an advanced fifth game. No team should play more than four preseason games, period. Let whichever teams chosen to play in the Hall of Fame game play only four preseason games and provide economic offsets to compensate teams and fans for losing an extra home preseason game. Considering the cost of tickets and attendance figures for preseason games, smart guys like you should be able to think creatively and find a way to make these games more worthwhile for fans and more cost-effective for teams and the league.
What you could do to improve the quality of these games is to spread them out more during August and early September with bye weeks, giving veteran players more opportunities for rest and perhaps encouraging teams to play veterans a little more each game, rather than the mode teams currently operate. Perhaps then you won’t see teams playing 1.5 “real games” and 2.5 “rookie scrimmages.”
This leads me to the real crux of length of season, schedules, and player safety: bye weeks. You simply do not have enough to compensate teams for the level of injuries that keep piling up during a season. I think it would be prudent for the preseason to spread 4 games over a 5-week period, providing each team a bye week and perhaps reducing injury risks players might normally face when 4 games are crammed within 3.5 weeks.
As for the regular season, with a 16-game schedule there needs to be TWO bye weeks for each team, and if you want to go to an 18-game schedule, then each team needs three bye weeks. It no longer makes sense for any NFL team to play 7-8-9-10 consecutive weeks anymore. It’s too much weekly exposure to injury risk and inadequate time to heal from the progression of injuries.
As for the postseason, perhaps it might make sense to give all teams a week off prior to the wild card round, just as there’s a week off between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl. Yes, that gives top seeds two bye weeks prior to the divisional round, but at least this allows for all teams to be sufficiently rested and healed entering their postseason games, AND the week off prior to the wild card round might offer the league flexibility in the event of weather issues, as was the case with games late in this past regular season game (Giants-Vikings, Vikings-Eagles). Yes, I know this is football as opposed to baseball, but we’re also in a new era of global warming and dysfunctional airports and roads during major snow storms.
So, if you put the preseason and regular season schedules in a 4-16 setup according to my proposal (with five total bye weeks), here’s what your new calendar (Thursday-Monday) could look like:
August 4-8: Opening pre-season weekend (including Hall of Fame game)
Aug. 11-15: pre-season weekend #2
Aug. 18-22: pre-season weekend #3
Aug. 25-29: pre-season weekend #4
Sept. 1-5: pre-season weekend #5 (Labor Day weekend)
Sept. 8-12: Regular season kickoff weekend
Sept. 15-19: Regular season weekend #2
Sept. 22-26: Regular season weekend #3
Sept. 29-Oct. 3: Regular season weekend #4
Oct. 6-10: Regular season weekend #5
Oct. 13-17: Regular season weekend #6
Oct. 20-24: Regular season weekend #7
Oct. 27-31: Regular season weekend #8
Nov. 3-7: Regular season weekend #9
Nov. 10-14: Regular season weekend #10
Nov. 17-21: Regular season weekend #11
Nov. 24-28: Regular season weekend #12 (Thanksgiving weekend)
Dec. 1-5: Regular season weekend #13
Dec. 8-12: Regular season weekend #14
Dec. 15-19: Regular season weekend #15
Dec. 22-26: Regular season weekend #16 (X-mas weekend)
Dec. 29-Jan. 2: Regular season weekend #17 (New Year’s weekend)
Jan. 5-9: Regular season weekend #18
Jan. 12-16: Regular/Post season bye weekend
Jan. 19-23: Wild card weekend
Jan. 26-30: Divisional Playoff weekend
Feb. 2-6: Conference Title game weekend
Feb. 9-13: Postseason bye weekend (Pro Bowl?)
Feb. 16-20: Super Bowl weekend
According to my count, that’s a 32-week NFL season with 31 weeks providing fans at least one game to watch among your affiliated TV networks. Too complicated? Not to me, and players from both potential super bowl teams will have the benefit of five bye weeks during their path to the Super Bowl (including the Pro Bowl week).
What to do about team rosters? Expand to 55 active players, in addition to a six-man practice squad, and change the Injured Reserved rules to six weeks as a prerequisite for reinstatement to the active roster instead of players being lost for an entire season or taking up a dead roster spot while they heal from injuries.
To recap:
1. A five-week preseason, where every team only plays four.
2. An 18-week regular season, where every team plays 16.
3. A bye week before the wild card round to account for weather-postponed games or injured players healing
4. Six-week postseason to maximize fan interest and captivation/obsession with the NFL
5. 32 straight weeks of NFL football for the adoring masses of fans
6. 32 weeks of NFL television broadcasting and revenue
7. An NFL season that doesn’t end until pitchers and catcher report to spring training
8. The regular season didn’t increase one iota for individual players
Take-home lesson:
Do the math. Everyone wins. One less issue to battle over.
The 18-game schedule idea is ill-advised, to put it diplomatically. League revenue and player salaries are irrelevant to me on this matter. A 16-game regular season is more than sufficient in terms of providing football fans their “fix” and duration of a season. I can take or leave preseason games, in all honesty, whether they be two or four. If the goal is to extend the NFL season’s three phases (preseason, regular season, postseason) with high-quality football fans pay to see in stadiums around the country, perhaps a wiser use of the existing 4-16 game setup is called for as opposed to a 2-18 setup.
As much as I love the Hall of Fame game, I no longer see the logic or value to two teams having an advanced fifth game. No team should play more than four preseason games, period. Let whichever teams chosen to play in the Hall of Fame game play only four preseason games and provide economic offsets to compensate teams and fans for losing an extra home preseason game. Considering the cost of tickets and attendance figures for preseason games, smart guys like you should be able to think creatively and find a way to make these games more worthwhile for fans and more cost-effective for teams and the league.
What you could do to improve the quality of these games is to spread them out more during August and early September with bye weeks, giving veteran players more opportunities for rest and perhaps encouraging teams to play veterans a little more each game, rather than the mode teams currently operate. Perhaps then you won’t see teams playing 1.5 “real games” and 2.5 “rookie scrimmages.”
This leads me to the real crux of length of season, schedules, and player safety: bye weeks. You simply do not have enough to compensate teams for the level of injuries that keep piling up during a season. I think it would be prudent for the preseason to spread 4 games over a 5-week period, providing each team a bye week and perhaps reducing injury risks players might normally face when 4 games are crammed within 3.5 weeks.
As for the regular season, with a 16-game schedule there needs to be TWO bye weeks for each team, and if you want to go to an 18-game schedule, then each team needs three bye weeks. It no longer makes sense for any NFL team to play 7-8-9-10 consecutive weeks anymore. It’s too much weekly exposure to injury risk and inadequate time to heal from the progression of injuries.
As for the postseason, perhaps it might make sense to give all teams a week off prior to the wild card round, just as there’s a week off between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl. Yes, that gives top seeds two bye weeks prior to the divisional round, but at least this allows for all teams to be sufficiently rested and healed entering their postseason games, AND the week off prior to the wild card round might offer the league flexibility in the event of weather issues, as was the case with games late in this past regular season game (Giants-Vikings, Vikings-Eagles). Yes, I know this is football as opposed to baseball, but we’re also in a new era of global warming and dysfunctional airports and roads during major snow storms.
So, if you put the preseason and regular season schedules in a 4-16 setup according to my proposal (with five total bye weeks), here’s what your new calendar (Thursday-Monday) could look like:
August 4-8: Opening pre-season weekend (including Hall of Fame game)
Aug. 11-15: pre-season weekend #2
Aug. 18-22: pre-season weekend #3
Aug. 25-29: pre-season weekend #4
Sept. 1-5: pre-season weekend #5 (Labor Day weekend)
Sept. 8-12: Regular season kickoff weekend
Sept. 15-19: Regular season weekend #2
Sept. 22-26: Regular season weekend #3
Sept. 29-Oct. 3: Regular season weekend #4
Oct. 6-10: Regular season weekend #5
Oct. 13-17: Regular season weekend #6
Oct. 20-24: Regular season weekend #7
Oct. 27-31: Regular season weekend #8
Nov. 3-7: Regular season weekend #9
Nov. 10-14: Regular season weekend #10
Nov. 17-21: Regular season weekend #11
Nov. 24-28: Regular season weekend #12 (Thanksgiving weekend)
Dec. 1-5: Regular season weekend #13
Dec. 8-12: Regular season weekend #14
Dec. 15-19: Regular season weekend #15
Dec. 22-26: Regular season weekend #16 (X-mas weekend)
Dec. 29-Jan. 2: Regular season weekend #17 (New Year’s weekend)
Jan. 5-9: Regular season weekend #18
Jan. 12-16: Regular/Post season bye weekend
Jan. 19-23: Wild card weekend
Jan. 26-30: Divisional Playoff weekend
Feb. 2-6: Conference Title game weekend
Feb. 9-13: Postseason bye weekend (Pro Bowl?)
Feb. 16-20: Super Bowl weekend
According to my count, that’s a 32-week NFL season with 31 weeks providing fans at least one game to watch among your affiliated TV networks. Too complicated? Not to me, and players from both potential super bowl teams will have the benefit of five bye weeks during their path to the Super Bowl (including the Pro Bowl week).
What to do about team rosters? Expand to 55 active players, in addition to a six-man practice squad, and change the Injured Reserved rules to six weeks as a prerequisite for reinstatement to the active roster instead of players being lost for an entire season or taking up a dead roster spot while they heal from injuries.
To recap:
1. A five-week preseason, where every team only plays four.
2. An 18-week regular season, where every team plays 16.
3. A bye week before the wild card round to account for weather-postponed games or injured players healing
4. Six-week postseason to maximize fan interest and captivation/obsession with the NFL
5. 32 straight weeks of NFL football for the adoring masses of fans
6. 32 weeks of NFL television broadcasting and revenue
7. An NFL season that doesn’t end until pitchers and catcher report to spring training
8. The regular season didn’t increase one iota for individual players
Take-home lesson:
Do the math. Everyone wins. One less issue to battle over.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Phew! True to form, Packers by a whisker -- Sports Thoughts for February 7, 2011
So much for my prediction of the lowest-scoring Super Bowl in history, but at least I got the right winning team in a competitive and close game.
But it didn’t look like a close game for a while.
What happened? Some observations:
1. Injuries: The Packers lost two key members of their defensive secondary late in the second quarter, Charles Woodson to a collarbone injury and Sam Shields to a leg injury. Before both players went down, the Packers were leading 21-3, thanks to two interceptions of Ben Roethlisberger, one a 37-yard pick-6 by Nick Collins.
So what else is new? 16 members of the Packers roster ended up on injured reserve this season, and the Packers kept filling in their ranks, plugging along, and winning. Granted the defense started to buckle a bit without Woodson and Shields, allowing the Steelers to come all the way back to within 28-25 with seven minutes left in the game, but when plays needed to be made, the Packers found a way. When the Packers needed to snuff out the Steelers and hang onto a hard-fought win, they survived the war of attrition when Collins broke up a 4th and 5 pass from Roethlisberger to Mike Wallace from the Green Bay 33 yard line with less than a minute to go.
On the other hand, the Steelers managed quite well without wideout Emmanuel Sanders (2nd quarter leg injury), center Maurkice Pouncey (ankle) and even right tackle Flozell Adams, out for part of the first half with a should injury.
2. Running Game: As predicted, neither team ran for a lot of yards, but I was surprised how few times Green Bay attempted to run. The Packers rushed only 13 times for 50 yards, certainly effective enough (3.8 yards per carry) to encourage more balance by the offense. The Steelers rushed for an impressive 126 yards on 23 carries (5.5 yards per carry). But the Steelers fell behind 21-3, so Roethlisberger’s arm was needed more and more in order to get back into the game.
3. Turnovers: It’s no surprise turnovers happened. It’s surprising the Steelers were the only ones coughing up the ball. Roethlisberger tossed two first-half interceptions, and Rashard Mendenhall lost a crucial fumble early in the fourth quarter after the Steelers climbed back within 21-17. The Packers scored their third touchdown on Steelers gifts to go up 28-17.
4. Quarterbacks and Receivers: I’m not surprised Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers each put up a lot of passes. I’m a little surprised how both seemed out of rhythm for two quarterbacks completing at least 60 percent of their passes. The number of dropped passes by Green Bay’s Jordy Nelson and the Steelers Mike Wallace more than raised my eyebrows.
5. Officiating: I didn’t have too many qualms with the referees, but two calls certainly were questionable. The first was late in the third quarter facemask penalty on Green Bay’s Tom Crabtree at the end of a punt return by Pittsburgh’s Antonio Brown. Looking at the replay, it looked like Crabtree got a hand on Brown’s jersey below his facemask. The penalty gave the Steelers field position at the 50 yard line. Five plays and 2:20 later, Mendenhall scored on an 8-yard touchdown run to make things 21-17.
Later on in the third quarter, Rodgers threw an apparent 3rd and 8 completion to Brett Swain, but the officials ruled it incomplete. Although instant replay confirmed the ruling on the field, it appeared Swain indeed made a clean catch and was down by contact before the ball was dislodged.
6. Scoring Drives: As predicted, neither team necessarily drove the ball consistently against each other on long sustaining drives. Two of the Packers scoring drives started around midfield. Their first-quarter touchdown drive covered 80 yards in 9 plays (capped by a 29-yard Rodgers to Nelson touchdown pass), and their fourth-quarter field goal drive covered 70 yards in 10 plays (capped by Mason Crosby’s 23-yarder with 2:07 left). Pittsburgh also started scoring drives near midfield, and also had two long drives, resulting in their first touchdown (2nd quarter, 77 yards in 7 plays, 1:45) and final touchdown (66 yards, 7 plays, 4:23). The shortest scoring play by either team was eight yards, so we never got to see any goal line plays. In fact, only five of the eight scoring drives by both teams combined involved the red zone, three by the Steelers (2 TDs and 1 FG) and two by the Packers (1 TD and 1 FG). Credit this to both defenses playing as well as possible in terms of disrupting the opposing offenses. Considering a total of 56 points were scored and 725 yards of total offense were generated, that may seem rather odd, but consider there were three Steelers turnovers, four combined sacks (3 by the Packers, 1 by the Steelers), and nine combined punts (6 by the Packers, 3 by the Steelers) to reflect the number of short-circuited drives.
7. Momentum Swings: When Collins returned Roethlisberger’s first quarter interception 37 yards for a touchdown, the Packers were up 14-0, and I started wondering if the pick-6 meant game, set, and match before the first quarter even ended. In case you didn’t know, the biggest deficit a winning team ever came back from in Super Bowl history is 10 points (Washington Redskins, winners of Super Bowl XXII, 42-10 over the Denver Broncos). Yes, the Steelers have comeback capability, but 14-0 in a Super Bowl? When the Packers went up 21-3, my concerns were: (1) are the Steelers toast? And (2) could the Steelers at least make things close in the second half? When the Steelers crept back within 21-17, I wondered if the Packers would be gasping at the end in order to hold off the Steelers like they were two weeks ago in the NFC Championship Game in Chicago. When it became 28-25, I honestly wondered if we were about to witness the biggest collapse in Super Bowl history by the Packers as Roethlisberger kept leading the comeback.
If you think about it, it seems this Super Bowl was a fitting reflection of the Packers and Steelers. During the regular season, 11 of the Packers 16 games were decided by 10 points or less. 9 of the Steelers 16 games were similarly close. Both teams were used to tight contests and dog fights headed down the stretch. The Steelers played Jekyll and Hyde type games in both AFC playoff games against the Ravens and Jets. The Packers also looked like two different teams during their NFC Championship Game win over the Bears. Watching the tide turn a few times seemed fitting.
8. Coaching Decisions: I didn’t have too many issues with either head coaches Mike McCarthy or Mike Tomlin in terms of game plan or in-game strategy. The only decision that seemed rather questionable was Tomlin sending out Shaun Suisham to attempt a 52-yard field goal with 4:30 left in the third quarter and the Steelers trailing 21-17. Suisham’s kick was so wide left it made me wonder if Suisham had any reliable range, even in a domed stadium. Considering it was 4th and 15 from the Green Bay 34, I thought the Steelers should’ve punted and pin the Packers back near their goal line, especially having turned momentum in their favor.
9. Close Shaves: If you watched the post-game interviews, did you notice how quickly several players got rid of their beards in the showers, particularly Roethlisberger? Just wondering if something can more definitively show us the football season is now officially over.
10. Halftime: Why, why, why are these shows so damn long? Was I the only one who got tired of the Black-Eyed Peas after their first song?
11. Fan Withdrawal: Now we all get to worry about the future of the NFL as March 3 and the expiration of the CBA approaches.
But it didn’t look like a close game for a while.
What happened? Some observations:
1. Injuries: The Packers lost two key members of their defensive secondary late in the second quarter, Charles Woodson to a collarbone injury and Sam Shields to a leg injury. Before both players went down, the Packers were leading 21-3, thanks to two interceptions of Ben Roethlisberger, one a 37-yard pick-6 by Nick Collins.
So what else is new? 16 members of the Packers roster ended up on injured reserve this season, and the Packers kept filling in their ranks, plugging along, and winning. Granted the defense started to buckle a bit without Woodson and Shields, allowing the Steelers to come all the way back to within 28-25 with seven minutes left in the game, but when plays needed to be made, the Packers found a way. When the Packers needed to snuff out the Steelers and hang onto a hard-fought win, they survived the war of attrition when Collins broke up a 4th and 5 pass from Roethlisberger to Mike Wallace from the Green Bay 33 yard line with less than a minute to go.
On the other hand, the Steelers managed quite well without wideout Emmanuel Sanders (2nd quarter leg injury), center Maurkice Pouncey (ankle) and even right tackle Flozell Adams, out for part of the first half with a should injury.
2. Running Game: As predicted, neither team ran for a lot of yards, but I was surprised how few times Green Bay attempted to run. The Packers rushed only 13 times for 50 yards, certainly effective enough (3.8 yards per carry) to encourage more balance by the offense. The Steelers rushed for an impressive 126 yards on 23 carries (5.5 yards per carry). But the Steelers fell behind 21-3, so Roethlisberger’s arm was needed more and more in order to get back into the game.
3. Turnovers: It’s no surprise turnovers happened. It’s surprising the Steelers were the only ones coughing up the ball. Roethlisberger tossed two first-half interceptions, and Rashard Mendenhall lost a crucial fumble early in the fourth quarter after the Steelers climbed back within 21-17. The Packers scored their third touchdown on Steelers gifts to go up 28-17.
4. Quarterbacks and Receivers: I’m not surprised Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers each put up a lot of passes. I’m a little surprised how both seemed out of rhythm for two quarterbacks completing at least 60 percent of their passes. The number of dropped passes by Green Bay’s Jordy Nelson and the Steelers Mike Wallace more than raised my eyebrows.
5. Officiating: I didn’t have too many qualms with the referees, but two calls certainly were questionable. The first was late in the third quarter facemask penalty on Green Bay’s Tom Crabtree at the end of a punt return by Pittsburgh’s Antonio Brown. Looking at the replay, it looked like Crabtree got a hand on Brown’s jersey below his facemask. The penalty gave the Steelers field position at the 50 yard line. Five plays and 2:20 later, Mendenhall scored on an 8-yard touchdown run to make things 21-17.
Later on in the third quarter, Rodgers threw an apparent 3rd and 8 completion to Brett Swain, but the officials ruled it incomplete. Although instant replay confirmed the ruling on the field, it appeared Swain indeed made a clean catch and was down by contact before the ball was dislodged.
6. Scoring Drives: As predicted, neither team necessarily drove the ball consistently against each other on long sustaining drives. Two of the Packers scoring drives started around midfield. Their first-quarter touchdown drive covered 80 yards in 9 plays (capped by a 29-yard Rodgers to Nelson touchdown pass), and their fourth-quarter field goal drive covered 70 yards in 10 plays (capped by Mason Crosby’s 23-yarder with 2:07 left). Pittsburgh also started scoring drives near midfield, and also had two long drives, resulting in their first touchdown (2nd quarter, 77 yards in 7 plays, 1:45) and final touchdown (66 yards, 7 plays, 4:23). The shortest scoring play by either team was eight yards, so we never got to see any goal line plays. In fact, only five of the eight scoring drives by both teams combined involved the red zone, three by the Steelers (2 TDs and 1 FG) and two by the Packers (1 TD and 1 FG). Credit this to both defenses playing as well as possible in terms of disrupting the opposing offenses. Considering a total of 56 points were scored and 725 yards of total offense were generated, that may seem rather odd, but consider there were three Steelers turnovers, four combined sacks (3 by the Packers, 1 by the Steelers), and nine combined punts (6 by the Packers, 3 by the Steelers) to reflect the number of short-circuited drives.
7. Momentum Swings: When Collins returned Roethlisberger’s first quarter interception 37 yards for a touchdown, the Packers were up 14-0, and I started wondering if the pick-6 meant game, set, and match before the first quarter even ended. In case you didn’t know, the biggest deficit a winning team ever came back from in Super Bowl history is 10 points (Washington Redskins, winners of Super Bowl XXII, 42-10 over the Denver Broncos). Yes, the Steelers have comeback capability, but 14-0 in a Super Bowl? When the Packers went up 21-3, my concerns were: (1) are the Steelers toast? And (2) could the Steelers at least make things close in the second half? When the Steelers crept back within 21-17, I wondered if the Packers would be gasping at the end in order to hold off the Steelers like they were two weeks ago in the NFC Championship Game in Chicago. When it became 28-25, I honestly wondered if we were about to witness the biggest collapse in Super Bowl history by the Packers as Roethlisberger kept leading the comeback.
If you think about it, it seems this Super Bowl was a fitting reflection of the Packers and Steelers. During the regular season, 11 of the Packers 16 games were decided by 10 points or less. 9 of the Steelers 16 games were similarly close. Both teams were used to tight contests and dog fights headed down the stretch. The Steelers played Jekyll and Hyde type games in both AFC playoff games against the Ravens and Jets. The Packers also looked like two different teams during their NFC Championship Game win over the Bears. Watching the tide turn a few times seemed fitting.
8. Coaching Decisions: I didn’t have too many issues with either head coaches Mike McCarthy or Mike Tomlin in terms of game plan or in-game strategy. The only decision that seemed rather questionable was Tomlin sending out Shaun Suisham to attempt a 52-yard field goal with 4:30 left in the third quarter and the Steelers trailing 21-17. Suisham’s kick was so wide left it made me wonder if Suisham had any reliable range, even in a domed stadium. Considering it was 4th and 15 from the Green Bay 34, I thought the Steelers should’ve punted and pin the Packers back near their goal line, especially having turned momentum in their favor.
9. Close Shaves: If you watched the post-game interviews, did you notice how quickly several players got rid of their beards in the showers, particularly Roethlisberger? Just wondering if something can more definitively show us the football season is now officially over.
10. Halftime: Why, why, why are these shows so damn long? Was I the only one who got tired of the Black-Eyed Peas after their first song?
11. Fan Withdrawal: Now we all get to worry about the future of the NFL as March 3 and the expiration of the CBA approaches.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Hoping Spouse Makes the Right Choice -- Life Thoughts for February 6, 2011
The other day I heard Mark Kelly, the Astronaut husband of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, was choosing to go forward with his upcoming space mission for NASA in April, leaving his wife to continue her rehabilitation from a January gunshot wound to her brain. While I understand it's his business, as well as their business, deciding whether to go forward on a mission or stay at his wife's side, I can't help but offer my two cents on a private matter that's become very public.
Sir, you're making a bad judgment. You really should stay by your wife's side and forego your mission. Yes, I understand, work is work... but love is love, and you're dealing with a still evolving situation regarding your wife's health and recovery. Yes, I know this is what she'd want you to do, and she fully supports your career, and vice versa... but this is your wife, sans a good portion of her skull because a bullet went through her brain. Yes, I understand, her mother will be there to support and serve as her health proxy... but you're her husband, and if anything, heaven forbid, goes wrong while you're in space, you'll have to live with your decision to choose duty over DUTY.
Perhaps the time you're away will not matter and your wife will continue her progress and recovery, and maybe keeping tabs on her via Skype and internet will be positive for her. However, there's always the possibility something could turn for the worse, or she could experience another setback, or she could suddenly suffer an emotional breakdown because the man who should be at her side is millions of miles away when she needs you holding her hand most.
Why do I say these things? Because I've been there myself. I know what it's like to be in a hospital or rehabilitative facility after traumatic surgery and not have my spouse there at my side. I know what it's like to suffer a post-operative complication, requiring another trip to the operating room, and my ex-wife was thousands of miles away on a business trip unaware of what was going on. I know what it's like to not have your own family members or closest friends physically there at your side when something goes wrong, being all alone in a hospital bed with no support system whatsoever.
Yeah, yeah... people are busy. People have lives. People have jobs. People have vacations. People have other obligations. A person lying in a hospital bed with tubes coming in and out of him or her doesn't understand how pressing everything else is at that moment. That person only understands "I'm in crisis, and where the hell are my loved ones?"
I never fully recovered from my surgical ordeal, neither physically nor emotionally. I never forgave my ex-wife for deciding a business trip to France was more important than being there for her husband. For nine days I was out of communication with her, because seven time zones away was too difficult for her to coordinate for cell phone discussions. My surgeons had to track her down in a Paris airport to let her know I was headed back into surgery for a staph infection. My spouse was my entire family. My only blood relatives were wither living or on vacation in Florida. Even my closest friends were tied up with work, vacations or simply being too far away. I went through the majority of my ordeal all alone. I've hated my ex-wife every day since, even before we divorced. I've disowned my relatives. I no longer trust my own friends the way I used to... sadly, my friends are among the readers of this column and have to hear how I feel through it.
So, Commander Kelly, maybe it'll all work out for the better, but in case it doesn't, don't say someone didn't warn you. Hopefully you'll have the wisdom to change your mind if Congresswoman Giffords' health is iffy a month from now. A lot of things can happen for better or worse in 4-6 weeks. I hope you've given yourself a contingency plan in case it's better you be on Earth than space. If NASA has a problem with it, NASA should be ashamed of itself. After all, we are talking about a bullet passing through your wife's brain, not a broken leg or burst appendix.
If you do go out to space, don't be surprised if your wife's emotions towards you become unsteady. You can talk about how important career and obligation are, but you're still leaving your spouse at a time when she's still vulnerable in many ways. Even if she continues to make great strides in her physical recovery, there's still a lot of emotional healing that may get delayed while you're not there.
Sir, you're making a bad judgment. You really should stay by your wife's side and forego your mission. Yes, I understand, work is work... but love is love, and you're dealing with a still evolving situation regarding your wife's health and recovery. Yes, I know this is what she'd want you to do, and she fully supports your career, and vice versa... but this is your wife, sans a good portion of her skull because a bullet went through her brain. Yes, I understand, her mother will be there to support and serve as her health proxy... but you're her husband, and if anything, heaven forbid, goes wrong while you're in space, you'll have to live with your decision to choose duty over DUTY.
Perhaps the time you're away will not matter and your wife will continue her progress and recovery, and maybe keeping tabs on her via Skype and internet will be positive for her. However, there's always the possibility something could turn for the worse, or she could experience another setback, or she could suddenly suffer an emotional breakdown because the man who should be at her side is millions of miles away when she needs you holding her hand most.
Why do I say these things? Because I've been there myself. I know what it's like to be in a hospital or rehabilitative facility after traumatic surgery and not have my spouse there at my side. I know what it's like to suffer a post-operative complication, requiring another trip to the operating room, and my ex-wife was thousands of miles away on a business trip unaware of what was going on. I know what it's like to not have your own family members or closest friends physically there at your side when something goes wrong, being all alone in a hospital bed with no support system whatsoever.
Yeah, yeah... people are busy. People have lives. People have jobs. People have vacations. People have other obligations. A person lying in a hospital bed with tubes coming in and out of him or her doesn't understand how pressing everything else is at that moment. That person only understands "I'm in crisis, and where the hell are my loved ones?"
I never fully recovered from my surgical ordeal, neither physically nor emotionally. I never forgave my ex-wife for deciding a business trip to France was more important than being there for her husband. For nine days I was out of communication with her, because seven time zones away was too difficult for her to coordinate for cell phone discussions. My surgeons had to track her down in a Paris airport to let her know I was headed back into surgery for a staph infection. My spouse was my entire family. My only blood relatives were wither living or on vacation in Florida. Even my closest friends were tied up with work, vacations or simply being too far away. I went through the majority of my ordeal all alone. I've hated my ex-wife every day since, even before we divorced. I've disowned my relatives. I no longer trust my own friends the way I used to... sadly, my friends are among the readers of this column and have to hear how I feel through it.
So, Commander Kelly, maybe it'll all work out for the better, but in case it doesn't, don't say someone didn't warn you. Hopefully you'll have the wisdom to change your mind if Congresswoman Giffords' health is iffy a month from now. A lot of things can happen for better or worse in 4-6 weeks. I hope you've given yourself a contingency plan in case it's better you be on Earth than space. If NASA has a problem with it, NASA should be ashamed of itself. After all, we are talking about a bullet passing through your wife's brain, not a broken leg or burst appendix.
If you do go out to space, don't be surprised if your wife's emotions towards you become unsteady. You can talk about how important career and obligation are, but you're still leaving your spouse at a time when she's still vulnerable in many ways. Even if she continues to make great strides in her physical recovery, there's still a lot of emotional healing that may get delayed while you're not there.
Ten Reasons why the Packers will win Super Bowl XLV -- Sports Thoughts for February 6, 2011
Okay, drum roll, please... For those of you anticipating the winner of Super Bowl XLV Sunday in Arlington, Texas... the Green Bay Packers will defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers, 10-7, in the lowest-scoring Super Bowl ever.
No way!
Way!
Why Green Bay, and why 10-7? Let me count the ways...
1. Defense: The Steelers and Packers ranked as the top two teams in the NFL in fewest points allowed this season. The Steelers finished first, allowing 232 points; the Packers finished second, allowing 240. In case you're scoring at home, that means if both defenses live up to their regular season statistics, we're looking at a 15-14 type of game. My point? It would be quite ambitious to expect these teams combining for 45 points (the over-under from Las Vegas), much less the 73 points these teams combined for last year in a 37-36 Steelers win.
This is the fourth time in Super Bowl history where the top two scoring defenses met up. The previous matchups were Super Bowl IV (Kansas City-Minnesota), Super Bowl VIII (Miami-Minnesota) and Super Bowl XVII (Miami-Washington). The final scores? 23-7, 24-7, 27-17 (that game included a kickoff return for touchdown). Don't expect a barn burner. If anything, one defense will live up to its billing and the other will eventually fall flat. However, I don't expect that to be the case.
2. Running Game: The Steelers have a decent one, but hardly overpowering. The Packers did without one for most of the season until James Starks broke out during the playoffs. Rashard Mendenhall demonstrated what a force he can be for the Steelers, but keep in mind that his most noteworthy performances were twice against the Jets and the season opener against Atlanta. Otherwise, the Steelers present enough of a running game to keep the chains moving and defenses honest. Don't expect either team to rush for a lot of yards, but definitely expect both teams to attempt 20-25 rushes in order to maintain some offensive balance. If either team is able to rush for an average of 3.0-3.5 yards per rush, that could be effective enough.
3. Offensive Line: Pittsburgh's has been banged up since before the season even started, when they lost right tackle Willie Colon to an Achilles injury. Now they're without Pro Bowl rookie center Maurkice Pouncey to an ankle injury suffered in the first half of the AFC championship game. Before Pouncey's injury, the Steelers ran roughshod over the Jets defense. Afterwards, the Steelers running game was held in check. Although Doug Legursky is quite capable of filling in, there will be a considerable drop-off in how effectively the Steelers run block, especially up the middle, where they ran more than half of their running plays against the Jets. While the Packers offensive line is relatively healthy, there is some reason for concern about 13-year veteran left tackle Chad Clifton holding up against the Steelers pass rushers. Clifton got dinged up during the NFC championship game win at Chicago.
4. Quarterbacks: Okay, Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers are clearly among the best in the NFL this season, and if last year's 37-36 game was any indication, both should put on a similar show in Cowboys Stadium. But they won't. Both quarterbacks are nursing bumps and bruises after a long season. Rodgers has suffered two concussions and clearly wasn't playing like himself after a helmet-to-helmet shot from the Bears Julius Peppers two weeks ago. Roethlisberger's played with a broken foot and nose this season. Both quarterbacks are mobile and have strong arms, but both have also taken their share of hits and sacks. Going up against each other's defenses while both units are playing at their best during much of the post-season should make things more challenging than a year ago. Expect both quarterbacks to make plays, but don't expect any sustained consistency.
5. Defensive Backs: Both teams have solid defensive backfields, but each team has its own strength. The Steelers defensive backfield is led by strong safety and NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Troy Polamalu. Although Polamalu has been nursing an Achilles injury for the past several weeks, he's still a force when it comes to blitzes and stopping the run. In fact, the entire Steelers defensive backfield is better known for its run defense than pass coverage, even though the Steelers were fifth in the NFL with 21 pass interceptions this season.
On the other hand, the Packers defensive backfield is a tremendous collection of ball hawks, led by last year's Defensive Player of the Year, Charles Woodson. The Packers have intercepted six passes so far this post-season (adding to their league-leading 24 during the regular season), five combined by cornerbacks Tramon Williams and Sam Shields (the other, by the way, was by super-sized defensive lineman B.J. Raji). The Packers defensive backs are excellent in coverage and can suffocate a receiving corps. In many regards, the Packers ability to generate turnovers is very reminiscent of how the Saints defense operated all season long in 2009 en route to their Super Bowl XLIV title.
6. Pass Rush: Both teams have one. In fact, the Steelers and Packers ranked first and second in sacks with 48 and 47, respectively. Even though Roethlisberger and Rodgers do a good job of eluding the rush, both have taken their hits and all it takes is one to knock a quarterback off his game, or at least a little dizzy.
7. Linebackers: In a 3-4 defensive alignment, a solid linebacking unit is critical. The Steelers bring their own heavy hitters in James Farrior, LaMarr Woodley and James "I hit 'em the way football should be" Harrison. Add in solid depth with Lawrence Timmons and Larry Foote, and you have a unit that's dominant against the run and brutal at blitzing quarterbacks. If the Steelers have any weakness in this unit, it's age and speed to keep up with receivers in pass coverage.
For the Packers, their linebacking unit is young, fast, and hard hitting: Defensive Player of the Year runner-up Clay Matthews, A.J. Hawk, and Desmond Bishop. Matthews led all linebackers with 13.5 sacks during the regular season and 3.5 more during the post-season.
8. Defensive Coordinators: C'mon... are you kidding me?! Dick LeBeau (Steelers) and Dom Capers (Packers) are the godfathers of the zone blitz. While both incorporate their own wrinkles and twists, it's still the same dominant scheme first developed almost 40 years ago by the late Bud Carson, the Steelers defensive guru during their dynasty years of the 1970s.
9. Field Position: Laugh if you must, but neither team necessarily has the best kickoff coverage. It's quite possible both teams could be starting offensive drives in excellent field position. However, one factor many may overlook is Packers punter, Tim Masthay. Masthay has been excellent all post-season with directional punting. The Steelers have already demonstrated a couple of times this season their difficulties with starting drives in the shadow of their end zone (see week 15 and AFC Championship Game safeties allowed to the Jets). If Masthay can pin the Steelers deep on punts, that puts extra pressure on the Steelers offense and a patchwork offensive line, especially with the center-quarterback exchange.
10. Intangibles: Yes, both teams come into the Super Bowl on a roll, but neither team is necessarily operating on all cylinders. The NFL season is a war of attrition, and even the ideal environment of a domed stadium doesn't guarantee a classic offensive show. Players have played the past few weeks in inclement weather, have had to deal with unexpected bad weather in the Dallas area all week as they balance game preparation with the excitement and circus of Super Bowl week. As much as he tries to compartmentalize the events of his season, one has to imagine the media attention Ben Roethlisberger has repeated dealt with might affect his emotions and focus. Even Aaron Rodger has had to deal with Brett Favre questions, even though Favre hasn't quarterbacked the Packers since the 2007 season.
Even if this is "just a football game", it's still THE football game of the year, the most-watched television event of the year, with all kinds of added fluff. NFL teams are used to games kicking off at 1:00pm, 4;15pm or 8:30pm. Sure, once you make it to the Super Bowl, you're already used to primetime kickoffs and extra television cameras, but let's not overlook the potential impact of an extra-long pre-game introduction and hoopla, not to mention an extra-long halftime show. Any number of seemingly benign things could create a focus-breaking distraction. Both teams are clearly the best in their conferences and deserving of this matchup, but one has to take big-game experience into account, normalcy of routine by the coaching staff, as well as players being, or not being, at their peak.
But the bottom line is that when two top defensive teams meet up, the logical expectation is for both defenses to live up to their billing. While both offenses are impressive, neither should have sustained success. I expect a few big plays. In fact, I'd expect those big plays might be the only way either offense can consistently move the ball into scoring position. I don't think either team will be able to consistently drive the length of the field on each other, so I expect few touchdowns to be scored. I also expect we'll see a few mistakes in terms of short-circuited drives and turnovers. I'm also not completely sold on either team's field goal kickers outside the 40 yard line, so scoring will likely be at a premium.
However, I have a little more confidence in Packers placekicker Mason Crosby than Steelers placekicker Shaun Suisham, and this may indeed be the ultimate edge in what should be a very low scoring and close game.
No way!
Way!
Why Green Bay, and why 10-7? Let me count the ways...
1. Defense: The Steelers and Packers ranked as the top two teams in the NFL in fewest points allowed this season. The Steelers finished first, allowing 232 points; the Packers finished second, allowing 240. In case you're scoring at home, that means if both defenses live up to their regular season statistics, we're looking at a 15-14 type of game. My point? It would be quite ambitious to expect these teams combining for 45 points (the over-under from Las Vegas), much less the 73 points these teams combined for last year in a 37-36 Steelers win.
This is the fourth time in Super Bowl history where the top two scoring defenses met up. The previous matchups were Super Bowl IV (Kansas City-Minnesota), Super Bowl VIII (Miami-Minnesota) and Super Bowl XVII (Miami-Washington). The final scores? 23-7, 24-7, 27-17 (that game included a kickoff return for touchdown). Don't expect a barn burner. If anything, one defense will live up to its billing and the other will eventually fall flat. However, I don't expect that to be the case.
2. Running Game: The Steelers have a decent one, but hardly overpowering. The Packers did without one for most of the season until James Starks broke out during the playoffs. Rashard Mendenhall demonstrated what a force he can be for the Steelers, but keep in mind that his most noteworthy performances were twice against the Jets and the season opener against Atlanta. Otherwise, the Steelers present enough of a running game to keep the chains moving and defenses honest. Don't expect either team to rush for a lot of yards, but definitely expect both teams to attempt 20-25 rushes in order to maintain some offensive balance. If either team is able to rush for an average of 3.0-3.5 yards per rush, that could be effective enough.
3. Offensive Line: Pittsburgh's has been banged up since before the season even started, when they lost right tackle Willie Colon to an Achilles injury. Now they're without Pro Bowl rookie center Maurkice Pouncey to an ankle injury suffered in the first half of the AFC championship game. Before Pouncey's injury, the Steelers ran roughshod over the Jets defense. Afterwards, the Steelers running game was held in check. Although Doug Legursky is quite capable of filling in, there will be a considerable drop-off in how effectively the Steelers run block, especially up the middle, where they ran more than half of their running plays against the Jets. While the Packers offensive line is relatively healthy, there is some reason for concern about 13-year veteran left tackle Chad Clifton holding up against the Steelers pass rushers. Clifton got dinged up during the NFC championship game win at Chicago.
4. Quarterbacks: Okay, Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers are clearly among the best in the NFL this season, and if last year's 37-36 game was any indication, both should put on a similar show in Cowboys Stadium. But they won't. Both quarterbacks are nursing bumps and bruises after a long season. Rodgers has suffered two concussions and clearly wasn't playing like himself after a helmet-to-helmet shot from the Bears Julius Peppers two weeks ago. Roethlisberger's played with a broken foot and nose this season. Both quarterbacks are mobile and have strong arms, but both have also taken their share of hits and sacks. Going up against each other's defenses while both units are playing at their best during much of the post-season should make things more challenging than a year ago. Expect both quarterbacks to make plays, but don't expect any sustained consistency.
5. Defensive Backs: Both teams have solid defensive backfields, but each team has its own strength. The Steelers defensive backfield is led by strong safety and NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Troy Polamalu. Although Polamalu has been nursing an Achilles injury for the past several weeks, he's still a force when it comes to blitzes and stopping the run. In fact, the entire Steelers defensive backfield is better known for its run defense than pass coverage, even though the Steelers were fifth in the NFL with 21 pass interceptions this season.
On the other hand, the Packers defensive backfield is a tremendous collection of ball hawks, led by last year's Defensive Player of the Year, Charles Woodson. The Packers have intercepted six passes so far this post-season (adding to their league-leading 24 during the regular season), five combined by cornerbacks Tramon Williams and Sam Shields (the other, by the way, was by super-sized defensive lineman B.J. Raji). The Packers defensive backs are excellent in coverage and can suffocate a receiving corps. In many regards, the Packers ability to generate turnovers is very reminiscent of how the Saints defense operated all season long in 2009 en route to their Super Bowl XLIV title.
6. Pass Rush: Both teams have one. In fact, the Steelers and Packers ranked first and second in sacks with 48 and 47, respectively. Even though Roethlisberger and Rodgers do a good job of eluding the rush, both have taken their hits and all it takes is one to knock a quarterback off his game, or at least a little dizzy.
7. Linebackers: In a 3-4 defensive alignment, a solid linebacking unit is critical. The Steelers bring their own heavy hitters in James Farrior, LaMarr Woodley and James "I hit 'em the way football should be" Harrison. Add in solid depth with Lawrence Timmons and Larry Foote, and you have a unit that's dominant against the run and brutal at blitzing quarterbacks. If the Steelers have any weakness in this unit, it's age and speed to keep up with receivers in pass coverage.
For the Packers, their linebacking unit is young, fast, and hard hitting: Defensive Player of the Year runner-up Clay Matthews, A.J. Hawk, and Desmond Bishop. Matthews led all linebackers with 13.5 sacks during the regular season and 3.5 more during the post-season.
8. Defensive Coordinators: C'mon... are you kidding me?! Dick LeBeau (Steelers) and Dom Capers (Packers) are the godfathers of the zone blitz. While both incorporate their own wrinkles and twists, it's still the same dominant scheme first developed almost 40 years ago by the late Bud Carson, the Steelers defensive guru during their dynasty years of the 1970s.
9. Field Position: Laugh if you must, but neither team necessarily has the best kickoff coverage. It's quite possible both teams could be starting offensive drives in excellent field position. However, one factor many may overlook is Packers punter, Tim Masthay. Masthay has been excellent all post-season with directional punting. The Steelers have already demonstrated a couple of times this season their difficulties with starting drives in the shadow of their end zone (see week 15 and AFC Championship Game safeties allowed to the Jets). If Masthay can pin the Steelers deep on punts, that puts extra pressure on the Steelers offense and a patchwork offensive line, especially with the center-quarterback exchange.
10. Intangibles: Yes, both teams come into the Super Bowl on a roll, but neither team is necessarily operating on all cylinders. The NFL season is a war of attrition, and even the ideal environment of a domed stadium doesn't guarantee a classic offensive show. Players have played the past few weeks in inclement weather, have had to deal with unexpected bad weather in the Dallas area all week as they balance game preparation with the excitement and circus of Super Bowl week. As much as he tries to compartmentalize the events of his season, one has to imagine the media attention Ben Roethlisberger has repeated dealt with might affect his emotions and focus. Even Aaron Rodger has had to deal with Brett Favre questions, even though Favre hasn't quarterbacked the Packers since the 2007 season.
Even if this is "just a football game", it's still THE football game of the year, the most-watched television event of the year, with all kinds of added fluff. NFL teams are used to games kicking off at 1:00pm, 4;15pm or 8:30pm. Sure, once you make it to the Super Bowl, you're already used to primetime kickoffs and extra television cameras, but let's not overlook the potential impact of an extra-long pre-game introduction and hoopla, not to mention an extra-long halftime show. Any number of seemingly benign things could create a focus-breaking distraction. Both teams are clearly the best in their conferences and deserving of this matchup, but one has to take big-game experience into account, normalcy of routine by the coaching staff, as well as players being, or not being, at their peak.
But the bottom line is that when two top defensive teams meet up, the logical expectation is for both defenses to live up to their billing. While both offenses are impressive, neither should have sustained success. I expect a few big plays. In fact, I'd expect those big plays might be the only way either offense can consistently move the ball into scoring position. I don't think either team will be able to consistently drive the length of the field on each other, so I expect few touchdowns to be scored. I also expect we'll see a few mistakes in terms of short-circuited drives and turnovers. I'm also not completely sold on either team's field goal kickers outside the 40 yard line, so scoring will likely be at a premium.
However, I have a little more confidence in Packers placekicker Mason Crosby than Steelers placekicker Shaun Suisham, and this may indeed be the ultimate edge in what should be a very low scoring and close game.
Monday, January 24, 2011
There’s no Disgrace in “Wait ‘till next year” -- Sports Thoughts for January 24, 2011
Let me congratulate the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers for representing the AFC and NFC, respectively, in Super Bowl XLV. Both teams won hard-fought conference title games. Both teams outlasted their opponents and held on when they needed to in the closing minutes of their games. Both teams are talented, play bruising defense, and can move the ball by ground or air. It should be a fun game February 6 in Dallas. Still two weeks from kick-off, it’s a toss-up in my mind who will win, but rest assured, points will be at a premium, so don’t be surprised by a 10-7 contest.
But I’m not here today to write about the teams who will play in Super Bowl XLV. I’m here to write about one team we won’t see in Dallas, the New York Jets, who fell short 24-19 at Heinz Field Sunday evening. I’m also here to write about another team of an era long ago, a team many tend to think about when we look at Rex Ryan’s Jets, the 1967-1977 Oakland Raiders.
At first glance, most folks think Ryan’s Jets are distant cousins of those Raiders teams, constructed by General Manager Al Davis and coached by John Rauch (1967-1968) then John Madden (1969-1977). Remember those Raiders? They shot their mouths off at will, hit opponents hard (perhaps even dirty), and the roster seemed like a collection of outlaws, misfits and cast-offs. During an eleven-year stretch, the Silver-and-Black Pride-and-Poise Boys went 119-28-7, appeared in ten postseasons, won nine AFL-AFC Western Division crowns, and played in nine AFL-AFC championship games. Commitment to Excellence was their motto, and boy, did they excel.
But a funny thing happened on the way to excellence during those eleven years. The Raiders post-season record was a mere 11-9, and they lost seven of those nine AFL-AFC championship games. You see, Commitment to Excellence may have been the motto in the San Francisco Bay area, but the rest of professional football knew the Raiders as “Next Year’s Champions.”
Now, there’s nothing exactly wrong with the moniker “Next Year’s Champions.” After all, the Brooklyn Dodgers wore that moniker well during the 1940s and 1950s, forever being the Yankees’ foils until ‘Dem Bums finally won their first world series in 1955. If it was good enough for Duke Snider, Pee Wee Reese, Jackie Robinson, Gil Hodges and Roy Campanella, it was good enough for Erasmus High School alum Al Davis and his “Raidahs” -- Gene Upshaw, Art Shell, Jim Otto and Fred Biletnikoff. But while the Brooklyn Dodgers multiple heartbreaks against the Yankees almost seemed poetic and romantic, the Raiders championship game losses earned a rueful reputation of “can’t winning the big one.”
It all started with the 1967 AFL championship game, the Raiders beating the old Houston Oilers 40-7. Afterwards, infamous defensive lineman “Big Bad” Ben Davidson declared, King Kong and ten gorillas couldn’t beat us! Well, Davidson and company earned a trip to Miami and Super Bowl II against Vince Lombardi’s Packers and were roundly whipped, 33-14.
From 1968 to 1975, the Raiders made the playoffs seven out of eight seasons (they missed the playoffs in 1971). Each post-season ended as follows:
1968: Lost AFL championship game to the Jets, 27-23 (Jets won Super Bowl III)
1969: Lost AFL championship game to the Kansas City Chiefs, 17-7 (Chiefs won Super Bowl IV)
1970: Lost AFC championship game to the old Baltimore Colts, 27-17 (Colts won Super Bowl V)
1972: Lost AFC divisional game to the Steelers, 13-7 (Steelers lost AFC title game to Miami Dolphins)
1973: Lost AFC championship game to the Dolphins, 27-10 (Dolphins won Super Bowl VIII)
1974: Lost AFC championship game to the Steelers, 24-13 (Steelers won Super Bowl IX)
1975: Lost AFC championship game to the Steelers, 16-10 (Steelers won Super Bowl X)
Oh the pain. Oh the wounded pride. Seven post-season exits, six championship game losses, two separate three-peats (and not the good ones).
Along came 1976. The Raiders went 13-1-0, winning yet another AFC West crown, survived a divisional playoff game they should’ve lost, beating the New England Patriots, 24-21 (avenging their only regular season loss, 48-17, in Foxborough), and hosting their post-season albatross, the Pittsburgh Steelers. The defending two-time champions were 10-4-0, and had perhaps the greatest defensive season of all time, giving up only 138 total points, a mind-boggling TWENTY-EIGHT during the final nine regular season games. After a 1-4-0 start, the Steelers closed the regular season with a nine-game winning streak that included FIVE shutouts and beating opponents by a composite score of 234-28!
The Steelers were fresh off a 40-14 pasting of the Baltimore Colts, but unfortunately lost both starting running backs, Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier, to injuries. Without their two thousand-yard rushers (Harris and Bleier combined for 2,164 yards and 19 TDs), the Steelers offense could not compete with the Raiders. Lo and behold, the Raiders finally returned to the Super Bowl, beating the Steelers 24-7. Two weeks later, the Raiders won Super Bowl XI, defeating the Minnesota Vikings 32-14 (FYI: that was the Vikings’ fourth Super Bowl loss, but that’s for another story).
And the Raiders lived happily ever after, right? Well, the Raiders returned to form in 1977, losing another AFC championship, 20-17 to the Denver Broncos, then missed the playoffs in 1978 and 1979. But the Raiders returned to the Super Bowl after the 1980 and 1983 seasons, winning two more titles and reinforcing their legend (FYI: The Raiders haven’t won a Super Bowl since, and haven’t had a winning season since losing Super Bowl XXXVII after the 2002 season).
Are you starting to see some resemblance to Rex Ryan’s Jets?
Why did the Jets lose last night? Well, as was the case for the 1967-1977 Raiders, the other team was more physical at the line of scrimmage, ran the ball better, made fewer mistakes, made key plays when they needed to, perhaps had more lucky breaks... Oh, and the other team perhaps was simply better.
Were the Jets emotionally flat last night after beating the Colts and Patriots on the road during the first two rounds? I don’t necessarily think so. Just looking at the Steelers first offensive drive — 15 plays, 66 yards, 7 first downs, 9:06 time of possession — it was clear the Jets didn’t have a solution yet for running back Rashard Mendenhall, who ran roughshod through arm tackles just like he did back in week 15. Despite winning that week 15 game 22-17, Rex Ryan admitted his defense didn’t play as well as he wanted. Mendenhall rushed for 99 yards back then; he rushed for 95 yards in the first half alone last night. Rex Ryan may have finally figured out a way to beat Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, but he needed extended time for Mendenhall.
With Mendenhall able to run, the Steelers built a 24-3 halftime lead, outgaining the Jets in total yardage, 231-50. More evident of which team controlled the line of scrimmage was the Steelers defense held the Jets to ONE yard rushing. Granted, many thought the 106 yards the Jets rushed for in week 15 was somewhat of a fluke, but ONE yard? Was the Steelers rush defense that good?
In the second half, a completely different Jets defense came out of the locker room, holding Mendenhall to 26 yards. In fact, it almost seemed like the teams switched uniforms — the Jets outscored the Steelers 16-0, and outgained them 239-56. The Jets even rushed for 69 yards, showing they were indeed capable of running on the Steelers defense. Unfortunately for the Jets, the Steelers offense made the last two key plays for first downs — a second-and-twelve completion from Ben Roethlisberger to tight end Heath Miller, and a third-and-six completion to rookie receiver Antonio Brown — and a valiant Jets comeback was snuffed out.
Could the Jets come all the way back from a 24-0 hole and win the biggest comeback in conference championship history? If the Jets defense prevented one of those last two first downs, there was hope, even if with less than a minute left, no timeouts, and possibly the length of the field to go for a winning touchdown. Perhaps Rex Ryan should’ve opted for the onside kickoff when it was 24-19 and three minutes left. Perhaps he should’ve rolled the dice against a gassed Steelers defense instead of his own defense running on fumes.
When the clock ran down, the Steelers outlasted the Jets more than beat them. The Jets offense certainly had the Steelers defense on the ropes. But 24-0 proved too much of a hole to climb out of. The Steelers DID beat the Jets last night before halftime; the Steelers simply never got to put the final stake in Gang Green’s heart until the bitter end.
What does this tell us about Rex Ryan and his merry band of Jets? Well, just as they made off-season moves to shore up the defense for a playoff battle against Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, they’ll need to make a few more moves in order to handle running backs like Rashard Mendenhall better. They could use a real pass rushing defensive lineman. The secondary, outside of Darrelle Revis, needs to play more consistently. Offensively, they may need to tinker with the running game, diversify it beyond Shonn Greene and L’Danian Tomlinson (i.e., let’s see more Joe McKnight) and get more depth on the offensive line. Maybe they need to upgrade the kicking game.
Of course, perhaps it might help to win the AFC East and guarantee a home playoff game. If the Jets beat the Patriots back in week 13, rather than get blown out 45-3, would it have made a difference? The Patriots might still have won the division at 13-3. The Jets needed to be better than 11-5. They needed to avoid laying eggs at home against the Ravens (week 1), Packers (week 8) and Dolphins (week 14). If the Jets managed to score a single touchdown in each game, they could’ve been 14-2, even with getting their heads handed to them in Foxborough in week 13.
But the team is loaded with talent, especially at the skill positions, not to mention a steadily maturing franchise quarterback. Unlike championship-caliber teams with short shelf lives (e.g., the 1986-1989 Cleveland Browns), the Jets are built to be among the top 3-4 teams in the AFC for at least the next 4-5 years. And despite what some members of the fan base think, the Jets have a very solid and smart coaching staff. Would it be nice if Rex Ryan and company did less yakking? Sure, but it’s hard to argue with two straight AFC title game appearances, something no other Jets team has ever done — not under Weeb Ewbank, Walt Michaels, Joe Walton, Bill Parcells, or Herman Edwards, the only other head coaches to produce consecutive winning seasons.
Sure, it’s a little silly for Ryan in his post-game press conference to tell folks they “have no right” to criticize the Jets, but he was right on the money on one thing: they will be back next year to chase a Super Bowl, and the next year, and the next year, and for every year Rex Ryan serves as head coach. You have to give him and the team credit for setting their goal, talking about it ad nauseum, and never backing down. Just the way they came back from 24-0, kept fighting until the end, and kept the outcome in doubt until the Roethlisberger to Brown completion, you see a team driven, a team on a mission, a team thoroughly committed to not going away.
Do I guarantee we’ll see the Jets in Super Bowl XLVI, or XLVII or XLVIII? No, but I like their chances, better than I like Baltimore’s with Joe Flacco at quarterback, or San Diego’s with A.J. Smith as general manager, or the Colts’ with limited defensive depth. Are the Chiefs more than a one-year wonder? Are the Raiders really on the upswing? Are the Titans, Jaguars and Dolphins above mediocrity? Will we honestly hear from the Bengals, Browns, Bills, Broncos or Texans anytime soon?
The Patriots and Steelers are both built to remain a perpetual part of the discussion. The Patriots began this millennium winning three Super Bowl titles in a four-year period. The Steelers are in position to win their third in a five-year span. The Jets are also part of the discussion.
For Jets fans who can’t take the disappointment of two straight title game exits, I suggest you study your history, and not just the history of “Same old Jets.” Take a look at teams who had periods of falling short and see how things eventually paid off — the 1967-1977 Raiders, the 1966-1983 Cowboys, the 1971-1992 Redskins, even the 1990-1994 49ers or 1992-1998 Packers. Lots of teams had a few years of title game heartbreak before finally winning it all. The Jets don’t even crack the top-5 on the list for perseverance. So crawl out of your dark closets, look out at the sunny sky, and look forward to next season. I’ll guarantee you Rex Ryan already is.
But I’m not here today to write about the teams who will play in Super Bowl XLV. I’m here to write about one team we won’t see in Dallas, the New York Jets, who fell short 24-19 at Heinz Field Sunday evening. I’m also here to write about another team of an era long ago, a team many tend to think about when we look at Rex Ryan’s Jets, the 1967-1977 Oakland Raiders.
At first glance, most folks think Ryan’s Jets are distant cousins of those Raiders teams, constructed by General Manager Al Davis and coached by John Rauch (1967-1968) then John Madden (1969-1977). Remember those Raiders? They shot their mouths off at will, hit opponents hard (perhaps even dirty), and the roster seemed like a collection of outlaws, misfits and cast-offs. During an eleven-year stretch, the Silver-and-Black Pride-and-Poise Boys went 119-28-7, appeared in ten postseasons, won nine AFL-AFC Western Division crowns, and played in nine AFL-AFC championship games. Commitment to Excellence was their motto, and boy, did they excel.
But a funny thing happened on the way to excellence during those eleven years. The Raiders post-season record was a mere 11-9, and they lost seven of those nine AFL-AFC championship games. You see, Commitment to Excellence may have been the motto in the San Francisco Bay area, but the rest of professional football knew the Raiders as “Next Year’s Champions.”
Now, there’s nothing exactly wrong with the moniker “Next Year’s Champions.” After all, the Brooklyn Dodgers wore that moniker well during the 1940s and 1950s, forever being the Yankees’ foils until ‘Dem Bums finally won their first world series in 1955. If it was good enough for Duke Snider, Pee Wee Reese, Jackie Robinson, Gil Hodges and Roy Campanella, it was good enough for Erasmus High School alum Al Davis and his “Raidahs” -- Gene Upshaw, Art Shell, Jim Otto and Fred Biletnikoff. But while the Brooklyn Dodgers multiple heartbreaks against the Yankees almost seemed poetic and romantic, the Raiders championship game losses earned a rueful reputation of “can’t winning the big one.”
It all started with the 1967 AFL championship game, the Raiders beating the old Houston Oilers 40-7. Afterwards, infamous defensive lineman “Big Bad” Ben Davidson declared, King Kong and ten gorillas couldn’t beat us! Well, Davidson and company earned a trip to Miami and Super Bowl II against Vince Lombardi’s Packers and were roundly whipped, 33-14.
From 1968 to 1975, the Raiders made the playoffs seven out of eight seasons (they missed the playoffs in 1971). Each post-season ended as follows:
1968: Lost AFL championship game to the Jets, 27-23 (Jets won Super Bowl III)
1969: Lost AFL championship game to the Kansas City Chiefs, 17-7 (Chiefs won Super Bowl IV)
1970: Lost AFC championship game to the old Baltimore Colts, 27-17 (Colts won Super Bowl V)
1972: Lost AFC divisional game to the Steelers, 13-7 (Steelers lost AFC title game to Miami Dolphins)
1973: Lost AFC championship game to the Dolphins, 27-10 (Dolphins won Super Bowl VIII)
1974: Lost AFC championship game to the Steelers, 24-13 (Steelers won Super Bowl IX)
1975: Lost AFC championship game to the Steelers, 16-10 (Steelers won Super Bowl X)
Oh the pain. Oh the wounded pride. Seven post-season exits, six championship game losses, two separate three-peats (and not the good ones).
Along came 1976. The Raiders went 13-1-0, winning yet another AFC West crown, survived a divisional playoff game they should’ve lost, beating the New England Patriots, 24-21 (avenging their only regular season loss, 48-17, in Foxborough), and hosting their post-season albatross, the Pittsburgh Steelers. The defending two-time champions were 10-4-0, and had perhaps the greatest defensive season of all time, giving up only 138 total points, a mind-boggling TWENTY-EIGHT during the final nine regular season games. After a 1-4-0 start, the Steelers closed the regular season with a nine-game winning streak that included FIVE shutouts and beating opponents by a composite score of 234-28!
The Steelers were fresh off a 40-14 pasting of the Baltimore Colts, but unfortunately lost both starting running backs, Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier, to injuries. Without their two thousand-yard rushers (Harris and Bleier combined for 2,164 yards and 19 TDs), the Steelers offense could not compete with the Raiders. Lo and behold, the Raiders finally returned to the Super Bowl, beating the Steelers 24-7. Two weeks later, the Raiders won Super Bowl XI, defeating the Minnesota Vikings 32-14 (FYI: that was the Vikings’ fourth Super Bowl loss, but that’s for another story).
And the Raiders lived happily ever after, right? Well, the Raiders returned to form in 1977, losing another AFC championship, 20-17 to the Denver Broncos, then missed the playoffs in 1978 and 1979. But the Raiders returned to the Super Bowl after the 1980 and 1983 seasons, winning two more titles and reinforcing their legend (FYI: The Raiders haven’t won a Super Bowl since, and haven’t had a winning season since losing Super Bowl XXXVII after the 2002 season).
Are you starting to see some resemblance to Rex Ryan’s Jets?
Why did the Jets lose last night? Well, as was the case for the 1967-1977 Raiders, the other team was more physical at the line of scrimmage, ran the ball better, made fewer mistakes, made key plays when they needed to, perhaps had more lucky breaks... Oh, and the other team perhaps was simply better.
Were the Jets emotionally flat last night after beating the Colts and Patriots on the road during the first two rounds? I don’t necessarily think so. Just looking at the Steelers first offensive drive — 15 plays, 66 yards, 7 first downs, 9:06 time of possession — it was clear the Jets didn’t have a solution yet for running back Rashard Mendenhall, who ran roughshod through arm tackles just like he did back in week 15. Despite winning that week 15 game 22-17, Rex Ryan admitted his defense didn’t play as well as he wanted. Mendenhall rushed for 99 yards back then; he rushed for 95 yards in the first half alone last night. Rex Ryan may have finally figured out a way to beat Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, but he needed extended time for Mendenhall.
With Mendenhall able to run, the Steelers built a 24-3 halftime lead, outgaining the Jets in total yardage, 231-50. More evident of which team controlled the line of scrimmage was the Steelers defense held the Jets to ONE yard rushing. Granted, many thought the 106 yards the Jets rushed for in week 15 was somewhat of a fluke, but ONE yard? Was the Steelers rush defense that good?
In the second half, a completely different Jets defense came out of the locker room, holding Mendenhall to 26 yards. In fact, it almost seemed like the teams switched uniforms — the Jets outscored the Steelers 16-0, and outgained them 239-56. The Jets even rushed for 69 yards, showing they were indeed capable of running on the Steelers defense. Unfortunately for the Jets, the Steelers offense made the last two key plays for first downs — a second-and-twelve completion from Ben Roethlisberger to tight end Heath Miller, and a third-and-six completion to rookie receiver Antonio Brown — and a valiant Jets comeback was snuffed out.
Could the Jets come all the way back from a 24-0 hole and win the biggest comeback in conference championship history? If the Jets defense prevented one of those last two first downs, there was hope, even if with less than a minute left, no timeouts, and possibly the length of the field to go for a winning touchdown. Perhaps Rex Ryan should’ve opted for the onside kickoff when it was 24-19 and three minutes left. Perhaps he should’ve rolled the dice against a gassed Steelers defense instead of his own defense running on fumes.
When the clock ran down, the Steelers outlasted the Jets more than beat them. The Jets offense certainly had the Steelers defense on the ropes. But 24-0 proved too much of a hole to climb out of. The Steelers DID beat the Jets last night before halftime; the Steelers simply never got to put the final stake in Gang Green’s heart until the bitter end.
What does this tell us about Rex Ryan and his merry band of Jets? Well, just as they made off-season moves to shore up the defense for a playoff battle against Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, they’ll need to make a few more moves in order to handle running backs like Rashard Mendenhall better. They could use a real pass rushing defensive lineman. The secondary, outside of Darrelle Revis, needs to play more consistently. Offensively, they may need to tinker with the running game, diversify it beyond Shonn Greene and L’Danian Tomlinson (i.e., let’s see more Joe McKnight) and get more depth on the offensive line. Maybe they need to upgrade the kicking game.
Of course, perhaps it might help to win the AFC East and guarantee a home playoff game. If the Jets beat the Patriots back in week 13, rather than get blown out 45-3, would it have made a difference? The Patriots might still have won the division at 13-3. The Jets needed to be better than 11-5. They needed to avoid laying eggs at home against the Ravens (week 1), Packers (week 8) and Dolphins (week 14). If the Jets managed to score a single touchdown in each game, they could’ve been 14-2, even with getting their heads handed to them in Foxborough in week 13.
But the team is loaded with talent, especially at the skill positions, not to mention a steadily maturing franchise quarterback. Unlike championship-caliber teams with short shelf lives (e.g., the 1986-1989 Cleveland Browns), the Jets are built to be among the top 3-4 teams in the AFC for at least the next 4-5 years. And despite what some members of the fan base think, the Jets have a very solid and smart coaching staff. Would it be nice if Rex Ryan and company did less yakking? Sure, but it’s hard to argue with two straight AFC title game appearances, something no other Jets team has ever done — not under Weeb Ewbank, Walt Michaels, Joe Walton, Bill Parcells, or Herman Edwards, the only other head coaches to produce consecutive winning seasons.
Sure, it’s a little silly for Ryan in his post-game press conference to tell folks they “have no right” to criticize the Jets, but he was right on the money on one thing: they will be back next year to chase a Super Bowl, and the next year, and the next year, and for every year Rex Ryan serves as head coach. You have to give him and the team credit for setting their goal, talking about it ad nauseum, and never backing down. Just the way they came back from 24-0, kept fighting until the end, and kept the outcome in doubt until the Roethlisberger to Brown completion, you see a team driven, a team on a mission, a team thoroughly committed to not going away.
Do I guarantee we’ll see the Jets in Super Bowl XLVI, or XLVII or XLVIII? No, but I like their chances, better than I like Baltimore’s with Joe Flacco at quarterback, or San Diego’s with A.J. Smith as general manager, or the Colts’ with limited defensive depth. Are the Chiefs more than a one-year wonder? Are the Raiders really on the upswing? Are the Titans, Jaguars and Dolphins above mediocrity? Will we honestly hear from the Bengals, Browns, Bills, Broncos or Texans anytime soon?
The Patriots and Steelers are both built to remain a perpetual part of the discussion. The Patriots began this millennium winning three Super Bowl titles in a four-year period. The Steelers are in position to win their third in a five-year span. The Jets are also part of the discussion.
For Jets fans who can’t take the disappointment of two straight title game exits, I suggest you study your history, and not just the history of “Same old Jets.” Take a look at teams who had periods of falling short and see how things eventually paid off — the 1967-1977 Raiders, the 1966-1983 Cowboys, the 1971-1992 Redskins, even the 1990-1994 49ers or 1992-1998 Packers. Lots of teams had a few years of title game heartbreak before finally winning it all. The Jets don’t even crack the top-5 on the list for perseverance. So crawl out of your dark closets, look out at the sunny sky, and look forward to next season. I’ll guarantee you Rex Ryan already is.
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