If someone told me before this one started that the winner would blow the other team out of the Hudson, I would've put every penny I had on the Broncos. Thankfully, I don't bet and I take my meds so the voices don't come to me like they use to.
Unfortunately, I sat there and watched the Seahawks dominate Super Bowl XLVIII winning by a final of 43-8 over the Broncos. Offense wins games and sets records, but Defense still wins Championships.
The key of the game was turnovers. Well, before that was a bad snap by the Broncos leading to a safety to start the game off. But still, it was turnovers that got to Peyton Manning and the Offense. Four total turnovers committed by the Broncos leading to 21 points off of turnovers by the Seahawks, including the 69 yard interception for a touchdown by Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Smith late in the 2nd quarter.
Thankfully, the Broncos did score a touchdown as the 3rd quarter ended with a 14 yard TD pass to Demaryius Thomas. But even after the successful two point conversion, they were still down by 28.
Seattle would score the final points of the game with Doug Baldwin catching a 10 yard TD pass. early in the 4th quarter. A few more possessions where neither teams did anything and the game was over.
Certainly Seattle's defense dominated this game but a nice job by Russell Wilson and Seahawks' offense. A balanced offense with key 3rd downs being converted went a long way. Also, a couple of Harvin designed runs threw Denver's defense off from the start. Not to mention that Kick Off return for a TD to start the 2nd half off.
Congrats to the Seahawks and the 12th man for winning their 1st Lombardi Trophy. They certainly were the best team of 2013.
P.S. I guess I'm not picking the Broncos for 2014. Sorry Van.
Showing posts with label Super Bowl. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Super Bowl. Show all posts
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Monday, March 18, 2013
John Harbaugh for "Change is Good" (and So am I)
The last thing you would think about doing if you are the Super Bowl Champions is trying to change too much. However, that just seems to be the cards that the Ravens are dealt with... or playing?
Baltimore's off-season has been mostly about losing players after their Super Bowl win in February. They have lost Ray Lewis to retirement and two other linebackers to other teams, Anquan Boldin in a trade to the 49ers for a 6th round pick, and other notable starters along the way. Ed Reed's days in Baltimore also look like they are over as he's getting looks from other teams like the Texans.
The only thing that they have been able to do is keep Joe Flacco with a 6 year $120 million plus contract to eat up a lot of cap space.
Despite all of this, the PR department known as John Harbaugh has spun it the best way he can. "The worst mistake you can make is trying to hold a team together," Harbaugh said in an interview. "It's impossible." He also cited Bo Schembechler's (the late family friend) advice of "if you try to stay the same you end up getting worse."
Full article at http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9066834/john-harbaugh-baltimore-ravens-roster-change-part-nfl
An interesting question gets raised by all this: Is all this "change" better for the team/John Harbaugh long term? Also, is it best to break up a Super Bowl team rather than try and keep it together nowadays?
I'm not sure anyone can ever answer the second question perfectly but the first one seems to be a yes. The Ravens team that won it all was old and heading down the other side of the hill anyway. They certainly made a great postseason push with a deer antler charged Ray Lewis leading the pack. But now with the Ray Lewis era is over in Baltimore, the Ravens took it as a sign to start a new era with some different players.
While they did lose players in their prime, they also let aged veterans go like Ed Reed (34) and Anquan Boldin (32). Keeping them would've been too hard with the cap restrictions what they are and even if they had managed to do so, they might only be productive for a couple more seasons. (I must reiterate that I still like that the 49ers got Boldin).
The next couple of the years for the Ravens will have them trying to return to contender status. But don't despair, Baltimore. They weren't predominantly seen as contenders last season. As you all have seen, anything can happen once you get into the postseason and with a quarterback like Joe, getting to January is always a possibility.
P.S. Now my best shot at answering the 2nd question: I'm leaning towards saying yes. Just look at the Super Bowl winners over the past decade or so. Except for the Pats about ten years ago, there have been no repeat winners. It's not that Super Bowl teams haven't been contenders the season after they've won it. It's just that the path to the Super Bowl nowadays is too chaotic to navigate and predict.
Lately, it hasn't been what are considered the great teams that end up winning the Super Bowl. The last three winners have just been teams that have gotten hot at exactly the right time.
Also, of the teams that have won it multiple times over the past ten years, the common denominator is that they had great quarterbacks. The Pats have Brady, the Steelers have Ben, and the Giants have Peyton's younger brother. By that logic, the Ravens think they are set for the foreseeable future seeing how well Joe Flacco performed this past postseason.
With quarterback being the far and away clear centerpiece of a team today, everything else is interchangeable. Just look at how Bill Belichick and the Patriots deal with players not named Brady. He casually let's players go or trades them the instant he thinks their ability will tank. He then manages to find suitable enough replacements (not always the best) and gems in the draft to keep the team afloat.
While they haven't been able to close the deal since February of 2005, the Pats have been in the playoff hunt every season except for two since their first Super Bowl title at the end of the 2001 season.
Unless you have a great defense, a great quarterback, and a lot of luck, there are no dynasty's anymore in the NFL. Talent level is pretty well spread out in the league, even at the quarterback position. That's right, even at QB.
Let's name the QB's that have been good enough to lead a team to the Super Bowl: Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Peyton's younger brother, Joe Flacco, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, and Ben Roethlisberger. Now quarterback's that possibly join the list above as soon as next season? Colin Kaepernick (HA!!!), Matt Ryan, and Matt Schaub (bit of a stretch).
Now quarterbacks that are just good enough to get their team to the postseason at the present time: Tony Romo, Jay Cutler, Matthew Stafford, Robert Griffin III, Russell Wilson, and Andrew Luck.
If the standard nowadays is just getting into the postseason while hoping your team is peaking at the right time, I count 16 quarterbacks that are eligible for the job. That's not even counting quarterbacks that have potential to become that or those that have faded away.
If that's the case, it's about finding the right parts for your ever changing team year after year. You can't have too many star players on your team too long because of that pesky salary cap and winning a Super Bowl just has everyone able to renegotiate at that time chirping for more money. It's today's NFL and it's what champions now have to do to remain in contention.
P.P.S. Is my P.S. longer my than original post?
Baltimore's off-season has been mostly about losing players after their Super Bowl win in February. They have lost Ray Lewis to retirement and two other linebackers to other teams, Anquan Boldin in a trade to the 49ers for a 6th round pick, and other notable starters along the way. Ed Reed's days in Baltimore also look like they are over as he's getting looks from other teams like the Texans.
The only thing that they have been able to do is keep Joe Flacco with a 6 year $120 million plus contract to eat up a lot of cap space.
Despite all of this, the PR department known as John Harbaugh has spun it the best way he can. "The worst mistake you can make is trying to hold a team together," Harbaugh said in an interview. "It's impossible." He also cited Bo Schembechler's (the late family friend) advice of "if you try to stay the same you end up getting worse."
Full article at http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9066834/john-harbaugh-baltimore-ravens-roster-change-part-nfl
An interesting question gets raised by all this: Is all this "change" better for the team/John Harbaugh long term? Also, is it best to break up a Super Bowl team rather than try and keep it together nowadays?
I'm not sure anyone can ever answer the second question perfectly but the first one seems to be a yes. The Ravens team that won it all was old and heading down the other side of the hill anyway. They certainly made a great postseason push with a deer antler charged Ray Lewis leading the pack. But now with the Ray Lewis era is over in Baltimore, the Ravens took it as a sign to start a new era with some different players.
While they did lose players in their prime, they also let aged veterans go like Ed Reed (34) and Anquan Boldin (32). Keeping them would've been too hard with the cap restrictions what they are and even if they had managed to do so, they might only be productive for a couple more seasons. (I must reiterate that I still like that the 49ers got Boldin).
The next couple of the years for the Ravens will have them trying to return to contender status. But don't despair, Baltimore. They weren't predominantly seen as contenders last season. As you all have seen, anything can happen once you get into the postseason and with a quarterback like Joe, getting to January is always a possibility.
P.S. Now my best shot at answering the 2nd question: I'm leaning towards saying yes. Just look at the Super Bowl winners over the past decade or so. Except for the Pats about ten years ago, there have been no repeat winners. It's not that Super Bowl teams haven't been contenders the season after they've won it. It's just that the path to the Super Bowl nowadays is too chaotic to navigate and predict.
Lately, it hasn't been what are considered the great teams that end up winning the Super Bowl. The last three winners have just been teams that have gotten hot at exactly the right time.
Also, of the teams that have won it multiple times over the past ten years, the common denominator is that they had great quarterbacks. The Pats have Brady, the Steelers have Ben, and the Giants have Peyton's younger brother. By that logic, the Ravens think they are set for the foreseeable future seeing how well Joe Flacco performed this past postseason.
With quarterback being the far and away clear centerpiece of a team today, everything else is interchangeable. Just look at how Bill Belichick and the Patriots deal with players not named Brady. He casually let's players go or trades them the instant he thinks their ability will tank. He then manages to find suitable enough replacements (not always the best) and gems in the draft to keep the team afloat.
While they haven't been able to close the deal since February of 2005, the Pats have been in the playoff hunt every season except for two since their first Super Bowl title at the end of the 2001 season.
Unless you have a great defense, a great quarterback, and a lot of luck, there are no dynasty's anymore in the NFL. Talent level is pretty well spread out in the league, even at the quarterback position. That's right, even at QB.
Let's name the QB's that have been good enough to lead a team to the Super Bowl: Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Peyton's younger brother, Joe Flacco, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, and Ben Roethlisberger. Now quarterback's that possibly join the list above as soon as next season? Colin Kaepernick (HA!!!), Matt Ryan, and Matt Schaub (bit of a stretch).
Now quarterbacks that are just good enough to get their team to the postseason at the present time: Tony Romo, Jay Cutler, Matthew Stafford, Robert Griffin III, Russell Wilson, and Andrew Luck.
If the standard nowadays is just getting into the postseason while hoping your team is peaking at the right time, I count 16 quarterbacks that are eligible for the job. That's not even counting quarterbacks that have potential to become that or those that have faded away.
If that's the case, it's about finding the right parts for your ever changing team year after year. You can't have too many star players on your team too long because of that pesky salary cap and winning a Super Bowl just has everyone able to renegotiate at that time chirping for more money. It's today's NFL and it's what champions now have to do to remain in contention.
P.P.S. Is my P.S. longer my than original post?
Monday, February 4, 2013
Baltimore Holds On for Super Bowl Win 34-31
So close and yet so far.
The Baltimore Ravens managed to hold off the surging San Francisco 49ers by a final of 34-31. Colin Kaepernick lead the 49ers down field for one last shot in the end zone with under two minutes remaining and failed to convert a 4th goal pass intended for Michael Crabtree in the back corner of the end zone.
“I think that last drive when we got the ball and had time to go down and score a touchdown, we thought it was our game,” Kaepernick said afterwards.
The Ravens then killed all but 4 seconds of the clock with the subsequent drive ending in a safety in which punter Sam Koch ran it out of the end zone. The following punt ended with Ted Ginn Jr. getting tackled as time expired leaving the Ravens as the victor.
“Our guys battled back to get back in,” 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said. “I thought we battled right to the brink of winning.”
Ray Lewis ends his 17 year career with a 2nd Super Bowl ring, other being earned in early 2001. This career ending sendoff came in a season where he had to come back from from a triceps injury sustained in October not making his return until the beginning of the postseason when the Ravens played the visiting Indianapolis Colts in the Wild Card round.
“It’s no greater way, as a champ, to go out on your last ride with the men that I went out with, with my teammates,” Lewis said. “And you looked around this stadium and Baltimore! Baltimore! We coming home, baby! We did it!”
Baltimore coach John Harbaugh now has a 2-0 coaching record against his younger brother Jim Harbaugh. The first meeting between the two brother occurred on Thanksgiving day 2011.
“How could it be any other way? It’s never pretty. It’s never perfect. But it’s us,” John said afterwards. “It was us today.”
On the flip side, this is San Francisco’s first loss in the Super Bowl making them 5-1 in the big game.
“I really wanted it for us,” 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis said. “I wanted to bring it back to the Bay… We came up short. We were there and we came up short.”
The 49ers were down by as many as 22 points early in the 3rd quarter. Momentum seemed to turn around after a power outage in the 3rd quarter. The outage lasted over a half hour. San Francisco then managed to score 17 consecutive points to finish the quarter.
In part because of the power outage, it was the longest Super Bowl in history timed at 4 hours, 14 minutes.
Baltimore managed to recover a bit in the 4th quarter scoring two field goals by Justin Tucker. Tucker tried a fake field goal run earlier in the game that failed to convert a first down near the 49ers end zone.
Kaepernick scored a 15 yard touchdown run in between those Tucker field goals but a poor pass to Randy Moss failed to convert a two point conversion that would’ve tied the game at 31-31. Kaepernick finished the game with 62 rushing yards. Through the air, Colin went 16/28 for 302 passing yards, a 31 touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree, and an interception thrown to Ed Reed in the 2nd quarter. It was the first interception ever thrown by a San Francisco quarterback in the Super Bowl.
As for Crabtree, he finished the game with 5 catches for 109 receiving and the one touchdown. Vernon Davis finished the game just 5 yards shy of him with 104 receiving yards in 6 catches.
The star of the night was Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco who shined predominantly in the first half of the game. Flacco went 22/33 for 287 passing yards and three touchdown passes, all of which came in the first half. Flacco finishes the postseason with 11 touchdown passes, no interceptions thrown, and as Super Bowl MVP.
“People should shut up about Joe,” said Ravens receiver Anquan Boldin. “I’m so sick of people saying Joe’s not an elite quarterback. For all the critics who say he’s not, ask them how many rings they have.”
Anquan Boldin also had a fine game with 6 catches for 104 yards and one touchdown off a 13 yard pass from Joe Flacco in the first quarter. It was the first score of the game for either team and it came on Baltimore first possession.
Another star for the Ravens was Jacoby Jones who made one of those Flacco touchdown catches on a 56 yard catch in which he fell down and got back up to get into the end zone. Jones out did that, however, on a 108 yard kick off return for a touchdown to start the 2nd half. It was the Ravens only touchdown of the half and it proved to be a difference maker.
The 49ers ground game was fine but it could’ve gone better. Frank Gore ran for 110 yards on 19 carries and a six yard touchdown run in the third quarter. The 49ers, however, may have missed Kendall Hunter in this one. 2nd back and rookie LaMichael James fumbled the ball early in the 2nd quarter which was recovered by Baltimore defensive end Arthur Jones. The subsequent Ravens' drive lead to a one yard touchdown pass to Dennis Pitta to them up by 11.
As for Baltimore’s ground game, they were not efficient against San Francisco’s defense getting only 93 yards on 35 carries. Ray Rice carried the ball 20 times for just 59 yards. Rice, however, had a fumble in the 3rd quarter which resulted in a 34 yard David Akers’ field goal.
Akers would make two other field goals in the first half of play. One in the first quarter from 36 yards out and the other to end the first half from 27 yards out. Akers accounted for all of San Francisco’s 6 first half points while Baltimore was on top by 15.
In overall numbers, San Francisco had 468 total offensive yards while Baltimore had 367. The Ravens had the ball a bit longer controlling it for just over 32 minutes of the game. The 49ers also had six red zone attempts only converting twice for touchdowns.
Inexperience showed for San Francisco against the veteran squad of Baltimore. With the team around them, however, there is always next year.
“We will use this as fuel,” 49ers safety Donte Whitner said. “It’s tough getting shoved off the field, watching the other team celebrate. We’ll be better from this. We’ll be back.”
The Baltimore Ravens managed to hold off the surging San Francisco 49ers by a final of 34-31. Colin Kaepernick lead the 49ers down field for one last shot in the end zone with under two minutes remaining and failed to convert a 4th goal pass intended for Michael Crabtree in the back corner of the end zone.
“I think that last drive when we got the ball and had time to go down and score a touchdown, we thought it was our game,” Kaepernick said afterwards.
The Ravens then killed all but 4 seconds of the clock with the subsequent drive ending in a safety in which punter Sam Koch ran it out of the end zone. The following punt ended with Ted Ginn Jr. getting tackled as time expired leaving the Ravens as the victor.
“Our guys battled back to get back in,” 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said. “I thought we battled right to the brink of winning.”
Ray Lewis ends his 17 year career with a 2nd Super Bowl ring, other being earned in early 2001. This career ending sendoff came in a season where he had to come back from from a triceps injury sustained in October not making his return until the beginning of the postseason when the Ravens played the visiting Indianapolis Colts in the Wild Card round.
“It’s no greater way, as a champ, to go out on your last ride with the men that I went out with, with my teammates,” Lewis said. “And you looked around this stadium and Baltimore! Baltimore! We coming home, baby! We did it!”
Baltimore coach John Harbaugh now has a 2-0 coaching record against his younger brother Jim Harbaugh. The first meeting between the two brother occurred on Thanksgiving day 2011.
“How could it be any other way? It’s never pretty. It’s never perfect. But it’s us,” John said afterwards. “It was us today.”
On the flip side, this is San Francisco’s first loss in the Super Bowl making them 5-1 in the big game.
“I really wanted it for us,” 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis said. “I wanted to bring it back to the Bay… We came up short. We were there and we came up short.”
The 49ers were down by as many as 22 points early in the 3rd quarter. Momentum seemed to turn around after a power outage in the 3rd quarter. The outage lasted over a half hour. San Francisco then managed to score 17 consecutive points to finish the quarter.
In part because of the power outage, it was the longest Super Bowl in history timed at 4 hours, 14 minutes.
Baltimore managed to recover a bit in the 4th quarter scoring two field goals by Justin Tucker. Tucker tried a fake field goal run earlier in the game that failed to convert a first down near the 49ers end zone.
Kaepernick scored a 15 yard touchdown run in between those Tucker field goals but a poor pass to Randy Moss failed to convert a two point conversion that would’ve tied the game at 31-31. Kaepernick finished the game with 62 rushing yards. Through the air, Colin went 16/28 for 302 passing yards, a 31 touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree, and an interception thrown to Ed Reed in the 2nd quarter. It was the first interception ever thrown by a San Francisco quarterback in the Super Bowl.
As for Crabtree, he finished the game with 5 catches for 109 receiving and the one touchdown. Vernon Davis finished the game just 5 yards shy of him with 104 receiving yards in 6 catches.
The star of the night was Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco who shined predominantly in the first half of the game. Flacco went 22/33 for 287 passing yards and three touchdown passes, all of which came in the first half. Flacco finishes the postseason with 11 touchdown passes, no interceptions thrown, and as Super Bowl MVP.
“People should shut up about Joe,” said Ravens receiver Anquan Boldin. “I’m so sick of people saying Joe’s not an elite quarterback. For all the critics who say he’s not, ask them how many rings they have.”
Anquan Boldin also had a fine game with 6 catches for 104 yards and one touchdown off a 13 yard pass from Joe Flacco in the first quarter. It was the first score of the game for either team and it came on Baltimore first possession.
Another star for the Ravens was Jacoby Jones who made one of those Flacco touchdown catches on a 56 yard catch in which he fell down and got back up to get into the end zone. Jones out did that, however, on a 108 yard kick off return for a touchdown to start the 2nd half. It was the Ravens only touchdown of the half and it proved to be a difference maker.
The 49ers ground game was fine but it could’ve gone better. Frank Gore ran for 110 yards on 19 carries and a six yard touchdown run in the third quarter. The 49ers, however, may have missed Kendall Hunter in this one. 2nd back and rookie LaMichael James fumbled the ball early in the 2nd quarter which was recovered by Baltimore defensive end Arthur Jones. The subsequent Ravens' drive lead to a one yard touchdown pass to Dennis Pitta to them up by 11.
As for Baltimore’s ground game, they were not efficient against San Francisco’s defense getting only 93 yards on 35 carries. Ray Rice carried the ball 20 times for just 59 yards. Rice, however, had a fumble in the 3rd quarter which resulted in a 34 yard David Akers’ field goal.
Akers would make two other field goals in the first half of play. One in the first quarter from 36 yards out and the other to end the first half from 27 yards out. Akers accounted for all of San Francisco’s 6 first half points while Baltimore was on top by 15.
In overall numbers, San Francisco had 468 total offensive yards while Baltimore had 367. The Ravens had the ball a bit longer controlling it for just over 32 minutes of the game. The 49ers also had six red zone attempts only converting twice for touchdowns.
Inexperience showed for San Francisco against the veteran squad of Baltimore. With the team around them, however, there is always next year.
“We will use this as fuel,” 49ers safety Donte Whitner said. “It’s tough getting shoved off the field, watching the other team celebrate. We’ll be better from this. We’ll be back.”
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Raiders Sabotaged by Coach in Super Bowl?
Perhaps this is why the Raiders keep losing today.
Am unusual accusation came from Hall of Fame Wide Receiver Tim Brown. In Super Bowl XXXVII, Brown says that Raiders head coach Bill Callahan changed the game plan at the last minute. Brown, a longtime Raider, said they were preparing to run a ground and pound style of offense for the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Then on Friday before the Super Bowl, the game plan was changed to accommodate more of an aerial attack instead. The G.O.A.T. Jerry Rice, who was on the Raiders for that Super Bowl, confirmed what Tim Brown said about Callahan and the staff changing the game plan on Friday.
The reasoning for it? Brown suggested that Callahan didn't like the Raiders and was doing it for his old buddy Jon Gruden who was the coach of the Bucs in Super Bowl and had coached the Raiders the season before. Brown said "We all called it sabotage ... because Callahan and Gruden were good friends. And Callahan had a big problem with the Raiders, you know, hated the Raiders. You know, only came because Gruden made him come. Literally walked off the field on us a couple of times during the season when he first got there, the first couple years."
Jerry would back the theory to a degree saying "And in a way, maybe because he (Callahan) didn't like the Raiders, he was willing to sabotage just a little bit and let Jon Gruden go out and win this one."
Bill Callahan has denied these allegations.
"Any suggestion that I would undermine the integrity of the sport that I love and dedicated my life to, or dishonor the commitment I made to our players, coaches and fans, is flat-out wrong," Callahan said in the statement. "I think it would be in the best interests of all, including the game America loves, that these allegations be retracted immediately."
I have said it a million times: the Oakland Raiders always find a way to shoot themselves in the foot. It seems a little far fetched that a coach would willingly sabotage his own team for the sake of a friend. However, the testimonies of Tim Brown and Jerry Rice seem to suggest that something irregular happened for some unknown reason.
Could Al Davis have been involved.... more than usual? I know it's hard to believe that the late meddler could've been more involved with the team but something he could've said or done might've affected the game plan. Still that theory seems far fetched even for him. He would've tried changing something early in the week rather than later.
Whatever the case might've been, a Super Bowl's outcome had seemingly been affected. The Raiders barely ran the ball and their quarterback Rich Gannon threw 5 picks in a blowout loss to the Bucs 48-21.
I hope that the league gets involved and conducts an investigation into the matter. I am not sure if they will find any testimony that would be helpful but they should at least try. The integrity of the NFL is at stake.... unlike with the refs lockout, the concussion lawsuits, safety rule changes, and spygate.
Am unusual accusation came from Hall of Fame Wide Receiver Tim Brown. In Super Bowl XXXVII, Brown says that Raiders head coach Bill Callahan changed the game plan at the last minute. Brown, a longtime Raider, said they were preparing to run a ground and pound style of offense for the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Then on Friday before the Super Bowl, the game plan was changed to accommodate more of an aerial attack instead. The G.O.A.T. Jerry Rice, who was on the Raiders for that Super Bowl, confirmed what Tim Brown said about Callahan and the staff changing the game plan on Friday.
The reasoning for it? Brown suggested that Callahan didn't like the Raiders and was doing it for his old buddy Jon Gruden who was the coach of the Bucs in Super Bowl and had coached the Raiders the season before. Brown said "We all called it sabotage ... because Callahan and Gruden were good friends. And Callahan had a big problem with the Raiders, you know, hated the Raiders. You know, only came because Gruden made him come. Literally walked off the field on us a couple of times during the season when he first got there, the first couple years."
Jerry would back the theory to a degree saying "And in a way, maybe because he (Callahan) didn't like the Raiders, he was willing to sabotage just a little bit and let Jon Gruden go out and win this one."
Bill Callahan has denied these allegations.
"Any suggestion that I would undermine the integrity of the sport that I love and dedicated my life to, or dishonor the commitment I made to our players, coaches and fans, is flat-out wrong," Callahan said in the statement. "I think it would be in the best interests of all, including the game America loves, that these allegations be retracted immediately."
I have said it a million times: the Oakland Raiders always find a way to shoot themselves in the foot. It seems a little far fetched that a coach would willingly sabotage his own team for the sake of a friend. However, the testimonies of Tim Brown and Jerry Rice seem to suggest that something irregular happened for some unknown reason.
Could Al Davis have been involved.... more than usual? I know it's hard to believe that the late meddler could've been more involved with the team but something he could've said or done might've affected the game plan. Still that theory seems far fetched even for him. He would've tried changing something early in the week rather than later.
Whatever the case might've been, a Super Bowl's outcome had seemingly been affected. The Raiders barely ran the ball and their quarterback Rich Gannon threw 5 picks in a blowout loss to the Bucs 48-21.
I hope that the league gets involved and conducts an investigation into the matter. I am not sure if they will find any testimony that would be helpful but they should at least try. The integrity of the NFL is at stake.... unlike with the refs lockout, the concussion lawsuits, safety rule changes, and spygate.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Still So Much to See with the World Ending
As the end of the world is nigh, there is so much that I wish I could've seen in the sports world before our time was up. Here are the top ten things I was still waiting to see before the apocalypse came.
10. The NHL to come back. Be nice for Hockey to at least make the list.
9. The Sharks win the Stanley C… HA HA HA HA YEAH RIGHT!!!!
8. Mayweather v. Pacquiao. We wanted it for years but the promoters were always just too much of a tease like Justin Bieber (he's gay, get over him).
-------------------------
Well it's been a good life anyway having seen the SF Giants and the Red Sox each win a pair of titles, see Chelsea win the Champions Cup, and to see Mark Sanchez get Butt Slapped in the face by his own lineman. Or was it a "Tight End"?
10. The NHL to come back. Be nice for Hockey to at least make the list.
9. The Sharks win the Stanley C… HA HA HA HA YEAH RIGHT!!!!
8. Mayweather v. Pacquiao. We wanted it for years but the promoters were always just too much of a tease like Justin Bieber (he's gay, get over him).
7. See if Tim Tebow could be a good QB/player in the NFL throughout a career. If the heavens can help it, they might just postpone the apocalypse to just see if the "other" son of god can be a starter in the pros.
6. See if any of the PED users got into the Baseball Hall of
Fame. It doesn’t look good for any of the potential candidates from the steroid
era but I’m sure most of them were just happy not to go to jail.
5. The other woman finally step forward and identify Ben Roethlisberger
as her rapist. That and say Kobe joined in. See you a**holes in hell.
4. See the Cubs win the World Series. This is really the only significant thing in baseball that I would like to see happen. Them not winning in over a 100 years is the true disaster here.
3. Derek Jeter retiring from baseball. This I would've LOVE to see happen. I was going to throw a
great party with chips, dip, and a roast of Jeter. No, an actual roasting of
Jeter. He would’ve tasted so good in pinstripes.
2. 49ers win super bowl. While I was actually alive for three of
the 49ers super bowl victories, I was too young to appreciate or even be aware
of any of them. I’ve just been around for the heartache really.
1.The US get to the Semis of the World Cup. This one is more
of a dream than anything else. To win it would be the Impossible Dream.
-------------------------
Well it's been a good life anyway having seen the SF Giants and the Red Sox each win a pair of titles, see Chelsea win the Champions Cup, and to see Mark Sanchez get Butt Slapped in the face by his own lineman. Or was it a "Tight End"?
It's been fun while it lasted. Now if you don't mind I got to try and die without my virginity. I don't want to go out like Tebow.
P.S. If the world doesn't end, be sure to click here for a preview of this weekend's 49ers game. Also be sure to check out the 49ers Section at Prosportsblogging.com for my take on the team before and after every game.
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