It would be out of character for me to not say SOMEthing about this weekend's showdown in "Big D;" I do plan on watching the game but my enthusiasm will probably be at a lower ebb than usual...I don't particularly like either team this year.
Still for those of us keeping track of the winding down of the Mayan Tzolkin, this could be the last Super Bowl before crazy-ass "earth changes" (my bet is on a global pole shift) knock civilization on its ass. It's something I've been trying not to think of too much lately as I have a son now, and I'd hate to have to relive any part of that horribly depressing Viggo film, The Road, in a post-apocalyptic world.
However, if this IS the last Super Bowl our present civilization sees, it's only fitting that it features a match up between two of the oldest and historically storied franchises in the NFL. Maybe Kansas City would have been a better rep for the AFC (they were the first team to play against Green Bay in Super Bowl I), but it's only fitting the Packers have a chance to reclaim the Lombardi trophy one, last time.
It's just irritating that it's Aaron Rogers at the helm for the Packers. Sorry...I'm not a fan of the guy.
Most Seattle fans are, of course, rooting for Green Bay to kick the Steelers ass, still smarting over Super Bowl XL. However, I actually heard a comment on the radio today that helped me put 2005 in perspective...can one really blame Pittsburgh for that particular travesty? Biased refs, biased media coverage, but do the Steelers have any control over this sort of thing? And what are they supposed to do about it? Give the trophy back?
That's sillier than awarding a tie in baseball.
Well, whatever...I probably will NOT be rooting for the Steelers on Sunday, simply because I can't stand their quarterback (that's MY hang-up, I realize). However, I don't think Pittsburgh is going to win regardless. Green Bay is hands-down the better team between the two of them, played against better competition during the regular season, and beat better teams. Pittsburgh had the "perfect storm" of events to get back to the Big Dance this year...a first round bye, and two home games against teams they already saw in the regular season (and against whom they matched up well). Barring a serious (i.e. game-ending) injury to one of the Packers' key players, Green Bay should be able to take them apart...just like the Patriots did for my birthday weekend this year. This ain't the Cardinals the Steelers are facing, but a team with an outstanding defense. And the refs (and media) are as likely to be biased towards the Pack as to Pittsburgh, so they can't count on that kind of help.
Anyway, that's all I'm going to say on the subject. I thought I should write SOMEthing, seeing as I've commented on the NFL all season long. We'll see what happens Sunday.
I get really sick of Seattle fans saying the refs were biased. If the refs were biased, why were they letting Harrison get held almost every play? That's why he was so pissed off, and they didn't eject him, because they knew damn well they were cheating for the Seahawks guards.
ReplyDeleteIn any case, I am rooting for the Steelers again. I've grown up watching them, and I think the Packers are over-rated as hell.
@ Dan: Um...and the media bias during the game? The many repeated commercials showing the Steelers players and coach holding and caressing the Lombardi trophy before the game was even over? Compared to a single commercial of a Seahawk player (Hasselbeck) holding the trophy?
ReplyDeleteHere's the thing, Dan: I taped the game and I have (masochistically) re-watched it. And I will give you this: the Steelers beat the Seahawks. They did, on two stupid, broken plays. And the Steeler player who made those plays was NOT the one that was awarded the MVP trophy.
But the refs are the ones that kept the Steelers in the game...it shouldn't have even been close. Pittsburgh was out-classed on every level by Seattle, and the refs kept the game tight and the Steelers in it till they were able to capitalize on a couple defensive errors. As other commentators have said (like ex-Steeler Terry Bradshaw) the refs didn't give the teams a chance to really play the game. And I think if they had, the 'Hawks would have been up 21 nothing by the end of the first half.
But I'll tell you what, Dan...maybe Big Ben and the Steelers ARE "magical" and they have some mystic mojo that allows them to win big games over teams with better talent than themselves. Sunday will be a good test of that, because the Packers are a much better team than Pittsburgh. We'll see what happens...that's why the game gets played, right?