This is one of my two least favorite times of the year (The other, naturally, being whenever the Devils have no more hockey left to play.). Super Bowl XLV is in the books as the Lombardi Trophy has returned to Titletown. The BCS National Championship Game has been history for over a month now. Football season is officially over. Yes, there are labor issues, recruiting, the Draft, and other events but the game (or even practices) are all said and done until colleges open up spring practices and the NFL, provided there is a 2011 season, hits the ground running with minicamp practices.
Now, if you're a football junkie like me, you will follow all these off-field events with both passion and purpose. I will gladly admit that I had the video feed of the Alabama "FaxCam" running on Internet Explorer on National Signing Day last week. As much of a disgusting spectacle (I will get into this some other time.) as NLI Day has become, I was still glued to my computer for the latest recruiting updates. And just so you know, this Florida State (the 'Noles and the 'Cuse have long been my two favorite college football programs since the days of Casey Weldon & Marvin Graves) recruiting class has been ranked number one by several scouting services. I have been scouring sources for any and all updates on the NFL labor negotiating front. I am beyond pumped for the NFL Scouting Combine and Draft.
Football has overtaken baseball as America's Game. The NFL has produced nearly all of the top 25-rated cable television programs in the last decade. Sundays (and Saturdays for all of us college football fanatics) have become quasi-religious experiences. Franchise values are at an all-time high. Attendance figures have held steady in most NFL cities despite the recession. It seems that practically anything with an NFL logo slapped onto it sells instantly.
The NFL cannot afford to lose its steam with a petty lockout now, when its popularity (and profit) is at an all-time high. I truly belive there will be a 2011 NFL season, but not without concessions from both the owners and the players. The owners should give up their dream of an 18-game regular season. The profit from the the extra home game owners would pick up absolutely does NOT offset the safety/injury risks inherited by the players. In return for keeping the current 16-game slate and, hopefully, receiving better post-career health care, the players may have to accept that their slice of the revenue will not substantially grow. If those concessions (along with a few others, I'm sure) can be made, then the game will go on for the betterment of all involved.
In the meantime, watch some NFL Films with the legendary voice of John Facenda narrating the action. Make sure you set your spring football game schedules. Review those Senior Bowl practices and get the draft guides ready. The University of South Florida opens spring practice March 3rd. That's less than a month away!
And a few NFL tidbits to keep us occupied:
- You have to love Aaron Rodgers standing on the Super Bowl dais with both the Lombardi Trophy and a replica of the World Heavyweight Championship belt. The WWE is getting some tremendous mainstream publicity with Rodgers's "belt celebration." Triple H appeared on ESPN NFL Countdown a few weeks back. Practically every NFL broadcast this postseason had some sort of segment on the "belt celebration." A picture of Rodgers with the belt made the front page of wwe.com. Plus, in a bit of scheduling luck, Smackdown was live from Green Bay this week. Naturally, the Packers appeared on the show. Clay Matthews, Tom Crabtree, Matt Wilhelm, Graham Harrell, Scott Wells, and Brian Bulaga were among the Packers to appear at the show.
- The New York Jets face some tough decisions next year. Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes, Brad Smith, David Harris, and Antonio Cromartie are among the key players entering free agency this offseason. There is a lot to like about this team for years to come but it is clear that this club was built to win now, as in this past season. The Jets will have to decide if Cromartie, despite his inconsistency, is the answer at corner opposite Revis. Jerricho Cotchery is the only wide receiver who gets significant playing time that is under contract and the team will not be able to afford resigning Smith, Holmes, and Edwards. Resigning Harris is also an absolute must.
- The Tennessee Titans became the last NFL team to secure its head coach for the 2011 season, hiring offensive line coach Mike Munchak to replace Jeff Fisher after 16 seasons at the helm of the Oilers/Titans. The 2001 Hall of Fame inductee steps into his first head coaching job with a tall task. The Titans will be seeking a new identity after spending the better part of the last two decades under the leadership of Fisher. Both Munchak and Fisher let go of assistants so the Titans' 2011 staff will have a vastly different look. Now it is onto the next big question for Tennessee: Who plays quarterback for the Titans in 2011?
- The poor infrastructure and logistics in North Texas for Super Bowl XLV have been well-documented. The game goes to Indianapolis next year but the real questions is this: Will the Dallas-Fort Worth area ever get another chance to host the Super Bowl?
- Next year is the last year you will be seeing the Reebok brand in the NFL. The 2012 NFL licensing contract belongs to a handful of companies. The big ones: Nike will do on-field uniforms. Under Armour & Nike will combine on sideline and fan gear. New Era will become the official cap provider.
Some other news and notes:
- The up-and-down rollercoaster that is the Syracuse men's basketball team this season took yet another turn. The Orangemen snap a four-game losing streak with a big win at UConn and smack South Florida around on the road. Then, with "Hoya Paranoia" coming to the Dome, the 'Cuse lays an egg and falls, 64-56. Syracuse is 20-5 overall but just 7-5 in the Big East. The loss was Syracuse's third straight home defeat, just the third time the Orangemen have lost three home games in a row in Jim Boeheim's 35 years at the helm.
- Spring training is less than two weeks away. It is hard to believe that baseball season is already here. The deadline for the St. Louis Cardinals to negotiate with Albert Pujols is merely a week away. I can't imagine the Cards without Pujols but I'm not sure they can afford his contract at this point. There are a lot of factors in play here and if you thought the Derek Jeter contract negotiations were a mess, wait until this one truly unfolds.
- The NHL stretch run is in full force. Dallas, Colorado, and the hated Rangers are plummeting. Carolina, San Jose, and our beloved Devils are surging. As crazy as it sounded during the first half of the season, the playoffs may not be as much of a pipe dream for Jersey's Team as one might think. The Devils (13 points out with 27 games left to play) still need some help from outside teams but if they keep putting runs together like the 9-2-1 run they're currently on, there's a chance! Pittsburgh is without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin yet the Pens are holding water in both the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference standings. Pittsburgh is just three points behind Philadelphia for the top spot in both the Atlantic and the East. Out in the West, Vancouver is looking to put a vice grip on the top spot while Detroit, despite countless injuries, is holding onto the Central Division lead. Nashville traded for forward Mike Fisher today, signaling the first shift towards rebuilding in Ottawa and the push by the Preds to finally get past the first round of the playoffs. The four to eleven spots in the West are separated by a meager six points. It should be an interesting final third of the season.
- If you want a good laugh and a chance to get swept up in the "Jimmer-Mania" at BYU, check out this link: http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id22753/jimmer-mania-gives-us-epic-facebook-thread
And how many people do you think know that BYU has one of the nation's largest college basketball arenas (fan capacity) behind only Syracuse, Tennessee, and Kentucky?
- Longtime Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan has resigned after 23 seasons with the club. He was, by far, the longest-tenured coach in the NBA and the four major professional sports. San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich is the NBA's next longest-tenured coach, a full eight seasons behind Sloan. Sloan has long been considered one of the best at his craft and has long been respected among his basketball peers. Recently, however, his relationship with star point guard Deron Williams has been deteriorating and the latest emotional flareup (over a changed play call) has been well-documented. Sloan leaves with a career record of 1,221-803 (.603 winning percentage) and a playoff record of 98-104. Sloan made two Finals appearances, losing to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in both 1997 and 1998. Sloan, the leader of the Stockton-Malone Jazz, was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.
Random Sporting Moment
- February 21, 2003 - The Devils would rally from a 2-1 deficit with two goals in a span of four minutes in the third period to defeat the Boston Bruins, 3-2, at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford. Joe Thornton's 30th and 31st goals of the seasons gave the Bruins a 2-1 lead. But Jiri Bicek and Jeff Friesen would light the lamp for Devils in the third to give Jersey's Team the victory. That win would set off a five-game winning streak, vaulting the Devils to the top of the Atlantic Division. The Devils would stay there and capture their fifth Atlantic Division Championship. The Devils then defeated Boston, Tampa Bay, Ottawa, and Anaheim in the playoffs to win their third Stanley Cup.
Random Wrestling Match
- February 27, 2000 - WWF No Way Out was held at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut. The main event featured Triple H defending his WWF Title against Mick Foley as Cactus Jack inside the demonic Hell in a Cell structure Cactus tried to pile drive Trips on the top of the cell but Trips reversed it with a back body drop, sending Cactus through the cell roof and crashing down through the mat below. When Cactus finally got back to his feet, Trips dropped him with the Pedigree for the pin and the win at 23:59 to retain the title.
Until next time.
-Meech
Thursday, February 10, 2011
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