A Lousy Football Weekend

While it's true that few of us Redskins fans ever expected them to make the playoffs, let alone win a playoff game, the loss in Seattle was still painful. (Seattle? NFC? I still can't get used to that one) With any kind of offense (as in, more than one receiver) they might put together a decent team. It's hard to argue with that D.

I've always admired the Pats. They play no-nonsense ball, and have talent at every position. At the beginning of the year I predicted they'd repeat as Super Bowl champs. Denver's tough, and it was a pretty good game. Still, I was pulling for the Pats.

Didn't really have a dog in the hunt between Chicago and Carolina.

Which brings us to Pittsburgh/Indy.

I really don't like the Steelers. Here's why:

1. Annoying fans. I suppose every team has them, but the Steelers fans, at least here in the DC area, can truly become tiresome.

2. Dumb helmets. Still can't afford a logo for the other side?

3. Corporate sponsorship.




I realize it's an old US Steel logo, but I still don't like the precedent. Consider what a money-grubbing owner with no sense of tradition -- say, Dan Snyder -- could charge for this helmet?



4. Cheap Shots. Kimo von Oelhoffen made a deliberate move to damage the knee of QB Carson Palmer, long after the pass was thrown. Palmer was looking downfield, and van Oelhoffen hit him blind. He grabbed the leg and put his weight into it. It could have ended Palmer's career. Oelhoffen should be thrown out of the league, yet Bill Cowher defended him

5. Which brings us to Bill Cowher. Like Jon Gruden, he's a TV coach. His antics, his motions, even his facial expressions are designed to look "tough" on television. If he'd spend half as much time coaching as acting, he'd have a Super Bowl win instead of NINE playoff appearances without one (and an unprecedented four AFC championship losses -- at home, no less). I really did think the Gods were going to punish Cowher's arrogance in Indianapolis; when he decided to run up the score instead of just kneeling down, then taking the FG, and over-the-hill RB Jerome Bettis promptly coughed up the ball, the irony was sweet... almost. Cowher won because it turns out that Peyton Manning is human after all. It will be interesting to see if Cowher can figure out how to lose to the Broncos tomorrow. And we'll be able to see a classy coach, Mike Shanahan, act like a professional on the sideline.

There's a film Cowher should review.