The two biggest story lines this week have been (1) whether Rob Gronkowski will be able to play in light of his injured ankle and (2) the public feuding between Peyton Manning and Jim Irsay about Manning's health and whether he'll be released by the Colts.
The Patriots are favored by three tonight, but many of the analysts are picking the Giants. I am leaning towards the Giants; I think the balanced offense with Eli, Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks, Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw wins out.
Over the past few years, I've decided that the playoff games are more exciting than the Super Bowl itself (even though there have been some great Super Bowls recently (Patriots vs. Giants in 2008 is a prime example)).
During the playoffs, there's always something further to play for -- in the Super Bowl, there's less at stake. Also, the "event-ness" of the Super Bowl has gradually swallowed the football.
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Tom Coughlin was coaching the Jaguars the year that I lived in Jacksonville, and I have always kind of admired his super-serious, disciplined approach. It's a shame that he didn't end up with the Skins. To that end, it's a shame we didn't pick up Gronkowski, or Cruz, or Wes Welker ... have the Skins discovered even one great find in the past 15 years?
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Two sports developments from yesterday:
- The Cavaliers lost to Florida State 58-55, and we are now 5-3 in the ACC. We turned the ball over a bunch (uncharacteristically, I gather -- we average only 11 turnovers per game), but we did manage to go on an impressive 14 point run in the middle of the second half. Joe Harris barely missed a 3-pointer that would have tied the game at the end.
- Curtis Martin was elected to the Hall of Fame with five others. To my considerable surprise, neither Cris Carter or Bill Parcells was chosen. I thought Parcells, in particular, was a shoe-in. Does this have anything to do with people not liking him on a personal level?
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The Washington Post Magazine's cover story this morning (here) is about Mark Moseley's two-year stint with the Fredericksburg Generals in the mid-1990's. It is an uplifting story that gives a glimpse into the world of semi-pro football. I'm not sure that I could get excited about watching semi-pro football, but I liked reading about it.
Moseley was always one of my favorite Redskins. He seemed like such a normal guy, and I loved the way he wore his emotion on his sleeve.
The best Super Bowl play of them all...
