Good riddance to Super Bowl LI

Stick a fork in the football season. This was the worst football post season I can ever remember. The Giants laid an egg, the Raiders lost their QB to injury, and every game was lopsided. The Super Bowl was a piece of garbage. Why do they even let any team from Atlanta in that game? You would think, with a 28-3 lead the Falcons would at least run some clock. Would that have been asking too much?!

How fitting, in this era of Trump, that cheaters such as Brady and Belichick are rewarded with accolades and Super Bowl victories. They lucked into it this year by playing the ultimate chump team, and they lucked into it two years ago when Seattle, for some fix-is-in reason, neglected to hand the ball off to Marshawn Lynch FROM THE HALF YARD LINE.

I hate all sports.

 

On any given Sunday: JETS!

Nobody, including myself, thought that the Jets were capable of beating the Patriots on the road in the playoffs.  Except for Rex Ryan, their coach.  Maybe it’s the power of the foot fetishist but Ryan, in both of his  years as Jet head coach, has taken the Jets to the brink of the Super Bowl.

This year the Jets must travel the most improbable road, beating Indianapolis, New England, and this sunday, Pittsburgh.  No team had ever beaten Peyton Manning and Brady on consecutive weeks until yesterday.  Can you imagine a team beating those two plus Roethlisberger on three straight weeks?!  How about Manning, Brady, Roethlisberger and Aaron Rogers?  I’m crazed with success!

It could happen.  When you have a team that plays defense at the level that the Jets do anything is possible.  Brady was completely frustrated as time and again he had nobody to throw to.  He was sacked five times and sent to the ground numerous others.  It will be a little tougher to get to Roethlisberger, who is more mobile, but if the Jets can control the ball on the ground as they did against Indy — eat clock and get a few big plays from their receivers —  anything is possible.  Sanchez will give you fits which is why I like that Ryan has, for the most part, has not forced him to make big plays, staying on the ground and sticking with the short, high percentage passing game.

Is there anything more joyous than sending blowhard Bill Belichick on an early vacation?  Yesterday Belichick benched Wes Welker, who had broken a Patriots rule about not trash talking,  for the first series of plays.  Belichick wanted to send a message to Welker, but I thought he was really trying to send a message to the Jets.  Bill tried to out-cocky Ryan by in effect saying that the Pats could beat the Jets without their best receiver.  Nice try, Bill.  Enjoy your offseason.     

 

Grannypack

I was watching last Monday night’s Jets debacle with my 13 year old son when he asked, “Hey Dad, why do they wear the granny-packs? 

Granny packs?

“Those things around their waists.  You know, man-purses.”

I gave a closer look and sure enough about half of the Jets offense were wearing granny-packs.  What, I wondered, could possibly be inside?  Extra mouthpieces?  Steroids? 

We noticed that the Patriots players weren’t wearing them.  Had Bill Belichick instituted a strict no granny-pack policy?  Perhaps this is the secret to their dominance.  No distractions.  Focus! 

The other thing I’ve noticed is that every team has at least one lineman who is so large that you wonder where he could possibly find work outside of the NFL or the Los Angeles Clippers.  It’s amazing how big some of them are.  300 pounds is svelte these days.  They move remarkably well for their size.  They are quick, agile, and not to be trifled with.  I can’t help wondering what kind of wear and tear a body that size endures.  It can’t be pretty.

Finally, it must be a rule that every team has to have at least one player with Troy Polamalu hair.  You know what I’m talking about– the long, flowing curly locks billowing out of the helmet.  At first Polamalu was the only guy with that look.  Now even my grandfather has it.  It’s like, remember when Telly Savalas and Yul Brynner were the only completely bald guys you had ever heard of?  These days bald is a look.  Come to think of it, this actually bodes well for me.

Who loves ya, baby?!