Sports fans are superstitious.
Many have pregame habits that border on the clinical definition of Obsessive \ Compulsive disorder. It matters not if we wear a "lucky" jersey, don't wash our socks for the entire season or have a candlelight prayer session for an hour before the game.
Really, anything we do doesn't alter the outcome of any game - but don't waste your breath telling any of us that. We are in denial.
As for me, I make Chocolate Chip Cookies - not just any ordinary cookies, but a delightful confection known to my family and friends as "Karma Kookies"Recipe here.
Not for every game, mind you, just the big ones - and for the New England Patriots, early season games don't get any bigger than their match up with the Buffalo Bills this Sunday.
The Patriots travel to western New York with a two-game albatross on their necks, losing heart breakers to Arizona and Baltimore, while the 2-1 Bills are riding high after victories over Cleveland and Kansas City. While being 1-2 after only 3 games is not really cause for panic or even concern, the fact that New England is struggling to find an identity, and facing a division foe raises the stakes.
Conversely, history has shown us that the Buffalo Bills starting fast isn't necessarily a reason for optimism, particularly when their two victories have come at the expense of the Chiefs and Browns - not exactly the cream of the crop in the National Football League.
Both teams normally feature a two-headed monster attack that can dominate a game, but the sad nature of the NFL dictates that injuries can change the dynamics of an offense. It happened to the Patriots in February's Super Bowl when Rob Gronkowski's ankle was too damaged for him to affect the outcome of the game, and also two weeks ago when Aaron Hernandez suffered a similar debilitating injury.
It also happened to the Bills in the first 3 games this season when first Running back Fred Jackson, and then battery mate C.J. Spiller went down with knee injuries - and, as it turns out, all four players are listed as either out or questionable for Sunday's contest.
But what do we know about the Bills, exactly? Truth is, what we think we know is not always what it seems.
At their best, the Bills have the ability to control a game on the ground. At their worst, they have to rely on the arm of Ryan Fitzpatrick. If neither of their prized running backs are able to go, the Bills will be forced to go to the air, which, depending on which Fitzgerald shows up, could be good or bad.
The good Fitzgerald will read the coverage and determine where the ball is going before the snap, relying on a three step drop and his receivers to gain initial separation against man coverage, and front the coverage in zone. There won't be many big plays in this scenario, but it is highly efficient and can move the chains.
The bad Fitzgerald will become impatient with this scheme and start to audible and improvise. With his average arm strength mixed with his penchant for putting his average receiving corps in bad positions, he throws a lot of balls where you wonder who he was throwing to - many times to the opposition.
In the Bills' quick-strike, Horizontal Spread offense...you know what? Screw this.
Any monkey with an IQ above that of a jar of peanut butter can tell you that the Bills have an average quarterback, average receivers, an athletic offensive line and two of the best running backs in the NFL.
Their defense is soul of this team, because 50 Million dollars guaranteed for a defensive end says so.
On paper, the Patriots should absolutely destroy this team. The gap in talent, which has always been the bitch-kitty for the Bills, is evident. Where the gap narrows is where intestinal fortitude is concerned. You can throw stats on paper all day long and argue that logic precedes all else, but what this game boils down to is who wants it more.
Where is the heart? Where is the moxie, the mojo, the desire? Thus far in this young season, it's mostly all been with the Patriots' opponents.
And why not? One should not need additional motivation to go up against the reigning AFC Champion, the standard bearer of football for the past dozen years - no matter the semantics, no matter the stats, the underdog mentality motivates all of New England's foes.
The Patriots had that mentality all last year. Fighting through injury and attrition, the defense being held together with duct tape and a prayer. Go ahead and disrespect us, the team said collectively, we'll beat you just to prove you wrong. At first the media lambasted New England, but they kept winning despite the fact that the defense, statistically, was one of the worst in the NFL.
They were the underdogs. They kept telling themselves that each week, and it was a marvel to watch. With an offense this talented, a coaching staff this brilliant and a fist full of undrafted free agent rookies playing their hearts out, the Patriots emerged from the pack and willed their way into the Super Bowl. There is no other way to describe the run we saw from them last season. It was pure will, pure heart.
They came into this season as clear-cut dynasts. They had Tom Brady with so many weapons at his disposal that it seemed that there was no way for a defense to contain them, let alone stop them. They drafted deftly, bringing in enough talent on defense to be the attackers, to dictate to the opposing offense. The youngest team in Bill Belichick's tenure had dynasty written all over them...
But somewhere along the line, they lost that edge, that underdog mentality. It matters not where or how it was lost, just that it is gone. The mental toughness that defined this team should have carried them through the Cardnials' game after star greyhound Aaron Hernandez went down with an ankle injury, but the team collapsed into a funk and was never able to fully recover.
That same mental toughness should have allowed them to finish off the hated Baltimore Ravens last week, to overcome their emotional motivation, but they collapsed once more, surrendering a two score lead with 7 minutes to play.
Some will argue that they just were unlucky, and if that's the case, go ahead and transfer luck to them by wearing that lucky jersey, by wearing those pungent socks. Pray for them, if it relieves your anxiety - but I'm done with making Karma Kookies, because I realize my superstition is dumb and fruitless and will only serve to make me fat.
The Patriots have to make their own karma, their own luck - and that comes from playing with the heart of a champion. It's that heart that helps to overcome the loss of an integral player. It's heart that causes them finish off an opponent when the have them down.
This afternoon's contest is about more than what their record is at the end of the day. It's about rediscovering that intestinal fortitude that made them the improbable victors from the AFC last season. It's about rising above the mounting injuries.
It's about smash mouth football, lining up and saying here we are, just try and stop us - no trickery, no cuteness. There is no room for those things in Patriots football.
The Patriots need to rediscover their mojo, and it is on them alone. Karma Kookies can't help them.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Lesson Learned: Be careful where you step...
Now, was that so hard?
For months the NFL and the Referee's Union have been locked in a death struggle over pensions, salaries and the like - months of the refs being locked out, constant bitching an whining from both sides, rude dissension from all involved.
The NFL told us that we would still have games, which was cool.
We didn't care. I mean, these were referees, right? Football is football. No matter what level, the fundamentals are the same. The Pro game is different from what the replacement refs were used to, but the dynamics were the same. Use the preseason games as training games for the refs and everything will be fine.
So when the preseason started and the replacement refs began their 2 month struggle to grasp the nuances of the professional game, we looked at them like new puppies: They were uncoordinated, couldn't see very well and left messes all over the field. It was cute, we said. Things will be OK once they grow into the job.
But as the preseason evolved into the regular season, we saw that the cute puppies had not been trained as well as we would have liked. They were a bit more coordinated, but didn't seem to want to cooperate with each other. They still couldn't see very well, and they left bigger messes all over the field, and the NFL was left holding the bag, so to speak.
The NFL defended their new breed, not giving in to the rude grumblings from the neighbors about the steamers on their property, about the trash being strewn everywhere, about the pitiful whining.
They're still young, the league told us, they will get better.
But they didn't. As they grew into the role, the disobedience became more pronounced, the messes became larger, the garbage became overwhelming...and the big dogs, the coaches, started bearing their teeth, barking incessantly at the new refs, some even snipping. The entire kennel was in chaos...
...Then a Monday night in Seattle.
The weekly national showcase of the NFL was in the Emerald City. ESPN cameras were rolling and everyone in the country (except Jerry Jones) was glued to the tube for the showdown between the Seahawks and the fearsome Green Bay Packers. It was a defensive struggle, the young defensive brutes of the Seahawks pummeling the superstar quarterback of the Packers to the tune of 8 sacks in the first half.
Yellow flags were flying everywhere and, just as had been the case since the beginning of the replacement ref debacle, the game had so many stoppages for penalties and review that it had no flow to it. And just when the contest had mercifully reached the final seconds and Seattle had one last chance to mount a drive to win the game, a turning point was reached that would settle the labor dispute between the NFL and it's referees.
On the final play of the game, Seahawk Quarterback Russell Wilson lofted a high, arching spiral toward the end zone where a group of his teammates mixed with Green Bay defenders were gathered, awaiting the ball.
What happened next instantly became the stuff of legend, and it became clear that it was time to take the puppies on a one-way drive to the country. No need to revisit the play, dubbed "The Inaccurate Reception" by the national media - the entire fiasco has been documented, ad nauseum...
Still, neither side in the labor struggle could agree on anything except that the integrity of the most popular sport in the civilized world was disintegrating before their eyes, and that if they wanted to save the sport they needed to start conceding demands - rapidly.
48 hours later, Labor peace.
The American public can tolerate just about anything, unless it's a brace of unruly puppies leaving stinky messes all over their football fields. Fortunately, the NFL finally recognized this, and broke out the baggies, achieving labor peace for the next 8 years.
Hopefully, both sides have learned to tread lightly when dealing with the integrity of the game - otherwise, they might step in something so repulsive that the American public wants nothing to do with them any longer.
For months the NFL and the Referee's Union have been locked in a death struggle over pensions, salaries and the like - months of the refs being locked out, constant bitching an whining from both sides, rude dissension from all involved.
The NFL told us that we would still have games, which was cool.
We didn't care. I mean, these were referees, right? Football is football. No matter what level, the fundamentals are the same. The Pro game is different from what the replacement refs were used to, but the dynamics were the same. Use the preseason games as training games for the refs and everything will be fine.
So when the preseason started and the replacement refs began their 2 month struggle to grasp the nuances of the professional game, we looked at them like new puppies: They were uncoordinated, couldn't see very well and left messes all over the field. It was cute, we said. Things will be OK once they grow into the job.
But as the preseason evolved into the regular season, we saw that the cute puppies had not been trained as well as we would have liked. They were a bit more coordinated, but didn't seem to want to cooperate with each other. They still couldn't see very well, and they left bigger messes all over the field, and the NFL was left holding the bag, so to speak.
The NFL defended their new breed, not giving in to the rude grumblings from the neighbors about the steamers on their property, about the trash being strewn everywhere, about the pitiful whining.
They're still young, the league told us, they will get better.
But they didn't. As they grew into the role, the disobedience became more pronounced, the messes became larger, the garbage became overwhelming...and the big dogs, the coaches, started bearing their teeth, barking incessantly at the new refs, some even snipping. The entire kennel was in chaos...
...Then a Monday night in Seattle.
The weekly national showcase of the NFL was in the Emerald City. ESPN cameras were rolling and everyone in the country (except Jerry Jones) was glued to the tube for the showdown between the Seahawks and the fearsome Green Bay Packers. It was a defensive struggle, the young defensive brutes of the Seahawks pummeling the superstar quarterback of the Packers to the tune of 8 sacks in the first half.
Yellow flags were flying everywhere and, just as had been the case since the beginning of the replacement ref debacle, the game had so many stoppages for penalties and review that it had no flow to it. And just when the contest had mercifully reached the final seconds and Seattle had one last chance to mount a drive to win the game, a turning point was reached that would settle the labor dispute between the NFL and it's referees.
On the final play of the game, Seahawk Quarterback Russell Wilson lofted a high, arching spiral toward the end zone where a group of his teammates mixed with Green Bay defenders were gathered, awaiting the ball.
What happened next instantly became the stuff of legend, and it became clear that it was time to take the puppies on a one-way drive to the country. No need to revisit the play, dubbed "The Inaccurate Reception" by the national media - the entire fiasco has been documented, ad nauseum...
Still, neither side in the labor struggle could agree on anything except that the integrity of the most popular sport in the civilized world was disintegrating before their eyes, and that if they wanted to save the sport they needed to start conceding demands - rapidly.
48 hours later, Labor peace.
The American public can tolerate just about anything, unless it's a brace of unruly puppies leaving stinky messes all over their football fields. Fortunately, the NFL finally recognized this, and broke out the baggies, achieving labor peace for the next 8 years.
Hopefully, both sides have learned to tread lightly when dealing with the integrity of the game - otherwise, they might step in something so repulsive that the American public wants nothing to do with them any longer.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Referees Compromise; Deal with NFL close
Working past midnight on Tuesday evening, the Referee's Union has reached an agreement with the NFL on two of the major issues preventing the officials from working NFL games.
As owners and mediators worked in unison, the NFLRA representatives issued a compromise to the League on the issue of increasing the number of officials under the employ of the NFL. Previously, the league had wanted to increase the number of active crews, which the refs had scoffed at, citing lack of job security as the league could weed out current refs that weren't performing up to league standards.
Under the compromise, the league will implement a Developmental program, employing 21 officials that will be with mentored and trained by current active league officials. The developmental officials will not be members of the union, will not work any games and will not be eligible to sub in until trained to the level that the NFL expects officials to be trained.
In addition, the referee's union has agreed that the pool of money to pay the existing officials will remain the same. When and if any of these developmental referees reach the standards and efficiency of an NFL Official, they will be considered for NFLRA membership. If membership is granted, the league will increase the money pool to accommodate the increase in salary.
These breakthroughs may indicate that the referees and the NFL are indeed very close in reaching a contract. One remaining obstacle is the issue of the pension plans for the refs. The league refuses to budge on it's stance of looking for all officials to go to a 401k, the NFLRA offered to have all new officials on a 401k and existing NFLRA members grandfathered in under the old pension.
The NFLRA on Tuesday offered a shorter-term grandfathering, but the owners are reluctant to make any compromise, though the league has brought in Benefits experts to help solve the impasse on the pension issues.
This news of the referees compromising comes as no surprise, as the Officials union's demands have been met with rude dissent among owners, who consider the union's demands as excessive given that, currently, the Referees are part-time employees of the league.
As owners and mediators worked in unison, the NFLRA representatives issued a compromise to the League on the issue of increasing the number of officials under the employ of the NFL. Previously, the league had wanted to increase the number of active crews, which the refs had scoffed at, citing lack of job security as the league could weed out current refs that weren't performing up to league standards.
Under the compromise, the league will implement a Developmental program, employing 21 officials that will be with mentored and trained by current active league officials. The developmental officials will not be members of the union, will not work any games and will not be eligible to sub in until trained to the level that the NFL expects officials to be trained.
In addition, the referee's union has agreed that the pool of money to pay the existing officials will remain the same. When and if any of these developmental referees reach the standards and efficiency of an NFL Official, they will be considered for NFLRA membership. If membership is granted, the league will increase the money pool to accommodate the increase in salary.
These breakthroughs may indicate that the referees and the NFL are indeed very close in reaching a contract. One remaining obstacle is the issue of the pension plans for the refs. The league refuses to budge on it's stance of looking for all officials to go to a 401k, the NFLRA offered to have all new officials on a 401k and existing NFLRA members grandfathered in under the old pension.
The NFLRA on Tuesday offered a shorter-term grandfathering, but the owners are reluctant to make any compromise, though the league has brought in Benefits experts to help solve the impasse on the pension issues.
This news of the referees compromising comes as no surprise, as the Officials union's demands have been met with rude dissent among owners, who consider the union's demands as excessive given that, currently, the Referees are part-time employees of the league.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Personal Foul: The eggs aren't cooked right
As a young man in my early 20's, I was an aspiring...nothing.
Fresh and on the streets after a 4 year stint in the Navy, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. And as long as I still had the enormous bankroll that I had acquired from being out to sea for much of that 4 years, I was just a goofy kid out on a lark every day.
The party lifestyle soon dried up my liquidity and I quickly found myself in need of money - so I took a job as a dishwasher in an upscale restaurant. Many times was I called upon to watch a simmering pot, or to crack a case of eggs - nothing big....
...there is a point to be made here, just be patient...
One morning two of the cooks called out and the Chef pressed me into service. He gave me a brief low-down on how to flip an egg in a pan and I found myself right in the middle of this controlled chaos, the Chef robotically calling out orders like a cadence, "Western Omelet" or "Two over easy" were my keys. I did the best I could given my 30 seconds of culinary training, but my efforts were not good enough for one of the waitresses, a surly 30 something brute of a woman who always treated everyone (Except the Chef) as if they were trying to get something over on her.
As she screamed at me for overcooking an egg, the Chef's voice boomed over hers, shocking everyone in the kitchen, "Give him a break" he shouted, "He's a dishwasher, he's doing the best he can." - she screamed even more loudly that she could do it better...
Watching the games this weekend, listening to the commentators, listening to the fans, reading comments on the few football pages that I frequent on Facebook, I could sit back, close my eyes and see that chunky, foul-mouthed incorrigible waitress telling me that I wasn't good enough, then opening my eyes and witnessing the same thing happening to the replacement referees. From being in this position, which many of us have, shouldn't we feel a bit of empathy for the poor slobs that have been pressed into service?
But I digress. I had zero experience.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but football is football. It isn't like the NFL went out and hired a bunch of Kelly Girls. They hired people who have been officiating football games for a while now, and it makes one wonder if the football players in Division 3 schools are getting jobbed just as badly as the Patriots and Packers did this past weekend.
The NFL has recruited these High School and Division 3 college referees to fill in for the locked out Professional referees. Just as I had been pressed into service that fateful morning, so have these men. I was horrible, and they are horrible.
And the "Speed of the game is different" or the "Rules are much more complex" argument, doesn't hold water in anyone's eyes - not any more, not after the carnage that we witnessed this past weekend.
Pass Interference is Pass Interference. Holding is Holding. A kick is either good, or it is not. When your Quarterback throws an interception in the end zone, your team doesn't get 6 points.
At first, the sentiment was "Give them a break, they're high school and college Refs doing the best they can.", and I bought into that - some of the rules, I thought, are different and the speed of the game is a little faster. But that sentiment has quickly evolved into "these guys suck and they have to go", which I now buy into, and something that should give pause to both combatants in this filthy drama. Which brings us to the crux of the problem.
In any negotiation, there must, be design, be two sides.
On one side, we have the National Football League. The Shield. The entity that brings us a game that's sometimes larger than life, a corporation which funnels Billions of dollars through it's coffers annually, and makes a tidy proifit - and on the other, we have the unions, the Referee's Union in this instance.
The NFL, as condition of employment, wants some of it's referees to be full-time employees with annual salaries consisting of numbers with 6 digits. The NFL wants to discontinue their pension plans and, in it's place, is offering a 401K. The NFL wants to add 3 more officiating crews to their employ, stating that it would reduce travel stress and improve the quality of the officiating by enabling them to smoothly weed out a referee who is not performing up to par...
On the other side we have the Referee's Union. Professional referees come from all walks of life. Some are Lawyers, some are business owners. Many make more money from their "Day Jobs" than they do from officiating games.
Many are wealthy and have their own pensions or 401k's already in place. The referees have countered that they would accept the Retirement plan restructuring provided all current employees remain on the current plan (which the league has balked at). Many are in business to succeed, and are all about replacing employees that are not performing in a manner which is acceptable.
So...what's the problem here?
It's difficult to fault the NFL for wanting to run their business like a business. It's difficult to fault the NFL for wanting their product on public display. It's not difficult to fault the referees union for declining to adhere to what on the surface seems to be the same demands that the referees put on their own people, or are demanded of them in their "Day Jobs".
That is in-your-face hypocrisy.
The only demand that the NFL is making that could be considered unreasonable is wanting a small number of thier referees to be full-time employees, essentially having to give up control of their practices or businesses. There are no such demands on the players. They could bag groceries in the off season if they chose, and no one would care so long as they showed up for training camp in shape and ready to ball.
Neither side is willing to budge, so we are left with what amounts to 1700 Chefs being scrutinized and supervised by a handful of dishwashers, being screamed at by surly waitresses - and the results are predictable:
The eggs aren't cooked right.
Fresh and on the streets after a 4 year stint in the Navy, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. And as long as I still had the enormous bankroll that I had acquired from being out to sea for much of that 4 years, I was just a goofy kid out on a lark every day.
The party lifestyle soon dried up my liquidity and I quickly found myself in need of money - so I took a job as a dishwasher in an upscale restaurant. Many times was I called upon to watch a simmering pot, or to crack a case of eggs - nothing big....
...there is a point to be made here, just be patient...
One morning two of the cooks called out and the Chef pressed me into service. He gave me a brief low-down on how to flip an egg in a pan and I found myself right in the middle of this controlled chaos, the Chef robotically calling out orders like a cadence, "Western Omelet" or "Two over easy" were my keys. I did the best I could given my 30 seconds of culinary training, but my efforts were not good enough for one of the waitresses, a surly 30 something brute of a woman who always treated everyone (Except the Chef) as if they were trying to get something over on her.
As she screamed at me for overcooking an egg, the Chef's voice boomed over hers, shocking everyone in the kitchen, "Give him a break" he shouted, "He's a dishwasher, he's doing the best he can." - she screamed even more loudly that she could do it better...
Watching the games this weekend, listening to the commentators, listening to the fans, reading comments on the few football pages that I frequent on Facebook, I could sit back, close my eyes and see that chunky, foul-mouthed incorrigible waitress telling me that I wasn't good enough, then opening my eyes and witnessing the same thing happening to the replacement referees. From being in this position, which many of us have, shouldn't we feel a bit of empathy for the poor slobs that have been pressed into service?
But I digress. I had zero experience.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but football is football. It isn't like the NFL went out and hired a bunch of Kelly Girls. They hired people who have been officiating football games for a while now, and it makes one wonder if the football players in Division 3 schools are getting jobbed just as badly as the Patriots and Packers did this past weekend.
The NFL has recruited these High School and Division 3 college referees to fill in for the locked out Professional referees. Just as I had been pressed into service that fateful morning, so have these men. I was horrible, and they are horrible.
And the "Speed of the game is different" or the "Rules are much more complex" argument, doesn't hold water in anyone's eyes - not any more, not after the carnage that we witnessed this past weekend.
Pass Interference is Pass Interference. Holding is Holding. A kick is either good, or it is not. When your Quarterback throws an interception in the end zone, your team doesn't get 6 points.
At first, the sentiment was "Give them a break, they're high school and college Refs doing the best they can.", and I bought into that - some of the rules, I thought, are different and the speed of the game is a little faster. But that sentiment has quickly evolved into "these guys suck and they have to go", which I now buy into, and something that should give pause to both combatants in this filthy drama. Which brings us to the crux of the problem.
In any negotiation, there must, be design, be two sides.
On one side, we have the National Football League. The Shield. The entity that brings us a game that's sometimes larger than life, a corporation which funnels Billions of dollars through it's coffers annually, and makes a tidy proifit - and on the other, we have the unions, the Referee's Union in this instance.
The NFL, as condition of employment, wants some of it's referees to be full-time employees with annual salaries consisting of numbers with 6 digits. The NFL wants to discontinue their pension plans and, in it's place, is offering a 401K. The NFL wants to add 3 more officiating crews to their employ, stating that it would reduce travel stress and improve the quality of the officiating by enabling them to smoothly weed out a referee who is not performing up to par...
On the other side we have the Referee's Union. Professional referees come from all walks of life. Some are Lawyers, some are business owners. Many make more money from their "Day Jobs" than they do from officiating games.
Many are wealthy and have their own pensions or 401k's already in place. The referees have countered that they would accept the Retirement plan restructuring provided all current employees remain on the current plan (which the league has balked at). Many are in business to succeed, and are all about replacing employees that are not performing in a manner which is acceptable.
So...what's the problem here?
It's difficult to fault the NFL for wanting to run their business like a business. It's difficult to fault the NFL for wanting their product on public display. It's not difficult to fault the referees union for declining to adhere to what on the surface seems to be the same demands that the referees put on their own people, or are demanded of them in their "Day Jobs".
That is in-your-face hypocrisy.
The only demand that the NFL is making that could be considered unreasonable is wanting a small number of thier referees to be full-time employees, essentially having to give up control of their practices or businesses. There are no such demands on the players. They could bag groceries in the off season if they chose, and no one would care so long as they showed up for training camp in shape and ready to ball.
Neither side is willing to budge, so we are left with what amounts to 1700 Chefs being scrutinized and supervised by a handful of dishwashers, being screamed at by surly waitresses - and the results are predictable:
The eggs aren't cooked right.
Monday, September 24, 2012
New England Patriots Gameday: The Tell-Tale Silence
Presently I heard a slight groan, and I knew it was the groan of mortal terror. It was not a groan of pain or of grief --oh, no! --it was the low stifled sound that arises from the bottom of the soul when overcharged with awe.
The groan, audible as one but breathed forth by many, as the faithful from the New England village of Foxborough, overcome with awe...their charges, their team had lost again...
...and in the land of Poe, a cheer arose. Another great victory, the forces of the Raven had vanquished another foe, just as the hapless madman had in the poem. But there would be no police, no investigation of the shriek - just the words of a frustrated fan.
And in the end, there was no acute hearing, no delusion that would allow the victors to be vexed by the sound of the defeated visitors' hideous heart, for their foe had none...not on this night...
Yes, he was stone, stone dead. I placed my hand upon the heart and held it there many minutes. There was no pulsation. He was stone dead. His eye would trouble me no more.
The New England Patriots seemed to have it all: the glamorous Quarterback with many, weapons at his disposal, at his beck and call. Receivers, running backs, all cut from quality cloth. The defenders, young and stout, muscular and violent - strapping men, as if Michelangelo himself had carved them and placed them on the field of battle, fairly brimming with confidence bordering on arrogance.
Their reputation preceded them. Led by a man with such a voracious appetite for destruction that victory sometimes waned in it's shadow. Misguided in his endeavor? Certainly not! For a man that insists on this violent style can rarely be questioned - yet how is it that he has built an army that has no use for the lifeblood of victory?
The faithful groaned but once, as seven minutes had yet to pass to complete the contest, for they knew (from long experience) what was to come. Their heroes had no heart, no will to kill off their opposition, and watching the inevitable had caused them to shink back in abject horror.
Because they knew. It felt so wrong that had we been present we would have gathered our children and headed for the tunnel, shielding their eyes for it was too horrible for those so young to witness - the sound of their still hearts being agony enough...
Was it possible they heard not? Almighty God! --no, no! They heard! --they suspected! --they knew! --they were making a mockery of my horror!-this I thought, and this I think. But anything was better than this agony! Anything was more tolerable than this derision! I could bear those hypocritical smiles no longer! I felt that I must scream or die! and now --again! --hark! louder! louder! louder! louder!
Yes! The sound of silence was deafening!
But, through all of this madness, a glimmer of hope. Their heroes had battled to the end, though the outcome of the contest was never in doubt - so there was indeed a chance that the whole could become more than the sum of it's parts, should they discover what was missing...
The heart - metaphoric, as no person could survive without it's physical presence - the instinct to finish the job, to dictate to their foe, to overcome the disability thrust upon them by the greed and stubbornness of others, to overcome those things out of their control.
And we as fans will suffer through another week of grief, anger and resignation - silently hopeful that their heroes' equally silent hearts will again start beating - and not just beating, but beating loudly enough that they remember what it was like to be the victors, to be heard, to be cause for anxiety among men that would be foe, to emit the loud heart beat of a champion...
And have I not told you that what you mistake for madness is but over-acuteness of the sense? --now, I say, there came to my ears a low, dull, quick sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. I knew that sound well, too. It increased my fury, as the beating of a drum stimulates the soldier into courage...
The groan, audible as one but breathed forth by many, as the faithful from the New England village of Foxborough, overcome with awe...their charges, their team had lost again...
...and in the land of Poe, a cheer arose. Another great victory, the forces of the Raven had vanquished another foe, just as the hapless madman had in the poem. But there would be no police, no investigation of the shriek - just the words of a frustrated fan.
And in the end, there was no acute hearing, no delusion that would allow the victors to be vexed by the sound of the defeated visitors' hideous heart, for their foe had none...not on this night...
Yes, he was stone, stone dead. I placed my hand upon the heart and held it there many minutes. There was no pulsation. He was stone dead. His eye would trouble me no more.
The New England Patriots seemed to have it all: the glamorous Quarterback with many, weapons at his disposal, at his beck and call. Receivers, running backs, all cut from quality cloth. The defenders, young and stout, muscular and violent - strapping men, as if Michelangelo himself had carved them and placed them on the field of battle, fairly brimming with confidence bordering on arrogance.
Their reputation preceded them. Led by a man with such a voracious appetite for destruction that victory sometimes waned in it's shadow. Misguided in his endeavor? Certainly not! For a man that insists on this violent style can rarely be questioned - yet how is it that he has built an army that has no use for the lifeblood of victory?
The faithful groaned but once, as seven minutes had yet to pass to complete the contest, for they knew (from long experience) what was to come. Their heroes had no heart, no will to kill off their opposition, and watching the inevitable had caused them to shink back in abject horror.
Because they knew. It felt so wrong that had we been present we would have gathered our children and headed for the tunnel, shielding their eyes for it was too horrible for those so young to witness - the sound of their still hearts being agony enough...
Was it possible they heard not? Almighty God! --no, no! They heard! --they suspected! --they knew! --they were making a mockery of my horror!-this I thought, and this I think. But anything was better than this agony! Anything was more tolerable than this derision! I could bear those hypocritical smiles no longer! I felt that I must scream or die! and now --again! --hark! louder! louder! louder! louder!
Yes! The sound of silence was deafening!
But, through all of this madness, a glimmer of hope. Their heroes had battled to the end, though the outcome of the contest was never in doubt - so there was indeed a chance that the whole could become more than the sum of it's parts, should they discover what was missing...
The heart - metaphoric, as no person could survive without it's physical presence - the instinct to finish the job, to dictate to their foe, to overcome the disability thrust upon them by the greed and stubbornness of others, to overcome those things out of their control.
And we as fans will suffer through another week of grief, anger and resignation - silently hopeful that their heroes' equally silent hearts will again start beating - and not just beating, but beating loudly enough that they remember what it was like to be the victors, to be heard, to be cause for anxiety among men that would be foe, to emit the loud heart beat of a champion...
And have I not told you that what you mistake for madness is but over-acuteness of the sense? --now, I say, there came to my ears a low, dull, quick sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. I knew that sound well, too. It increased my fury, as the beating of a drum stimulates the soldier into courage...
New England Patriots Gameday: Momentum
How important is momentum in a Professional football game?
Josh McDaniels apparently didn't get it.
The Patriots don't need to use trick plays. With the offensive fire power that the Patriots possess, they have the ability to line up and take it to any defense in the league, yet they continue to try them - and they play themselves right out of drives with them.
With just under 8 minutes left in the 1st half and the Patriots driving, they tried a reverse with Edelman, losing 13 yards and,more importantly, all of their momentum. The Ravens drove the ball right down the field after the ensuing punt and took the lead. In fact, the Ravens scored Touchdowns on three consecutive drives.
Fortunately for New England, their dormant offense showed up in Baltimore just in time and matched the Ravens score for score - and then, finally, using the no huddle (and more traditional play calling), the Patriots regained the momentum midway through the 3rd quarter and were able to hang 30 points on the proud Ravens' defense.
But ultimately it wasn't enough as the Ravens kicked a last second field goal to score a wild 31-30 victory to improve to 2-1 on the season.
New England fell to 1-2, the first time that they've been under .500 in almost a decade.
Brady was fantastic, finding Brandon Lloyd and Wes Welker seemingly at will in one of the most curiously officiated games in recent memory, even given the fact that we've seen 3 weeks of replacement officiating.
But in the end, the Patriots' defense couldn't hold the suddenly potent Baltimore offense.
Josh McDaniels apparently didn't get it.
The Patriots don't need to use trick plays. With the offensive fire power that the Patriots possess, they have the ability to line up and take it to any defense in the league, yet they continue to try them - and they play themselves right out of drives with them.
With just under 8 minutes left in the 1st half and the Patriots driving, they tried a reverse with Edelman, losing 13 yards and,more importantly, all of their momentum. The Ravens drove the ball right down the field after the ensuing punt and took the lead. In fact, the Ravens scored Touchdowns on three consecutive drives.
Fortunately for New England, their dormant offense showed up in Baltimore just in time and matched the Ravens score for score - and then, finally, using the no huddle (and more traditional play calling), the Patriots regained the momentum midway through the 3rd quarter and were able to hang 30 points on the proud Ravens' defense.
But ultimately it wasn't enough as the Ravens kicked a last second field goal to score a wild 31-30 victory to improve to 2-1 on the season.
New England fell to 1-2, the first time that they've been under .500 in almost a decade.
Brady was fantastic, finding Brandon Lloyd and Wes Welker seemingly at will in one of the most curiously officiated games in recent memory, even given the fact that we've seen 3 weeks of replacement officiating.
But in the end, the Patriots' defense couldn't hold the suddenly potent Baltimore offense.
New England Patriots on Paper: Horrible sanity
"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result."
If we are to believe this quip from Albert Einstein to be true, then the Baltimore Ravens have been insane for quite some time.
How else can one view the Ravens? For a dozen years now, the Ravens have been one of the better teams in the NFL, relying on violent defense and their ground game to propel them to a 124-84 record during that period, making the playoffs eight times since 2000, and winning the AFC North three times (2003, 2006, and 2011).
None of these successes have translated to a Super Bowl appearance, however, yet the Ravens have never changed their mode of operation, doing the same thing over and over again, game after game, season after season - the very thing that makes them successful in the regular season proving to be their achilles heel when it really matters.
Tough defense will always be part of the recipe for championship teams but, increasingly, having a good balance on offense is just as key an ingredient - something that Baltimore has never been able to boast. They can run the ball down your throat and their defense can stymie you for significant stretches of a game, but if they happen to fall behind, they've never had the mind-set nor the horses to score quickly...until last season.
That last minute drive in the AFC Championship was a thing of beauty. Flacco took the team on his shoulders, driving the Ravens down to the Patriots' 13 yard line - and then Patriots' safety Sterling Moore happened to them - twice - and the rest, as they say, is history.
But the one thing that Ravens fans can take to heart from that drive is that their Quarterback had backed up his words and became an elite Passer. The Ravens are no longer insane, or have they just entered into a what the great poet Edgar Allen Poe once mused as a "long interval of horrible sanity!"?
But what do we really know about Joe Flacco?
Well, we know that his peers respect him, but perhaps not enough. He sits at #74 on the list of the top 100 players in the NFL, being the 9th rated Quarterback on the list - but Flacco thinks he should be at the top of that list...
“I assume everybody thinks they’re a top-five quarterback. I mean, I think I’m the best. I don’t think I’m top five, I think I’m the best. I don’t think I’d be very successful at my job if I didn’t feel that way."
...and we could beat that into the ground, but he's right. The fact is that Flacco has thrived in Baltimore, starting every game since being drafted #18 overall in 2008, compiling a 45-21 record speaks to more than just defense and his running game. He has prototypical size and a missle launcher for an arm, which he trusts a little too much as he is intercepted often - 47 in his four years - trying to squeeze a ball into his recievers instead of throwing it away.
The Coaching staff has been increasing his responsibilities each year, this season adding more of an up-tempo flow to go along with his fine new recieving corps that has the potential to be lethal.
Torrey Smith (Who is questionable for tonight's game due to the death of his brother early this morning) is a rocket that can easily stretch the field vertically while ultimate tough guy Anquan Boldin demands attention both inside and outside the numbers and newcomer Jacoby Jones is a burner - but Tight End Dennis Pitta could end up being Flacco's favorite reciever when all is said and done. He has great size and speed and has already caught 13 balls in the young season, averaging over 10 yards per catch.
And when speaking of recieving threats, one would be remiss in omitting the impact that Pro Bowl Running Back Ray Rice has. Not just a safety valve, Rice caught 76 balls for over 700 yards in addition to his standard 1,300 yards on the ground and rarely is pulled from the field. Rightfully so, Rice is considered to be the Ravens greatest offensive threat and will be targeted by Bill Belichick as the man that has to be contained.
Protecting Flacco, his offensive line is a mixed bag, probably something like we saw with the Cardinals last Sunday. The interior line consists of a nice mix of youth and Geritol as Anchor Matt Birk starts at Center for something like his 30th season and is bookcased by guards Ramon Harewood and Logan Mankins look-a-like Marshal Yanda . Together, these three form an imposing run blocking trio as well as protect Flacco's grill.
But while Flacco's face may be protected, the same can not be said about his backside. Michael Oher, whose inspirational story was made into a movie a few years back, is a solid run blocker but his technique and nastiness as a pass blocker has not developed as hoped - and as a result, Flacco has taken some nasty hits. Right Tackle is a revolving door, so it's a good thing for Baltimore that their Tight Ends are as good as blockers as they are recievers.
Defensivesly, the Patriots focus should be on Rice. In the first two weeks, Belichick's defensive charges have managed to completely shut down Tennessee's Chris Johnson and Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald, so is there any reason to assume that they can't shut out Rice as well?
Indeed, there is. With Rice being a more versatile talent than either of the afore mentioned stars, it will be tougher to key on him - perhaps requiring a shadow safety like Tavon Wilson. Rice has a similar skill set to that of Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk, and must be contained inside the tackles in the running game, and chipped as he comes out of the backfield as a recieving threat.
In the recent past, the key to containing Rice was for New England to push out to an early lead and force the game into Flacco's hand. In years past, this strategy has been good enough. But now, with Flacco gaining more responsibility and having more weapons to throw to, the task is no longer the better option - more or less, it's now a game of pick your poison.
Who knows? Perhaps the Patriots play the Ravens straight up, matching strength against strength. The way that the New England Defense has shown major improvement in the first two games, that may be enough to get the win.
But what do we really know about Joe Flacco?
Well, we know that his peers respect him, but perhaps not enough. He sits at #74 on the list of the top 100 players in the NFL, being the 9th rated Quarterback on the list - but Flacco thinks he should be at the top of that list...
“I assume everybody thinks they’re a top-five quarterback. I mean, I think I’m the best. I don’t think I’m top five, I think I’m the best. I don’t think I’d be very successful at my job if I didn’t feel that way."
...and we could beat that into the ground, but he's right. The fact is that Flacco has thrived in Baltimore, starting every game since being drafted #18 overall in 2008, compiling a 45-21 record speaks to more than just defense and his running game. He has prototypical size and a missle launcher for an arm, which he trusts a little too much as he is intercepted often - 47 in his four years - trying to squeeze a ball into his recievers instead of throwing it away.
The Coaching staff has been increasing his responsibilities each year, this season adding more of an up-tempo flow to go along with his fine new recieving corps that has the potential to be lethal.
Torrey Smith (Who is questionable for tonight's game due to the death of his brother early this morning) is a rocket that can easily stretch the field vertically while ultimate tough guy Anquan Boldin demands attention both inside and outside the numbers and newcomer Jacoby Jones is a burner - but Tight End Dennis Pitta could end up being Flacco's favorite reciever when all is said and done. He has great size and speed and has already caught 13 balls in the young season, averaging over 10 yards per catch.
And when speaking of recieving threats, one would be remiss in omitting the impact that Pro Bowl Running Back Ray Rice has. Not just a safety valve, Rice caught 76 balls for over 700 yards in addition to his standard 1,300 yards on the ground and rarely is pulled from the field. Rightfully so, Rice is considered to be the Ravens greatest offensive threat and will be targeted by Bill Belichick as the man that has to be contained.
Protecting Flacco, his offensive line is a mixed bag, probably something like we saw with the Cardinals last Sunday. The interior line consists of a nice mix of youth and Geritol as Anchor Matt Birk starts at Center for something like his 30th season and is bookcased by guards Ramon Harewood and Logan Mankins look-a-like Marshal Yanda . Together, these three form an imposing run blocking trio as well as protect Flacco's grill.
But while Flacco's face may be protected, the same can not be said about his backside. Michael Oher, whose inspirational story was made into a movie a few years back, is a solid run blocker but his technique and nastiness as a pass blocker has not developed as hoped - and as a result, Flacco has taken some nasty hits. Right Tackle is a revolving door, so it's a good thing for Baltimore that their Tight Ends are as good as blockers as they are recievers.
Defensivesly, the Patriots focus should be on Rice. In the first two weeks, Belichick's defensive charges have managed to completely shut down Tennessee's Chris Johnson and Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald, so is there any reason to assume that they can't shut out Rice as well?
Indeed, there is. With Rice being a more versatile talent than either of the afore mentioned stars, it will be tougher to key on him - perhaps requiring a shadow safety like Tavon Wilson. Rice has a similar skill set to that of Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk, and must be contained inside the tackles in the running game, and chipped as he comes out of the backfield as a recieving threat.
In the recent past, the key to containing Rice was for New England to push out to an early lead and force the game into Flacco's hand. In years past, this strategy has been good enough. But now, with Flacco gaining more responsibility and having more weapons to throw to, the task is no longer the better option - more or less, it's now a game of pick your poison.
Who knows? Perhaps the Patriots play the Ravens straight up, matching strength against strength. The way that the New England Defense has shown major improvement in the first two games, that may be enough to get the win.
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