NFC/AFC CHAMPIONSHIPS EDITION Gettin' Crazy With The Cheese-Whiz In Arizona “Feel Sorry For Those Giants.” Tony’s Coming Back To Tampa! Clemens Got Some Splainin’ To Do Pacman Jones Needs A Job Ravens Defeat Titans thanks for reading sports talk, check back next week for more!
First of all, I would like to say that nobody, I mean nobody would've thought that the Steelers/Ravens, and Eagles/Cardinals would all be playing each other for spots in the Super Bowl. When this season started, many predicted Cowboys-Patriots, I thought maybe a Chargers-Giants Super bowl but that didn't happen either. You never can tell who will make it, and when you are watching a pregame show for the opening day of the 2009 NFL Season, and someone like Michael Strahan says that they think the Cowboys will win the Super Bowl, you know that they are full of it.
The Cardinals had no chance, no chance at all to go into Charlotte and beat the Panthers to move on to play the Eagles for the right to play in the Super Bowl, but they did and they made it look easy. Panthers’ coach John Fox said it best when he said “We picked a bad day to have a bad day.” after the game. Panthers’ quarterback Jake Delhomme threw 5 interceptions and fumbled the ball once for a total of 6 turnovers, by himself. The Ravens/Titans game had a total of 3 turnovers by both teams combined. If anyone is waking up the next day feeling sick it’s Delhomme, who was facing pressure all night against the Cards. He pretty much threw that game away for the Panthers, a team dubbed by many to go to the Super Bowl this year. My question is: Why didn’t Carolina run the ball down Arizona’s throat? I mean when you are in the playoffs, you follow the game plan that got you there right? Why all of the sudden turn the game into a shootout when your quarterback is not known for having a strong arm? Whatever the reasons where, the Panthers are 1 and done in this year’s playoffs and the Arizona Cardinals advance to the NFC Championship Game and will host the Philadelphia Eagles for a shot to play in Tampa on Feb. 1st.
That’s what Eagles QB Donovan McNabb said after a playoff victory in Minneapolis when McNabb was told he would face those Giants in the divisional round of the playoffs. Well, he was right. Donovan McNabb and the Philadelphia Eagles went into New York, defeated the reigning World Champions and halted the Giants’ hopes for back to back championships this year. This shows that the NFL is very different from year to year. The Bucs, Redskins, Seahawks, Cowboys, and Jaguars all had great seasons last year and all failed to make the playoffs this year, clearing the way for teams like the Eagles, Vikings, Falcons, Cardinals, and the Dolphins. I wonder what next season will hold. Maybe if Jon Gruden figures this passing thing out then the Bucs might be in next year.
Not as a football coach of course, he was thrown outta here faster than Arena Football’s 2009 season after a playoff loss. That’s a standard Jon Gruden is not held to I guess, considering Tony Dungy has had 6-straight 12 win seasons, 10 straight playoff appearances, a Super Bowl Win (2 if you count the Bucs’ 2002 season) and the ability to build a top-notch defense. That’s ok though, we have an offensive genius. We just haven’t seen it yet, after 6 years. Bucs fans never wanted to see Dungy go, at most we wanted offensive re-construction. Now, Dungy will retire and move back to the Bay area, supporting his son who plays for the State Champion Plant High School football team. As for Gruden, he will keep his job for the ‘09 season, but if the Bucs look weak next year, Gruden and GM Bruce Allen are sure to be on the hot seat.
It’s about time. After Roger Clemens brought a steroid case against his former trainer up to congress and made a big deal about the trainer lying about him, Clemens is now facing accusations that he lied to that same congress about his steroid use and the whole thing will end up backfiring in his face. Great job Roger, not only are you facing felony perjury charges, but this whole steroid issue has tainted some Hall of Fame careers of those baseball heroes that we fell in love with over the years I.e. Rafael Palmierro, Jose Conseco, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, and Roger Clemens himself, all of which should be remembered for their individual record breaking achievements but they never will make the Baseball Hall of Fame because of two words: Steroid User. Think about this for a second. If these guys needed steroids to enhance their performances, then they are no more talented than the guy eating a hot dog in the bleachers. We could all shoot up steroids and become great baseball players, anyone of us Joes could do that, so why should these guys make it in? We already saw Clemens snuffed for this years’ induction to Cooperstown (Hall of Fame) this week. The silver lining in all of this? Well baseball has moved on, separating itself from the whole steroid issue and somehow having one it’s greatest seasons ever (ticket sales and T.V. ratings wise) MLB has turned a new page with new young stars that don’t need steroids and new winning teams that haven’t been known for winning (Rays, World Champion Phillies,) even though any idiot knows that the league knew about the steroid use but looked the other way to avoid this mess, so it’s all the player’s faults. But hey, we love this game!
And the Award for the Player Who Will Never Play Another Down In The NFL Again was stolen from Michael Vick and given to Cowboys’ CB Adam Pacman Jones who was released after ESPN reported rumors that he tried to get someone to shoot at 3 men after an incident in a strip club while he was playing for the Tennessee Titans. Vick served his time, and will most likely make a return to the NFL, but Pacman Jones had an invisible year in 08, getting beat time after time by wide receivers, and not really producing anything this season. He was more of a sore on the team than he was worth and was involved in 10 of the field incidents in his 4-year career, one of them with Dallas and I’m thinking Cowboys’ Owner Jerry Jones saw this report as an easy way to give Pacman Jones a boot out the door. I really don’t see another team signing him unless their crazy and just want the media talking about their team.
In the defensive grinder that everyone thought that it would be, the Baltimore Ravens went into Tennessee and won. The Titans were 10-0 to start the season, now they are one and done in the playoffs this year. This goes to show everybody that being able to run the ball and play excellent defense doesn’t always win championships. The Ravens, Steelers, Cardinals and Eagles all have the ability to attack the secondary with their passing game. Teams like the Titans, Panthers, and Vikings all have great running attacks and great defenses but cannot pass the ball effectively and that’s why they’re watching the playoffs from their couches this year.
"Sports Talk" is ©2009 by Christopher Munger. All graphics this page, except where otherwise noted, are creations of Nolan B. Canova. All contents of Nolan's Pop Culture Review are ©2009 by Nolan B. Canova.