Spain has the running of the bulls, Germany has Octoberfest, New Jersey, its Bon Jovi concerts, and The United States of America has the Super Bowl.  It is the premiere sport of our country, custom built spasms of violent action conveniently cut up for commercial breaks.  Half a year of a prelude, of teams battling it out every week, hundreds of injuries, the birth of hundreds of careers, the deaths of hundreds more all have lead up to this week.  It’s a great event perfectly suited to our consumer culture and we all love it.  It might be over hyped, but we love that too.  If Obama wanted a cheap spike in his approval rating he’d simply declare SuperBowl Sunday a holiday, a strange holiday in that the day you get off from work would be the Monday following it.  Just an idea.  Anyway Americans love opinions, having them, reading them, making fun of them so this being my blog, I obviously have to have an opinion on American Culture’s pinnacle event, despite the fact my beloved Iggles aren’t playing in it. 

For starters I should be a lot more excited than I am.  The teams that were the best all season long are colliding.  Upsets in the playoffs are great fun, but there is some disappointment when a power house gets usurped early, and the usurper goes on to get waxed in the big game.  I remember the year the Vikings failed to make the big game due to inexplicably not being able to beat the Falcons.  It would have been Randall’s chance to shine, it would have been a show down between the Broncos and the Vikings, Elway vs. Cunningham.  The two teams last to suffer a defeat in regular season.  Instead Atlanta got trampled and Elway cemented his legacy.  My point is the Colts vs. the Saints is a powerhouse match-up.  Yet something is missing.

There is no evil in this contest.  I used to hate Manning but his early struggles against the evil Patriots, his eventual success which helped vindicate Tony Dungy’s careers, plus his likable commercials over the years showcasing a gee-shucks type sense of humor have won me over.  I still get annoyed when he makes 500 adjustments at the line, and think at least half of it is show, but there is no denying he’s great.   Meanwhile the Saints, well are saints.  Brees seems like the most rock solid confidant yet humble type leader any team would want as their signal caller.  No matter what happens there will be no brush off at the end of the game, there will just be two great teams that have measured themselves against each other. 

Naturally being the consummate fan of the underdog that I am I’ll be routing for the Saints.  But really I don’t know how anybody could pick against the Colts, at least for the ‘W’.  Sean Payton might be able to mimic the Jets and throw something new at Manning that will throw him off, but all you can count on against the Colts is maybe a stop or 2, other than that they’re going to score.  Question is can the Saints keep up with them.  The Colt’s defense isn’t as scary or good as Minnesota, and the Saints are every bit as offensive as the Colts, yet the Colts ‘D’ steps up in the post season.  The year Manning won it was the ‘D’ that got them through all the games save the best AFC Title game of all time.  Shouldn’t the Ravens offense have been able to muster more than 3 points against these guys?  Even if Brees doesn’t blink in a shoot out, and I don’t think he will, his teammates might, especially if it turns into the last man with the ball type contest everybody is expecting and they all know the NFL’s Michael Jordan is under center on the other side.

Anyway I had the Colts covering till I read Walt’s write up on the game.  And yes I subscribe to the shady officiating theories of Walt.  It makes sense.  You can’t out right fix the biggest game of the year, but if you had shady interests and just wanted to increase your chances, the easiest way to do it would get some benefit of the doubt calls from the officials.  It’s not guaranteed money, but over the long stretch you’ll make more than you’ll lose.  Between what I expect from Brees, and at little help from the officials for the underdog, a key holding call on a given 3^rd down on a Colts drive or two, I think they’ll keep it close enough to cover.  But do not base any money on what I say I’ve been horrible picking games in the post season, but that doesn’t stop me from having an opinion.

Go Jets.  My Eagles have been eliminated.  And after not really having the heart to tune into the other games for a bit (anybody else like this) I’m now back into it, and the team I want to see win is, of course, the biggest underdog, the Jets.  Philly fans like the underdog because our team is typically the underdog.  But that aside I think football fans everywhere should be cheering on the Jets.  They are football the way football should be.

The coach is a fat SOB with about as much moxy pouring from him as there is fat hanging over his belt.  Candid with the media, not guarding secrets, no better than thou’ egotism, no “I’m a genius and you’re lucky to be in my presence”, no…..instead….its just good old fashioned I’m better than you arrogance. 

That, that part hanging over the belt, is that a poor diet, or is that

where Moxy comes from?

As passé’ as it may be in this day and age the Jets run the football and play lock down defense.  Their corner isn’t some pick off specialist (ahem Asante Samuel) but is the real deal, a legit shut down corner.  They even named an Island after him.  The QB is a young kid figuring the game out, not some sort of freak of nature surgeon, a modern day football aristocrat born into greatness. 

Look, these other teams, your Colts, or Saints, or Vikings, they’re fun, got a lot going for them, and their offense are so pretty, but they are not NFL football.  The Vikings via Favre are an endless ESPN story line, this just in ESPN, we really just want to see the highlights, but if you’re inclined to keep talking I guess that’s why TVs come with a mute button.  The Colts feel they are so special they only have to play 14 games a season.  The Saints…well actually I like the Saints, I like Payton, I like Brees, but the Katrina story angle is bordering on pious and self-righteous at this point.  Besides for much of the season they were like the Colts, mailing it in 3 quarters at a time instead of waiting for season’s end.  (Actually I don’t believe what I said about the Saints and be thrilled if they won but I needed to round out the paragraph) 

Basically the Jets are playing for the sanctity of balance.  10 yards in the NFL is supposed to be fickle.  At times forever away, impossible to get to even if you had 10 downs to do so, yet other times seemingly too short, might as well give the offense a fresh set of down for breaking the huddle.  Now more and more it’s the latter.  ARI vs. GB was fun but TDs become meaningless if there are so many of them, like a home run in Citizen’s Bank Park, or the value of the American Dollar.  The point is you have to support defense, especially now that is the weak sister of the two sides of the ball.    

Look I can’t do research because I simply don’t have the time, but if I had the time I’d look at all 4 teams pass to run ratio and lambast the Vikings, Colts, and Saints for not running enough.  The little bit of research I did, well go to NFL.com look at offensive stats for passing, and there they are, except for the Jets.  Then go to rushing, Jets at the 1 spot.  Running the ball isn’t sexy, it isn’t Desean Jackson breaking yet another big play, but they are the vegetables of NFL football.  The Jets love their vegetables.

Anyway in conclusion, you can’t put too much into NFL games, it’s just a sport.  But it happens to be the most popular sport in the most powerful nation of all time.  As such, the Jets playing the game the way it ought to be…again I don’t want overstate…but they are playing to save America.  Of course if they were playing the Eagles Rex Ryan would be a fat slob, Sanchez would be an overrated USC product, and they would be a team that doesn’t belong in the post season, skittering on in due to teams not playing their starters.  But they aren’t playing the Eagles and so they are defending America.  If you are a Colts fan it means you don’t love this country as much as the rest of us, sorry it’s a fact. 

J – E – T – S jets Jets ... America.

     As an Eagles fan I have to weigh in on the whole coaching / qb situation they have there.  This just in, actually this has never been out, that McNabb wants to remain an Eagle.  For McNabb, and those that want to keep him, this is natural and common as there is comfort of the status quo, in continuing on with what you know.  When it comes to the QB position in the NFL this is especially true if you have yourself a top 10 QB* as success at this position for more than ½ the teams in the league is perplexingly elusive.  From the fan’s perspective you look at the number of QB’s a team like Dal has had between Aikman and Romo, or Miami has had since Marino left, and its clear finding a true #1 QB is a frightening proposition.  From McNabb’s perspective you have to take heed that relocated QB’s struggle more often than not, even if they still have the talent, (Favre with the Jets, Warner with the Giants).  Despite these concerns, and myself being a pretty sentimental guy, I don’t like when eras end, it is clear to me that for the benefit of everyone McNabb needs to go.

     First Andy Reid should be lauded for picking his guy and having such a strong run of success.  Tedious research aside I’d guess that for every time a new coach drafts a new QB only half the time does it succeed.  For every Manning there is a Ryan Leaf, or 2, or 3.  So for Reid to pick his guy and go on and have as much regular season, and early post season success is an accomplishment.  That said, McNabb is not a prototypical west coast offense QB.  Despite this they have still been successful but not via quick reads and short accurate passes, a passing game that can substitute for a running game, but more due to McNabb’s uncanny pocket presence, a really good screen game, and typically a solid regular season top 10 defense.  Reid’s system has worked for them but I suspect that part of the reason a Reid offense can’t win the time of possession battle, or come up with a key drive, or has deadly season ending fits of 3 and outs is because its not really firing on all cylinders.  They don’t run the ball so when McNabb throws a couple into the ground and they aren’t picking up the 5 yard slants, and the defense pins its ears back, ugh its painful to think about.

(Timeouts be tricky)

     That McNabb has succeeded in this system is a testament to his talents.  That despite being over exposed by the unbalanced pass to run ratio, and not having the touch to consistently make all the throws underneath, his uncanny pocket presence and big strike capability has lead to an offense that will hang numbers on teams, especially if he has the extra time in the pocket, or receivers that can generate real separation.  But again as high as the ceiling is on this tandem, it is not high enough to win a super bowl.  Against elite teams when McNabb doesn’t make the quick read, when Reid refuses to run the football, and defense can’t hide behind there fancy scheme the Eagles go home. 

(McNabb winding up for the hardest thrown 5 yard slant of all time.)

     McNabb should move on to a team that runs the football more and will allow him to run play action plays that maximize his talent, a non-NFC team would be preferred.  The Eagles should look to trade him for picks or for a player to sure up other areas of need, their defense and offensive line come to mind.  And Reid should let Kolb run his offense as it was intended.  Its been a great run, but while both Reid and McNabb are talented at what they do, at this point they’d probably do better without each other’s weaknesses.  And of course this being and Eagles blog, Dallas still sucks.

* Actually this is the first season where I didn’t think McNabb was a top 10 QB, off the cuff I’d say:

1. Brady
2. Manning
3. Brees
4. Roethlisberger
5. Warner
6. Rivers
7. Palmer
8. Rodgers
   
9. Romo (now that he has won a playoff game)
10. Flacco
11. Ryan
12. Manning (I think you know the order of the Manning brothers)
13. Schaub
    
14. McNabb (I mean I get he could be higher up, but this doesn’t seem far off either)

P.S. - Should I make a feature where users can set their own top 5, or top 10 player list per position?

First, a brief introduction, my name is Dennis Field, and I’m the co-creator of DraftDebacled.  DD was an idea of Walt’s that he mentioned to me while at my wedding last May.  To be honest with you, I’m not a big mock draft guy, I’m not even a big College Football guy, and I went to PSU.  But Walt was adamant that if we built a website where mock draft fans could make their own predictions it would be a hit. 

I’ve been in web development since roughly June 05’ and always wanted to do a sports site, though I wanted to focus more on picking games ATS.  So the last couple of years I tried to do just that, as a side project with some help from Walt, but not with any type of lasting success.  Meanwhile for my job I’ve been working on a start up taste networking site MyTrybe.com which has had its own sets of false starts and rebuilds.  So for me building DD for Walt started out with little expectation and a basic assumption it would end up being just another failed side project, a website that would struggle to get any traction.  But Walt was strongly confident about it, and it figured I might as well listen to my college roommate who had already proved he knew a thing or two about building a successful website.  It’s been surprising, lots of fun, educational, and overall a very rewarding experience building this website.  I might even be becoming a mock draft guy.  Right now I just care about picks going to the Eagles but I’ve been told that’s how it starts, then your rivals, then the top 10, then you become obsessed.

I’d like to see the website continue to grow, and am hoping we can continue to get better at highlighting the NFL Draft, at giving our User’s the tools they want to compile their lists, and a place where they can debate the merit of their selections.  But also I’d like the site to have its own voice, to talk NFL and/or college football, note to user’s new features that are being implemented, and talk all things sports.  (I’m a big NHL fan, for those that don’t know there is a professional ice hockey league in North America)   I tried to do this from the beginning in something I blandly called Interesting Stuff, but found it was hard to keep up.  This time I hope to do a better job. 

In short I will be taking advantage of being a co-creator and use this space to showcase all my random thoughts that I think everyone should know about.  That said feel free to use the comment section below to offer feedback not just on my brilliant blog entries, but on anything related to this site.