Brotherly Loathe
…why the NFL wants the Eagles to win the Super Bowl
by Guichard Cadet
The Philadelphia Eagles had two weeks to strategize. On Sunday, we’ll see what coach Andy Reid comes up to battle Bill Belichik. These past two weeks, we only got a glimpse of what the Eagles players could have done to unnerve the Patriots players.
The highlight of the Eagles’ seasons came versus the Baltimore Ravens. When Terrell “T.O.” Owens mimicked Ray Lewis’ celebratory antics as his own endzone celebration, Philly football fans gained what they never had: a superstar athlete who knows, sports is just entertainment.
Yes, I acknowledge the gritty reality of sports in which competitors must go mano a mano, as opposed to receiving style points from easily-bribed judges. In between the reality, a player has to show personality, a player must celebrate. We, “average Joes” use happy hour and the weekend to celebrate, with sports being the anchor of this celebration.
I theorize if you root for a team that has players who show no emotion or understanding that they’re here to entertain, then you are rooting for a losing team. To win, a team must embody their fans desire; and Philly fans love to hate.
At one point, they did not want Donavan McNabb. Why? They loathe then they love.
T.O. has the chance to become the most loved figure in Philadelphia team sport history, unless Allen Iverson wins a title for the Sixers. Whereas A.I. was the NBA’s principal opponent, as the league tried turning players into robots, T.O.’s struggle is to be included in the NFL marketing hierarchy.
Except for its PSA (public service announcements), contrary to the NBA, the NFL markets the players who embody the sports’ pugnacious reality. The NFL does so, on a wink-wink basis, which is best represented by its recent affiliate marketing scandals: Janet Jackson’s nipple; and Nicolette Sheridan’s towel drop.
Let them spin it, and they will tell you the league’s popularity is rooted in uniformity, the fact we do not know the players as individuals. It is not about their 3 B’s: the beer, the babes (scantily clad cheerleaders), and the blood, the violence that fractures bodies on a daily basis.
Unfortunately for the league, the Patriots are not entertaining, like recent champions, the Rams, Bucs, and Ravens. There are no nefarious characters whose character need reforming (Ray Lewis), no self-absorbed players to prop as outcasts (Keyshawn Johnson); and no show (Dick Vermeil’s St. Louis Rams).
With Philly, you’d get a year-long yarn debating the black quarterback controversy, and Terrell Owens. But, this week the Eagles players did not do their part, except for Freddie Mitchell’s barely controversial comments. The Patriots were ready for a comment to post on their bulletin board, and never got it.
And, that suited them well! The Patriots do best when opponents do as expected, and show reverence for their coach, uniformity and style of play.
Under Belichik, the Patriots pretty much play “possum”. Good teams do not realize the Pats offense can put up 30 points on them with but a blink. They score off turnovers because of their defensive prowess, at the linebacker level.
During the playoffs, we saw two Patritots opponents lose for very different reasons. The Indianapolis Colts were battling in a close game. They were doing what it takes to beat the Patriots, play ball-control, field position football. Edgerrin James was running effectively, and the short-passing game was working. Then, The Colts either became impatient, or their confidence grew. Whatever the reason, they decided to air it out on first and second downs, late in the second quarter.
In the third quarter, the Patriots orchestrated an ultra-conservative drive, reminiscent of the NY Giants during Bill Parcells’ tenure. They scored a touchdown to go up by 10 points. The Colts still could have showed some patience and try running the ball, mixed with a flurry of short passes.
Instead they gave credence to Boomer Esiason’s post-game semi-snub, in which he called Peyton Manning, “this generation’s Dan Marino”. Though he later clarified he meant it as a total compliment, the implication was clear. Manning’s numbers seem more important than a team victory.
As if they hadn’t watched how the Colts lost to the Patriots, the following week, the Steelers opened their first offensive drive by throwing the ball. A Patriots interception led to a first quarter touchdown, and a monumental momentum switch; and the game was never really close.
On paper, Patriots vs. Eagles are evenly matched teams, with fearsome defenses, good running game, and Pro-Bowl caliber quarterbacks.
On the field, the game belongs to the coach who is willing to play conservative, until the opponent gives an opening, to turn the switch and dim out the lights. Belichick has proven to be a master game manager.
For this reason, and the Eagles’ lack of hype-week trash-talk, I pick the Patriots, in a laughter.
The highlight of the Eagles’ seasons came versus the Baltimore Ravens. When Terrell “T.O.” Owens mimicked Ray Lewis’ celebratory antics as his own endzone celebration, Philly football fans gained what they never had: a superstar athlete who knows, sports is just entertainment.
Yes, I acknowledge the gritty reality of sports in which competitors must go mano a mano, as opposed to receiving style points from easily-bribed judges. In between the reality, a player has to show personality, a player must celebrate. We, “average Joes” use happy hour and the weekend to celebrate, with sports being the anchor of this celebration.
I theorize if you root for a team that has players who show no emotion or understanding that they’re here to entertain, then you are rooting for a losing team. To win, a team must embody their fans desire; and Philly fans love to hate.
At one point, they did not want Donavan McNabb. Why? They loathe then they love.
T.O. has the chance to become the most loved figure in Philadelphia team sport history, unless Allen Iverson wins a title for the Sixers. Whereas A.I. was the NBA’s principal opponent, as the league tried turning players into robots, T.O.’s struggle is to be included in the NFL marketing hierarchy.
Except for its PSA (public service announcements), contrary to the NBA, the NFL markets the players who embody the sports’ pugnacious reality. The NFL does so, on a wink-wink basis, which is best represented by its recent affiliate marketing scandals: Janet Jackson’s nipple; and Nicolette Sheridan’s towel drop.
Let them spin it, and they will tell you the league’s popularity is rooted in uniformity, the fact we do not know the players as individuals. It is not about their 3 B’s: the beer, the babes (scantily clad cheerleaders), and the blood, the violence that fractures bodies on a daily basis.
Unfortunately for the league, the Patriots are not entertaining, like recent champions, the Rams, Bucs, and Ravens. There are no nefarious characters whose character need reforming (Ray Lewis), no self-absorbed players to prop as outcasts (Keyshawn Johnson); and no show (Dick Vermeil’s St. Louis Rams).
With Philly, you’d get a year-long yarn debating the black quarterback controversy, and Terrell Owens. But, this week the Eagles players did not do their part, except for Freddie Mitchell’s barely controversial comments. The Patriots were ready for a comment to post on their bulletin board, and never got it.
And, that suited them well! The Patriots do best when opponents do as expected, and show reverence for their coach, uniformity and style of play.
Under Belichik, the Patriots pretty much play “possum”. Good teams do not realize the Pats offense can put up 30 points on them with but a blink. They score off turnovers because of their defensive prowess, at the linebacker level.
During the playoffs, we saw two Patritots opponents lose for very different reasons. The Indianapolis Colts were battling in a close game. They were doing what it takes to beat the Patriots, play ball-control, field position football. Edgerrin James was running effectively, and the short-passing game was working. Then, The Colts either became impatient, or their confidence grew. Whatever the reason, they decided to air it out on first and second downs, late in the second quarter.
In the third quarter, the Patriots orchestrated an ultra-conservative drive, reminiscent of the NY Giants during Bill Parcells’ tenure. They scored a touchdown to go up by 10 points. The Colts still could have showed some patience and try running the ball, mixed with a flurry of short passes.
Instead they gave credence to Boomer Esiason’s post-game semi-snub, in which he called Peyton Manning, “this generation’s Dan Marino”. Though he later clarified he meant it as a total compliment, the implication was clear. Manning’s numbers seem more important than a team victory.
As if they hadn’t watched how the Colts lost to the Patriots, the following week, the Steelers opened their first offensive drive by throwing the ball. A Patriots interception led to a first quarter touchdown, and a monumental momentum switch; and the game was never really close.
On paper, Patriots vs. Eagles are evenly matched teams, with fearsome defenses, good running game, and Pro-Bowl caliber quarterbacks.
On the field, the game belongs to the coach who is willing to play conservative, until the opponent gives an opening, to turn the switch and dim out the lights. Belichick has proven to be a master game manager.
For this reason, and the Eagles’ lack of hype-week trash-talk, I pick the Patriots, in a laughter.
posted by Guichard Cadet @ 1:11 PM
1 comments
1 Comments:
What are the odds of another nipple shot? I have my TIVO at the ready.
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