Why 19-0 Should Always Be The Ultimate Goal

If the Patriots gone 19-0, would that have set a precedent for 19-0 being the ultimate goal?

I mean, part of the reason why I as a Rams fan cheered for the Patriots (after my team was eliminated) to win and go 19-0 was because it would have unseated the ’72 Dolphins as greatest team of all time. This is not based on any hatred for Mercury Morris or Don Shula, but more so the passing of the torch, and of course being able to say I witnessed something legendary.

The day after they lost, I kept thinking how people would use this against future teams. I knew this would not be forgotten.

Of course the ’76 Raiders did rest their starters last week of the season when they were 12-1, but they were not 13-0.

One of the basic notions of competitive drive, not only in sport but every field imaginable, is being the best at what you do. Now being the best at what you do can go away after you are considered to be deposed. Never is this more clear than within the world of sport.

There is always a clear winner, and a loser, at least in the championship game (regular seasons be forgotten for a moment here). To be crowned a champion is an achievement, but it is not the insurmountable achievement; it can be duplicated. The goal of every athlete is to become not only a champion, but of such a class of champion that they cannot be supplanted.

This is impossible; every champion can be surpassed, no matter how many times they win or how they win. If we are to assume an eternal continuance in the game, therewill be a successor.

In the NFL, the precedent for greatest champion is largely based on record. There are 16 regular season games and have been since 1978. The playoff wins are counted, so a champion that finishes 18-1 is often seen as better than a champion that finished 14-5.

You may now quickly come to the conclusion that a 19-0 champion may well be regarded better than an 18-1 Champion, and you may be right. The media and the common NFL fan, which in essence is what makes the National Football League, believes so.

So if a team can go 19-0, it should strive for it, no?

Investment seems to have changed this in recent times.

The FACTS:

Star players make many millions a season, not only in base salary, but bonuses, obvious perks, and sponsorship deals from outside the league.

Teams in the regular season that have everything assured in terms of material benefit, such as a guaranteed home playoff game, a higher seed to allow for more home playoff games, or a playoff game period in which to play in, have in essence no reason to utilize their star players.

This notion, though technically correct, negates the NFL fan.

Without fans, a sport, never mind a team, does not exist. It ceases to exist because as the old question goes, “If a tree falls down on its own in a forest, and nobody hears it, does it make a sound?”

Another fact is a team makes all of its money off the fan, not only in ticket sales for fans who want to see a game live in a stadium, but off merchandise that fans wear to feed their love and/or pride for the team.

I need not go on in excruciating detail to conclude my argument. Perfection, currently 19-0, is the greatest form of championship victory, and the closest any team can come to “immortality.” If you have the opportunity to attain that greatness, you have to take it.

If the media does not care, if the fan does not care, then how can any team hope to achieve a legacy?

If championships are the only thing that matter every season, then does winning five matter more than winning one? And if winning all your games is no more meaningful than losing five, what is the definition of winning in the first place? Winning a particular game? Why does the NFL season not hold a tournament of 32 teams from the start?

There is only one team in NFL history to go undefeated, and every NFL fan will know their name. They were the Dolphins. The ’72 Dolphins, and they smile at you Bill Polian, they smile at you.

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Michael Vick to St. Louis Rams: Better Than Ever

Several months ago, I urged Rams Nation to consider Michael Vick as the starting quarterback for the franchise.

Yes, he’ll be 30 in 2010, but in the NFL today, a 30-year-old quarterback potentially has a decade ahead of him.

No, he’s not a pocket passer like Kurt Warner and Marc Bulger, but he’s a winner, and we know Bulger isn’t.

The 2010 NFL Draft is shaping up to have QBs galore, and with several teams looking to draft one in the first round, the Rams have a great chance to trade down a top pick and improve either their offensive or defensive lines.

Vick would also add a two-headed monster in the rushing attack, and his arm strength is still undeniable and could prove useful. As we know, our recent QBs have been Pennington-like in the long-range department.

More importantly, Vick could bring much needed attention to St. Louis, as the Rams are becoming more and more a visible joke and less like an NFL team.

What are the alternatives? Use our high draft pick to select Bradford, Tebow, or another QB. But is it worth it to put the tag on a rookie?

Seattle and San Francisco, coincidentally both division rivals, have two first round picks to offer. It could well be possible for the Rams to trade down a higher pick for two lower first-rounders and still select a quarterback.

The bottom line, however, is to have a veteran already in, and Vick could provide that. After all, the only other talented free agent quarterback is Jeff Garcia, and he’ll be 40 in 2010.

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The NFC Playoff Picture with Six To Go, Will There Be Another Shocker?

Like most seasons, the NFC tends to provide for some questionable playoff teams from the regular seasons and some unlikely playoff runs.

This year is shaping up to be much of the same.

The two bulls in the Conference are the Saints and Vikings, and nobody comes close. The Vikings for one are 9-1 and that one loss could well be argued as a stolen victory. They have in essence been flawless while the Saints have countered some scares.

The Cardinals seem locked to win another division title while the NFC East, is the NFC East.

The Falcons at 5-5 are far from out of the race while the Packers despite their offensive line and a QB that perhaps holds on to the ball a little too much, are trucking along.

And do not count out the 49ers just yet, with a relatively light remaining schedule with a game against the 6-4 Eagles.

Here is my prediction of the seedings and possible outcomes.

No. 1. Saints

The Final Record- With the Monday Night matchup of the season, the Saints could drop to 10-1, or continue their quest for perfection. It probably is the nostalgia in me hungry for an undefeated team, but I do pick the Saints to finish 16-0, there are other factors involved in this, a big one being the 9-1 Vikings. Minnesota may well finish 15-1 and so the Saints may just have to keep on winning out of necessity.

The Playoff Run- The ultimate hope of every NFL fan should be to see an 18-0 vs. 18-0 matchup in the Super Bowl, if of course your team is out of the Super Bowl picture already. That I do not see happening, I expect a Vikings vs. Saints NFC Championship game and I expect Favre to make good.

 

No. 2. Vikings

The Final Record- Favre’s late season statistical collapses precede him and while I don’t expect what happened last year to repeat, I do not see the Vikings finishing 15-1, I see a 14-2 final record good enough for 2nd in the Conference.

The Playoff Run- I may have ruined my prediction with the statement about the Saints, but such is life, I do pick the Vikings to get to the Super Bowl, but beyond that I save for another time.

 

No. 3. Cardinals

The Final Record- No, the Cowboys won’t implode, but they won’t get the third overall seed, the Cardinals should finish no worse than 11-5.

The Playoff Run- It’s hard to see Warner pull another long run this year’s playoffs, but it’s far from impossible. Their poor record at home however makes me lean towards a Wild Card loss.

 

No. 4. Eagles

The Final record- Yes, I’m picking the Eagles to take the NFC East, and I foresee a 10-6 final record.

The Playoff Run- They will win at home and get to at least the Divisional round, I just don’t see Super Bowl for McNabb, sadly yet again. There is big reason to pick McNabb to win at least one playoff game given he’s never gone one and done.

 

No. 5. Cowboys

The Final Record- They’ll get into the playoffs but I think they go on a 2-4 record their last six. Oh Romo, you’re not a good closer.

The Playoff Run- Their won’t be any, Romo will go 0-3, but hey, cheer up, Peyton Manning lost his first four playoff games.

 

No. 6. Falcons

The Final Record- Don’t hate me Packer fans, I just think Atlanta has four games in the win column, not a given but I just see them finishing 9-7, perhaps beating out the Packers in a tiebreak.

The Playoff Run- Remember what I said about the Cardinals losing in the Wild Card round? Watch Matt Ryan get revenge and win his first playoff game, beyond that, I don’t see good things.

 

The Implosion

I’m picking the Giants to lose to Denver, well somebody has to. Then consequent losses to the COWBOYS and Eagles will put the Giants in jeopardy at 6-7. Wins against the Skins and Panthers should happen but ultimately, the Vikings will make a blowout big enough in the first half to win the game with backups.

 

The Heartbreak

As I said, I pick the Packers to just lose out on a playoff spot. I think a three-game losing streak starting with the Ravens in Week 13 and continuing with the Bears and Steelers will be the monster that sets the team back.

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The NFL’s Top 20 Quarterbacks For 2009

So the 2009 NFL season is approaching.

Yes I know, I can’t wait either, just two months right?

Here’s a countdown of the Top 20 Quarterbacks in the League at the present time.

Note, this is largely based off of 2008, as you may or may not know, the NFL is a ” what have you done for me lately? ” League.

That is not to say every Quarterback who had a down year in 2008 will be thrown to the wolves, but that a Quarterback who may have impressed in 2005 but has been average last three seasons is not going to be regarded very highly.

Although history does count to an extent.

Enjoy.

Why Players Like Favre Are The Cornerstone Of Sports Entertainment

If you didn’t know by now, the world is run by money.

A wise man once said, you can never measure happiness, loyalty, or perseverance a man has, but you can measure his bank account.

Net worth is what matters in life, it’s the difference between a person saying yes and no, and money, like it does the world, makes professional sports go round.

Professional athletes are not hacks, they all deserves to be there, but what us fans should not forget is all the great players that never get their shot, in many cases due to lack of money they produce.

If a player isn’t popular with the fans and isn’t a winner, despite the team’s downfalls that he plays on, he will be forgotten and need to find another job.

However, if a player is popular with the fans, he needs not win, unless they the fans demand it of him.

So we come to the Favres of sports. They are the players who did get their shot, and made it count, they are the players who can demand a yearly salary only the elite players of the game can have, even if they themselves are far past their prime.

Now yes, experience is valuable, but let’s not forget the physical aspect of sports, as in, the main basis of sports, that and again money.

Favre is long past his prime, yes players make comebacks, but they are usually due to long physical layoffs, or better teammates and staff management. Favre is not worth $12 million a year on the field, but the jersey sales his buzz creates is.

Favre also represents the athlete who chooses to stick around so the fans can see them play, remember how Rice was playing on the Seahawks at one point? Of course you do, a part of you may have wanted to yell to him to stop, but another part would probably drive you to run up and ask for an autograph, and nobody would blame you.

Favre also represents another commodity desired in the sports world, sensational headlines.

How many times have you gone to see a movie that seemed a little off, but starred your favorite actor? Now how many times did you leave thinking you could have spent your time better?

Eventually the name factor fades, just ask Pacino (my all time favorite actor, and yes I did see 88 minutes in theaters). But for now, as long as everyone is listening, Favre can continue to live in the spotlight.

Will his presence get the Vikings over the hill and to a Championship? No.

If they do win, it will be because the team was well built, management was right on the money, and no player made enough mistakes to ruin the dream.

Yet the headlines will read Favre, and in the end, that’s what making money is all about, for everyone is a salesman selling something.

10 Quarterbacks I Would Take Before Aikman in Canton

Regardless of bias, which every sports fan has, one of the most controversial figures in the Pro Football Hall of Fame has bee Troy Aikman.

Even more so his 1st ballot induction, instead of say, 5 years down the road.

Regarded as a winner, the Tom Brady of the 1990s so to speak, there have been viable arguments, but I just don’t buy them.

Statistics aren’t everything, ask Marino or Fouts, but wins alone cannot be the sole merit for judging a Quarterback.

As my first article on BR argued, the Quarterback position is the most glorified position in the NFL, and unjustly so, it could be the most important, but only by a very small margin, the Quarterback can be better argued as a product of a system 90% of the time, same for pretty much every position in the NFL, but it’s how important of a component in that system a player was that shows his true greatness.

I believe Aikman was not true greatness.

The following slides will showcase the ten Quarterbacks I would replace Aikman with, they are based on how many years they have been eligible, their statistics, success in wining, league accolades and how important they were for their team/teams.

Worst QB Starters in the Super Bowl Era

Now obviously to be a starter people need to have faith in you, to believe in you, and to take all your horrible play for a time, patience is a virtue.

This list does include some busts for obvious reasons, but also some players you may have not known that were human garbage on the field.

To be on this list a QB must have started a minimum of 10 games.

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