Super Bowl - Flagging the Haters
Flagging the Haters; the game rocked, move on
What a great Sunday night of action and I'm not just talking about the hilarious opening sequence of "The Office". From James Harrison scoring the longest touchdown in Super Bowl history to Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald nearly pitching and catching their way to a fourth quarter comeback before Ben Roethlisberger and Santonio Holmes snatched victory in the closing seconds, the game was a classic. Period. There was so much back and forth action in the final minutes I was afraid my nose was going to start bleeding like all those folks on "Lost".
Big Ben was tap dancing fool. You can take the running QB types, but I'll go with the nimble gunslinger every day of the week. Holmes was his toe-tapping accompaniment on that final score, but how did the pass get to him in the first place?
These are the stories I think folks should be talking this morning yet the vast majority of discussions and e-mails that I have participated in today are focusing on loser talk. The refs screwed the Cards. The Steelers got all the calls. Puh-lease.
Outside of the diehard Cardinals fans, all 10 of them, my advice to all the haters...get over it. People like rooting for the underdog, but the favorite did what favorites often do.: Win. It was a money game, especially for Cardinals backers who covered the 6.5-point spread, further confusing my big game sensibilities. Yes, there were too many penalties called in the game. I can live with that argument to a degree, but one-sided, not buying it.
Of the last six penalties called in the game, five were against the Steelers, including a holding call on the final scoring drive. Calls tend to even out, but hard to overcome them in the final minutes. The Steelers did. Deal with it.
Random fantasy and other nuggets to take away from the Super Bowl, besides seeing Danica Patrick in the shower:
Far too often discussions of a player's value in fantasy football seem to trump actions that determine winning and losing on the field. In other words, so what if Roethlisberger does not post Drew Brees or even Matt Schaub type numbers. Outside of a healthy Tom Brady, I will take Big Ben as my real life quarterback. No Peyton, I did not forget you. Those MasterCard commercials are damn funny
The final touchdowns, combined with a monster overall performance in the playoffs, pushed Fitzgerald into the back end of the first round in 12-team leagues. Even if Brady is 100 percent by Week 1, Fitz will go ahead of Randy Moss unless...
Warner does not return to the land of the sun next season. He is sitting pretty with options if he wants to play football in 2009 (though I'd say there is at least a small chance he calls it a day based on his post-game comments, but he will not have a better chance to succeed than with the Cards. Kurt, on behalf of fantasy nation, I am begging you to stick it out AND stay with Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin (if he sorts out his own issues) and Steve Breaston and the potential running back (Knowshon Moreno? LeSean McCoy?) the Cards take in the first round of the NFL draft. Kurt, Mr. Bidwill, the powers that be, get this done.
Willie Parker had a better night than the final numbers would indicate _ he broke many a tackle to help keep drives alive _ but his fantasy value is looking rather bleak for next season. He is breaking fewer long runs, lost the goal line carries to a relative no-name like Gary Russell and Rashard Mendenhall is good to go for next season.
I think we have seen Edgerrin James' last game with the Cardinals. He showed some life during the playoffs, but he does not have enough wiggle left to be a full-time starter and clearly, he is not inclined to be a backup. Assuming he does not get a full-time starter offer, would Edge take a complimentary role with the Colts if they came calling?
As a frustrated Holmes owner this past fantasy season, I was glad to see that my belief that the speedster could be a WR1 option was legit, but it still doesn't explain why the Steelers did not get him the ball enough during the regular season. He had more yards on the final drive than in all but five of those games. Next year fellas, make this happen.
Ken Whisenhunt can be the coach of my team any day of the week. Considering I am Redskins fan, that is not saying much, but with "Whis" at the helm, I think the Cards can turn into a consistent playoff team. Also, a big fan of the laid back Mike Tomlin, but I love the icy stare and authentic tough guy act. Bill Cowher taught him well.