“See their bodies out on the ice … take my time. Am I evil? Yes I am…”
Diamondhead, Am I Evil?
The biggest NFL news today? It’s right here. That’s right, only a day after The Star campaigned for Bob Sanders as Defensive Player of the Year, the Colts locked him up for five more years – that’s a boatload of money into their five pillars: Manning, Harrison, Wayne, Freeney, Sanders. And is it worth it? So far it is. Expect the franchise tag in the offseason for Sanders’ Iowa teammate Dallas Clark (Unless the Colts feel compelled to expend it on Ryan Lilja or something.) and keeping him a Colt for another year, at least. Still, congrats to Bob, who’s morphed from headhunting Hawkeye legend into a human eraser, and a Ronnie Lott clone – the middle linebacker of a defense actually playing strong safety. We love him, but you knew that. He’s the baddest man in pro football, but you knew that, too.
Yep, that’s the biggest NFL News. Nothing else happened today. Oh, right. That. Let’s just say that if the entire free world had to pin their hopes on one team to derail this New England hype train, well, it wouldn’t be the dunderheaded, hamhanded Giants. Sigh. Penalties, miscues, and two horrid drives in the fourth quarter really did them in – under Coughlin, doesn’t it always? – but still, the game looked almost identical to the Colts game against New England, actually. Or the Ravens loss. Note to all teams: When you’re soundly beating the Pats, don’t go into the clock-killing offense, no matter what Bryant Gumbel and Cris Collinsworth are droning on about.
Speaking of sycophantic, apologistic media, good luck listening to sports radio or reading the newspapers for the next 20 days, unless you want to hear more rationales for why the Patriots don’t get flagged for poking players in the eye on live TV. Or cheap shots. (We’re still waiting for the CBS replay of a Patriot last year clocking Antonio Cromartie in the face before Cromartie earned a personal foul for retaliation and a stern lecture from Jim Nantz.)
But we’re not crying sour grapes, nor are we congratulating a classless franchise. We know they’re good, but no need to bother ourselves with any hand-wringing here. Let them be what they are, we gleefully look forward to the possibility of playing them in Foxborough. Until then, we here at MFG are not concerning ourselves with all things Patriot, not until we have to. We know the Pats are dirty, we know they’re cheap, and we’re ignoring this whole thing. Until we have to.
