Dom's Dish - Monday, February 5, 2007
Breaking news: The Colts won the Super Bowl 29-17! (Flipping through last night, the NFL Network had a breaking news red alert at the bottom of the screen showing that. I would hate to be the person that missed the Super Bowl and found out that way.)
Sorry Bears fans, I was right. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I dislike da Bears at all. They're not on my list of teams that includes the Broncos, Cowboys, Panthers and of course, Patriots. 30-21 was my prediction - pretty close, if not for a botched snap on the extra point I would have had half the score correct. (I got the coin toss (Heads) too.) Devin Hester was again a bright spot for the Bears. I still am very against the way the Colts "huddle up" in the middle of the field as Vinatieri kicks it off (they never fool anyone, it was great when they would sway to the music a few years ago, they had a purpose, now they just look confused). Obviously someone missed an assignment, he wasn't touched until the 1 yard line. Though there are some who think Peyton didn't deserve his MVP honors, in favor of the running game, two points I'll make: Peyton is a true "field general" calling the plays at the line of scrimmage, so basically a lot more weight should be given to that. Also, the offensive line of the Colts man-handled the Bears all game long. Not to mention I like six foot five quarterbacks, laser rocket arm. Now hopefully Peyton can be ranked ahead of Brady as the best QBs of this era? Only time will tell, he is currently at 144 consecutive regular season starts, 7th all time in TD passes, 13th in passing yards, and 2nd all time in passer rating. All that after 9 seasons, and I can already hear the hunger in his voice for next season and beyond. After he does a few more commercials this offseason. Bring back "Cut that meat!"
Now, granted, Rex Grossman did have some good stats yesterday: He completed 20 of 28 passes with one TD. Better completion percentage than Peyton (71.4% to 65.8%), however Rex threw for one more TD: a costly one that the Colts scored on in the fourth quarter. Two fumbles lost, two picks, and not really leading his team down field to keep the Colts offense off the field (Colts ran 81 offensive plays versus 48 for the Bears - WOW), none of that can be blamed on the Benson injury. Again to take a line from Dennis Green: [Rex] is who we thought he was! Honestly, I don't know what he needs. Confidence? The offensive line is great, decent receivers, great blocking and catching tight end and a pretty good back field. Maybe just another year in the offense. Don't expect his contract to be extended this offseason (expires at the end of next season). I am starting to think that Rex and another NFC QB are one in the same: Eey-ore Manning.
A few funny comments from the commentators Jim Nantz and Phil Simms yesterday? "That was the second time a Bear got a paw on the ball", Simms spotlight spiral (of course), and Jim Nantz noting that the two head coaches were black and that this is Black History month. He later went on to say that we "are all living it right now."No crap! Not all of us were in the downpour, Phil. (I thought it was still December.)
Lost in all of this is Bill Polian, the Colts General Manager. This was his fifth appearance as a Super Bowl GM. The previous four? Four straight with the Buffalo Bills, all losses. (quite a feat in itself, one team reaching the Super Bowl 4-consecutive years) It was Polian who was GM of the Colts when Peyton Manning was selected over Ryan Leaf, and when Edgerrin James was selected ahead of Ricky Williams. (two picks after McNabb was booed) Other key pieces built through the draft? Reggie Wayne, Dwight Freeney, Bob Sanders, Dallas Clark, and a host of others. Criticized for letting Edge go, Joseph Addai made quite a splash this past season. This season will be quite a test with Dominic Rhodes, Dwight Freeney and Cato June scheduled to be free agents. All that will be determined at a later date - Polian and the rest of the Colts will be in a parade today: 4pm, downtown Indy, players in buses, 11 degrees above zero the scheduled high temp!
Aside from the Bud Light commercials (rock, paper, scissors; hitch-hikers; auction wedding), the Doritos Winner (cheesy, crunchy, smooth), Letterman/Opera (Bears and Colts jerseys) and the K-Fed ad, the commercials this year were pretty much sucky. Probably an average of $2.0 million per 30-second slot, and that was pretty much a waste of money. Not since the Bud Bowl commercial-era have there been a plethora of good/funny ads.
I was flipping through yesterday and thought I would give that "The Sarah Silverman Program" a shot. When I saw her talking to a dog with a human head on it, the channel was changed.
For those of you not "24" fans, and those that don't watch other important programs like "Two and a Half Men," tonight on "Hannity & Colmes" Rudy Guiliani will be the guest. This could be the stage he chooses to officially declare his candidacy for President. Only another 21 months until we vote again.
Other news:
The Cavs are falling apart. The Duke Blue Devils too. For you Falcons fans out there, Bobby Petrino says that Ron Mexico, er, Mike Vick, will be able to call audibles at the line of scrimmage. I wonder how many times he'll audible out of a pass into a QB draw? Ernie Els looked pretty good over the weekend down and over in Dubai, glad to see he's back but wonder if he'll play many PGA events this year. Tiger finished third and looked strong still. Wasn't a PGA even, the streak is still intact!
Good news? 10 days until Pitchers and Catchers report for Spring Training! (Only 16 days to the NFL Combine in Indy!)
Sources / further reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Polian
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For those new to "the dish", I once dreamed of being a sports-caster having my own column. Let me know if you don't like it, and/or want to be discontinued from the list. If you have another email address to send it to, send that to me also. For older issues of the dish, email me. domsdish@gmail.com or go to http://domsdish.blogspot.com/
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