Mike's Blog

As a Redskins fan, you end up adopting other teams during the playoffs. I’m rooting for the Colts in the AFC and the Saints and Packers in the NFC. I was also rooting for the Bengals.  I was rooting against the Jets because of their arrogance, and against the Cowboys because they’re the Cowboys. So I’m 0-2 so far.  I’m also rooting against the Chargers because of Never Nervous Norvus. One other thing – it’d be nice to see Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay eventually beat Brett Favre and Minnesota.

As much as I hate Dallas – and it would be terrible if they were to win the Super Bowl – the silver lining in their win over Philly is that Wade Phillips got his first playoff win.  I think Phillips has been unfairly criticized. Phillips has been much maligned, and there’s only one reason:  he doesn’t fit the mold of a typical coach.  He’s not a strict disciplinarian.  He’s not pompous during his press conferences.  He tells it like it is.  He wears sweatshirts.

People want someone to act like a Brian Billick or a Marty Schottenheimer — someone who speaks in platitudes (I just had to look that one up).  We love the way Herman Edwards said, “YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME” even though he was 6-26 in his final two seasons as coach of the Chiefs.  These days, NFL head coaches are mostly public relations people who deal with the media.  The people who really affect teams are the assistant coaches.

I believe that most people are awed by someone with an authoritarian voice.  It matters less the content of what is said than how it is said.

Likewise, people want athletes to fit a certain mold.  Doug Flutie could have been a great NFL quarterback but was rarely given a chance because of his height.  People would rather have a taller quarterback even if he can’t play. Too much emphasis is placed on style rather than effectiveness.

Anyway, back to the NFL playoffs. (I know, I’m really getting off topic). Before the season I predicted that the Saints, Eagles, Colts or Patriots would win the Super Bowl.  I’m going to stick with the Saints and Colts, but I think just about anyone left can win it all except for the Jets and the Ravens.  The Jets are just too one dimensional to win even one more game, and I can’t see the Ravens beating the Colts or Chargers.

Tags: Dallas Cowboys, playoffs, Wade Phillips

This entry was posted on January 10, 2010 at 11:42 am and is filed under NFL. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.