Fantasy Football

So over the weekend it appears that the following talking points are overrunning Super Bowl coverage through the first week of build-up to the game. If you have been appropriately ignoring them and want a summary, then you’re welcome.

1) Larry Fitzgerald grew up playing and enjoying football.

You’re not going to believe this, but as it turns out when someone is astute enough to actually reach the NFL, occasionally that person made it a focal point of their lives while growing up. Crazy, isn’t it? Apparently it’s significant because A) Larry Fitzgerald is now the common consensus greatest receiver in the league (I guess Randy Moss doesn’t exist if he doesn’t make the playoffs), and if not in”just current day NFL, then it’s some superlative laced tirade/screed about how LARRY FITZGERALD IS SO REMARKABLE HE’S ARGUABLY THE GREATEST RECEIVER TO EVER PLAY IN THE NFL AND HAS HAD THE GREATEST PLAYOFF RUN BY A RECEIVER EVER; B) His dad is a sportswriter. and C) He was a ball boy for the Vikings. This warrants major attention in the first news Super Bowl news cycle.

2) Is Kurt Warner a hall of famer?

This was the most foreseeable because he’s unique to probably any quarterback who has ever made the hall of fame. Based on just the numbers and making three Super Bowls, the answer is a resounding yes. So it’s not really a debate. But the conversation is kind of indicative of the Cardinals making the Super Bowl. Much like everyone is shocked they have to concede that Warner is going to Canton, they are equally vexed that the Arizona Cardinals could win an NFL Championship.

What a long, strange trip its been.

3) Pittsburgh is a working class city.

I guess this is somewhat prescient given the current economic climate. But honestly, who gives a shit? If anything, obsession with a entertainment company (sorry, that’s basically what professional sports franchises are) has worsened that city’s economy by inflating prices that addicts continue to pay. But since the majority of actual fans in Tampa for the game are Steelers fans, and that the team’s style of play resembles the working class mentality of the city all we’re going to hear about is the bond between the franchise and fan.

But what’s never mentioned is that most of these Steelers fans have the time to make it to Tampa because they do not have a job they have to worry about being fired from. And that the last of their savings are being attributed for the haul south. But thanks ESPN for only showing us the sunny side of the street. Can they do a sentimental heart-wrenching piece about a systemic problem as opposed to an isolated hard luck story? Probably, but they won’t.

4) Anquan Boldin: Asshole, or biggest asshole?

Essentially, if you’re disgruntled because you thought you could contribute positively to your team and your coach thinks otherwise, then you let things boil over into a screaming match and leave the stadium to cool down a bit and avoid celebrating with your team, you are completely irredeemable. It doesn’t matter if he’s been in the league for 5+ years and have never demonstrated any such behavior in the past, you are forever and always the disgruntled receiver who wants to sabotage his team because he’s a selfish prick.

Look, I’m not trying to make excuses for Mr. Boldin, he would probably be the first to admit that he was out of line behaving the way he did (especially at that point in the game). Not to mention that I can understand it being a tad alarming that he was still so perturbed after the game ended that he refused to celebrate a trip to the Super Bowl. But he is a top ten (some would argue top five) receiver in the league and has consistently performed at an all-star level all season, is it really beyond comprehension that he wouldn’t react well to being sidelined? His staunch displeasure with the situation was admittedly a disproportional response, but does it necessarily mean it’s a deeper issue than that? I’m going to say no, so queue the countdown to when I regret this.

5) Fired Coaches

It’s at the point now with coaching vacancies in professional sports that the news of someone being fired is standard operating procedure as opposed to a break from the norm. In most cases, you’re more surprised that the coach actually kept his job because the expectation for immediate gratification is so intense that the majority of fringe teams are going to clean house. Think about it, is it more surprising that Herm Edwards and Eric Mangini (among others) were fired, or that Dick Jauron and Marvin Lewis are keeping their jobs.

Really, what I think this boils down to is NFL fans and organizations are going to need to level their expectations of these guys, otherwise you’re always going to be bitter and dejected. Most current successful coaches in the NFL right now inherited their team and had the right pieces in place, they just took advantage of their good fortune accordingly.

I guess that’s about it, let me know if I missed anything. Media day should be coming up soon, we’ll cover that as thoroughly as we can from Columbus, Ohio. Should be uninteresting.