Why I Watch Football, Recognizing and Respecting Great Defense, Great Feet, and A Great Behind

Why I watched the Conference Championships:

A strange thing happened to me on Sunday afternoon.  I watched the NFL's conference championship games start to finish.  Why was this a strange activity?

1.  I didn't have a rooting interest. (not surprising since both the 49ers and Texans sucked this errr every season). 

2. I did not have a group of friends to watch with me. (Very atypical especially for a playoff game.)  I watched the games by myself from the comfort of my own recliner.

3. I didn't have one sip of alcohol during the entire afternoon, again very atypical of a Conference Championship Sunday.  I find solo drinking awfully depressing and a clear sign of the need for a 12 step program.

4. I did not have a single wager on the games, a baby step for me in what should probably be a proper behavioral adjustment given my line of work.

I was rewarded with an afternoon of watching four phenomenal defenses take turns making specatcular plays.  I spend so much time glorifying the breathtaking achievements of an Andre Johnson, Adrian Peterson or a Tom Brady and have spent so much time around the Texans, that it's easy to forget what a great defense looks like.


Julius Peppers: Penalties or no penalties, he was worth every penny to Chicago. The guy is physically dominant against the run and the pass and has joined Jared Allen on the list of players I am legitimately afraid would break my QB into pieces.



Brian Urlacher:  Hard to argue that this guy wasn't born to be the MLB of the Chicago Bears' defense.  He had a key sack and INT to keep the Bears in the game as long as possible.  If not for injuries that have cut two plus seasons of his career short, he would be a no-brainer hall of famer.  Seems to me he has a few more great years left in him.

Dom Capers: The brains behind the Packers suffocating defense called yet another outstanding game Sunday disguising his coverages and zone dogs to completely shut down the Bears passing game for the 1st 3 quarters.  He called the play "Right Cat" for the 1st time all season Sunday afternoon and it resulted in DT BJ Raji faking a rush before dropping right into the passing lane of Bears QB Caleb Hanie. Raji picked off the pass and took it to the house for the decisive TD.

Darrelle Revis:  Kudos to Ben Roethilsberger for actually having the stones to throw at this guy.  Revis is the best corner since Ronnie Lott.  He's a more willing contact player than Deion Sanders and has better technique than Lester Hayes.  The fact that he is dominating the field in an era when all the rules favor the offenses make his achievements even more impressive.  Quite simply, any defense of mine would be built around this man and this man alone.



The Steelers' LB's:  James Harrison and Lamar Woodly garner all the headlines, but James Farrior and Lawrence Timmons make plenty of plays on the inside as well.

120 minutes of World Class defensive football just opens your eyes to how far your own team has to go to be a contender.  I can't sit here with a straight face right now and say that my 49ers are just a QB away from contending for the Super Bowl.  They need a CB at the Pro Bowl Level.  They need a pass rushing threat at OLB.  They need more physically intimidating personnel.  How do you Texans fans feel about your own defense after seeing these 4 teams bang heads Sunday afternoon? mattandadam@sports790.com

While it may seem corny to think or say this, there not two more loyal and deserving fan bases than the Steelers and the Packers.  They truly define what being a great fan is all about.  They aren't arrogant or wreckless like Eagles, Jets, or Raider fans.  They aren't bandwagon jumpers like Cowboys or Saints fans.  They respect their team, their opponents, and the game of football.

Rex Ryan has moved on from his team's AFC Title deFEET.  As predicted here week's ago, the Ryan's (Rex and Michelle) have agreed to appear in Super Bowl ads for Dr. Scholls.
http://blog.timesunion.com/sportsmedia/dr-scholls-hires-ryan-and-his-wife-for-promotional-spot/6031/

Someone famous actually wanted to watch the New Jersey Nets on Saturday night.  Believe it or not, Kim Kardashian was in attendance (her current boyfriend is Kris Humphries).  There was something about Kim that seemed to gain alot of attention.  I can't quite put my finger on it, but I might like to do that.