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Let's Get the Cliches Out Of The Way
Alright....let's go ahead and take the dumb "opinions" out of the equation. Whenever there is a big game [especially in football], all the cliches come out as if it is (a) something original or (b) replaces actual intelligence.
I call it the "Wheel of Fortune Gimme"....where in the last puzzle there are letters just given to you since everyone selects them anyways. Same thing here.
YOU CAN'T HAVE TURNOVERS: Well, duh. I think in this postseason, the team who turned the ball over the most was 1-9. This cliche is the biggest staple in football. Turnovers and other mistakes [penalties, mentall errors] are always killers...they cost teams field position [or a scoring opportunity], momentum and can wear out your defense. Teams with NO turnovers in the Super Bowl are 14-2....with both of those losses [the Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV and Bills in Super Bowl XXV] coming against teams [Rams and Giants, respectively] that also had no turnovers....the only turnoverless Super Bowls in history.
RUSHING THE BALL IS KEY! I just heard a stat on ESPNews that the team with more rushing attempts is 33-4 in the Super Bowl. Well, duh. Usually the team that is WINNING is running the ball alot down the stretch. And with the myriad of Super Bowl blowouts in the 1980s...that stat is of course going to be skewed greatly. Last year's Super Bowl with the Pats and Eagles had the least amount of rushes and rushing yards in Super Bowl history. Take a look at those 4 Super Bowls where the team who rushed the most lost.
*Super Bowl XXXIV: Rams-Titans 23-16. Game decided by one yard.
*Super Bowl XXX: Cowboys-Steelers 27-17. It was a 3 pt game with less than 5 minutes left.
*Super Bowl XXIII: Niners-Bengals 26-21. Final drive....Montana to Taylor. That close.
*Super Bowl XIII: Steelers-Cowboys 35-31. The Jackie Smith game.
You see, those four closely contested Super Bowls, the team with the most attempts did not win the game. So, of those 33....most were blowouts with one team basically milking the clock.
GOTTA PLAY LIKE THERE IS NO TOMORROW! Well, there is no tomorrow for either team. Well, except that the winning team's tomorrow will involve a parade and meeting the President and getting a ring [well, technically, the losing team gets a ring too]. But this realization is rather stupid. Sorry, but there hasn't been a "tomorrow" for losing teams for the past 4 weeks. It's called "the playoffs" and if that's your motivation...well, tomorrow will be a bad one.
THE TEAM WHO CAN GET THEIR RHYTHM GOING WILL WIN: Again, duh. This is usually heard as "we need to just go out there and play our game." Both teams got here by stopping the run, getting to the QB and having fluid offenses. So the team that can do all [or most] of that, will win. It is called "imposing your will". Honestly, when is the last time a Super Bowl was won by a team that played the worst?
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS: True...but not totally true. Let's be honest...the team with the "better defense on that day" wins championships. I mean, they held the other team to less points. Sure, there have been great defenses that won titles essentially on their own. The 1985 Bears, 2000 Ravens and 2002 Buccaneers. But what about the Bears of this season?? Or the Buccaneers of this season? Really, neither team playing in the Super Bowl had THAT stellar of a defense this season.....but those defenses are playing well right now. It's called football. You got to have a solid offense, defense and special teams to win a Super Bowl.
IT'S A GREAT MATCHUP: Really? Why? Because these are the only two teams left? Break it down, big fella!
THE GAME WILL BE WON IN THE TRENCHES: Well, yes. Every football game is won here. Can you protect your QB? Can you get to the other team's QB? Can you run the football? Can you stop the other team from running the football? The basketball equivalent is "we need to get some open looks."
PLAYING WITH HEART: Aren't both teams playing with heart? While the winners celebrate...do not the loser's weep? I mean, this is only the pinnacle of football in the universe. You'd think both teams would care.
However, for those wives and non-football fans who will be at Super Bowl parties this Sunday....feel free to use some or all of these cliches. Odds are that most people around you will feel you are pretty smart.
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2/5/06 3:26 PM
Think about that for a moment.