MMBSD: Airing of Grievances

According to Gutsy this is the week of Festivus so what better way to celebrate than my airing of Grievances. Maybe it's because I watched the Cleveland Browns offense sink to level of existence below Dante's inferno. Maybe it's because my television experience here in the state of Ohio is currently filled with enough political ads to make you bleed from the ears (For the record re: that new Chevy ad with John Cougar Mellencamp; I can't decide if it's racist, jingoistic or racist and jingoistic. For those that haven't seen it, suffice to say I would be offended if it was just Katrina photos helping sell cars but then I heard that the final version of the ad didn't feature a picture of the atomic bomb over Nagasaki as originally planned - after that bit of information I realized the person that created the ad and the team of people who green lighted it must just be completely insane). Anyway I have lots of problems with the sports world so here are some of them:

NFL OT: After tuning in to the waning moments of the Falcons OT victory over Pittsburgh I was struck by a few thoughts: 1) When does Roethlisberger not seem like he's suffering from a concussion? 2) Wait, Michael Vick is a quarterback you say? 3) The NFL OT rules just seem anti-climatic. 40% of the time the team with the ball scores every time. Wait, that doesn't make sense....The point, is that a winner of a coin flip is vastly more likely to win in OT. The NFL needs to adopt some sort of rule that necessitates both teams possessing the ball on offense. That or instead of a coin flip have a rock, paper, scissors contest.

Paging Offensive Lines: It has recently been documented that there has been a rash of offensive lines in fluctuation. The toll of injuries and free agency has left a position that needs good teamwork at the mercy of defenses that are instituting exotic packages. Quarterbacks this season have been on their back more than Lyndsey Lohan (albeit in the QB case this means lower amounts of scoring). Something needs to be done. Without scoring I get bored and then I write these airing of grievances. Maybe make it easier for teams to retain their offensive linemen in free agency thereby increasing the likelihood of continuity. Maybe allow for exceptions in terms of number of offensive lineman a team can have on their roster. Or at minimum give them all air bags to protect themselves from collisions.

Note Dame Escapes (Again): Another improbable comeback for Notre Dame. They marched 80 yards in 4.6 seconds (which rounded up is 30 seconds) to defeat UCLA. Yes, I'm a registered Notre Dame basher but yet another escape by Charlie Weis' squad frankly reminds me of a David Blaine routine. It's pretty impressive but no human should be in that position in the first place (also I find it extremely annoying). Coming from behind against UCLA (and earlier Michigan State) isn't the calling card of a quality team. Luckily voters or computers weren't fooled as Notre Dame dropped a spot in the AP and BCS polls.

Kenny Rogers - I'm watching Kenny Rogers toss another gem tonight and it bothers me. This is Kenny "Anger Management" Rogers. Am I the only one that remembered that this guy attacked a reporter, a camera, possibly a puppy and may have taken campaign contribution from Jack Abramoff? How is it possible he is doing well now? Are the forces of Karma suspended for this guy? Is Karma saving it all up and Rogers will accidentally end up stranded on a deserted island with the only thing to do is watch episodes of Lost? In the mean time as Wubya would say "this is unacceptable." Of course Wubya's full quote was:

For every fatal shooting, there were roughly three non-fatal shootings. And, folks, this is unacceptable in America. It's just unacceptable. And we're going to do something about it."

Maybe that's what Karma has in store for Rogers...

Random Thoughts from behind the soon to be flaming barricades in Columbus
Apparently the NFL has a steroid policy that works. Why do players think that it doesn't? It's a little perplexing. Dennis Green, if you weren't a part of the Cardinals organization, you would have officially entered the Dead Men Walking Club (aka Coaches to be fired at the end of the season) with an implosion followed by a loss to Oakland. However a few more losses and you'll be in the club. This is the first week that Indianapolis seemed to be a possible Super Bowl team. The acquisition of Anthony Mcfarland or infusion of radioactive Spider bites helped with the run defense…so did a 20 point 3rd quarter. After viewing Denver's offense up close it stinks even more than I thought it did. When did Denver morph into Baltimore (outstanding defense, awful awful offense)?