Any Given Sunday

By all accounts, this was an amazing weekend for football. Those were indeed two very exciting games.

I am thrilled for Lovie Smith who has endured a season's-worth of second-guesses, and armchair quarterbacking from talking dunces at ESPN, and kept faith in Rex Grossman to lead the team. And for being the first African American coach to go to The Show.

I am excited for Rex Grossman who with every single loss this season (of which there really weren't many, especially if your a Lions fan like I am) has had to withstand questions and accusations from sportswriters about not being good enough, and constant cries to replace him with Greise (who I think would have been worse). Who's laughing now, bitches? Rex Grossman is, all the way to the Superbowl. Where he will quarterback.

I am equally thrilled for Tony Dungy who also endured overtures and speculation of being fired at the end of the season, constant criticism from the mouth-breathers over at ESPN about not being a good enough coach to make any headway in the NFL (along with constant pleas - or nearly so - for his firing), and, like Lovie, for being the second African American coach to make The Show AND for being one of 2 in history to coach the Superbowl at the same time. My heart is absolutely bleeding.

And finally I am releived for Payton Manning. What do I hear every damn Monday morning from the two Neanderthals on Sports Center? How Manning is a good QB, but not great, as he can never follow-through and "win the important games." Here he finally is, on the way to the Superbowl. Manning is such an honest guy, who so easily makes light of himself on a zillion commercials...but it doesn't come across as staged. He's just a good, honest guy, humble to the core. I like to see Nice Guys win.

So now for the Superbowl. I predict a barn-burner this year. Two teams are playing each other who are not used to easy wins. They work, and work hard, every game to win. The coaches are comparable. I think there is a difference in QB; Manning, in my mind, is the better of the two. But Grossman is surrounded by talent and the Chicago Defense is a monster. Every single tackle, you see them trying to strip the ball. 10 times out of 100, it works...but they do it every tackle. That's coaching and discipline.

But Manning and his Offense won't be cowed by a solid defense, as we saw yesterday. Even after an entire half of mistakes, they hung in and came back for the win.

I am really looking forward to the game this year. And for the record, if every it matters in the history of the Universe, I say Bears by 3.