I'm pretty active on social media and although I look at Facebook and Twitter as distinctive products, they do have one similarity-they both have people that wonder what I'm thinking!So in that spirit, I'm going to try to offer/answer four (Yes, four) questions/comments on football that I've made on social media this weekend.
Keep in mind that you don't have to agree, these are just my thoughts.
Question 1) Was the Seattle pass play call
at the end of the Super Bowl that bad and what would I have done differently?
Answer: The easy answer is run with Marshawn Lynch and you cannot go wrong there, but I'll even give the Seahawks a break and offer this-a pass play was not that bad-IF...
You had done anything resembling some formation that gave you some options.
As soon as you put Russell Wilson in the shotgun without a back and three wideouts-It's a pass play unless it is Wilson up the middle.
And if it's a Wilson run up the middle-who is more likely to bull in-Wilson or Lynch?
So, assuming that your decision to not to challenge the Patriots because you think they are ready for the run, what would I have done?
I would have put Wilson under center and play actioned to Lynch and then dumped a safe pass to a tight end or outside receiver.
Safe and nothing that could be picked off, if it was incomplete, who cares? You still have two more chances from the one!
Question 2) Was this the worst play call ever?
Answer: Well, maybe.
Maybe there have been worse calls, but certainly, this was the worst call in a big game ever unless I'm just forgetting one.
Those of you out there that want to compare the Browns Red Right 88 pass play down 2 to Oakland needing a field goal to win, this blows that off the map.
Super Bowl compared to a mere playoff game and with a field goal uncertain due to cold and wind compared to perfect conditions in a dome?
Not even close.
Question 3) Tony Dungy criticized the call and he should have. I tweeted that considering his playoff record, I'm not sure his opinion is relevant.
I was then asked what my issue was with Dungy.
Answer: I don't really have one and no, long-time readers-it isn't this.
What is the case is a less than glittering playoff record by Dungy (the main reason that I am in the Anti-Dungy camp for the Hall of Fame) at 9-10, six times Dungy coached teams lost in their first playoff game, three of those at home.
Dungy does have a title for his case, but could you get an easier Super Bowl draw than a team quarterbacked by Rex Grossman?
I'm not saying Tony Dungy was a bad coach, just a somewhat overrated one, especially in big games.
Question 4) I said that I wouldn't vote to put Jerome Bettis in the Hall of Fame, compared him to Earnest Byner (long career, high yardage and carries, less than great yards per carry average) and baseball's Craig Biggio (played a long time, hit certain statistical benchmarks and was voted in despite really not being great).
Am I just a Steeler hater and not objective??
Answer: I'm a Steeler hater, but I pride myself on being objective on the merits of a player.
When Jonathan Ogden was voted in, I was all for it, despite me hating the Ravens.
It's about the merit of the player, not about the helmet or jersey they wore.
Jerome Bettis rushed for over 1,500 yards just once (in a 16 game season,1,000 yards isn't what it was in a 12 or 14 game season), never led his conference- let alone the league in rushing, finished a season with double-digit touchdowns just twice in 13 seasons and couldn't average four yards a carry in his career.
I'm not really furious about this, Longevity does count for something and the 6th leading rusher of all time did hit some numbers, so you could put him in the hall, but I'm not sure Bettis was a great back.
Here's the question-would you rather have had five out of this world seasons from Terrell Davis or 13 good not great ones from Jerome Bettis and which would you value more considering both players have marks against them?
It isn't an easy call, but I lean toward greatness, not durable goodness.
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