A Man On Fire

We were watching the pre-game show on ESPN last night. (What's happened to Jacked-up anyway?) The hosts were talking about some guy from the Redskins who'd made hostile remarks about the way the Patriots had won the game. Most of his blather included words like, "Disrespect," and "Classless." We've heard this rhetoric before, from every other team who's lost to the Pats. My husband, trying to take the high road, commented that he was worried about other teams taking that attitude with us (I say 'us' like we're on the team, lol!). "It's demoralizing," he said, "when a team runs up the score like that on you." Now, knowing that my husband played for a very well respected high school team that has sent many players on to the NFL and had more than 1 winning steak of 70+ games, and recalling a few of the things he'd told me about his coach, I couldn't remain silent. "Is that what your coach taught you? To take a knee when you get too far ahead? To just stop playing the game because it might hurt the other teams' players' feelings if you score too many points? They get paid to win, not worry about the other teams' feelings!" I was pissed. Still am, I guess. (Not at my husband! At the Redskins player who was complaining.) They remind me of a bunch of whiny babies. Poor widdle pwayers might cwy if you score too many points! Waaahh!

I knew the point my husband was getting at. I knew he was trying to remain non-committal, fair, not wanting to appear as a "the Patriots can do no wrong!" kind of fan. He knows they're just men; human, fallible, prone to mistakes. Plus, I think he has a fear of some player willing to take the punishment for taking Brady out with some kind of devastating injury. His fear's not unfounded, it's happened before - as any Bears fan will remember happening to Jim McMahon by Charles Martin. I know there are other such incidents as well. There are even rumors of coaches bribing some of their players to "take out" players from opposing teams. "Hit lists" are not unheard of in the NFL.

Then Keyshawn Johnson and Bill Parcels spoke, and pretty much said the same thing I had. Tom Jackson "mostly" agreed as well. I smiled, feeling vindicated. Then Steve Young opened his mouth. I was speechless listening to him talk about how wrong it was for teams to run up the score on other teams. Steve Young? From the powerhouse era of the 49ers? The same Steve Young who made many passes to the greatest wide receiver in history, Jerry Rice? Jerry Rice didn't get nearly 200 touchdowns just for the hell of it! If he caught the ball, he was heading toward the end zone, period. Points, baby, rack 'em up!

My husband, who is far more eloquent than I, was not speechless. He'd been a fan of those 49ers, he'd done the Snoopy happy dance on more than one occasion when those same 49ers had run up the score on countless teams. And to hear one of the QB's from that team talk about how wrong it was for the Pats to run up the score made his blood boil. That did it. He ranted and raved, angry about the hypocrisy coming out of Young's mouth. Still boiling, he decided to vent about it on his blogs. You can read his eloquence here and here. (same post, different sites.)

So tell me, fans of the other 31 teams, that you never want to see your team run up the score on an opponent, or celebrate a victory. If you do, I'll know you're lying. I lived in Chicagoland during the era of the '85 Bears, and every fan knew the Superbowl shuffle - it was played endlessly on the radio, they sold countless records and videos, fans were learning the "Shuffle." I saw the fans celebrate the Superbowl defeat of the Patriots by the widest margin in Superbowl history at that time. How many fans mimicked the "Dirty Bird" dance of the Superbowl bound Atlanta Falcons? How many copied the Chargers' "Light's Out!" dance whenever Merriman made a sack? There are so many celebratory dances and jigs that it's impossible to count - EVERY team has had one at one time or another, but if the Patriots do it, why then it's classless. If your team runs up the score, you stomp and cheer. If the Patriots do it, they're disrespectful and classless. No one called the '72 Dolphins disrespectful and classless. No one called the 15-1 '85 Bears disrespectful and classless. No one called the '04 15-1 Steelers disrespectful and classless. Yet the Pats haven't even gone 9-0 and people are calling them disrespectful and classless.

Tell Tony Romo he can't have a banner year. Tell Brett Favre he can't break any more records. Tell Peyton Manning he can't break any more records either. No more touchdowns for T.O.! Whoops! No more touchdown for L.T.! No more sacks for Trent Cole! No more interceptions for Sean Taylor! No one in their right mind would think of saying such things. But somehow, it's okay for people to say the Pats shouldn't win any more games, or score any more points, that Brady can't have a banner year.

I remember the days when losers took it like a man, and "to the victor goes the spoils."

Now, the winners aren't allowed to feel pride in their accomplishment or celebrate their victories. And the losers whine and cry about how disrespectful, classless, and unfair the winners are. And you think this is better somehow? What is this, "outcome-based" football?

Hmm. I remember a different tune when the shoe was on your foot.