momluvsfootball

Wishing everyone a happy holiday season.  Whether you're observing Hanukkah, celebrating Christmas, participating in Kwanzaa, or observing the Yule.  May your days be bright, your nights peaceful.  May you have the love of friends and family surround you.

Happy Hanukkah
Merry Yule
Merry Christmas
a Prosperous Kwanzaa

From my family to yours...with luv ... Happy Holidays ...

Recently on this site, Will Brinson decided to devote some time to chastising Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for an evening out earlier in the week at a Dallas dueling piano bar with some of his linemen.  Now Will has given equal ... ummm... opportunity to say...to Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers.  Yes, Will actually did a bed check on the young quarterback.  Like many others, I just shook my head and said "this is reporting?". 

However, Will uses these "incidents" to site whether or not there would be distractions.  Well, it's possible, but...

Bear with me while I recount somethings... 

After the loss to Cleveland in 2009, then Steelers wide receive Santonio Holmes had tweeted how he was heading to Florida for the weekend. Steelers Wide Receiver Hines Ward posted how he had to get away and was planning on spending time that weekend with his child.  In both instances Steelers fans were quick to lash out at the two saying they should be practicing.  My thought process was, let them decompress, let them come back fresh.  That next Sunday was probably one of the most exciting games that we witnessed from the Steelers that season.  It was..ahem...against the Green Bay Packers.  Remember that game Will?  800 plus yds combined and over 70 points put up on the board?  Despite the fans believing that the weekend down time would provide a distraction, it didn't. 

Fast forward a year and several weeks later, pictures surface of Ben Roethlisberger and some linemen in a piano bar singing Karaoke with stories about how he bought the bar a round.  Not the patrons in a roped off VIP section, but the bar.  It must have really sucked to have to report that he was singing Karaoke in a dueling piano bar and not "making it rain" at some strip club.  It must have sucked even more to have to report that nothing occurred.  What sucked for me was seeing the media spin the "what could have happened" angle despite already knowing that the "what could have" didn't occur.  (Ah yellow journalism at it's finest).

Still despite the stories, Will seems to like to hold on that this night out could create a distraction for the Steelers the day of the Superbowl.  And had they literally had to carry Ben out of the bar where he'd have a hangover that lasted oh...from Wednesday morning to Sunday...then yeah, you may say it could.  Had we had pictures of Ben out on the town on Wednesday night and Thursday night, then yeah it could be a distraction.  However, I can point to why Will is rather off base with this one. 

- It's not unknown for Ben to go out with his linemen on a night during the week.  This has been reported in the Pittsburgh papers, so it's common knowledge (and not an excuse that Ben's making up).  It didn't seem to be a distraction for them during the regular season.  Remember they are in the Superbowl and not sitting at home. 

- There were no reports of any of the players seeming to be a little "off" in practice the next day.  If one night out was going to have an effect it would have been noticable the next day...and would have been reported on, yet where were the reports. 

- The argument of "well it's the big game and they need to do things differently" doesn't hold water.  We've seen what happens to teams that change up the way they do something because "it's" the big game.  Often times, it's not pretty. 

- Apparently, for as much as people seem interested in following Ben from bar to bar to...oh wait, it was only one bar...they seemed to have forgotten that the Steelers as a team was playing the season not to get to the Superbowl but to win the Superbowl.  LaMarr Woodley even stated that it was more important then his negotiations for a new contract. 

- Did I mention that there have been no reports of the team looking a bit "off" in practice (unlike all the reports coming out of Camp Cupcake in 09?). 

However, here is my biggest issue with this type of reporting...taking information and pictures from a site that looks to get beaver shots of Paris Hilton and Lyndsey Lohan and trying to create a story from it.

In the days after the alleged rape in GA, the media stormed that small college town.  Everything had been reported from the shirt that Roethlisberger wore, to the tag the victim wore.  The media had looked at every angle.  In the end, in a press conference with the DA, the DA sited that the victim sent a letter asking for the charges to be dropped and stated the attention that it would draw in the press as one of the reasons she didn't want to press charges.  Given all the attention in the press all season long and the reminders of what happened, you know I don't blame her. 

Yet while some in the media would like to use this as a platform to "get justice" for the victim.  Remember, the media is just as responsible for the victim not wanting to go forward and seeking justice, as was any "suggested influence" from law enforcement officials in GA.  In other words, quit feeling like justice wasn't served when they're part of the reason it wasn't.   And if they want to argue that's not what they're doing, then why do they keep bringing the incident up?

And to Will, seriously, what's next, which linebacker isn't eating their vegetables? 

AP Dateline:  September 17th, 2010, New York City, NY

New York City riot squad was called to the front of the offices of the National Football League, when it was reported that a bunch of angry women were circling the sidewalk, yelling and making cat calls.  After a few moments, police left the scene without incident and it was reported that a female officer was seen running into the liquor store and returning to the scene with a bottle of champagne. 

When asked why the women were protesting, the organizer Mary Jones stated “protesting hell, we’re celebrating that Clinton Portis opted to become a professional football player and not a gynecologist.” 

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Podunk Iowa, September 17th, 2010

Edna Brown was one of twenty women from the St,. Agnes Retirement Home who arrived at the Podunk Chronicle looking to apply for the position of sports reporter.  When asked what her qualifications were and why she wanted the position, a 75 year old Edna Brown told the editor “oh, I have no qualifications.  You see, since Herb had his bypass surgery, he can no longer take Viagra and well, I understand that in those locker rooms there are 53 men for the picking”.  Of the other 19 applicants, none were under the age of 70 with the oldest being 90. 

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It seems the controversy over the NFL and women in the locker rooms had a positive effect for the WNBA.  While attendance at the games remained low, press coverage was at a record high tonight.  When asked why all the sudden interest in the team, a spokesperson said “oh I don’t think there’s an increased interest.  With all the fuss over in the NFL, it finally dawned on them that they can enter a woman’s locker room too.  Only took them 30 years to figure that one out”.

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Having reported on the local sports scene for a month now, Jonathon was disappointed that he had yet to see a woman athlete in the state of undressed during the locker room interview.  All that would change the night he covered the St. Agnes’s game.  The next day it was reported that they found him huddled in a corner staring at the ceiling in horror, mumbling “be careful what you wish for”.  While it wasn’t the sight of a naked 75 year old Edna that had done it, the scene of her standing in front of him, shaking all she had asking him if he wanted some of this pushed him over the edge.

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Celia’s appeal to her audience was neither her brains nor her reporting ability.  When her station told her she would be covering a charity game between the Bears and the Rams, she was excited because here was her chance to make it to national television.  After arriving at the site, she was disappointed that the two teams weren’t the famed NFL teams but from an off-shoot regional league.  Prepared to make the best of it, she decided to do it up with the charm and appeal on camera.  Unfortunately, the man she was interviewing didn’t respond the way she had hoped.  By the third interview, and her frustration growing because she wasn’t invoking the response, she angrily asked the player in front of her…“what’s wrong with you all, are you all gay?”  The player responded “why yes honey, we are, good to see you finally figured that out”.

-

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The young rookie linebacker from USC thought he was going to be so cool and cute while being interviewed in the buff by the seasoned female reporter in front of him.  When he asked what she thought of his package, without blinking an eye she told him “unless it is able to sack a quarterback, deflect a ball from a wide receiver, I doubt my readers would be interested in it”. 

Note:  To my knowledge none of this is true...but you know, the celebration in front of NFL headquarters might be fun.

There's a popular belief that while women are allowed in men's locker rooms, men aren't allowed in women's locker rooms.  It exists in the public, it exists on message boards, and sadly...as shown by ESPN's Mike Golic on Mike and Mike in the morning.  When Golic responded to a question as to why men aren't allowed in the women's locker, he stated he didn't know, they just aren't.  Perhaps the inaccurate response may be the result of...ummm..lack of coverage in women's sports and the news process after that.

Please...rest assured, there is no double standard when it comes to women locker rooms.  The court ruling that granted a woman access to the Yankee’s clubhouse in 1978 and the subsequent changes that came in to place by the mid-80s by major sports organizations, also took away any barrier that existed in keeping male reporters out of women’s locker rooms.  No double standards here.  Women are aware that we can’t have our cake and eat it too. 

Indeed, male reporters are allowed in to women’s locker rooms during the mandated press period.  There’s a belief that while this is true, that it’s only after women are showered and dressed.  Incorrect.  Consider this, the NFL opens up the doors to the locker room after a 10 minute cooling down period.  Now I invite you to venture over to the Sparks website and check out their media policy.  Easy enough to be found, however, I’ll make it easy on you.


"Pre and Post Game Interviews
In accordance with WNBA policy, the Sparks and the visitors’ locker rooms will be open to members of the media for 30 minutes ending 1 hour before the start of the game (e.g., media access shall be granted from 5:30–6:00 P.M. for a 7:00pm game). Locker rooms are re-opened to the media after the game following a 10-minute cooling down period and will remain open for 30 minutes. Players and coaches are available for inter views at those times. Only working members of the press with valid credentials will be admitted to the locker rooms. Absolutely no autographs are allowed during media access."

Sparks Website

Think about it, the same time frame as to when the doors open for the NFL, also applies to the women.  No special advantage here, except maybe the time it takes to get out of the gear.  Still, ten minutes isn’t much time to go through the after game overview with the team, get showered and dressed.  If female reporters are allowed to enter during this time period, then the WNBA cannot keep male reporters out. 

Simple question here.  If you have a daughter, wouldn’t you want her to have every opportunity available to excel and succeed in her chosen career?  Careful gentlemen on how you answer this question.  Answer it one way, you’re a feminist, another, someone may consider you a knuckle dragging Neanderthal.  But seriously, wouldn’t you want every opportunity for your daughter to succeed in her chosen career field?

I’m going to keep this personal and try to hit at your heart strings here.  Here’s your daughter, who, grew up watching Sunday football with you trying to make it in the world of sports reporting.  Here’s your daughter who you taught how to throw a softball, hold a bat, kick a soccer ball, wanting to make a name for herself in her chosen profession.  Here’s your daughter, who received a college scholarship for volleyball, now stuck doing high school football stories while her male co-worker advances on to bigger and better things, all because he was able to have access to big name sources (players) to provide quotes and substance for their articles.  Your daughter, unfortunately, was not allowed the same access based on her gender. 

The argument over women in the locker rooms isn’t new.   In fact, during the 1977 World Series, Sports Illustrated reporter Melissa Ludtke had been denied access by then Major League Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn.  Sports Illustrated Time, Inc., filed suit and in 1978, the District Court of New York ruled that female reporters should be granted equal access to the Yankee's club house.   By the mid-eighties, the NFL, NHL, NBA and MLB adopted policies that had brought them in compliance with the Federal ruling  (1) and gender exclusion from locker rooms were removed.

Look, I understand the question as to why should women be allowed in the locker room in the first place.  The excuses (and yes, they’re excuses) as to why they shouldn’t be allowed, which range from the issue of privacy to “it’s a man’s sport and women don’t know men’s sports”.  Here’s a question, think Jennifer Allen, daughter of former NFL coach George Allen, doesn’t know anything about football?  If it truly is a man’s sport, then why are there women in the stands on game days? 

While some are quick to point out that there are women’s sports that women can cover, this is true, however, as SI columnist Ann Killion points out, that there is nothing comparable in the venue of women’s sports (2).  “There is simply no female equivalent to professional men's sports. There is no billion-dollar female sports league that fuels millions of jobs, the way the men's professional leagues do.”

“But what about a players right to privacy”…yes, I know this is a question that’s been asked as every sports columnist and analyst around the country has expressed their opinions over the latest outrage of the Jets-Sainz issue.  “There are naked men walking around the locker room during this time and the players have the right to privacy”.  While I’ll address the privacy issue later on in this series, I’d like to point out about making an argument on privacy and naked men in a room filled with television cameras and photo-journalists may leave some folks scratching their heads (including me) about the logic to this question. 

The thing is, that since the 1980’s, women reporters have and will continue to have access to the men’s locker rooms at the same time their male counterparts have (just as men have access to women’s locker rooms). There's said to be an advantage that a reporter may never have if they didn't have access to the players at the end of a game.   One specific question, or one specific quote could allow a reporter to submit for print or airing something different then what every other reporter may be turning in at deadline.  As Ms. Killion points out, women in men’s locker rooms are now an every day occurrence.  In other words, if you see a gaggle of male reporters, your likely to find a female reporter in their midst.  And while the incident involving Ms. Sainz seems to be a new issue, it isn’t.  And while many want to blame it on the political correctness of today’s NFL, it goes back further then some of the young folks may think. 

So…how about them women in the locker room?

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(1) Women Reports in the Men's Locker Room , Womens Sports Foundation, www.womenssportsfoundation.org.

(2) Athletes behaving like Boorish Frat Boys is a Tired Act , Ann Killion, Sports Illustrated, 9/14/10

Early this morning, a friend of mine, that I’ll call T, popped up on my instant messenger.  Now I had became acquainted with T when he emailed me to comment on one of my CBS Sports blogs from several years ago.  So it wasn’t a surprise with how the conversation went.  

T:  So what do you think about what’s going on with the Jets?

Me: They have no offense

T:  No not that.

Me:  Rex Ryan looked like he had eaten rotten crow at his press conference?

T:  No, no, not that

Me: Look T, I can’t read my families minds and I live with them, what makes you think I know what you’re talking about, especially since there’s a lot going on with them right now.

T:  About the woman reporter, I‘m sure you have some thoughts about it

Me: Oh, okay…I don’t know just yet.  I haven’t looked at it too closely

T:  You’re going to blog about it, right?  It’s perfect for you

Me:  Why, because you believe I have this fantasy of being in a locker room with 52 naked men?..puh leeze

T:  Well, there is that.  No, remember that series you did on sex?

Me:  Yeah but that was because Gregg Doyel had to write about Danica Patrick and the SI Swimsuit edition.  Doyel’s been rather quiet on this one, and so has Freeman

T:  Honestly D, it’s right up your alley

Me:  Let me think about it.

T:  So D, what if it were you who had gotten the cat calls?

Me:  I’d probably turn around, smile sweetly, thank them and comment if I was able to illicit that kind of response, I could only imagine what kind of welcome John Madden might get.

(Thank you T for agreeing to let me use this btw)

The investigation by the NFL into allegations of  conduct inside the Jets locker room by players.  Apparently,  Ines Sainz of Mexico TV Azteca had tweeted about being made to feel uncomfortable while waiting to interview Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez. 

While the internet is buzzing with talk about this, it has once again brought to the surface of a debate that’s been raging for decades.  How much access to players should women sports journalists be allowed?  There’s an added twist to this debate now, how much access should any journalist be allowed to sports figures?

T was right in mentioning the Sex, Sexuality and Sports series that I wrote a couple years ago on CBS Sports.  In a way, as Clinton Portis was quick to point out (and apologize later), it’s kind of a natural thought process when seeing someone of the opposite sex to believe that thoughts of a sexual nature wouldn’t cross someone’s mind.  However, the issue goes beyond the sexuality and goes into professionalism. 

For some reason I have a feeling that this is going to turn into as an extensive project as the SSS did.  Okay T, I see the challenge, I’m up for it…

Stay tuned….

There I was, it was a perfect early morning.  Everyone in the house was asleep and when I woke up, even the cats were somewhere dozing peacefully and for awhile, all was right with world.  Coffee was brewing and the scent filled the house, with a wonderful smell.  As I sat at the computer, an infomercial droned in the background, more for noise then anything else.  With no interruptions, no cats climbing across the keyboard or jumping up and trying to grab my arm, I set about my morning routine on the computer.  There was no indication that things were about to go horribly awry. 

The source was innocent enough, a site that I had requested to receive periodic updates through email.  As I read through it, I felt my eye twitch and my hand begin to shake.  I let go of the mouse as if it sent some electric charge through the wireless object into my hand, and without realizing it, I let out a loud no, more of a sorrowful moan then a coherent word.  And, as surreal as a Salvador Dali painting time stood still as I read over and over again…”sign up now for Food Network’s Fantasy Iron Chef Challenge”…

Waking up in a cold sweat, with my heart thumping hard in my chest, as one of my cats was walking all over me (I’m guessing I cried out in my sleep), I realized it was only a dream.  A nightmare that was born from some dark recess in my subconscious.  A psychologist somewhere may attribute it to post traumatic stress disorder, me, I’ll blame it on the baked beans that I had for dinner.  And as I became fully awake, I sat for a moment pondering, which was more bizarre, this dream of the opportunity to choose Bobby Flay to lead my fantasy team, or the one where I was Mrs. Potato Head, recreating that commercial where she looses her lips (that one was brought on by a meat lovers pizza).

Okay, honestly, how can fantasy sports not invade my subconscious? Go to any sports site at anytime and you’ll see something about a fantasy draft or line ups, whether it’s football, basketball, hockey, etc.  Rumor had it, there was even a competition for a fantasy curling team during the Olympics.  And for professional football, with nothing else to really discuss except free agency, the draft and which quarterback was better (Manning or Brady), in a way, it’s logical for some to start looking at next seasons fantasy football draft, after all, there’s not much else to do until mini-camps begin and seriously, unless you’re a Saints fan, how often can you sit and watch SB XLIV highlights anyway.

Yet, somehow, I still scratch my head at the idea of fantasy football.  It could be that, after actually having tried it for a season, I was a complete failure (trust me, the Rams did better then I did, despite having Drew Brees as my quarterback).   Maybe because it’s completely stats driven, from the draft through the season and in a sense fails to take into account the intangibles.  I mean, who’d have thought that there would be a game where Brees would rely on a running game and not put up stellar numbers for that week?  And really, wasn’t Steve Slaton suppose to be one of last years fantasy stud at running back, yet it was Matt Schaub who surprised everyone in the position of quarterback. 

I guess that’s where my issue comes in.  Is it black and white, in regards to the stats alone when drafting?  Certainly the analysis based off of the previous years performance is hit or miss.  Example would be the 2008 fantasy football draft.  Given stats alone, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was considered a hot pickup for his 32 touchdowns with 11 interceptions by the end of the 2007 season.  Yet, even a homer like myself wouldn’t have drafted him as my quarterback in 08 given the defenses the Steelers offense was going to face.  However, given his 08 statistics, he turned out to be (for most)  a surprise by the end of the 09 season, having passed for over 4000 yds.  (Yeah, I’m still kicking myself for actually trading him as my backup in exchange for a wide receiver).  So going ito 2010, it may seem that the Steelers franchise quarterback would be a hot pick, however, gut instincts tell me that Ben’s numbers will go down as we see the Steelers go back to a more balanced offense.  Not saying that he’ll be a fantasy bust, after all, Miss Cleo says that the Steelers offense will fire fast and hard until the 3d quarter and then go back to ball control to grind out the clock.  Okay, I actually didn’t consult Miss Cleo on this, but from what Steelers President, Art Rooney III said at the end of the season about making the running game important again kind of leads me to believe this. 

If it were all black and white, then of course I’d look at picking up Big Ben as my quarterback for next season.  Then again, black and white would tell me not to take Roethlisberger as my fantasy team quarterback.  Let’s face it, the scenario with Roethlisberger has too many shades of gray, I mean, an offense where the QB threw for 4000 yards with 2 1000 yards receivers and add a 1000 yard running back to boot by the end of the season.  And yes, if you’re wondering, I traded away Rashard Mendenhall early last season too.

It’s no secret this coming seasons hot commodity is Tennessee Titans Chris Johnson, yet given Vince Youngs improvement last season, it’s very possible that we can see CJ have a season like the Vikings Adrian Peterson did last year.  Not saying that Peterson had a bad year, after all he did run for over 1300 yards, but with the Vikings having a quarterback that was actually able to get the ball to his wide receivers, AP’s numbers did drop from the year before (In 2008, Peterson ran for over 1700 yards).  I know, 400 yards less then the year before doesn’t seem like much but it does mean a lot in FFB.  I’d be more apt to pickup whoever the Jets were starting, or go with Cardinals Beanie Wells because I see Mark Sanchez improving and Matt Leinart being better then what is being projected.  Of course, I do that and my luck, the quarterback becomes a fantasy stud and my running back, a fantasy dud.

Now I’m not saying that there aren’t some sure things in fantasy football.  Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Phillip Rivers and, yes, even the Cowboys Tony Romo have consistently been sure things.  However, the one thing I’ve learned is, that like regular football, in fantasy football one player doesn’t make a team (otherwise I’d have won the trophy last season with Brees as my quarterback).  And that for me, somehow trying to incorporate the intangibles into a game based on stats wasn’t the wisest move.  Yet, as much as I’m still trying to wrap my brain around the whole concept and have publicly sworn off of FFB (I just can’t bear to see my team die the slow death that it did last season), I understand the addiction.

Yes, I understand the addiction well.  Because that nightmare I had mentioned earlier was more of a response to a small itch that surfaced at the talk of keeper leagues.  Somewhere, in the deep, dark corners of my mind a little voice is going..come on Denise, give it one more try…you know you want to see if you can do better then last season…you know you had some fun with it…prove to them you’re not a loser.  Logic would tell me that another season of fantasy football for me would be like betting on the 2008 Steelers to beat the spread.  I’ll just remember that I’m old school.  That football is as much about the intangibles, as it is about the stats.  And to that little voice that is attempting to seduce me to give it one more try, to you I’ll say….get thee behind me satan…or quote Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth, with “out, out, damn spot”.  And if that fails…well….I’ll just commit myself to a 12 step program for fantasy football addicts anonymous and focus on the cookies.

I do leave this with one word of advice…if someone tells you, you can win with Drew Brees alone on your team, don’t believe them, I proved that theory wrong.

Yesterday, the Saints did come marching in.  Through New Orleans, in a Superbowl celebration when the football team brought the Lombardi trophy to a town that, until this year, had yet to see it enshrined there.  Not seen were the once famous paper bags, now put away forever, along with the nickname the “Aint’s”.  Mardi Gras came early for the city that started it’s celebration Sunday night on Bourbon Street and continued on through the next day.  Across the country, Saints fans were jubilant.  On Facebook, a picture of  Jimmy Buffet was posted, posing with the Lombardi and author Anne Rice wrote how she was wishing that she, too, was there amongst the other fans.  No doubt, there were a lot of folks who once called New Orleans home, were having the same feelings, wanting to be there, to join the celebration.  I understand that desire, all too well. 

On the flip side, fans of the Indianapolis Colts will still be feeling the sting of having watched their team get to and fall short of bringing the trophy back to Indianapolis.  Hopes dashed and expectations, built on the hype of the possibility of their quarterback being crowned the greatest ever, fell oh so short.  It would be a bitter pill whose taste will linger for a little while, at least until next season.  I’m still remembering the taste of that pill from Superbowl XXX, which had been served, ironically, the same way that this years Colts received theirs. 

As for me, I was a neutral observer.  When asked who I picked to win the Superbowl, my response was for the Colts, of course.  Not because they were an AFC team, not because it was a chance for a quarterback to cement his legacy (let’s face it, Manning with all his records cemented it when he won his first trophy). For me, I was pulling for the Colts for the sake of maintaining harmony in the household.  After all, with my husband being a Colts fan, it’s an unspoken rule that we pull for the others team when ours aren’t in it just so things don’t end up flying at each others head.  Not to say, I wouldn’t have been happy for a Saints win, just that well, you know, you want your spouse to be happy, right?

Amazingly though, Superbowl 44 became a growing and learning process for me.  No, I gave up brooding about the Steelers not being the ones in the game back in the 80’s.  My disappointment ended a week after they were eliminated and the playoffs began.  Nope, that wasn’t what I learned. 

1)    I learned that I could be very empathetic.  When it was apparent that the Saints won, I didn’t take the opportunity to remind my husband that the Steelers had two Superbowl rings under Ben, to Manning’s 1. Instead, I just went to sleep, knowing that my husband went online to vent. 

2)    My husband took the loss a hell of a lot better then I did in Superbowl 30.  I remember ranting through the house about O’Donnell somehow thinking that Larry Brown was a Steelers receiver, not just at the time, but for days.  Since Peyton’s interception, not one word has been mentioned about it. 

3)    I found another reason to be very proud of my daughter.  At 21, my daughter professes no desire to watch football, though she does from time to time ask about a game.  Last year, she told me she was pulling for the Cardinals to win, because of Arizona being the underdogs and their history.  This year, on her way back to school, she advised me she was pulling for the Saints.  Having professed that day she was not interested in watching the Superbowl, it caught me by surprise when she called home to say “that was a pretty interception, wasn’t it”.  No, the pride didn’t come from her actually watching the game, but her learning how to rub it in when the team she pulls for wins.  Even my husband couldn’t help but smile at that.

While the number 44 happened to be a magical number for the New Orlean Saints, their winning the Superbowl brought to home one sad fact.  It officially ended the season and everything is now just a memory.  Though Saints fans will continue to celebrate the victory and watch and rewatch game highlights and Colts fans will turn the channel when game highlights are shown again for the 20,000th time.  The rest of us will still be complaining about the stupid decision to have the Pro Bowl right before the Superbowl and we’ll be looking at who was let go and picked up in free agency and why it was a stupid (or great) move.  Several fans have already started their mock draft and developing their own “war rooms”.  We’ll be anxiously waiting the Combine and draft day, then mini camps and try to get our fix through stations like NFL Network and ESPN until pre-season. 

As for me and mine, well, once again, our garage needs to be reorganized. 

Enjoy Saints fan, you deserve it (now burn those paperbags)…and for the rest of us, here’s to next season.