Don't Let Curry Bring You Down . . . The NFL Ain't that Bad

Ok, so Curry is justifiably bitter about how the season ended for the Jets. And he's also right that the NFL certainly contains a lot of suckiness thanks to the ridiculous media machine that feeds us nothing but NFL for five months plus a whole month's worth of draft coverage. But, this is the first year in a long time that I've been very excited about the NFL. I mean, this season the Football Gods were particularly gracious. Righteousness has been restored to the sport.


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It started last year when the Giants somehow defeated the evil empire that was the 2007-2008 Patriots. This year, the Belicheat-led Pats were left out of the postseason despite an 11-5 record (yeah, I'm laughing). The mockery that has been the Brett Favre Show won't be polluting our TV's for at least the next six weeks (sorry, Curry). The Cowboys, who declared themselves the champions before the season began while putting a chokehold on all the bad-boy NFL talent, were drubbed by 40 on the final game of the season to fall short of the postseason. The playoffs are about as wide open as they've ever been. I mean, the 8-8 Chargers could easily go on a roll and win the Super Bowl.

Fan bases that have endured unrelenting suffering over the past few seasons have been given truly magical seasons. I mean, Miami not only made it to the playoffs after going 1-15 the season before, but they did so by beating the Favre in the last game of the season with the quarterback that was cast off when Favre decided to un-retire. The Falcons (yeah!) finally look like a legitimate NFL franchise. Even when Mike Vick was leading the team to the NFC Championship game in 2004 I was never convinced that the Falcons were really that good. I think our point differential was only +3 despite an 11-5 record. Well, this season Arthur Blank's money was put to good use as new GM Thomas Dimitroff, rookie coach Mike Smith, free agent running back Michael Turner, and, perhaps most surprisingly of all, 23 year-old quarter back Matt Ryan have come together to turn a team expected to win no more than 4 games by most pundits into a legit contender in the NFC. Needless to say, that makes us Falcons fans very happy.

And even the top teams aren't quite as unsavory as they usually are. Having recently relocated to Nashville, it has been fun to watch the Titans bruise their way to the AFC's top seed. I'm not a Steelers fan, but it's hard to hate their old-school style. The NFC is about as wide open as it gets. Even the Giants seemed to have some rather large chinks in their armor during the last few weeks.

So don't dispair. Yeah, the NFL has it's problems, but this might actually be one of the most exciting postseasons in years. Besides, I get to watch the Falcons and the Titans for (hopefully) a few more weeks, which will keep my mind off of the Braves' disasterous start to the offseason, which I may or may not feel like discussing at some point.

Hate to say I told you so

So, this blog has been dormant for far too long. I thought I would bring it back for that amazing Federer-Nadal Wimbledon final, which was the best tennis match I've ever seen. Then I thought I'd surely bring it back for the Olympics (for the Chinese gymnastics sham if for nothing else), but that didn't happen either. Then I figured I'd finally have to bring it back for the Red Bulls run to the MLS Cup Final, but that came and went while law school finals happened. Ironic, then, that I'm bringing it back for a post on the NFL, which is probably my least favorite sports league of the ones I follow. But there are a few Jets-related things on my mind that I have to get out there:

Before the season, I said that swapping Pennington for Favre was a mistake. I said Pennington would have a better season than Favre. I said that Favre would not throw more touchdowns than interceptions. Sadly, I was proven correct on all of those things.

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Sure, the grass is always greener on the other side, but the clamoring for "arm strength" by Jets fans was always idiotic (and that kind of mass fan stupidity is the kind of thing that makes me not want to bother with discussing the NFL anyone). With seven seconds to go in today's game with the Jets down by just one score, where was Favre with his vaunted arm strength? On the sidelines, with Eric Mangini preferring to put his faith in Brad Smith and some cockamamie 80 lateral design. Fat lot of good that arm strength did the Jets in the end. Pennington, meanwhile, did what he does, which is be extremely efficient, complete passes, keep the chains moving, and LEAD. The contrast between Favre's dumpy body language (see above) and Pennington's leadership throughout the season couldn't have been more stark.

And speaking of Mangini, I said the day that he was hired that he didn't have what it takes to be an NFL head coach, and he's proved me right time and time again. He makes mind boggling in-game decisions, like choosing to kick a field goal on the opening drive last week, apparently placing his faith in the Jets having a boatload of opportunities in that swirling snowstorm in Seattle. I don't think he has the slightest idea as to how to strategize. How do you entirely abandon the run in today's crucial game and instead let Favre and his useless arm throw at will, especially when you have the league's leading rusher? He just does not have the mind or demeanor to be an NFL head coach. It's as simple as that.

Will Mangini be fired? Probably not. That would be admitting a mistake in signing him, and it would feel like a defeat to the Patriots. Besides, the Jets did still go 9-7 this year, and it's difficult to fire a coach coming off of a winning season. This is conventional thinking, and it's the likely result, but that doesn't mean it's the right one. To go 1-4 down the stretch falls squarely on the coach's shoulders. The Jets might have had a winning record for the season, but they didn't when it counted. Between his overall game strategy and in-game decision making, it's not at all a stretch to argue that Mangini cost the Jets games this year, and you simply cannot keep a coach who does that.

What's next for the Jets? Who cares. The NFL sucks. I doubt I'll pay close attention to the playoffs, and I won't pay much attention to the Jets until next September, most likely. What about Favre and his yearly offseason drama? I'd like to say I want him gone, but he's better than the current alternative, which is pretty sad. Whatever. I don't care. Unless the Jets sack Mangini and do something about that defense, it won't matter who's at QB.

This is quite a lull in my sports life. We're too far away from the playoffs for me to be paying too much attention to the Devils, and this season and the next are of course already lost for the Knicks. Unfortunately Spurs don't look likely to break my sports doldrum in the near future, though hope springs eternal in the transfer window, I suppose. I'll be following with great interest the January USMNT camp, looking to see what fringe/new players get the call. This is an uncertain time for the national team. Players like Dempsey and Jozy are making strides while guys like Beasley and Adu seem to be regressing. We're going to have to start figuring out how to fire on all cylinders by the time the Confed Cup and our crazy draw in it roll around next summer. Also, there's plenty of hot stove Mets action. I think we'll do well in the remainder of free agency, as there aren't a whole lot of teams left willing to give multiyear deals to some of the remaining free agents, so it's a good market to buy. Lots of good options out there: Lowe, Perez, Garland; Orlando Hudson, Manny, Milton Bradley, Pat Burrell, Adam Dunn. Lots of good names out there. The Mets are on the edge of being a contender right now - if they add a couple of those names, I'd make them the favorites in the NL East. But that's enough for now, I suppose. I'm going to go not care about the NFL. See you guys later.