WhistlinDixie

NFL Draft 2005 – Day 1

Day one is in the books. As many analysts have stated, not much has gone on that wasn’t expected. No big trades, Eli Manning-esque episodes, or large fights (err, wait, these weren’t the Vibe Awards). Only four things that I can see as really noteworthy: quarterback Aaron Rodgers of Cal dropped all the way to the 24th pick and went to the Packers; Ohio State place kicker Mike Nugent went to the Jets with the 47th pick; Ohio State safety Dustin Fox went to Minnesota at the 80th pick; and former OSU tailback Maurice Clarett was actually drafted in the first day, going at the 101st pick to Denver. Personally, I expected Clarett to go in the sixth or seventh round, or even go undrafted. I never imagined that he would go in the third round, even if it was the last pick of the day. A lot of people were surprised by this move by the Broncos. The only plausible explanation that I have found is that the Broncos didn’t think that he would be available by the time their next pick came up, so they picked him just in case. Oh well, I hope that I never have to taint my blog with that loser’s name again.

Of Dynasties, Football

By now I’m sure that all of you have probably heard the outcome of Super Bowl XXXIX. Everyone is going around, proclaiming the New England Patriots the newest dynasty in football. I beg to differ.

Have we all forgotten the Dallas Cowboys of the early 90s? They were a true dynasty. In consecutive Super Bowls, they easily defeated the Bills. The next year, they lost in the NFC championship game to the San Francisco 49ers, the eventual Super Bowl champs. The following year, they returned to the Super Bowl again, easily handling the Pittsburgh Steelers.

By now, you’re probably thinking, so, they both won three Super Bowls in four years, so why are the Patriots so illegitimate? I say because they barely made it to the Super Bowl their first two times, winning both on last second field goals by Adam Vinatieri. Meanwhile, the Boys beat the Buffalo Bills 52-17 and 30-13 in Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII. The next year they lost 38-28 in the NFC championship game to eventual Super Bowl champs the San Francisco 49ers. In their off year, the Pats didn’t even make it to the post-season. The following year, the Boys won the Super Bowl 27-17 over the Steelers.

During the early 90s, no one wanted to have the Cowboys on their schedule. This is because they were a dynasty. On the other hand, while New England has been seen as a threat, they routinely get by with the skin of their teeth, and they even lost to the lowly Miami Dolphins this year. And by the way, that was with their normal starters in, not the rest everybody attitude that the Eagles took at the end.

Super Bowl XXXIX

Final Score:
New England Patriots: 24
Philadelphia Eagles: 21

Really the game wasn’t that bad. However, I think that the commercials made a great rebound after the last few years of mediocrity. I think the best was the guy with the cat and the knife. (Dead cat, anyone?)

For my take on the Patriots and their new age "dynasty", check out my blog.