I don’t often feel sorry for pro football players. I don’t think it’s too much of a stereotype to state that a disproportionate number of them over the years have proven to be bores, asses and chuckleheads. (I make this claim through recollection of Dan Jenkins’ 1977 novel Semi-Tough, recollection of prominent jerks on my favorite childhood team, and, of course, recent events.) That said, I was saddened by this evening’s news that Bears safety Mike Brown’s season, and likely his playing career, ended in yesterday’s season opener. It was the third time his season has ended early due to an injury. By all accounts, Brown has been a great teammate, acting as a quasi-coach during last year’s Super Bowl run, and rehabbed diligently. Teammate Dusty Dvoracek, who also missed last year, is also out for the year. Go Cubs.
UPDATE: In the context of other NFL news from Sunday, Brown’s fate is not that bad.
This morning I had my annual struggle to avoid parking myself on the couch all day for the NFL draft. Today I was able to tear myself away after 90 minutes in order to see the sun for the first time in a week. Luckily, Real Football 365’s Tom Sorrell blogged the first round. MST3K style, his coverage of Brady Quinn’s travails, an Anthony Michael Hall reference and the unexplained popularity of the White Sox caps (”What is this, 1995?”) topped Kiper, Berman and the rest of the crew at ESPN. Among Sorrell’s highlights:
12:36
Mel Kiper just about had a heart attack that Brady Quinn is still on the board. Brady, on the other hand, just looks to be happy to have a blond girl who looks like a 17-year-old Christina Aguilera on his lap.
3:13
Green Bay selects Justin Harrell, the defensive tackle from Tennessee, who is actually being booed by a bunch of little kids in Green Bay, one of whom seemed to be holding a can of beer. Welcome to Milwaukee, Justin.
4:05
The Jags take Reggie Nelson from Florida, who is a fantastic player. I really like this kid.
In other news, Troy Smith just dove behind his couch.
More seriously, I wasn’t too excited by the Bears’ selection of a TE with their first pick, but I applaud the trade with San Diego that garnered several more picks. Still, I’ll miss Thomas Jones.
Chicago loves its sports teams and in today’s Tribune David Haugh makes the case that nothing captures the city’s imagination than a great Bears team. Alas, the only way Lovie’s boys will eclipse the 85 team is if they run the table and go, dare I say it, 19-0. Chet Coppock has the best line in Haugh’s piece when he says the 2006 team “will never put the side headlock on Madison Avenue or Michigan Avenue the way the ‘85 Bears did, so help me George Halas…The roar of Papa Bear, the cutting edge of Ditka, ‘Sweetness,’ ‘Hamp,’ ‘Mongo,’ ‘Silky D,’ and an offensive line that would’ve made Hulk Hogan leap over the top rope made ‘85 a year that will not be repeated. This current club has people excited but not galvanized.” Chester continued the theme on his show this morning, noting that this team “hasn’t opened themselves up as characters” the way the “mythical” 85 team did. Meanwhile, Rick Telander’s Friday column reports on an aborted locker room interview with new Bear superstar Tommie Harris and concludes that this Gen Y team has some growing to do before it fully wins our hearts:
It wasn’t even 1 o’clock and the NFL-mandated 45-minute media session wasn’t over yet, but Kreutz was swiftly joined by many of his teammates, who screamed at the top of their lungs, made fire-alarm noises, siren noises, animal noises and bellowed for the media to get out right now, many with threatening gestures…Others pointed and smirked and turned on the few remaining media members the way a gang of bullies would turn on handicapped kids with lunch money in their pockets.
It was an amazing, frightening transformation. The air of physical harm loomed….Tight end John Gilmore glared and angrily screamed, ”GET OUT OF HERE!”…We humans equate winning with immortality, triumph with virtue….Good luck, Tommie Harris. Hope you and your buddies can learn how to be men.
Finally, Brad Biggs compares the marketing prowess of the two teams:
There’s a big difference between players today and the ones from two decades ago — and it involves an extra comma in the paychecks. Salaries have skyrocketed, and athletes today don’t need the supplementary income as much. Still, it’s not bad to have, and a lot of the work is done on their day off Tuesday….’”Our dear beloved coach had the greatest saying of all time,” Hampton said. ”’To the victor go the spoils.”’
Of course, comparing the two teams is unfair: 1985 was a different media era: Tomorrow night’s Bears-Cardinals game is unlikely to come anywhere close to the 30 rating/46 share that the 1985 Bears-Dolphins game earned (the highest rated game in MNF history) . Indeed few programs other than the Super Bowl will ever come close to drawing 30% of American homes– last week Patch AdamsGrey’s Anatomy topped the Nielsens with a 15 rating.
Second, as good as a job as he’s doing, Lovie Smith is no Mike Ditka. (Viewing this video, maybe that’s a good thing.)
Third, though this team may turn out to be a better team (!?), they will never pull off anything like this.
Whatever happened to that promised Steve Albini-produced reunion album?
