The two week hyped-up agony ended with a Desmond Howard kickoff return for a touchdown. Is this guy unbelievable or what? A lot of credit has to go to his blockers which made him lanes that a flatbed could drive through. From there it was all speed.
It turns out I was wrong. No running game was to be seen on either side. Instead it was a shootout until the fourth quarter. I never thought that Max Lane was that incompetent. Reggie White is a tough guy to block, but he didn't win a battle all day. He never opened a passing lane, never protected Drew for long (when Drew had time to throw, it was because he'd slide left or hook around an over-pursuant White).
Well, Patriots fans begin the wait again, though hopefully not for another eleven years. They're incredibly young and have not reached their full potential. Bledsoe, Martin, Glenn, McGinest, Law (in whose direction Favre did not pass all day), and Milloy are all within their first five years in their career.
What could be interesting is the Parcells situation in the upcoming week. Now Parcells has a year left on his contract. He does have a buyout clause but Robert Kraft, the Patriots owner, has a legitimate way of not keeping Parcells -- getting the Jets' first pick in the draft. The buyout clause was written on the premise that Parcells would retire ("This will be my last team") and not go to another team. In addition, there is quite clear tampering by the Jets. Evidence? They did not even interview one of the number of qualified Kotite replacements.
Now if they could get Orlando Pace, or trade down for a couple of young quality players, the Patriots will be able to position themselves as a perennial AFC powerhouse. Pace by himself would allow someone to shift over and replace the aforementioned Lane.
I hate John Madden. I really, really hate Madden. Can a color commentator be any more irritating and downright irrelevant? We can read -- we see him circling statistics on his telestrator. We can count-- we don't need him x-ing off how many DBs are in the game. I don't understand why he feels like he has to fill in every ounce of airspace with meaningless gibberish. "Neither team can run the ball right now," Madden blabs. If Pat Sumerall would at least assert himself instead of "You're right," Madden might shut himself up once in a while.
Madden quote of the night (of many): "Brett Favre has three knuckles in his foot." Oh really? It must be awful hard for him to run. That might explain why "he can pick up a baseball with his foot" (another stupid comment from the idiot himself). I'll conclude with a single thought that would solve all of his problems: we are not as stupid as you, John Madden.
On a totally different note, I was wondering if I was the only one who has lost all interest in tennis? Women's tennis is all about Graf and Vicario, one who is always in legal trouble, and one who says stupid comments like "grass is for cows, not tennis," or some flash in the pan fifteen year old. Men's tennis isn't any better. Watching points that last only two seconds, and at most rallies of three hits, can only hold your interest for so long. Rackets and serves have gotten too powerful. It's not like I would want them to go back to wooden rackets, but if that's what it takes, it has to be done.
