That's how media members pass the time while coaches and players involved in the Feb. 3 game finalize their ticket requests and handle travel plans to New Orleans.
All that blather, all that anything-but-the-game focus seems too much for some people.
Not for me.
Already this week we've had ...
- a he said-he said soap opera about a Super Bowl from 10 years ago, when both Tim Brown and Jerry Rice accused then-Raiders coach Bill Callahan of sabotaging the team's game plan against the Buccaneers;
- the reinstatement of New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton, two weeks sooner than many expected and enabling him to do his job evaluating talent at the Senior Bowl;
- an update on the post-career plans of just-retired tight end Tony Gonzalez;
- a hopeful (depending on who relayed it) story about failed No. 1 draft pick JaMarcus Russell hoping to rekindle his NFL career; and
- the NFL issuing a $10,000 fine to Patriots quarterback Tom Brady for his legs up slide during the AFC Championship Game.
It's a mix of stories that shows the breadth and depth of the NFL on a daily basis. With 32 teams, hundreds of current and former players and all kinds of on- and off-field stories developing at any time, the NFL drives the sports news cycle every day -- from the meaningful to the mundane.
During what remains of these two weeks, the NFL gets the kind of attention it deserves. Perhaps not because it has always earned that attention, but certainly because people want to know what's happening. They're interested in those stories and media members are doing their jobs.
Because of that, these two weeks of NFL coverage are always enjoyable -- a trip that mixes the planned and staged with the unexpected and unpredictable. This first week usually produces most of the things nobody expected. Next week, we get the paint-by-the-numbers predictability, from Media Day to Radio Row silliness and even Hall of Fame voting.
Sure, two weeks can be a long time. But it's not too much time.
No comments:
Post a Comment