About the only thing I have to say today is that I have a new story up at The Flash Fiction Press. It's called "Woman in Dust." If you have a moment, check it out. It's a quick read. It's here.
As for the Super Bowl, I didn't have anything against either team. I actually like the Carolina Panthers. However, gotta admit I was hoping for a win for Peyton Manning. Although he certainly was not the MVP--the Denver defense was--I was happy to see someone from my adopted home (New Orleans) prove victorious. Plus, I've always had respect for Peyton's skills and for the fact that he seems genuinely like a decent fellow.
Showing posts with label Super Bowl. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Super Bowl. Show all posts
Monday, February 08, 2016
Monday, February 04, 2013
When One Random Moment Becomes Critical
Everything was going the Ravens’ way until the lights went
out in the Super Bowl. When the lights
came back on, the 49ers came back with a vengeance. Ultimately, the Ravens won, but it got
awfully tight there for a while. I’ve seen such things happen many times in other
games. I’ve never quite understood it and wish I did. To be cliché, something “sparks” a team at a
critical moment and they come alive. I’d use fresher language if I understood the
underlying factors that cause the change. It seems to me that what happens is that the
team suddenly begins to “believe” in themselves. But why that should happen just because some
lights went out for a while is beyond me.
I started wondering if this kind of random happening can
spark critical moments elsewhere in our lives. I thought of one, perhaps. By all logical considerations, the change to
a new year on a calendar is a completely arbitrary event. Yet, many people treat the beginning of a new
year as a new “start.” I’ve known people
to jump start careers, reengage in their marriages, change their lifestyles,
and do many other things because they decide that “this day” or “this moment” is
going to be the critical one. Nothing
changes in the physical world; everything changes in the emotional one.
Of course, many times people try to make such changes with
good intentions but fail. This just makes the whole process more mysterious.
Why do some succeed and others don’t?
Why do we succeed sometimes but not others? I have to believe it is a largely an
emotional phenomena, but surely there are behavioral elements to it. I wonder
what they are? If I could only figure
them out I’m sure I could make a lot of money
What do you think?
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Monday, February 08, 2010
Super Saints
What else would I post about today but the Saints winning the Super Bowl. Who Dat!
I wasn’t a Saints fan from the beginning like so many others down here. I moved to the New Orleans area in 1986 and certainly became a fan then. And the Saints had some good years at that time under Coach Jim Mora. Mora always had great defenses and generally less than stellar offenses, and we won quite a few games but could never get over the hurdle of winning our first playoff game.
That first playoff win came under Coach Jim Haslett, but while we had a pretty exciting offense over the next couple of years it seemed like the team got out from under Haslett’s control and we just couldn’t be consistent. In fact, that lack of consistency has been a consistent trademark of the Saints during the years that I’ve been a fan. Too often it seemed to me, that when we needed someone to step up, many players took a step back instead. Rooting for a team like that can be agony year in and year out.
But when Sean Payton came things took a turn for the better. He put together a staff and a team in which there were lots of players ready to step forward when needed. Not only ready, but eager to step forward. The culture sure has changed for the Saints over the last four years. Now you don’t hear people saying that: “The Saints found a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.” Now, even when the Saints are down, as they were in the first quarter against the Colts, you still think, and ‘feel,’ “we can do this. This team may lose at times, and they may make mistakes, but they just don’t give up.
The Super Bowl showed, too, that this is as genuine of a “team” as I’ve ever seen in the NFL. Sure Brees was the MVP for the game and I would never say he didn’t deserve it, but every player on that team did their part. Pierre Thomas made a great run for a touchdown. Bush got a couple of needed big runs. Colston made some hard catches. Lance Moore made an incredible grab for that 2-point conversion. Porter got the interception. Greer played so well they didn’t even throw in his direction. Vilma crushed some runners. Shanle and Fujita did too. The offensive and defensive lines played their hearts out. Shockey caught a touchdown. David Thomas caught a ball. Bell made a good run. Hartley set a field goal record. Our special teams covered well and recovered that onside kick.
And the coaching staff did a wonderful job. Payton and his crew came to either win or lose, not merely to show. They coached an aggressive game that paid off with this young and aggressive team
This team definitely deserves the recognition as “Super Saints.”
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I wasn’t a Saints fan from the beginning like so many others down here. I moved to the New Orleans area in 1986 and certainly became a fan then. And the Saints had some good years at that time under Coach Jim Mora. Mora always had great defenses and generally less than stellar offenses, and we won quite a few games but could never get over the hurdle of winning our first playoff game.
That first playoff win came under Coach Jim Haslett, but while we had a pretty exciting offense over the next couple of years it seemed like the team got out from under Haslett’s control and we just couldn’t be consistent. In fact, that lack of consistency has been a consistent trademark of the Saints during the years that I’ve been a fan. Too often it seemed to me, that when we needed someone to step up, many players took a step back instead. Rooting for a team like that can be agony year in and year out.
But when Sean Payton came things took a turn for the better. He put together a staff and a team in which there were lots of players ready to step forward when needed. Not only ready, but eager to step forward. The culture sure has changed for the Saints over the last four years. Now you don’t hear people saying that: “The Saints found a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.” Now, even when the Saints are down, as they were in the first quarter against the Colts, you still think, and ‘feel,’ “we can do this. This team may lose at times, and they may make mistakes, but they just don’t give up.
The Super Bowl showed, too, that this is as genuine of a “team” as I’ve ever seen in the NFL. Sure Brees was the MVP for the game and I would never say he didn’t deserve it, but every player on that team did their part. Pierre Thomas made a great run for a touchdown. Bush got a couple of needed big runs. Colston made some hard catches. Lance Moore made an incredible grab for that 2-point conversion. Porter got the interception. Greer played so well they didn’t even throw in his direction. Vilma crushed some runners. Shanle and Fujita did too. The offensive and defensive lines played their hearts out. Shockey caught a touchdown. David Thomas caught a ball. Bell made a good run. Hartley set a field goal record. Our special teams covered well and recovered that onside kick.
And the coaching staff did a wonderful job. Payton and his crew came to either win or lose, not merely to show. They coached an aggressive game that paid off with this young and aggressive team
This team definitely deserves the recognition as “Super Saints.”
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Sunday, January 24, 2010
Saints in the Superbowl
Most folks probably know the outcome already but I can't help but talk about it. For the first time in their HISTORY, the Saints won the NFC Championship and are going to the Super Bowl. They had to beat the Vikings with a field goal in overtime to do it.
The Vikings played a hell of a game and outplayed the Saints in yardage gained. But they suffered with turnovers, both interceptions and fumbles. Some were sloppy ball handling but the Saints defense caused a few of them as well.
One thing the Saints did well was pressure and hit Bret Favre all night long. He took a beating and you know he's a tough guy to be able to walk after that one. Neither team gave up on this one. They fought until the end.
Brees had more time to throw but he and his receivers didn't connect as easily as in the past. The Saints offense definitely wasn't hitting on all cylinders. The Saints also got more than their usual share of penalties. I thought there were a few bad calls against the Saints, but we also got a couple of calls that went for us as well so I figure it leveled out pretty well.
Overall, I'm just very proud of the team and they way they fought through this year. As people have been saying, this ain't yo mamma's Saints. I'm not even thinking about the Super Bowl. Not yet!
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The Vikings played a hell of a game and outplayed the Saints in yardage gained. But they suffered with turnovers, both interceptions and fumbles. Some were sloppy ball handling but the Saints defense caused a few of them as well.
One thing the Saints did well was pressure and hit Bret Favre all night long. He took a beating and you know he's a tough guy to be able to walk after that one. Neither team gave up on this one. They fought until the end.
Brees had more time to throw but he and his receivers didn't connect as easily as in the past. The Saints offense definitely wasn't hitting on all cylinders. The Saints also got more than their usual share of penalties. I thought there were a few bad calls against the Saints, but we also got a couple of calls that went for us as well so I figure it leveled out pretty well.
Overall, I'm just very proud of the team and they way they fought through this year. As people have been saying, this ain't yo mamma's Saints. I'm not even thinking about the Super Bowl. Not yet!
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