Monday, January 09, 2006

Well, 3 out of 4 ain't bad.

My predictions were pretty good...might have been perfect if Carson Palmer didn't tear his ACL and MCL on the first pass of the game...poor kid. You hate to see that happen, and it's nice to see remorse from the guy who did it...shows there's still some class and a sense of community amongst professional athletes. They're not all me-me-me guys. Hopefully Palmer comes back strong, because he was arguably the best QB in the NFL this season.

There's a lot of controversy as to who would have won if Palmer was healthy...and the answer is, who knows? The Steelers put up 31 points, and that had nothing to do with Palmer, but then there's that pesky momentum X-factor. Much like in the Canada-Russia gold medal game when the Russians scored but the ref missed it. That goal would have made the score 2-1, and possibly changed the complexion of the game. But, it didn't, so we'll never know. Why is everyone so obsessed about what might have been? It's another example of society's intense desire to play God; to control the uncontrollable, and to know the unknowable. We've got referees, computers, video instant replay, and a jillion camera angles...just let it go, people, and accept the fact that sometimes we fuck up.

On that note, some predictions for the next round:
Seattle beats Washington and avoids the overrated label for another week
New England squeaks by Denver in a typical Patriots last-minute field goal type fashion
Indianapolis soundly defeats Pittsburgh
Carolina defeats Chicago in a defensive battle decided by one big offensive play (likely from Steve Smith)

And RIP to Betty Hockin, the grandmother of Wayne Gretzky. Tough times for the Gretzky family, just three weeks after his mother died...best wishes to Wayne & family.

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