Football - Our Passion
by tehGrindCrusher on Sep 8, 2011 12:57 PM CDT
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PrintWe live in cynical times. We live in dangerous times. Normally we don’t talk about world events inside the bubble of BRB, and that suits me just fine. I don’t need to puncture that bubble because this summer, forces beyond our control punctured that bubble for us. In the past, no matter what we’ve had in our lives to put up with, we’ve always had the Texans and the NFL. This year, it looked for a while that we might not have that. Sure, we didn’t actually lose the season, and that’s fantastic. For a time, though, it seemed like a real possibility.
A long time ago, before I joined the BRB staff, I wrote a piece about how awesome the start of the football season was. You can read a slightly updated version of it here. I think all of that stuff still applies. Football still is an amazing game, a journey from summer to winter, from the sickly-sweet heat of the Southeast in August to the bitter steel of frozen Northern gridiron in January. It begins with hope and promise and ends, like my attempts at getting a date for the prom, in bitter disappointment for all but one team. We hope that team will be the Texans.
But in a sense it’s kind of secondary, really. This offseason, we learned that the game that we love so much was also one that we took for granted. I am the most optimistic person around, but if you look back at some of my comments in threads about the labor situation, you will see that I was fairly convinced that we wouldn’t have a full season. And if you are honest with yourselves about it, a great many of you will admit that you felt the same way.
This year, instead of rehashing an old post and exalting the game from the roots up, I decided that I would write my quasi-annual hymn of praise from a different perspective, with a vote of appreciation. Appreciation for the fact that, at the end of the day, both sides in the labor dispute walked to the brink, took a look at the huge chasm that they were about to push themselves into, and decided to pull themselves away from it. But not just that. Appreciation, also, for the fact that this game that forms the basis of this community is still around. This year, we hold out the hope (yet again) that our team will make it to the playoffs, win the division, make it to the AFC Championship game, et cetera. That’s awesome (and for my money, I think we’ll make a big run).
I also hope that this season, each and every one of you takes a minute to consider that this bubble we’ve created around ourselves for the football season is an illusion and that, if conditions are right, forces beyond our control can strip that illusion away and make it void. This season we’re going to laugh and curse. We’re going to shed tears of joy and grief. We’re going to eat, drink and – occasionally – resist the urge to vomit. We’re going to have the best coaches and players ever and we’re going to have the biggest set of bums anyone ever saw. It’s going to be awesome. It’s going to be a crazy ride and I hope it’s going to a long one as well. But beyond that, I hope that each one of you takes a few seconds to acknowledge that, no matter how it gets on the field, it could be a whole lot worse. Not just because we could be Bengals fans. Because if things had worked out differently, we might not have anything to root for at all.
Football, as the legendary Rinus Michels once said of another sport with the same name, is war. I disagree. To make the comparison cheapens both what athletes and soldiers do. Besides, people don’t go to bars on Saturdays and Sundays to eat chicken wings, drink beer and watch tank battles or host barbecues to watch paratroopers land on tv. They do this for sports. This should tell you a lot about the importance of sports in our culture. It brings people together. We may talk trash with fans of the opposing team, but I can tell you, as someone who lives in a foreign country with fairly few NFL fans, just being able to watch a game with another fan is a great, great thing.
So this year, while we’re all chugging bleach or making sacrifices to Durga, while we’re all spending the seemingly endless days between games overanalyzing everything from Wade Phillips’ legs to Shaun Cody’s hair color and everything else in between, I hope we all take a moment to appreciate what a beautiful mess the NFL is. It is a mini-society, with its own unique (and sometimes pointless) rules, its own judges, juries and its own language. And it is presided over by a strange kind of oligarchy that has, despite all of its attempts to ruin things, done very, very well for itself, for the players and for the fans.
The NFL sits at the narrow end of a river that starts out very wide, seeded with kids full of dreams and pushing out a few grown men who are violent for a living. In between, there are fields of crisply-cut, fragrant grass, mud bogs that grab a person’s feet and hold them like a spurned lover, ice-cold slabs of earth that sting like a slap across the face and sweltering days in the summer heat when optimism does more to keep you cool than ice water. A journey through football from kids to pros is not just a journey from youth to age. It’s a journey through America. Because American football is, to paraphrase Lombardi, America.
Like you all, I hope to see Andre Johnson lifting the Lombardi Trophy and passing it to Mario Williams this winter. I honestly think I might cry that day, just as much as I cried during The Fox And The Hound when I was a kid or last year when I found out that Steve Carell was leaving The Office. But even if that doesn’t happen, I will find some sliver of pleasure from knowing that at very least we have football. Because there was a good chance that we wouldn’t.
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I Enjoy This Post Every Year
Well done, TGC.
Looking forward to a day when being a Texans fan doesn't mean that April is the highlight of my season...
Go Texans!
11-5
AFC South champions
and the clouds opened up and God said "I Hate you Texans Fans."
by Joe25 on Sep 8, 2011 1:04 PM CDT reply actions 2 recs
You are quite right
That is what it is all about. Thanks for reminding us. I hope we enjoy the ride, the good, the bad, and everything in between.
I think I know what you mean
I cried when Charlie Pace died….. or did he?
I didn't do anything wrong!.... and, I won't do it again.
/fixed... and rec'd
I cried during The Fox And The Houndwhen I was a kid orlast year
"Suck it, Jim Tressel, you filthy, cheating, unfashionable piece of monkey scrotum."
- MDC
"Let’s leave all the football talk to knowledgeable experts who have played the game, like Matt Millen and Emmitt Smith."
-tehGrindCrusher
fixed
I cried during The Fox and the Houndwhen I was a kidlast yearwhen I was a pup
I didn't do anything wrong!.... and, I won't do it again.
Ok, better
"Suck it, Jim Tressel, you filthy, cheating, unfashionable piece of monkey scrotum."
- MDC
"Let’s leave all the football talk to knowledgeable experts who have played the game, like Matt Millen and Emmitt Smith."
-tehGrindCrusher
To NFL Fans:
This may be the first week of the regular season, but it has the feel of a Super Bowl week for the NFL. One of the reasons is that we will unite with the rest of the nation on Sunday to reflect on the anniversary of 9/11 and honor the spirit of America.
All of us in the NFL appreciate your patience and understanding through what was a most unusual and challenging off-season. Now we are ready to enjoy what the NFL is all about — great players, great fans, intense competition, the performance and passion surrounding America’s most popular game.
Thanks to the hard work of our players, club owners, teams, and staff, the NFL’s pledge to deliver great football to our fans has been strengthened and is more secure than ever. We start the regular season and the race to Super Bowl XLVI with tremendous anticipation and momentum.
We want you most of all to sit back and enjoy it – in our stadiums, on television, and wherever else you connect with the NFL. Football fans enjoying football is what we love.
Be assured, however, that we believe in better. Players, owners, coaches, team and league staff – working together — will be putting our collective foot on the accelerator. We have more work to do to improve our league and game on a variety of fronts. We will do that by continuing to focus on the quality of the game and innovation. And we will do it relentlessly.
On behalf of everyone in the NFL, thank you for your incredible support, and thank you especially for sharing your views with us. Please keep it coming. We value your opinion because it helps make us better. The passion of our fans and communities is what makes the NFL so special.
Thank you again. Let’s get it started.
Roger Goodell
I didn't do anything wrong!.... and, I won't do it again.
Crying?
Crying is for women, the weak, and the fans of whomever we play each Sunday.
"THERE WILL BE CON$EQUENCE$"
by Bo$$man on Sep 8, 2011 1:50 PM CDT reply actions 3 recs
FIFY
depending on what time of the week month it is.
"My idea of an agreeable person is a person who agrees with me." -- Benjamin Disraeli
"If you really want something in life you have to work for it. Now quiet, they're about to announce the lottery numbers." -- Homer Simpson
"There is no rehab for stupid." -- Chris Rock
Never try to baptize a cat.
And for those
Strong enough to be able to show their emotions freely, knowing full well their “manliness” is still intact.
A Texans fan. Really. No, I'm not kidding.
http://www.battleredblog.com
"Blind fandom is all I got left." - LoneSpot
by bigfatdrunk on Sep 8, 2011 2:01 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I'm not afraid to say I cry all the time
I do have some issues that I feel contribute to that tendency. However, I find it refreshing at times that I am unable to control my emotions.
I didn't do anything wrong!.... and, I won't do it again.
Yeah I cried
When I saw Andre run over 3 Arizona Cardinals and score a TD.
Prediction: 11-5 AFC South champions.
I think that may be my favorite Andre highlight of all time.
GET A SILK BAG FROM THE GRAVEYARD DUCK TO LIVE LONGER.
This is great
Mario Williams will have 4 sacks and 1 int by Game 4 of the regular season.
by Barryfromtexas on Sep 8, 2011 6:47 PM CDT up reply actions
Welcome back
Make the most of your third chance.
Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
Never use a long word where a short one will do.
If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
Never use the passive where you can use the active.
Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.
-Orwell, Politics and the English Language
www.battleredblog.com
by tehGrindCrusher on Sep 8, 2011 10:05 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Welcome back
Make the most of your third chance.
Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
Never use a long word where a short one will do.
If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
Never use the passive where you can use the active.
Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.
-Orwell, Politics and the English Language
www.battleredblog.com
by tehGrindCrusher on Sep 8, 2011 10:05 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
BREAKING NEWS
PEYTON MANNING HAS HAD A SECONED SURGERY AND IS OUT FOR THE SEASON. OMG
"THERE WILL BE CON$EQUENCE$"
I'm gonna tear up a little when the Texans get in the post season
And if ever a NFL Championship were to come here, I would just full on lose it
Follow me on twitter: @Super_Stud2100
WOW
@mortreport Chris Mortensen
Official: Sources say Manning had surgery this am – cervical fusion with 2-3 month minimum recovery.No word on whether he will be put on IR.
Follow me on twitter: @Super_Stud2100
I just heard Irsay on a recorded message saying,
“Peyton Manning did not have surgery last Sunday.”
The Clinton-speak that people go through at these times. Yes, he didn’t have surgery last Sunday. But, the only thing I thought was that he had to say “Sunday” specifically for a reason.
I didn't do anything wrong!.... and, I won't do it again.
Now I'm wondering if Manning will be delivering a "One for the Gipper" speech this weekend....
I didn't do anything wrong!.... and, I won't do it again.
I admit, I had to look up cervical.
I was fairly certain it pertained to a part of the human anatomy than men don’t generally have.
GET A SILK BAG FROM THE GRAVEYARD DUCK TO LIVE LONGER.
by Synchysi on Sep 8, 2011 2:10 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
/laughing and rec'd...
I KNOW! RIGHT?!? Those dern anatomy terms always sound either dirty or misplaced…
"Suck it, Jim Tressel, you filthy, cheating, unfashionable piece of monkey scrotum."
- MDC
"Let’s leave all the football talk to knowledgeable experts who have played the game, like Matt Millen and Emmitt Smith."
-tehGrindCrusher
insane dedication!!!
Do you really think a QB looks up from the line and says "Oh, I don't have to worry about that 6'7 280 pound man over there. He has no sacks and is a terrible line backer!"
Yep Manning with another surgery.
Also a small interview with OD on the frontpage of NFL.com for anybody looking for a quick little Texans fix.
Doesn’t anything special but does say there will be changes if this team doesn’t make it this year. Also, if you have the mental fortitude, there is a short video with Micheal Irvin talking Texans.
On topic. Outstanding post Crusher. Can’t wait for Sunday.
Prediction: 11-5 AFC South champions.
You Assume Correctly
Looking forward to a day when being a Texans fan doesn't mean that April is the highlight of my season...
by Tim on Sep 8, 2011 2:35 PM CDT up reply actions
On Peyton Manning
If reports of cervical fusion are correct, this is potentially career ending.
-Will Carroll
"THERE WILL BE CON$EQUENCE$"
my thoughts exactly
As much as it would suck, don’t be shocked if it results in a premature retirement. Ankles and knees are one thing, necks are serious business.
I'm a man!! I'm forty!!
Any fusion results in a loss of mobility
And the more vertebrae fused, the more the loss of mobility.
by Jonathan Fosburgh on Sep 8, 2011 8:11 PM CDT up reply actions
Or you could just check the basement
It’s safer
Murphy’s 20th Military Law:
If it’s stupid, but it works, it ain’t stupid
by The Night Owl on Sep 8, 2011 7:10 PM CDT up reply actions
Keep your eyes open in the parking lots...
Security will be tight inside the stadium. Not necessarily so in the parking lots.
"Suck it, Jim Tressel, you filthy, cheating, unfashionable piece of monkey scrotum."
- MDC
"Let’s leave all the football talk to knowledgeable experts who have played the game, like Matt Millen and Emmitt Smith."
-tehGrindCrusher
From Will Carroll at SI.com:
Peyton Manning was forced to have surgery on Thursday morning after diagnostic tests showed that the microdiscectomy he had undergone in May had not relieved the neck and arm issues that led to the procedure in the spring. Manning underwent a procedure known as a single level anterior fusion, a serious but common spinal surgery. While the Colts say Manning will recover in two to three months, the normal recovery period is much longer, up to a year.
Full SI.com article here
If Indy trots out Kerry Collins in Game 1…. I expect Wade Phillips to treat him like the washed-up, over-the-hill, past-his-prime, weak-armed, wobbly-legged, new-to-the-system, has-been that he really is; and send the blitz crashing down on top of him like there’s no tomorrow. - Rip Jersey
That's more along the lines of what I thought.
Particularly for someone with a physical job, and Peyton’s not getting any younger.
by Jonathan Fosburgh on Sep 8, 2011 8:13 PM CDT up reply actions
It's all good
I didn’t watch the NFL all year in 1997 when the Oilers left, I was so pissed, so remember It’s all good. It’s good to have a team. Let’s try not let our egos get too wrapped up in what after all is a game. That being said…let’s kick the Dolt’s asses.
Bud Adams hater
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