IT WON’T HAVE BEEN THE SHOES
President Bush is to be commended for displaying incredible agility … not in his handling of the nation’s multi-faceted financial crisis, but rather for successfully ducking a couple of incoming shoes.
The commander-in-chief looked ready for a James Bond audition thanks to his quick thinking under the bright lights of a Baghdad news conference.
Thrown shoe avoidance hardly matches the drama of puking on a foreign head of state. So, for those keeping score … briefly choking on a pretzel while watching a NFL playoff game on TV in 2002 remains the president’s most forgettable moment.
WOULD’VE CHOKED YESTERDAY
Thankfully, President Bush wasn’t anywhere near pretzels or a television early yesterday evening. He may well have choked on another one had he seen the conclusion of the Steelers/Ravens game in Baltimore. Trailing the whole way, the Steelers scored the game’s only touchdown in the final minute thanks to a controversial instant replay reversal.
The decision denied Baltimore its rightful chance at overtime and possibly a division title. There’s no need to debate whether the ball crossed the goal line plane during the catch by Santonio Holmes. Several replays left more than enough room for discussion. The call on the field is not supposed to be overturned unless there is “incontrovertible visual evidence” of which in this case there was none.
John Madden is right. The NFL needs to scale back the use of replay. Fumbles shouldn’t be overanalyzed. The tuck rule is a joke. Let the players play. Replay is surely helpful in determining whether a guy managed to get both feet in on a catch. Yesterday’s call has most questioning a system, which obviously failed.
PLAYOFFS FAST-APPROACHING
Teams continue to bow out of the playoff race. The Redskins followed the Saints lead from Thursday night, although in more humiliating style, losing to the Bengals yesterday in Cincinnati.
Next weekend’s matchup between the Giants and Panthers will determine NFC home field throughout. The Vikings and Cardinals will host the other first-round games, most likely drawing the Falcons and Bucs, respectively.
The Titans and Steelers have already secured the first round byes in the AFC. The Patriots are most likely to win the East, with the Broncos taking the West and the four spot. The Colts appear to be a lock for five, with the Ravens or Jets looking best for six.
Once we’ve dispensed of wildcard weekend, I’m expecting to see Cards @ Carolina and Vikings @ New York in the NFC … Colts @ Pittsburgh and Ravens @ Tennessee in the AFC.
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Tags: NFL, playoffs, President Bush, Ravens, replay, Santonio Holmes, shoes, Steelers
