Friday, February 20, 2015

Russell Wilson's rant

Two and a half weeks after it happened, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson finally shared his thoughts on the last second loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX. Hmm. A thought on that number later.

And rant he did. Wilson would speak of his passion for the game, love of teammates, coaches, and the city, the best fans in the NFL, and how he will continually strive to get better.

Russell spoke of all the incredible plays he was a part of as a Seahawk, the Super Bowl victory last year, how he expects to be in another, if not many more soon.

Add in the amazing comeback wins, how he considers himself to be a leader, and a few "buck stops here" sound bytes of accountability and responsibility, and Wilson would appear to have a future in politics.

To his credit, he didn't refer to notes like many of Washington DC's "finest" often do when giving speeches, but it's likely a good bet a teleprompter was in play. No way his presentation wasn't scripted.  I mean, c'mon, the dude might be semi-bright, but he came out of Wisconsin via Ohio and Virginia, not Harvard law school, much less the ESPN "talking head" boot camp.

Indeed, Wilson spoke on a variety of football things, but conveniently danced around the topic everybody wanted an answer to in the first place. Did I mention a future career in politics? That would be the fateful pass he threw that was intercepted on the goal line which snatched defeat from the jaws of victory for his Seahawks.

Sure, head coach Pete Carroll has already tried to spin it, but at times he can be reminiscent of a carnival barker or used car salesman. Step right up. I have such a deal for you.

Wilson even mentioned "crazy" plays happening once in a while. His Seahawks have certainly been on the winning end of a lot of them in the recent past.

But if he wanted to address the most pertinent issue and be truly accountable and responsible, here is what he should have said ----

The fateful play was called by the coaches into my headset. It was a "pick" play with two wide receivers. One tries to block the path of a defensive back, leaving the other open to receive the pass. Normally, it happens bam-bam. I tried to execute it. The pass was on time and thrown to the exact spot it was supposed to be.

But I never saw the cornerback who had read the play and jumped the route to make the interception. That wasn't supposed to happen. In hindsight, it was an incredibly bone-headed call to begin with but, hey, when you're still on a rookie contract and hoping for a mega-raise next year -- you do what you're told in the Super Bowl. Besides, Marshawn might have fumbled the ball anyway. Who knows?

Regarding the Super Bowl number mentioned above. So what gives with the Roman numerals anyway? Wouldn't Super Bowl 49 have been a lot easier to comprehend than XLIX? The game is played between American teams on American soil. Always has been. Always will be.They drape a huge American flag over the field before the start of the game. The national anthem is played. Fighter jets do a fly-by. Rah-rah-rah, for the red, white, and blue. But they still number the games with ancient Roman numerals? Maybe OK for grandfather clocks, but the Super Bowl? C'mon.

An example. What other notable American event happened in MDCCLXXVI?  After one deciphers it that number becomes 1776. The birth of the country. If 1776 was good enough for our forefathers, than 49 ought to be good enough for Super Bowls.

Besides, X-LIX sounds like some sort of porno cable channel. Things will get simpler next year. Merely Super Bowl L. The easiest to understand since XL. Hmm. Are we talking Super Bowls or tee-shirt sizes at a rock concert?

I dunno, but trust me on one thing. The prices go way-way up for both.....

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