Review of Super Bowl XLI Champions DVD: Peyton Manning Wins the Big One

The Indianapolis Colts, after several years of Playoff frustration and failing to meet high expectations, finally won a Super Bowl when they topped the Chicago Bears in the game’s 41st iteration.

But though the team’s tale is one of success, the DVD chronicling it isn’t so great. This highlights package, which has been done for each Super Bowl for several years now, is not one of the better efforts by NFL Films.

I am sure Colts fans will greatly enjoy reliving the long-awaited championship season and will want this as a keepsake. The regular-season highlights are mostly well done, but the Playoff highlights are of mixed quality. The Super Bowl clips were, in general, very good, but a bit lacking in the emotional buildup and suspense that makes these packages a delight for fans.

But the biggest disappointment is that the disc does not have the full game on it as some of the previous editions have. Also, the bonus features are sub-par, as the montages are short and not very informative or revealing.

As with other DVDs in this series, the main feature is an hour-or-so-long highlight reel of Indianapolis’ 2006 season, featuring bits of every regular season and Playoff game and extensive footage from the Super Bowl.

But this version does only an average job of really building the suspense and emotion of the season. It simply lacked the kind of emotional drama and tension I have come to expect in these packages. There also weren’t very many close-up, on-the-field shots that bring the action up-close and personal.

Another key drawback to this production is a lack of completeness; they obscure the real story behind the games by leaving out key details. Yes, that is a complaint you can make about all the videos like this the NFL produces; in the short time span allotted to each game, important plays and turning points are often left out.

This entry in the series, however, is particularly guilty; there is one segment that leaves the viewer with a false impression of what really happened in the game. The highlights of the Colts’ 23-8 first-round Playoff victory over the Kansas City Chiefs show a story that is is only half-correct.

The Colts defense did step up and shut down one of the most potent running attacks (and offenses) in the league by holding Kansas City running back Larry Johnson to only 32 yards rushing. But the Colts offense did not have a great game, though the production extolls the virtues of Peyton Manning and his outfit. Almost nothing was said about Manning’s three interceptions and the general sloppiness and inconsistency of the offense.

Yes, the key story in that game was the Colts D, but without pointing out the shakiness of the offense in its first 2007 postseason game, the DVD gives an inaccurate portrayal of the contest. As an historical record of the Colts’ run to the Super Bowl, I find this egregious.

As noted, this highlights package is average, at best, but there are some good things about it, too. The opening montage has a few nicely understated interviews about the heartbreaking postseason losses of the team in the three prior seasons, twice to the New England Patriots and to the Pittsburgh Steelers in ‘05.

The best and most revealing interview was with Jim Irsay, owner of the Colts, who said before the season (paraphrased): “We don’t want our legacy to be one of the best teams to never win a championship. Our legacy has yet to be determined.”

That was a great summation of the position the Colts found themselves in in 2007.

The disc also has a solid chronicle of the Colts’ mid- to late-season breakdown on defense; they became the regular season’s worst team at rushing defense, and this could not continue in the Playoffs if they expected to make a championship run. Scenes that follow show how the defense really turned it around in late December and beyond by shutting down some powerful running attacks, helping propel the Colts into the Super Bowl.

 Of course, Peyton Manning is the star of the show, but kudos to the compilers for featuring the outstanding play of the offensive line, rookie running back Joseph Addai, receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne, tight end Dallas Clark, and the impact of the return of safety Bob Sanders from an injury. This more well-rounded approach is refreshing, as the film could have ended up as a simple ode to the team’s signal caller.

The recap of the Colts’ 29-17 victory over Chicago in the season’s final game was generally well done, though emotional drama was notably missing. It did show one awesome play: safety Bob Sanders before the snap, then him rushing toward Cedric Benson, the Chicago running back, and making a picture-perfect hit, tackle, and forced fumble.

It was a beautiful play and an outstanding piece of camera work and editing; the collection could have used more stuff like that. If I were a Colts fan that would have gotten me really pumped. Too bad there wasn’t more of this type of action throughout.

The bonus materials were mostly a complete waste of time. Honestly, this might be the worst I’ve seen yet in these productions.

First, as noted earlier, it didn’t have the full game broadcast, which is a big strike against it for me. It also featured the NFL Network Postgame show, featuring talking heads (mostly Jim Mora, former Colts head coach) saying not much of anything and no real analysis of the game.

There is a heartwarming profile of Colts linebacker Gary Brackett, who lost both his parents within four months of each other and his brother of leukemia about a year later after he donated bone marrow to him, as well as a profile of coach Tony Dungy. There are a few wired-for-sound segments of Manning, Harrison, and the staff in games against the Patriots, but that was nothing special.

The two quick segments on Peyton Manning’s well-known antics behind the line of scrimmage before snapping the ball and how Tony Dungy runs practice were also okay, but uninformative to the avid football fan.

There is a more extensive package for the Colts-Patriots AFC Championship game which offers more thorough highlights than that of the main feature, but this suffers from the same lack of game analysis and drama as the rest of the video.

And, of course, there are the obligatory shots of a few Colts players and Tony Dungy being interviewed during Media Day. This didn’t elicit much really, although the interview with defensive tackle Anthony McFarland talking about Tony Dungy’s coaching style was interesting.

Finally, while I could care less about halftime shows or pre-game bits, I was at first baffled that the bonus materials included the dreadful Cirque Du Soleil affair from beforehand but not Prince’s performance, which I actually found entertaining. But then I realized that Prince slipped in a phallic symbol during the show (and yes, I’m pretty sure he did it on purpose) and that that’s probably why it’s not on the DVD.

Despite the many drawbacks, I am sure Colts fans will find this very entertaining as they relive a great, well-deserved championship season. Congratulations to Indianapolis for a great season.

Disclaimer: I am an avid New England Patriots fan and this video actually made me want to puke. But it did not affect my review of the video. The fact I didn’t break down in tears or break any furniture during the highlights of the AFC Championship game is evidence enough of the general lack of drama-building and emotional tension of the presentation.

NFL Super Bowl XLI – Indianapolis Colts Championship DVD

Review of No Excuses by Charlie Weis

No Excuses: One Man’s Incredible Rise Through the NFL to Head Coach of Notre Dame by Charlie Weis with Vic Carucci

Book Review by C. Douglas Baker

No Excuses details the rise of Charlie Weis from a high school football coach to a stint as an offensive coordinator and head coaching candidate in the NFL to the head coach of the storied Notre Dame football program.

Weis certainly doesn’t have the resume of most prominent head football coaches in the NFL. As a Notre Dame undergrad, instead of diagramming plays and obsessing about football like so many other head coaches in his position, Weis longed for a career as a sports broadcaster.

Having also gotten a degree in English, Weis found himself teaching and coaching sports in high school where he started to learn the nuances of the game. Through contacts, Weis eventually wound up as an assistant coach at the University of South Carolina.

While at South Carolina he did some grunt work breaking down plays for the New York Giants. Noticing his work ethic and acumen, Weis was eventually offered a job by head coach Bill Parcells. The job was low on the pecking order but it gave Weis his start in the NFL.

From there, of course, he climbed through the ranks, eventually following Bill Belichick, Parcells’ long time defensive coordinator, to the New England Patriots where he served as offensive coordinator.

Three Super Bowl championships later and a brush with death after gastric bypass surgery to control his weight, Weis was offered a job as head football coach at his alma mater, Notre Dame, a job he just couldn’t turn down.

This book really is not about football. It’s mostly about Weis’ rise through the ranks and his personal work and moral ethics that are the groundwork for what he teaches players and how he tries to conduct himself in the rough and tumble world of professional and big time college football.

Much of his coaching philosophy comes from his sports crazed childhood and current family life, in which he has a special needs child. He seems to have a very solid foundation for a job that requires a great deal of leadership and motivational skills.

The biggest drawback of the book is a lack of material about the biggest games Weis has been involved in as a coach and his football philosophy (the X’s and O’s). There’s little here about the day to day activities of a coach, nor is there a chronicling of the Patriots’ Super Bowl winning seasons which Weis was an integral part of.

Readers looking for a book about football or the New England Patriots (or the New York Giants) will be disappointed. I know I was, a little.

There is, however, a very good chronicling of Weis’ near death experience after gastric bypass surgery and how Tom Brady, the New England Patriots’ quarterback, helped his wife cope with the situation. It’s a rather touching story about Brady and gives insight into why he is so well liked around the league.

Overall, this is a very readable, engaging book and interesting for football fans—despite that it talks little about football specifically.

No Excuses: One Man’s Incredible Rise Through the NFL to Head Coach of Notre Dame

March Madness: Round 2

If anyone’s seen my bracket, let me know. After a slow day Thursday, my brackets were toast by 11 p.m. last night. I filled out so many brackets, but the two I’m most focused on, on in the PSN Yahoo group. My “The Crunkest” bracket had 23 out of the 32 winners. That’s not terrible but when you consider that I lost two of my Sweet 16 teams, I’ll need everyone else to lose the Xavier/Wisconsin, and Cleveland St./Arizona game. Seriously, who had Cleveland St. and Wisconsin winning those games?

The second round tips off in a matter of hours. I’m anxious to see if teams like Pitt, Memphis, and Villanova can bounce back from rather shaky performances. If not, I’m screwed because all three in my Elite Eight, and two are in my Final Four. Hopefully Calipari, Dixon, and Wright chewed their guys out, and they’ll play like the great teams they are.

Anyway, here are the games I’m keeping an eye on, and how I think they’ll turn out.

3 Villanova over 6 UCLA

I haven’t been impressed with UCLA all season. They’ve been inconsistent on defense this year, and that’s unusual when talking about a Ben Howland team. If Villanova had played a better game Thursday, and this game wasn’t in Philadelphia, I could see UCLA grinding this game out until the end. Unfortunately that’s not the case. I really think this game will boil down to UCLA playing the wrong team, at the wrong time & place.

2 Memphis over10 Maryland

As a Memphis fan I was beside myself after their “too cool for school” approach to Cal St. Northridge. I don’t care if you’re the L.A. Lakers playing the Memphis Grizzlies, if you think you can win a game just by walking on the court, there’s 50-50 chance you’re gonna get your ass kicked. Talk about a bail out, that’s what Roburt Sallie did for Memphis. I didn’t think the kid had it in him. Before the season I thought he’d be the deadly sharp shooter Memphis has been looking to pair with their overly athletic team. Those expectations were never realized until Thursday so I gave up hope. Thursday’s game should serve as a wake-up call for a team that has championship aspirations.

As for Maryland, all my concerns about the matchup, went out the window after I read the Commercial Appeal’s article on Greivis Vasquez.

“If they (Memphis) played in the ACC, they’d have a losing record in the league. They’d win all their games outside the league. The ACC is tough. You can’t win games night in and night out because you have good athletes.”

 

Thank you Greivis, you’d set my mind as ease. When you kick a giant while he’s down, all you do is motivate him to rise up and swat you away. I love Memphis in this game, and I can’t wait to see Vasquez eat a nice plate of barbecued crow.

 

1 North Carolina over 8 LSU

 

Don’t hold me to that pick because I would happily accept being proven wrong. LSU really showed me something against Butler. They’re far more athletic than I had originally believed, and Marcus Thornton is a baller. I hate picking North Carolina in games like this one. LSU has long athletic players that could give Hansbrough some trouble. Like it’s been said over the past week, this game will come down to Ty Lawson’s health. If he’s able to be the explosive guard he’s been all season, I believe North Carolina could run away from LSU early.

 

Rest of the picks:

1 UCONN over 9 Texas A&M

4 Washington over 5 Purdue

2 Oklahoma over 10 Michigan

4 Gonzaga over12 W. Kentucky

2. Duke over 7 Texas

3 Syracuse over 6 Arizona St.

12 Wisconsin over 4 Xavier

3 Kansas over 11 Dayton

12 Arizona over 13 Cleveland St.

1 Pittsburgh over 8 Oklahoma St.

3 Missouri over 6 Marquette

10 USC over 2 Michigan St.

1Louisville over 9 Sienna 

Enjoy today’s games folks.

Great Inside Look at the 1967 Green Bay Packers

Instant Replay: The Green Bay Diary of Jerry Kramer
Review by C. Douglas Baker

I’m a big professional football fan and love reading about football. Jerry Kramer’s Green Bay Packers diary – which details the 1967 season of the Green Packers, was quite an enjoyable and educational read for me.

For starters, the Green Bay Packers in 1967 were clearly the best team in pro football but were showing signs of aging. This season saw the infamous Ice Bowl against the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL Championship where Jerry Kramer threw a key block to get Bart Starr in for a touchdown, securing a trip to Super Bowl II. And of course this year also saw the Packers win its second straight Super Bowl and the legendary coach Vince Lombari’s retirement from the Green Bay Packers.

Kramer’s diary is pretty much just that – a retelling of what he went through during the 1967 season. Some things are familiar. Don’t let the hyperbole or nostalgia fool you, money WAS a big issue in professional football back then even if the contracts were not that large. Kramer talks a lot about money and business issues in his book.

Kramer also tells us a bit about what it was like to be a player under Coach Lombardi who drove the players relentlessly and made them better than they otherwise would have been both as individuals and a team.

The players clearly had a love-hate, father-son relationship with the coach. Also, some of the stories about the playboys on the team like Max McGee and Paul Hornung are humorous. In today’s NFL it seems the shenanigans of players involve guns and criminality. On this team, it was just booze and chicks, good old boys having fun.

And of course it was interesting to see how Kramer thought of the upcoming opponents – both individuals and teams – as he prepared to face them.

Maybe the most interesting aspect of the book is a bit of introspection on Kramer’s part. He was an older player (31), by football standards, and feeling it. He often wondered why he went through the pain of pro football and it mainly came down to a simple fact – he was a football player. While he didn’t define himself totally by football, in essence that is what he felt he was. Of course the money and the championships made it worth it.

Overall I would definitely recommend this book to professional football fans.

 Instant Replay: The Green Bay Diary of Jerry Kramer

Quick NCAA Tourney Picks

The NCAA tournament tips off in a few hours, and I’m anxious to see how many of us will be throwing our brackets in the trash after the first two rounds. I personally have way too many brackets floating around the net and city so I don’t even know who I’ve picked in half of them. This has been such a bizarre year in college basketball. Last year we knew Memphis, North Carolina, Kansas and UCLA were ten steps ahead of everyone else. This time around, there’s no separation between the first, second, or third seeds. Realistically I could see a three seed sneaking their way to Detroit.

 

I’ll never deny or try to hide my allegiance to the Memphis Tigers. And since I’m pressed for time, here are my picks.

 

Teams to Watch

West Virginia

Marquette

Miss St.

VCU

 

Elite Eight

Louisville

Kansas

Memphis

UCONN

Pittsburgh

Villanova

UNC

Oklahoma

 

Final Four

Louisville

Memphis

Pittsburgh

North Carolina

 

Championship Game

Memphis

North Carolina

 

Champion

North Carolina

 

After the first round is done, check in and I’ll be going in depth on those games.

Jay Cutler Needs to Grow Up

I wasn’t going to write a post about the Jay Cutler situation in Denver, partially because it has already been talked about a lot, and secondly because I frankly thought it would all blow over by now. But the situation seems to deteriorate on a daily basis. Now, after a meeting with new head coach Josh McDaniels, Cutler has asked to be traded and refuses to attend the team’s voluntary workouts.

Jay Cutler is showing a level of immaturity that is rather appalling in somebody who is supposed be in the adult world and a team leader. He is basically sulking because there were trade talks between Denver and other teams, so his little feelings are hurt. And, to some degree, he is sulking because Mike Shanahan got fired. We’ve seen signs of immaturity on Cutler’s part the past few years. His verbal sparing with Philip Rivers made them both look like spoiled children. His body language when things aren’t going well seem rather immature as well. And boasting that he has a stronger arm than John Elway? That’s beyond childish. But I never expected this level of petulance from Jay Cutler.

There are several things that make the situation in Denver reflect poorly on Cutler and his attitude.

First, the trade talks that Cutler is so upset about involved the New England Patriots and either the Detroit Lions or Tampa Bay Buccaneers that would have sent Cutler to one of those teams, while Denver would get Matt Cassel and likely a lot more from either Detroit or Tampa Bay. Josh McDaniels has stated that all he did was listen to offers.

Doesn’t Cutler realize that every team does this, usually in situations that don’t necessarily make in the public eye? This is speculation but there is no way Denver was going to trade Cutler for Matt Cassel in a straight up deal. That would be dumb. To make a trade they would have had to get Matt Cassel and probably a boatload more in players or draft picks. The fact Denver did not trade Cutler means they were not getting enough for him to make the trade worthwhile, and that they place a high value on him.

Second, when Mike Shanahan and the Vice President of Football Operations, Jim Goodman, was fired (along with his son, an Assistant General Manager) that was a sign from Pat Bowlen that it is time to clean house and retool. Now I am sure that Bowlen didn’t envision this signal meant let’s trade our potential franchise quarterback. But nonetheless, a new regime is in town and Jay Cutler seems to have made little effort to embrace it. In fact, he spent most of the few days after Shanahan got fired carping about it. I can give Cutler a pass on this because it would be a terribly uncomfortable position to be in, but this is the real world, particularly in professional football.

Third, McDaniels’ offense, while requiring precision passing that might grate on Cutler’s gunslinger mentality, is perfect for a quarterback with a strong arm and a solid group of receivers. And like Cassel, to me Cutler seems to perform better in the shotgun than he does under center, which McDaniels could certainly accommodate.

Further, McDaniels has proven he knows how to get the most out of his quarterback’s talents. On the face of it this would seem to be a perfect match between a young quarterback and coach. But of course that would require that Cutler be a more mature person who understood he still has a lot to learn about the game of football to take the next step to becoming great.

I have lost a lot of respect for Cutler and I now question his leadership ability. If he’s traded to another team, at the first sign of duress is going to demand a trade? Turn on his coach? Pout on the sidelines? I think Cutler has a lot of talent and could be an elite player in the league. But it takes more than a strong arm to be winner. It takes leadership and maturity. Cutler lacks both.

Review of 3 Games to Glory III: New England Patriots Dynasty

Introduction3 Games to Glory II (covering the Patriots playoff run and Super Bowl victory after the 2003 season). First, there is not as much pre-game drama and preparation presented in these videos compared to last year. Secondly, there are not as many close up, on the field shots that bring the game right into your living room. It’s much more distant and not as close up as previous editions in this series.

3 Games to Glory III is a two-disc video compilation of the 2004 New England Patriots playoffs, including their Super Bowl victory over the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21 in Super Bowl XXXIX. This Super Bowl victory was the Patriots third in four years, marking them as the team of 2000s. For New England Patriots fans it’s a chance to relive the glory of back-to-back Super Bowl victories and three championships in four years. Non-New England Patriots fans probably would not particularly enjoy this in-depth video.

Main Features

3 Games to Glory III provides extensive highlights of both New England Patriots’ playoff wins and Super Bowl victory after the 2004 season.

These playoffs found New England once again schooling the Indianapolis Colts in yet another year where Peyton Manning and the vaunted Colts offensive choke under playoff pressure. The high flying Colts offense was throttled by the superior schemes and tough play of the Patriots in a 20-3 AFC Divisional Playoff win at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

This is followed by New England’s dramatic defeat of the Pittsburgh Steelers, 41-27, in the AFC Championship Game at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. The Patriots entered this game as decided underdogs to the 15-1 Steelers after being throttled by Pittsburgh earlier in the season.

Finally, you get to enjoy the extensive highlights of New England’s impressive 24-21 win over the NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles. This is yet another game where New England’s superior execution and stamina in the later stages of the game brought them ultimate glory. The Super Bowl was played in Jacksonville, Florida on February 6, 2005.

The highlights of each game are very extensive and seem to cover nearly every play. They are also mostly well done, but frankly the highlights often fail to capture the real drama of the game. Of course no highlight reel can match the excitement and drama of a live contest, but there are times when key turning points of the game really just become another quick hit in the video.

There are a few disappointments in this video though and it’s not quite as well done as the preceding

Despite these drawbacks, it’s still great to relive a great season through these videos.

Bonus Features

The bonus features on this edition of 3 Games to Glory are not nearly as good as the ones on 3 Games to Glory II. The bonus features are nice they just didn’t live up the standard in the previous edition. Following is a brief rundown of what you’ll get on the DVD.

There are some “Bill Belichick” breakdowns of key plays for each game but there are very few of them and really leaves the viewer wanting more.

There’s also a “Points After: Sounds of the Game” which shows post-Super Bowl press conference features, but again, it’s really short and leaves you wanting more.

The “Patriot’s All Access” which appears along with each of the playoff and Super Bowl wins shows locker room scenes and practices, team meetings, and other shots of players as they prepare for games. These are pretty well done short features that add a great deal to the video.

The “All Access” section for the Super Bowl of course included pre-game plane trip, post game party and the parade. I find these a bit boring frankly, but I guess it’s nice to see the players up close on their daily routines.

The Super Bowl Highlights are shown twice, once with the regular commentary and once with commentary from Rosevelt Colvin (LB), Ted Johnson (LB), and Matt Light (T). Matt Light is a funny guy and this was more entertaining than the one last year.

I thought the best bonus feature was one on Disc Two called “Views from the Past” with interviews with three great players from previous decades – Gino Cappelletti of the 1960’s, Michael Haynes of the 1970’s, and Andre Tippett of the 1980’s and 1990’s. This conversation was mostly about comparing this current Patriots’ team with teams of the past and how the game has changed over the decades.

Finally, the video has the 2005 playoff roster, Super Bowl stats, and 2005 game by game results – just like you can get in any book, it just shows it printed on the screen.

Overall, while all these bonus features are nice, 3 Games to Glory III is not nearly as good as 3 Games to Glory II. It did not include an extensive behind the scenes segment on the Super Bowl, which I found fascinating on the previous edition, nor did it have highlights for each game of the regular season like the previous edition. I found the lack of these too items very disappointing as I thought they were outstanding editions to last year’s disc.

Nevertheless, the bonus features overall are nice, just nice as nice as last time.

Bottom Line

All New England fans should enjoy reliving a third Super Bowl win through this highlights package. It’s mostly well done and certainly brings back great memories of a great season. Those who are not Patriots fans I am sure would find the video quite boring.

Disclaimer: I am a die hard New England Patriots fan and am totally biased in this review.

Terrible Terrell Owens Terminated by the Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills Swallow Poison Pill

Cancer:
Something evil or malignant that spreads destructively. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

Malignant:
passionately and relentlessly malevolent : aggressively malicious 2: tending to produce death or deterioration; especially : tending to infiltrate, metastasize, and terminate fatally. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

Terrell Owens: A professional football player who is a cancer to a team, selfish to the point of malignancy, ultimately self destructing and possibly fatal to team chemistry.

If there were a hall of fame for jerks in the NFL, Owens would probably be the charter member. He trashed QB Jeff Garcia in San Francisco, and called him gay. Then he completely blew up the Philadelphia Eagles team with his petulant, me first feud with Donovan McNabb and divided the locker room. And now he is mouthing off again about not getting enough catches in Dallas and got into fight with Jason Witten because Witten was getting more touches than he was. ME FIRST, ME SECOND, ME THIRD, Team maybe FOUR — after my money. What a team player!
Doug Baker, February 14, 2009

If pro football’s Father Flanagan — the man who originally thought Tank Johnson was a plus and Adam Jones was a good idea — boots you to the curb, it’s a pretty good sign the negatives outweigh the positives. Mike Wise. The Washington Post (March 6, 2009, Page E01)

Good luck to Trent Edwards. Maybe Terrell Owens will step up now because he knows nobody wants him. But he’s done this before. I feel sorry for Trent Edwards.
Farrah Baker, March 8, 2009

 

Jerry Jones finally smarted up and formed a surgical procedure on his team by cutting out the cancer that was threatening to tear it apart – Terrell Owens.

The Dallas Cowboys, and Jerry Jones of all people, finally got tired of Terrible T.O. and his team killing tendencies. Terrell Owens is a narcissistic me first, team be damned player who has created turmoil on every franchise he has ever been a part of. And the saddest thing of all, it’s always, always somebody else’s fault. It’s simply not me, he says. This guy needs to look at himself in the mirror and wonder why he has more detractors than fans and why his tenure with a team always ends in controversy and the team simply saying “get out of here, we don’t want you anymore.”

In San Francisco he feuded with Jeff Garcia and called him gay, which I guess is derogatory in the world of professional football. Despicable.

Worse yet, he nearly destroyed the Philadelphia Eagles franchise in his petty, childish dispute with Donovan McNabb. He divided the locker room and literally destroyed the Eagles post-Super Bowl season and likely set them back a year or two to get back on track. What is particularly telling about this is that Donovan McNabb is one of the classiest football players in the league. He has often been unfairly criticized and has always handled it with class. His response to the Rush Limbaugh controversy several years ago, when Limbaugh declaimed on ESPN that he was “given a pass” in criticism because he’s a black quarterback, an asinine statement, was perfectly understated and handled with dignity. That anyone could “feud” with McNabb is beyond me.

And then in Dallas he gets jealous because Jason Witten is getting more balls thrown his way than Mr. Me Owens. From all accounts Witten is a media shy, very well liked, friendly person who was attacked, literally confronted physically, by Terrell Owens. And why? Because Owens was jealous of him getting more attention from Romo on and off the field.

The Buffalo Bills are foolish and just swallowed a poison pill. I watched the Terrell Owens press conference and a few things were very clear in the words he spoke and his body language.

First, he takes no responsibility, and doesn’t even seem to understand why he was cut in Dallas. As is typical with Owens, everything is somebody else’s fault, or somebody else’s problem, not his. This is typical of a narcissistic personality, and I have become convinced this clearly describes Terrell Owens.

Second, despite his smiles, his body language clearly told me he doesn’t really want to be with the Buffalo Bills, a small market team without a lot of pizzazz traditionally. It’s a tough blue collar team in a tough blue collar town. And I quote straight from Owens’ press conference: “This may not be the most ideal place for a lot of people, but I’m the guy. I beat to my own beat sometimes, my own thinking, my own intuition. For me, this is an opportunity. It’s an interesting situation.”

Some may accuse me of reading too much into this statement, but to say about a team you are joining “this may not be the ideal place for a lot of people” is saying a lot about what Owens thinks of his new team. He is simply resigned to his fate, not particularly happy about it.

I do not like the Dallas Cowboys and was thoroughly enjoying the soap opera Terrell Owens was creating there. I was so looking forward to the continued soap opera in 2009. Why did Jerry Jones have to smarten up and ruin all the fun!

Now Buffalo gets to enjoy a slow, malignant cancer which will possibly undermine Trent Edwards’ development and keep the team on the outside looking in. I guess if selling tickets is and generating buzz is the motive, so be it. But if Buffalo wants to be a winning team, dumb move.

Review of 3 Games to Glory II: New England Patriots Triumphant Again

Introduction

3 Games to Glory II is a two-disc video compilation of the 2003 New England Patriots playoff run that culminated in one of the most exciting Super Bowls ever, Super Bowl XXXVIII , where the New England Patriots defeated the Carolina Panthers 32-29 on a last second field goal by Adam Vinatieri. This Super Bowl win was the second in three years for the Patriots. Needless to say, this is a must have video for New England Patriots fans. I doubt non-New England Patriots fans would particularly enjoy it.

Main Features

3 Games to Glory II features very extensive highlights of each of the New England Patriots 2003 playoff wins, including the Super Bowl. Both AFC playoff games were held in Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, as New England secured a first round bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs with a regular season record of 14-2. Super Bowl XXXVIII was held in Houston, Texas at Reliant Stadium on February 1, 2004.

Following are the games you will see highlights of:

• New England’s defeat of the Tennessee Titans 17-14 in the divisional playoff round;
• New England’s defeat of the Indianapolis Colts 24-14 in the AFC Championship Game; and
• New England’s defeat of the Carolina Panthers 32-29 in Super Bowl XXXVIII.

The video highlights of each game, as noted, are very extensive and very well done. There are several things that make the video particularly interesting. First, it shows a great deal of pre-game preparation and sets the game up by telling you how each team got to this point in the season. Secondly, while it might not show every single snap of the AFC playoff games, it shows almost all of them and it is well edited and seamless in its presentation of the games. And it does show every snap of the Super Bowl, which is a huge bonus. Finally, the video angles are very close up and on the field, not far away like you see on television. This brings the action up close and personal and gives the viewer an even greater feel for what it is like to actually be on the field. The action is also interspersed with play-by-play by Gino Cappelletti, the voice of the New England Patriots, who calls the game for radio broadcasts. (He is also a great former New England Patriots player of the 1960’s and is in the Patriot Hall of Fame and SHOULD be in the NFL Hall of Fame, but isn’t).

One of the bonus features is coach Bill Belichick breakdowns. Interspersed in each game is an icon and by using your remote control, the video shows key plays with coach Belichick explaining the offensive or defensive call, why the call was made, and why it was an important part of the game. The only drawback to this was there aren’t more of them, as they were quite informative.

The only drawback to 3 Games to Glory II is that no matter how well done, it just does not quite capture all the drama of the games as they build up through the key plays and the culmination of a Patriot’s win. It may be that no video can really do this, but some of the drama is certainly lost in the presentation. This is less important for die hard New England fans as the rush of adrenaline and sense of nostalgia overcomes this drawback. For non-Patriots fans, who are not likely to remember the drama and the key plays, it could make the video a bit less exciting.

There are other key features that make the video worth the price of admission.

Super Bowl Highlights with Commentary from Mike Vrabel, Deion Branch, and David Givens (Disc One)

The Super Bowl highlights are shown twice, once with the regular commentary and narrative. It is then shown a second time with commentary from Linebacker Mike Vrabel, and Wide Receives Deion Branch and David Givens. It is fun to listen to the players reminisce about the game and make comments about key plays during the Super Bowl.

“Patriots All Access” Featuring Footage from Regular Season (Disc Two)

Disc two contains “Patriots All Access” which was absolutely fabulous. It shows a few select highlights from each game of the regular season interspersed with locker room footage. This was a huge bonus and it built up the drama of the season. Of course this season didn’t have that much drama given New England did go 14-2 and were clearly the best team in the NFL that year. But being able to see week by week highlights of each game and player and coach reactions was just a tremendous idea and adds a great deal to the video package.

Super Bowl XXXVIII Behind the Scenes (Disc Two)

Another very interesting feature on disc two is the Super Bowl XXXVIII behind the scenes feature. It literally walks the viewer through what the players go through day to day as they prepare for the Super Bowl. It is quite eye opening just how much intense pressure and scrutiny the players are under in this game and what they go through as they get near game time. It really explains why commentators say teams that have been to the Super Bowl before have an advantage because they understand what the pressure is like and how to deal with it. It also shows some scenes from the post-Super Bowl party where Kid Rock and Aerosmith performed for the victorious Patriots and their invited guests.

“Winner Takes All” featuring Tedy Bruschi and Rodney Harrison (Disc Two)

This features comments from Tedy Bruschi and Rodney Harrison. Tedy and Rodney are two of the stalwarts on New England’s defensive and two of my favorite players, so it was a treat to hear their comments about the importance of the Super Bowl, comments on the game itself, and what it meant to be there and win the most important game of their careers. It was especially heartening to hear Rodney Harrison who was written off in San Diego as washed up the year before but became the heart and soul of New England’s defense in their run to Super Bowl XXXVIII.

Super Bowl Victory Parade (Disc Two)

While I am not much on victory parades, it was nice to have the video highlights of the parade on hand. It’s really rather anti-climatic. It’s one of those items that is nice to have, but certainly nothing vital.

Finally, the video contains graphics of the complete 2003 New England Patriots roster, the complete 2003 schedule and results, and the complete Super Bowl play-by-play written out. It is okay to have these on the video and completes the record, but they are available elsewhere.

Bottom Line

New England Patriots fans will no doubt enjoy this highlights package and commentary from their favorite players. I would not recommend this for non-New England fans as I really doubt they would find most of the material on the video is particularly interesting.

Review of 3 Games to Glory: New England Patriots First Super Bowl Championship

3 Games to Glory is a DVD dedicated to the New England Patriots playoff run and Super Bowl XXXVI victory, 20-17, over the St. Louis Rams. This was the first NFL Super Bowl Championship in New England Patriots history. This video compiles extensive highlights from the two playoff games and Super Bowl.

This review will be a bit short, for reasons you will soon discover. But first, a reminder of the games that are featured in this highlights package:

- New England’s defeat of the Oakland Raiders 16-13 in the 2002 divisional playoff round. This game was played in a blizzard and featured unbelievable kicking by Adam Vinatieri and a fumble by Tom Brady that would have cost the Patriots the game, except it was overturned on the now infamous Tuck Rule;

- New England’s defeat of the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-17 in the AFC Championship Game that featured a clutch performance by Drew Bledsoe in relief of the injured Tom Brady and a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown by Troy Brown which sealed the game; and, of course

- New England’s dramatic 20-17 victory over the favored St. Louis Rams after an outstanding drive at the end of the game lead by Tom Brady and the first Super Bowl decided on the last play of the game as Adam Vinatieri boots in a 48 yard field goal on the last play of the game.

Starting with the good news about this video, the highlights of the two playoff games and Super Bowl are extensive. And while every single play isn’t covered, almost all of them are. The highlights of each game are very complete and well done. I especially liked the very up close, on the field camera angles that bring the game right into your living room as if you, yourself were standing on the sideline. The play by play featured in the video is that of Patriots radio announcer and former Patriot great Gino Cappelletti – who really is just phenomenal at calling a Patriots game. The highlights and announcers bring the excitement of the games to life. It creates a very nostalgic feeling for Patriots fans.

Now the not so good news. Fans familiar with other Super Bowl highlights packages, such as 3 Games to Glory II and 3 Games to Glory III, featuring New England’s subsequent Super Bowl Championships are likely going to be rather disappointed in this video.

First, there are NO SPECIAL FEATURES. No player interviews, no breakdown of key plays by the coaches, no locker room scenes, no victory parade, no nothing. It’s just the highlights of the three games and that is it. Secondly, while the highlights are very well done, the video really does not bring the true drama of the game to life. Even the Brady’s fumble being overturned against Oakland and Bledsoe’s stepping in, along with Brown’s blocked field goal returned for a touchdown just become, almost, just another highlight in this package. And there are minimal sideline scenes during the games, which added so much to other videos in this series. It really takes a bit of memory to really relive the moments and the drama.

Despite these drawbacks New England Patriots fans will certainly enjoy this video. I cannot imagine a non-Patriots fan liking it. But a warning for Patriots fans, if you have seen the extensive bonus features of the other two videos in this series, here you get nothing extra. It’s just the highlights. And for this Patriots fan, that’s enough.