Wednesday, December 30, 2009

The Integrity of the Game

Conspiracy, or just resting some stars for the playoffs? Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley sees a conspiracy. From ESPN:
Pittsburgh's problem: The Patriots (10-5) and Bengals (10-5) have little at stake other than which team will be seeded No. 3 in the AFC. With a wild-card playoff game awaiting both teams next week, New England and Cincinnati are expected to rest some starters to avoid possible injuries.

New England coach Bill Belichick hasn't revealed who will play. Woodley, last week's AFC defensive player of the week and a Pro Bowl alternate, thinks he knows already.

"All of them lay down," Woodley said Wednesday. "No one wants to see Pittsburgh in it. That's just how it is. Everybody knows we're a dangerous team once we get into the playoffs, no matter how we played the whole year. Once we get into the playoffs, the Pittsburgh Steelers is a playoff team."

Are. Are a playoff team. Well, he probably wasn't an English major in college.

I don't buy his conspiracy theory, but I do think the Pats and Bengals will be as beatable this week as any all season. Just like the Colts. Wake me up when the second round of the playoffs start.

4 comments:

Todd S. said...

I feel pretty bad for Pittsburgh after they lost to the murderers' row of Kansas City, Oakland, and Cleveland in the 2nd half of the season.

Oh, wait, no I don't.

Also, did you catch that New England's wide receiver Wes Welker got injured on a non-contact play today? Just curious...

Mike Kole said...

Well, true. The Steelers failed to take care of business. Sometimes you try your best, and lose. That's one thing. Here are the Jets rolling the Bengals 27-0 at half time. Anyone think the Jets are that good, or the Bengals that bad?

Didn't hear about Welker. I take it he is the poster child for why teams should field the practice squad on Week 17.

Bottom line: I'll never buy a ticket for an NFL game in advance for the last two weeks of the season. I watched no football during the day, and about 10 minutes of Jets-Bengals, because it happened to be on at our after-hockey spot. The teams do what they think is in their best interest. Fine. That's just not a product I can get interested in. So, wake me in two weeks when the Colts are in the second round game that they will almost surely lose.

Todd S. said...

Well, there is SOME reason to think the Jets are better than the
Bengals. The two teams are definitely going in opposite directions, and Cincinnati has had some significant injuries. In some ways, the Jets are a particularly bad matchup for the Bengals. We'll see next week, I suppose.

I'll put some money on the Colts in their first playoff game. Loser buys lunch next time?

Jeffrey Quick said...

The grammar isn't as obvious as all that. I actually looked it up, even though my habit would be to use "are" (which is correct, as even Bill Safire agrees)
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/plurals.htm