One Botched Play Denies the Packers a Super Bowl Berth: An End Game Analysis

Seldom used TE Brandon Bostick, (No. 86)  muffs the key play of the game - recovery of an onside kick with 2:00 left.. He was only in there to block, not make the play - that was for "hands guy" Jordy Nelson!

Football humbug and pabulum for the weak-minded:

"It never comes down to just one play, it's always multiple ones that bring a loss."

"You win as a team and lose as a team"

"He did his best but if the rest of us had done our jobs his misplay wouldn't have mattered."

Save it for football know-nothings and Bozos. In the end, though the efforts of players to cover the colossal bonehead plays of certain teammates are noble they are misplaced and don't cut the mustard. So we can rightly ignore all the twaddle displayed above: the horrific 28-22  overtime loss yesterday of the Pack to the Seattle Seahawks is on one guy: Brandon Bostick.

Don't make excuses for him!

Yes, yes, I know there were multiple ways the game might not have come down to that colossal muff. We can always find a "target rich environment" for miscues and plays that could have been improved in retrospect. But none of those occurred at the most critical point in this game, e.g.

- If the Pack had gotten TDs instead of FGs on two early Seattle turnovers. (Giving another 8 pts.)

- Somehow, for some idiotic reason (maybe excess caution -which is the M.O. of losers)  Morgan Burnett - after an interception of a Wilson pass - just dives to the ground instead of going for daylight and a 'pick 6' with only green ahead. That would also have added another 7 to the Pack's tally.

- Mike McCarthy playing coy and conservative (we call it playing "not to lose")  in the Pack's penultimate  two 4th Q. possessions, ending up with two 3 and outs - instead of letting Aaron pass for first downs which might have sealed the game then and there.

In regard to the last, both wifey and I could see those two 3 and outs by the O had left the Packer D sucking fumes by having to get on the field so soon each time. It was stupid and ignorant at that point - with that display of play calling conservatism,  to stick to the run when it wasn't working. And  to blame the D for a 'collapse' when the O didn't help them. Look, the O has got to help the D - especially when the latter had been playing 'lights out' - but especially in the first half when the Pack dominated the time of possession.

Even so, even after Marshawn Lynch had gotten to the 9 with a thunderous 26 yard run after catch,  there was  2:33 left, the game was still in hand for the Pack to take. Every other play, series of plays, misplays or non-plays at that point became immaterial. It was win with a big fat 'W'  with  a  successful recovery of the ball.(Let us also bear in mind that as one approaches the end of a game the magnitude of the error increases exponentially - which is why Bostick's muff was so outrageous. Given it occurred just before the 2 minute warning, it literally paved the way for the Seattle comeback.)

Anyway,  as I told Janice at that point, before the Seahawks'  next snap:

"Doesn't matter! Let the %#*!*&  score!  Their plays will suck time off the clock down to the two minute warning. All we need to do then is recover the onside kick and retain time of possession with just one first down."

All they had to do, right? But who the hell would believe the Pack special team brain trust would put in a new -be tight end named Brandon Bostick for the most critical play of the whole game?  An onside kick, which recovery would lead either to a Packer end game possession, or Seahawks' possession that'd likely give them the go ahead score, given they had great field position.

Bostick, let's make it abundantly clear - was in there  for one assignment only - to block! It was not his job or duty to recover the *$&@!!  kick! (Even he admitted  that was his job in an interview after the game).

That recovery play was Jordy Nelson's job, and he is the official "hands player" in those situations, literal money in the bank.

But Jordy, alas, never got his big hands on it. Good ol' Bostick lost his composure at the worst time when the ball came toward him and tried to grab it himself. An unqualified guy reaching for his level of incompetence and achieving it in one fell swoop.

After the game, Bostick blabbed:

"I was supposed to block. I just ran to the ball. I thought I could get it. Obviously, I couldn't.
I felt like I had my hands on the ball. I just got hit and then I didn't have the ball."

He also moaned he was "only human" but ought to have added, "a dumbass human".

And so the Packers' dream of a 2nd Super Bowl appearance in 4 years came crashing down thanks to a relative greenhorn for onside kicks, on the field at the absolute wrong time, making the worst possible play while handing the game to the Seahawks - who could also see their TD would be easy, given the Pack D had nada left in the tank. Thanks to Brandon. If Bostick just does his damned job and lets Jordy make the play, there is NO Seattle "miracle" comeback and that is what pisses us off the most. (Wifey's theory is he was trying to be a "hero" by grabbing the onside and mucked it up, which means it wasn't a mistake but ego and arrogance at work.)

Let's not try to cover up this clown's misplay and spread the blame when the most proximate cause for the loss was THAT play, no other!  As even the Milwaukee-Journal Sentinel reporter put it:

"Game over. Season over. Career over? For Bostick, in Green Bay, probably."

The Packers players deserved better than this snafu and so did their fans!
-----------------------

Footnote on fans' hate reactions:

As one blogger-author (Pearlman) has observed, some fan reactions were over the top including tweeting "Go die!" and other hate-filled invective to the poor slob. Pearlman called these people "lunkheads" and also added he didn't expect such social media reactions to change anytime soon. He is correct in that!  So long as pro football retains center stage in American sports culture and "losers" are denigrated and despised while the "winner take all"  meme is extolled. Change that, and you will also change the discourse and also enable fans to be a little less hostile when a miscue of such magnitude occurs with their favorite team.

Yes, I deplore the hate reactions, but Bostick must not escape blame for making what he calls a "mistake". NO,  it was not a mistake but an ego-fed effort to seize glory by being the "hero" when he lacked the skill to do so. So, we are perfectly entitled to pile on to this guy - but at the same time, leave the hate in our inner Ids.

'Nuff said!

Packers Shine, Cowboys Whine: "We Wuz Robbed!" - Hardly!

Dez Bryant clearly loses control of the ball in making a move,  hence pass was incomplete - anyone not blind or totally biased could see that!

Let us accept as a provisional proposition that if an NFL team is a major beneficiary of an overturned call one week it cannot piss and whine the next when one goes against its expectations. To fix ideas, the Dallas Cowboys were the beneficiaries of an overturned call the week before vs. the Detroit Lions in the Wild Card Round. The call originally was a "PI" (pass interference) and the flag was thrown by a ref. Minutes later it was mysteriously picked up and what was to have been a Detroit first down suddenly become 4th and one. Had the original call not been reversed Detroit, which had momentum, likely would have scored a 7 and essentially put the game beyond the reach of the Cowpokes.

The refs at the time of the overturn, never explained their reasoning - as Detroit players went apoplectic. Only much later did one Zebra (obviously at the behest of the NFL cognoscenti) assert the Cowboy corner was only doing "face guarding" which wasn't a penalty. But reviews on "NFL AM" the next morning saw Eric Davis as well as Deion Sanders and Warren Sapp calling bollocks, noting it was certainly at least a defensive holding penalty which would still have awarded a Detroit first down and five yards advance.

With the momentum now altered at a critical phase, the Boyz went on to take the game, 24-20.

Now, flash to yesterday's hyped up "Ice Bowl II" (which really wasn't, nowhere as cold a the original) in which the Boyz faced a 4th and two with just over 5 minutes left and the Pack leading 26-21.  Cowboys coach Jason Garrett called for his team to go for it - as he did in a similar situation the week before. The play appeared to result in star receiver Dez Bryant snatching a Romo pass near the 1 yard line.

But hold strain! As soon as the replay was shown (including on the Lambeau Jumbotron) , wifey (who's become a real football guru) and I immediately saw that Bryant had bobbled the ball and lost control of it when he hit the ground.  As I said to her:

"No freaking way in hell is that a completion. While the ground can't cause a fumble it can certainly cause an incompletion". (Which was established five years ago with the "Calvin Johnson rule" in another Detroit game vs. the Chicago Bears).

Wifey agreed, adding: "Then McCarthy ought to challenge the ruling!"

No sooner had the words slipped from her lips than Coach Mike did toss the flag - well he brought it out in view. Upon further review, the head ref Gene Steratore and the NFL determined it was an incomplete pass. (See the image above) The ball possession reverted to the Pack with just over 4 minutes left and the Boyz were in a state of shock, especially Dez Bryant - who, like his teammates- clearly didn't know the rule.

Steratore said it was clear to him that the ball hit the ground before Bryant lost it and re-gained control. Had the ball not hit the ground it would have been a completed pass because it ended up in Bryant's hands at the end of the play.  As he put it:

"There were a couple of angles that showed the ball actually hitting the ground and the receiver losing possession of it as well,"

He added:

"It comes loose as the ball hits the ground, which would make that incomplete. Although he repossesses it, it does contact the ground when he reaches."

For reference:

NFL RULEBOOK

Rule 8, Section 1, Article 3

Item 1: Player Going to the Ground. If a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass (with or without contact by an opponent), he must maintain control of the ball throughout the process of contacting the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone. If he loses control of the ball, and the ball touches the ground before he regains control, the pass is incomplete. If he regains control prior to the ball touching the ground, the pass is complete.

The Pack then went on to retain possession and won 26-21. Maybe Coach Garrett needs to teach his "boys" remedial football 101.

Just sayin'.  I also think all the Cowboy sympathizers that set the Twittersphere on fire after the play need to learn NFL Rules 101 instead of spouting their ignorance. Some of the tweets posted on the Dallas news site, including from the likes of Lebron James (a basketball player) and others were hilarious - all belching, like Josh Duhamel: "Sorry, Packers fans, that was a catch!" and the "Cowboys were robbed!"

At least Deion Sanders'  tweet was rational and sane, observing the call was correct but "I hate the rule!" Well, fine - hate the damned rule but then get the NFL Competition Committee to review it! But for god's sake don't lamely blame the overturned original completion call on the Boyz' loss. There were many ways they lost this game even before the Bryant incident, including DeMarco Murray's fumble at a key stage and then Rodgers and the Pack taking advantage to get 7 pts.

Now, alternative universe time: Let's assume the call was not overturned and Dallas went in for the TD to make it 28-26 with just over 4 minutes left. Would the Cowboys win? Hell no! Had it been upheld, and Dallas scored, the Packers would get the ball back with more than ample time left for a winning field goal. Indeed, Green Bay was successful moving the ball on the Cowboy's defense in the 4th. Packers had 425 yards of offense. And when Dallas needed to stop Green Bay to have a chance after "the call" they COULD NOT DO IT. Packers would then have won with a FG anyway, 29-28. (Ok, the Boyz likely would have tried for 2 but I don't believe they'd have made it. Even if they had, AR was on fire and would have gotten a final TD to ice it, 33- 29)

No more boo hoo hoo,  Boyz fans. You got a break last week but not this week. Suck it up. The football gods giveth and they taketh away.

If you hate the call, fine. Write the NFL honchos at HQ in New York and demand the rule be changed. In other words, grow up, do something constructive, and stop whining and moaning.

See also:

http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/2015/01/national-reaction-tweets-reveal-national-displeasure-with-reversed-dez-bryant-catch-in-fourth-quarter.html/

And:

http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/2015/01/nfl-competition-committee-likely-to-debate-controversial-dez-bryant-non-catch.html/

Ten Reasons the Packers Should Clean the Cowpokes' Clocks Today

Sitting with my 'Packer-whacker' at Lambeau Field in December, 2009.

A question on every Packer fan's mind is whether the Pack can dispatch the Dallas Cowboys at Lambeau Field today. Make no mistake, this is a historic game, the first playoff meeting at Lambeau between the two teams since the infamous 'Ice Bowl'  47 years ago.  That game I saw in New Orleans, with the Pack winning 21-17 on a game ending quarterback sneak by Bart Starr. The game is still the coldest ever to be played with wind chills approaching minus 48.

What about the current game? Can the Pack win? Let us recall the past three playoff seasons the Pack were dismissed including a "one and done" after a 15-1 regular season record several years ago. But in those previous times there were critical injuries or a key piece (in the case of the 2011 SB defense) left out. (Cullen Jenkins not resigned so the 'D' was not up to the SB standard)

Anyway, here are ten reasons I believe the Pack will take care of business today:

1) The Pack are unbeatable at Lambeau this year and the crowd will be louder than ever when Dallas is on offense, even rivaling the 12th man in Seattle. Romo - amidst the noise- will make a slew of errors and look for lots of false starts.

2) Dallas RB DeMarco Murray still suffers from a broken bone in his left hand which will be magnified in pain in Lambeau where temperatures won't rise above 14F. One hard hit and he will likely be forced to leave, or at least fumble.

3) Aaron Rodgers, Packers QB rules at Lambeau as much or more than Brady at Gillette Stadium or Peyton Manning at Denver's Sports Authority Field. Look for Rodgers to make quick passes to Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb for long yards after the catch.

4) Clay Matthews, unlike in prior years, is now healthy and as he even said 2 days ago  "there are no excuses". Also, he will have former Bear LB Julius Peppers on the other side helping out to keep Romo off balance.

5) Romo will be 'twitchy' and gun shy after his already vulnerable back took several shots in the Lions' game last week. After several knockdowns, compliments of Sam Barrington, Clay Matthews and Peppers, look for Romo to make a number of wild throws - including two for picks.

6)  Look for Packers' coach Mike McCarthy to put more run plays in for Eddie Lacy - at least enough to match his 100+ yard effort vs. Detroit. This strategy will be good to help Aaron out (still nursing a calf injury - not helped by getting stepped on by Ndamukong Suh).  and also keep Dallas RB Dez Bryant off the field so he can't make as much trouble.

7) The Pack will make at least two big plays on special teams - likely a runback for TD (compliments of Micah Hyde)  and maybe a blocked punt.  The Pack's special teams have been taking heat all year for less than stellar play and are determined now to make a statement. I believe they will!

8) There are a lot of guys who weren't on the Packers' 2010 Super  Bowl champion season team and are hungry for that special title, and the ring. They have 5 to 7 guys left from that team to encourage them to go all out - leave it all on the field. No one and done!

9) Chris Christie's "good luck" orange sweater (worn when he sits with Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones in his box)  has an expiry date on it  - and that will be today!

10) S.I. picked the Packers to win, and also beat the Patriots in the SB.

Footnote:

Wifey is still reeling from the dastardly tricks played by the Patsies yesterday in not reporting Shane Vereen as an ineligible receiver. Ravens coach Harbaugh had to go out onto the field to seek some kind of explanation and his team was penalized for it.  Steve Mariucci, on NFL Game Day this morning, did say it was "within the rules" but also said an official ought to have pointed out the ineligible to allow the defense to set coverage before the play.

This is also something the competition committee will have to address and soon. Meanwhile, any team that might have to play NE better look at that game tape closely.

ICE BOWL II Cometh? I Don't Think So!

At Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin, December 7, 2009. It wasn't an "Ice Bowl" but it was bracing cold at 22F.

As today dawns in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the weather heads are warning of possibly the coldest playoff game in NFL history.  The Green Bay Press Gazette in its last forecast has -1 F  at game time and with wind chills factored in, it will feel like maybe -15F. By game's end the latter could be as low as -35F.   Many in the media, probably to ramp up hype for the game, are calling it "Ice Bowl II", but maybe they forgot just how severe that NFC title game was on Dec, 31, 1967.

I was living in New Orleans at the time and watched most of it on TV with my then gf. What astonished me then wasn't the details of the cold - which only came out later in an NFL documentary on the game - but how well a southern team (the Dallas Cowboys) played. Indeed, if not for a final drive by the Pack, the hated Cowboys would've won - sending the Packer faithful home to mull the rest of the week.

For comparison sake, the game-time temperature at Lambeau Field then was about −15 °F (−26 °C), with an average wind chill around −48 °F (−44 °C); under the revised National Weather Service wind chill index implemented in 2001, the average wind chill would be −36 °F (−38 °C).   These stats alone show me it is highly unlikely the conditions in Green Bay this afternoon will be anywhere close - though again, yes, the conditions will be brutal. But Ice Bowl I level?  Uh uh.

Oh, another aspect that contributed to the dreadful conditions: Lambeau Field's turf-heating system malfunctioned, and when the tarpaulin was removed from the field before the game, it left moisture on the field, which flash-froze in the extreme cold, leaving an icy surface that got worse as more and more of the field fell into the shadow of the stadium. Some Dallas players believed that Lombardi had purposely removed power to the heating coils, but this was later debunked and exposed as baloney.  (Packer players suffered as much from falls on the hard glass-like turf as Cowboy players.)

Another side point: When ref Norm Schachter blew his metal whistle to signal the start of play, it froze to his lips. As he attempted to free the whistle from his lips, the skin ripped off and a stream of blood spouted out then froze in a red icicle.  This was noted by Dallas DT Bob Lilly as the most enduring image of that game - in an interview for the NFL documentary on it, "The Ice Bowl".


In the scheme of things, it might be just as well conditions won't be anywhere as severe as the original Ice Bowl, because all the players will be tested. Despite the repeated media malarkey that the Packers "love the cold" and have an advantage, this is mostly bunkum. The truth is most of the Packers detest the cold (many are from the south) - and the story remains from the 2011 season when - before facing the NY Giants in a playoff game - Coach Mike McCarthy had the team practice indoors using frozen footballs.  This is something Lombardi never would've tolerated and one hopes this time around players actually got out and practiced in the cold - to have the advantage they believe against the Niners.

In the end it will be a bruising, physical game and the team that makes the fewest mistakes is the one likely to win. My heart, of course, picks the Pack to steal the win and move on. My head, however, sees the Niners having too many weapons creating mismatches- and unless early injuries remove some key 9'er  players (as happened yesterday with KC players in their game)  - it may be a long day for the Pack.

Yes, football is a brutal, opportunistic game - make no mistake. Not many players say it or promote the thought, but they know one single key injury in a superior opponent can open the game up for their team to get a 'W'.  For their opportunity. No one necessarily wants it, but no one is fool enough to deny it.  And every team exploits the weakness when it occurs, whether it's an opponents' Pro Bowl  corner leaving with a torn ACL, or a 1000+ yard  RB leaving with a concussion - as two KC guys suffered yesterday - removing  any chance of KC prevailing over Indy.

My prediction (though I hate to say it): Niners 23 Packers 17

Finally, it was good to hear Peter King yesterday afternoon (before the KC-Indy wild card game) saying that the NFL has essentially shelved the nonsense idea of Division winners being deprived of home games if their W-L record is below that of a competing wildcard team. Of course, this is bollocks since any number of factors can diminish a division winner's W-L record. For Green Bay, winners of the NFC North, at 8-7-1,  it was a lengthy loss of key players. 17 total  injured at some point, including LB Clay Matthews (Bennett's fracture of thumb, re-broken 2 weeks ago, QB  Aaron Rodgers - fractured collarbone - out 7 weeks during which  the Pack went 2-4-1, and Randall Cobb - only returned last week)

Should the Pack have been penalized because they played and fought through their numerous critical injuries to arrive at being  NFC North Division winners with an 8-7-1 record? Hell no!  They have nothing to be ashamed of. Yes, the Niners and their fans can whine that with a 12-4 record they have had to travel to the frigid  home of an 8-7-1 team , i.e. as in this missive posted on the SF gate.com site:

"It is ridiculous that Green Bay has home field advantage, Green Bay having only won 8 games to the Niners 12. The NFL should adopt a playoff system like they have in the NBA and the NHL seeding the teams based on wins and losses. The Niners have every chance of losing today not because Green Bay are a better team but because of the awful conditions they are likely to face."

Awwwww.....BOO HOO and BWAAHAHAHAHHH!


Them's the breaks, Sparky. Deal with it. If your Niners wanted to host a game then they ought to have taken care of business and taken out the Seahawks, bested their record.

Hopefully, irrespective of which team wins at Lambeau today, the game will be as competitive as those played yesterday - unless it's a Packer blowout of the Niners of course!

See more here:

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20140104/GPG0101/301040319/Ice-Bowl-II-Fans-Packers-prepare-historic-cold?nclick_check=1

Why It Doesn’t Pay to Get Too Invested in an NFL Team

The Cover of Janice’s Souvenir book on the 2012 Baltimore Ravens.. Never mind that most of the star players featured are now with other teams!

And the bleeding and chaos goes on! The Free Agency spring in the NFL has ripped teams to shreds, scattered star players to the 4 winds (or points of the compass), and ultimately altered their identities completely from what they were last year. The question then becomes: How can one invest in a team, say in one's affiliated city or town, if the players change every year and the gamers who helped win the ‘Big One’ suddenly appear on an enemy’s payroll? It makes no sense. How can you be invested in the TEAM if the team is an illusion of your mind, and alters its constitution from what you’d identified with heart and soul?


Right now wifey Janice is at “sixes and sevens”, to use the Bajan expression, after her beloved Superbowl -winning team has been rent asunder by free agency. No sooner had she received her ‘Purple Majesty’ book on the Baltimore Ravens’ magic 2012 run to the Superbowl, than the bad news began – repeatedly announcing major defections over the NFL channel.


So she has seen LB Paul Krueger get snatched up by divisional enemy Cleveland (Browns), even as receiver Anquan Boldin was grabbed by the 49’ers – the same Niners the Ravens beat in the SuperBowl! Next, cornerback Cary Williams signed with the Eagles for $17 million, while linebacker Dannell Ellerbee signed with the Miami Dolphins for another multi-million dollar deal. Meanwhile, icon Ray Lewis has retired even as secondary hitter (safety) Ed Reed is making plans to sign with the Texans.


Janice, like all red-blooded pro-football fans, believes her team will still be a contender, but she has no illusions about them repeating as SuperBowl champs. With the fluidity of free agency there are no guarantees of that anymore. The Pack perhaps had the best chance to repeat after their 2010 Superbowl run, and 2011 win, but they let a key piece of their defense (Cullen Jenkins) go, and they then tried to compensate the lack of stops with INTs –picks. Didn’t work! Though they finished 15-1 they got bounced from the playoffs in a one and done. Their D wasn’t good enough to hold off Ely Manning and the Giants.

Speaking of the Pack, they have just seen Greg Jennings, a seven-year receiver, sign with divisional enemy Minnesota, otherwise known to Packer fans as the “Vi-queens”. According to one report in The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Jennings wanted more of a spotlight. He wanted out of an offense that featured multiple receivers. According to the Journal-Sentinel: “That was the echo in Jennings' news conference Friday. Just as he expressed subtle frustration upon returning from his core muscle injury, Jennings hinted that his role in Green Bay's offense was diminishing.”


The real problem, of course, is “cap space”. While teams in the NFL can buy a lot of talent, that buy power is limited by what’s called the cap. Unlike baseball, where the richest teams (like the New York Yankees) can buy as much baseball power as they want – hence could ‘steal’ star pitcher C.C. Sabathia from the Brewers at the end of 2008 by offering him a $61 m contract- football decided to limit such buying power to make a more equitable competitive system. The result? No one team has been able to become a powerhouse, or repeat a Superbowl in nearly ten years. The NE Patriots were the last to do it, for the 2004 season.

The Ravens’ fans knew they’d have problems keeping talent once QB Joe Flacco wrapped up a $120 million deal, for about $20m a year. That signing – while it assured Baltimore of a top flight quarterback, meant limited ability to retain talent for other positions from a SB-Championship team. Since most of the outstanding players who left, such as Krueger, Williams, Reed, Boldin etc demanded on the order of $6m a year each, there wasn’t the money to keep them. Boldin’s case is one of the saddest since he actually had $6m coming this year as part of an already signed contract, but Ozzie Newsome of the Ravens’ brain trust asked him to take a pay cut. “Take one for the team”!  Boldin, who arguably saved the Ravens’ butts in the Superbowl – making a spectacular sideline catch in the 4th quarter to sustain a drive and set up for a game winning field goal- didn’t see why he should be the one to take a hit on his promised contract. So he signed with the Niners, in exchange for which the Ravens get a 6th round pick.



More puzzling for the Ravens' fans was the outright release of heavy hitter Bernard Pollard on the basis of enhancing "team chemistry". Huh!? You let a hitter like Pollard go because of his intensity (recall his hit on RB Steven Attwood of the Pats in the AFC  Championship) and maybe not being a 'Caspar Milquetoast' PR pawn for Roger Goodell? C'mon! Pollard, as Janice put it, epitomized what it meant to "Play like a RAVEN!"


The Packers themselves have about $18m left under their salary cap, which sounds like a lot except they still have to sign star QB Aaron Rodgers and star LB Clay Mathews. They will be lucky to have $5m left after that, so no wonder owner Ted Thompson is tight-fisted and let running back Steven Jackson go to the Falcons instead of signing him. (The Pack has a serious need for RB and I personally don’t believe their present ‘committee’ can get it done.)

Sadly, while the NFL’s cap-driven free agent system spreads talent around, it doesn’t allow for stable teams, i.e. that a town can really identify with. Thus, the current system is radically unlike what we had in the 50s, 60 where players might spend 10 years with the same team and hence became icons with that team. Think of QB Bart Starr or LB Ray Nitschke with the Packers.


With NFL teams – most of them, except maybe the bottom feeders- lacking a persistent identity, fans are really following the name, or the logo. Or perhaps some vested memory of the great team that was, living on in stable form in a ‘Hall of Fame’.  This at least affords some consolation as a demoralized fan beholds his team re-incarnating in a different form every year, and facing the same task of having to learn players' names anew.

As for Janice, when she pages through her ‘Purple Majesty’ book and gazes at the photos of the Ravens of 2012, a bittersweet shadow will stalk her: that most of the players she’s looking at are no longer there. They no longer exist as Baltimore Ravens. Hence, when she perhaps peers at her book next year, she will see the faces of San Francisco Forty-Niners, Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans. The players who celebrated the Ravens’ SB win so joyously at M&T Bank Stadium last month will now be the pride of other teams, and so it goes.

As for me, I continue to follow the Green Bay Packers, but I never purchase any team 'souvenir' books. It's enough for me just to get a newspaper (e.g. Green Bay Press Gazette) detailing the championship win, for that date and year!