Monday Musings
Reading a story on ESPN.com about the competition committee and their opinion of how the PI rule last year was effective. To say the least, there was a mixed reaction, and as far as this long-time fan is concerned the experiment was a failure. The parameters for overturning PI (Pass Interference) were vague at best, it wasn’t consistent, and most of the time they still got it wrong. PI has always been pretty much a judgment call for as long as the league has been in existence. It has evolved over the decades, more and more leaning towards the benefit of the offense. The powers that be in the NFL feel that the fans love to see high scoring games, it makes the product more exciting, more watchable and of course, brings in revenue in the form of more advertising, more merchandise being bought, and of course the most important stat of all, higher TV ratings. The NFL really screwed this up, and they do not have an answer to fix it, or at least no answer that will satisfy the most important demographic of all, the fans. This all came about because of what happened in the 2018 NFC Championship game, and because of that blatant failure by part-time referees that were as blind and incompetent as I have ever seen during that game, we are now in a quagmire of watching the NFL try and fix what is wrong with this rule. It isn’t an easy fix, but something has to be done so that plays such as what happened in New Orleans never happen again.
The other issue I am watching is the drama surrounding the new CBA that ownership has signed off on over the weekend. The NFLPA will have a meeting tomorrow to decide and vote on the new offer, and rumor has it they may not get a majority “yes” on the new CBA. I am neutral, and actually do not have much of an opinion. The 17-game schedule to me is both a positive and a negative. The positive is more football that matters, but the negative is saturation and quality of play. I am not a fan of the new playoff format, because as most have pointed out, had that format been in place, the 7th team from each conference last year would have been Pittsburgh (with a third-string QB) and the LA Rams (a shadow of what they were in 2018). A playoff spot is designed to reward a team for having a good season, not as a consolation prize for the first WORST team in the league. Either way, I await the result of the conference call tomorrow, and the fallout it causes. One thing about the new proposal is that all stakeholders, to include owners and players, are set to make a lot more money in the long run, as well as retired players are due a much needed increase in benefits, so there are pros and cons to this whole thing. I’ll try and have an updated opinion after the results of the call tomorrow are revealed to the public.
The sporting world said goodbye today in a tribute to Kobe Bryant and his Daughter at Staples Center. Luminary speakers included Shaq and Michael Jordan. To me it is still really hard to come to terms with the fact that he is gone. I have always been upfront with my feelings on the NBA post-Jordan, but the fact remains and is not debatable, that Kobe was definitely one of the greats, and his off-court work with kids and his charities is legendary. He will be missed and there is a hole in the soul of the sports world because of his passing. I watched the replay of his wife speaking today and I could not hold back the tears. If you have not seen it I strongly urge you to seek it out whether on Google or YouTube and watch, listen and understand how much this woman loved him, respected him and most of all, misses him. It was a powerful eulogy to say the least and as I mentioned… I was sobbing after watching it.
That’s all I have for today… have a great night everyone…
Scott– The Sports Nerd