Thoughts on Kobe and Super Bowl XLIi

Some ramblings...

-I'd love to tell you about my thoughts on the listless Bears, but for all the information on that, you're gonna have to visit Foxsports.com once a week. Yeah, not sure. Not sure. Not sure, not sure...not sure. Not sure, but it's for the fans. (P.S. ... Not sure.)

-It so happens I'm a proud member of the Trade Brigade...for Kobe, that is. I've previously stated my opinions on the matter of the possible deal-to-be, so if you're really that interested in an entire column's worth of thoughts that I'm about to compress into a paragraph or two, feel free to search my archives and find it yourself. (Word to the unwise: It's not worth it. Save your scroll-finger the trouble.)

The main argument against the Kobe trade is that the Bulls have the team chemistry and team unity that other less cooperative teams are resigned to only dreaming about. In the column I wrote previously, my main point was that championship caliber teams, while often times do posess good chemistry, always have that superstar leader.

Question: Does any current Bulls player fit the mold of a superstar? The answer is no, and will be no for a while. Luol Deng is much farther off than he was made out to be in the offseason by many a pundit/sportswriter.

So while the Bulls may have the chemistry, the consistent scorer and leader is what they lack, and the disparity between the two in terms of importance really isn't even close. You'll take the superstar over the team chemistry any day.

This isn't the NCAA tournament, where George Masons make deep runs using a mix of only teamwork, momentum and the surprise-factor. This is professional basketball. You need a scorer, a leader, and a superstar. For the folks scoring at home, the Bulls come in at a solid 0/3.

But hey, add Kobe, all of a sudden they're batting 1.000.

It bears repeating, the Bulls won't make the playoffs if GM John Paxson keeps his "No Kobe" promise. The Bulls have thrived off hustle points in seasons past... offensive rebounding, taking charges, air-tight defense and the occasional offensive burst. They couldn't be playing any farther from this "Get on the floor!" type of basketball we've grown accustomed to seeing.

Ben Wallace has been useless and a liability on both ends, Hinrich's been his own worst enemy with foul trouble, Deng's been underwhelming, even the typically hyperactive Andres Nocioni seems lifeless. I should note thatTy Thomas is doing all he can, and really shouldn't be grouped with the rest of his under-achieving teammates, who, in all honesty, seem to be having their problems removing the preseason training wheels.

So to sum up, the only reason the Bulls shouldn't acquire Kobe is they're good at what they do, hustling and playing as a team, while they currently have done neither of these things so far this season? You know what, you've convinced me. I'm sold. Forget all these, "Let's go trade for the best basketball player on the planet" shenanigans. We can win with this roster! Besides, Kobe's selfish. He never passes, and it's a mystery as to why. He's got such capable teammates, Kwame Brown, Chris Mihm, Vladimir Radmanovic... I could go on! The Lakers are stacked!

But I won't. Because no matter how many sane Bulls fans join the Trade Brigade, people will still be spewing the same garbage I just provided an example of, albeit sarcastically, in the last paragraph.

It's a dangerous road they're travelling down. The Bulls won't make the playoffs, which is just as well, they would've lost in the second round anyway, and Kobe will toil in LA until he eventually spontaneously combusts. Which won't be pretty. (For anyone really, especially Ramanovic, who'd have to make up for Kobe's points. Yikes)

Or Pax could grow a pair and get the job done. Either, or... really.

- Colts-Pats. Pats-Colts. I feel like this game could use a little more coverage, maybe, please? (Y'know, I feel like going on with a sarcastic rant here wouldn't suffice, that's how far this has gone. That's the point we're at. Where sarcasm has gotten wearisome. Admit it, if I had written a few more sarcastic sentences, complaining about the overzealous coverage of "Superbowl 41.5," you wouldn't have been annoyed? Don't lie. You would have. I had a chance to be sarcastic..and I passed it up.. Ladies and gentlemen, this is a sad day indeed.)

Yes, I know, it's the latest point in a season two undefeated teams have ever met. Yes, I know, they're rivals, and home field advantage for the playoffs is probably on the line. Yes, I also know, it's Brady v. Peyton. Again.

It's a big game. I understand. (How could I not..?)

But that's not why I'm irritated by all this coverage.

There are times, when making an argument, that you wish for nothing more than a stat to back up the way you feel. Usually, when people are overcome by this feeling, they preface their point with, "It's just a gut feeling.." Now, for this Pats-Colts game, more than ever, do I wish for a Gut-Feeling stat. Way more times than not, someone's gut can tell them an infinite amount more than what any statistics will. Sure, stats will back up your argument in most cases, but what helps you make that argument in the first place? Your gut feeling.

Last Sunday, FOX gave me an early Christmas present by putting the Patriots-Redskins in the timeslot immediately following the Bears on Sunday afternoon. I was LSU-fans-at-a-Nick Saban-roast happy. I had been wanting to witness the Patriots decimate a team firsthand, and not just be resigned to reading about how great Tom Brady & co. had been playing.

So I saw. So they conquered.

The Patriots' opening drive was one of torturous, methodical evisceration. Bill Belichick, commonly referred to as the cleverest coach around, (by me at least, nevermind his methods) wisely noted the Redskins defense had prepared for a barrage of Tom Brady early on, dropping the linebackers into coverage. A steady dose of Laurence Maroney later, the linebackers moved in, and Brady promptly fired in a few darts, more accurately thrown darts the football world has not yet seen.

52 points later, my gut feeling was taking shape. The one that told me, no matter who the Patriots face this season, whether it be Peyton Manning, or Sage Rothenfels, there's no way the Patriots leave that field without having claimed a victory first.

In other words, they ain't gon' lose!

If you disagree, I don't know what to tell you. Actually no, I do know what to tell you. GO WATCH THEM PLAY.

You can hear about Brady throw 6 TD's. You can hear your best friend, who was sly enough to grab Randy Moss in the 5th round of your fantasy draft, brag about his big day. You can read about the "running up the score," and the like. I, like you, my sad uninformed friend, had heard and seen it all.

But then I saw the light. A big red, blue and gray light.

The Patriots were good enough before the Camera Scandal. (Call it CameraGate, go 'head, I dare you) Then the entire football universe went and crucified them. They defamed their Super Bowl wins. They reclaimed all the "On the Verge of a Dynasty" talk. They wanted to hear the details, but Roger Goodell was incredibly secretive. Suspicions only grew. Suddenly, the team that could do no wrong, was hated or frowned upon by every single football-loving human being outside of the Boston area.

As the hairy guy from the Old Spice commercial would say, "....Dumb." (Note to Old Spice, your commercials get mentions on my blog. I only mention embarassingly bad commercials. Fire your advertising crew, stat.)

As if the Patriots weren't going to be good enough this season, now they had motivation, now they had a fire underneath them. (Not to mention, three brand new 'Vettes straight out of the garage.)

They've embraced the role of the villain. They've taken it to heart. If they're going to be the bad guy, why not run up the score? Why not keep Brady in when up by 6 touchdowns? He's not at risk for injury, you think a defensive player would ever breach the Patriots line? They're enjoying being bad, you can tell from the way they celebrate while up by 45. They fed off the haters. If I were a Patriots hater I'd simply forget it and beg for forigveness. Imagine if they were still videotaping!

It's the Patriots v. the World, and so far, the Patriots are dominating.

Which is why, tomorrow night, after the Patriots top the Colts with a final score in the ballpark of 47-21, you'll hear the sound of every columnist typing, every expert yelling, every radio host discussing the Patriots, and how, after manhandling yet another opponent, they're on the fast track to destiny.

Well I'm telling you right now, before it all goes down. The Patriots are the best football team I've personally ever witnessed, and might end up being one of the all-time greats. Tomorrow will be their first big step into the process. They won't be able to stop talking about them. Patriots are going undefeated, this. '72 Dolphins are worried, that. Will they ever not cover the spread, this. Why didn't we see this coming, that.

I wrote a while back that the "experts" have been afraid to take risks on their predictions often. And the sports world had responded by being the craziest I can ever remember it being. Upsets all over the place, surprises are just as common.

The Patriots imminent man-handling of the Colts is going to surprise a lot of people, but it shouldn't.

You can tell me all you want about Peyton Manning. You can tell me all you want about Brady's offensive line. You can tell me all you want about the Colts defense. You can tell me all you want about the Colts being the "good guy" in this matchup. You can tell me all you want about the "football gods" ceasing to smile upon the Patriots after they contiually ran up the score on opponent after opponent. And after you tell me all that, the Patriots will stomp the Colts.

Just like they have every week this season.

Just another rung on the ladder of their undefeated season-to be.

Or at least, that's my gut feeling

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