Super Bowl goes to the dogs

New York, NY (Thursday, January 22, 2009) - All eyes will be on the players from the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals when they take the field in Tampa on February 1 for in Super Bowl XLIII to determine the champion of the football world. Just eight days later at Madison Square Garden, attention will turn to the canine world as more than 2,500 dogs of all breeds and varieties will compete in the 133rd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show to see who will be this year's Best in Show.

David Frei, the longtime television voice and host of Westminster and its director of communications, is the only person with the credentials to credibly attribute the traits of man's best friend to these similarly purebred football players. Frei formerly held public relations positions with the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers, and is the son of former Oregon head football coach and longtime NFL assistant Jerry Frei. Now widely known by millions as he celebrates his 20th anniversary hosting the live telecasts for USA Network, the younger Frei, 59, is a former dog breeder and exhibitor (Afghan Hounds and Brittanys), AKC licensed judge, and still wears a ring from Super Bowl XII.

Based on his unique knowledge of both sports, Frei offers the following Super Bowl Sunday primer (posted on www.westminsterkennelclub.org to America's football fans, an easy and familiar reference to the attributes of the star players they will see on February 1:

Pittsburgh Steelers"

Ben Roethlisberger - Border Collie: Leads (herds) his flock up and down the field, smart, athletic and intensely focused on the job at hand.

Hines Ward - Siberian Husky: Compact, athletic, smart, tough and tireless.

Troy Polamalu - Whippet: Feisty, prey-driven, fast, champion athlete of the dog world.

James Harrison - Anatolian Shepherd: Possessive and protective, territorial, athletic and agile.

James Farrior - Rottweiler: Powerful, intelligent, agile, intimidating, calm & courageous.

Justin Hartwig - Bullmastiff: "The Gamekeepers Night Dog" used to protect large estates and game preserves from poachers, knocks them down and stands over them until help arrives.


Arizona Cardinals:

Kurt Warner - German Shepherd: Intelligent and alert, alpha dog leader with even temperament and character

Larry Fitzgerald - Doberman Pinscher: Elegant athlete in a tight-fitting wrapper.

Anquan Boldin - Greyhound: Narrow body, big chest, sleek, powerful, athletic and fast.

Karlos Dansby - Bloodhound: Noble and dignified with a single purpose: to track down humans (in this case, anyone with the football).

Adrian Wilson - Airedale: "King of the Terriers," perhaps the best hunting dog in the world, goes and gets them all (interceptions and anyone with the football). Versatile and athletic.

Levi Brown - Komondor: Intelligent and protective, imposing strength and courageous demeanor.

In case you need more predictions...

...for the big game. Here's 21 from "The Sports Leader."

Time for a cold-weather Super Bowl

By Steven Lienert

It’s February. It’s football.

So why is the Super Bowl always played in the most pristine conditions?

I realize that the Super Bowl is the biggest sporting event on Earth, costing nearly $379 million. I realize lots of companies pay big-time bucks to have their commercials aired during the big game.

But, c’mon. It’s still football.

My proposal? Once every four years, the Super Bowl is played outdoors, in a city north of the Mason-Dixon Line.

Now, not every city can host the Super Bowl. Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Cincinnati, despite having new stadiums, are too small. Same with Green Bay and Oakland. And Jacksonville shouldn’t have hosted one for the same reason.

Buffalo’s stadium is too old and outdated. New York can’t/won’t host one until the Jets get their new digs.

Chicago, Denver and Kansas City are too frigid, although the Chiefs should get to host one in their new stadium.

Other than that, it should be rotated around like (enter your Paris Hilton jokes here) baseball’s all-star game.

Detroit, Atlanta, New Orleans and Minnesota have domes, so they’re already on the list. But why haven’t Indianapolis and St. Louis been considered? Too far north?

Arizona, Miami, Houston, Tampa Bay, San Diego are regulars on the Super Bowl tour. And it’s getting boring.

So why not Carolina, Baltimore, Tennessee or even Philadelphia? It would be cold, but not deathly cold, there’d be at least a chance of snow and, once every four years, football fans can bundle up to watch their squads play for the Vince Lombardi trophy.

Besides, all those corporate people will be nice and cozy in their luxury box suites, so what would they care?

Washington D.C. would be a great venue for a Super Bowl, as would Dallas, especially after the Cowboys open their new stadium in two years. I even think having a Super Bowl in Seattle’s Qwest Field, which is perhaps the best venue in the NFL, would be a site to see.

I even wouldn’t mind having New England host one every 20 years, just for laughs. Imagine Peyton Manning having to face the Bears’ defense at Foxboro tomorrow? The line wouldn’t be seven, that’s for sure.

Mix it up. Let these guys play in some real conditions. And let modern fans enjoy at least one cold-weather Super Bowl.

It's not like I'm asking to move the Pro Bowl out of Hawaii.

Steve Lienert has a new email address! Call him crazy at slienert@phanaticmag.com


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Legacy

By John McMullen

Win or lose Sunday Peyton Manning is headed to Canton.

But, Super Bowl XLI will likely define what kind of Hall of Famer Peyton becomes.

Will Archie’s son be labeled a great individual player (like a Dan Marino, Ernie Banks, Charles Barkey or Karl Malone) or will he get over the hump and become a “winner” forever more?

From the outside, it has always looked like Manning was too concerned with his legacy. The former MVP has always pressed in the playoffs and -- as failure after failure mounted -- his critics looked on with glee.

Every time Manning failed to get to the big game, it fueled some of the most obtuse criticism I have ever witnessed.

Inside the locker rooms in the NFL -- it’s an accepted fact that quarterbacks will get more credit than they deserve when their clubs win and more criticism when the losses pile up. Manning knows that better than anyone.

When the former Tennessee star was lighting up the scoreboard during the regular season, few gushed about Marvin Harrison or Reggie Wayne or Tarik Glenn or the departed Edgerrin James. It was all Peyton.

In turn -- when the inevitable playoff collapses came -- Manning had to take the brunt of the blame.

Now, as Peyton stands just 24 hours away from turning “choker” into champion -- you can’t help but chuckle.

Manning has never performed poorer in the playoffs (72-115, 787 yards (6.8 YPA), 2TDs, 6INT, 66.8 rating), yet his teammates have picked him up and are carrying him to the finish line.

A finish line that will define a legacy that already existed.

-John McMullen’s column appears every Saturday on this page. You can reach him at jmcmullen@phanaticmag.com


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Super Bowl turns seedy

The NFL usually likes to beam in its own popularity during Super Bowl week but the new Commish got peppered with quite a combination over the past couple of days.

Check it out...

Cincinnati Bengals superstar Chad Johnson was questioned by Miami police regarding an investigation into the shooting death of a man.

Hall of Famers Mike Ditka, Jerry Kramer and Lem Barney all ripped the league and the Players Association for its treatment of players from the past.

Former New England Patriots star linebacker Ted Johnson said coach Bill Belichick subjected him to practice while he was recovering from a concussion - against the advice of the team's top trainer.

and

A federal judge ruled Thursday that Korey Stringer's widow can proceed with her negligence lawsuit against the NFL and an equipment maker over the former Pro-Bolwer's heatstroke death.

Benson is Bears' back of the future

By Michael Rushton

When Cedric Benson was drafted fourth overall by the Bears in 2005, Chicago thought it had immediately upgraded its running back position. So much for sure things in the draft.

Benson got his NFL career off on the wrong foot when he held out for 36 days before finally agreeing on a five-year contract. That move immediately put him in the doghouse though, and allowed Thomas Jones to keep a hold on his starting job.

Jones went on to rush for 1,335 yards and nine touchdowns in 15 games in 2005. Benson, meanwhile, got into just nine games -- one start -- and rushed for 272 yards. His season ended prematurely when he suffered a medial collateral ligament sprain.

Then came 2006, when the Bears looked about ready to go with Benson. Only an unfortunate shoulder injury during preseason kept Benson off the field and Jones again held down his starting spot.

So now that the Bears have reached the Super Bowl, what better stage is there for Benson to -- literally and figuratively -- grab the ball and run with it to the spotlight.

Despite wanting to hand the starting job to Benson twice now, only to see the youngster fumble it away each time, Chicago is indicating they still plan to go with Benson in the long run.

He outcarried Jones 59-to-49 and had 275 rushing yards to his 233 yards over the regular season‘s last four games. On the surface, it would seem as if the Bears were just using a two-back rotation to wear down defenses, but the front office most likely had Benson under a microscope.

Additionally, the Texas product will get carries this Sunday. He started handling the ball more towards the end of the season and against the Colts, the Bears should go with a 1-2 ground punch that will both puncture a defense that has given up yards on the ground and take the pressure of quarterback Rex Grossman.

Jones is 28-years-old and will enter the final year of his four-year contract next season. Given his success the last two years (2,545 yards and 15 touchdowns) he certainly won't stick around to be Benson's backup. Plus, he is four years Benson’s senior, so he can’t be in Chicago’s long-term plans.

If the Bears capture the Super Bowl this Sunday, and especially if Benson has a strong game, it will make it easier to cut ties with Jones before the start of next season. Should the Colts prevail, they may go with a dual-back system again for next year to ensure another strong ground game and a trip to the postseason.

But not matter what, the starting job is once again Benson’s to lose.

You can discuss old episodes of the show Benson with Michael Rushton at mrushton@phanaticmag.com.


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Manning set up for failure

By Tim McManus

The overriding sentiment heading into this Super Bowl weekend seems to be that Peyton Manning, having brought his team back from behind against his nemesis, has now overcome his big-game shortcomings and will thrive against a lesser opponent.

Collective history suggests, however, that he's in for a real rough outing.

Greatness isn't always a blessing. In it, alongside talent and intelligence, lies ego and perfectionism. Manning is a living embodiment of that, always in a lab trying to solve the riddle, and hell-bent on executing the solution once he gets on the field. Waving the punt team off the gridiron or audibaling consistently to a pass play at the line are symptomatic of a man that has to have the fate in his hands.

Only, that need to succeed whitens the knuckles just a bit, and allows for a throw usually designated too dangerous.

The result, throughout Manning's otherwise exceptional career, has been failure in the postseason. While never the sole reason for a loss, the numbers have always gone from remarkable in the regular season to average or below in the playoffs. This year is no different:

Regular season: 362-557, 4,397 (7.89 YPA), 31TD, 9INT, 101.0 rating

Postseason: 72-115, 787 yards (6.8 YPA), 2TDs, 6INT, 66.8 rating

The freshest memory is of Manning leading his team down the field for a game-winning drive, but don't let it completely distract you from the two playoff games before that, where it looked like the signal-caller was trying to hand victory to both Kansas City and Baltimore.

Now he must step onto the game's biggest stage, carrying a reputation of a postseason choke artist around his neck, against the best defense in the NFL.

He knows that it is within him to single-handidly erase that talk, and bring the city of Indianapolis a Super Bowl in the process.

And so, even as you read this, he is locked in a room with game tape playing on the front wall while he scribbles into a notebook, crumpled-up paper all around him as finalizes a pristine mental game plan.

And in just a few short days, his moment for pure greatness will come.

History says that the greatness he already possesses will force him to throw it away.


Tim's column appears on this page every Thursday. You can reach him at tmcm1997@yahoo.com


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Big Game Proves Race Still an Issue

By Jared Trexler

In order to escape the metaphorical chains of servitude clasped tight to their ancestry, both Lovie Smith and Tony Dungy had to be successful.

They weren't coaching just for their own careers, but for the livelihood of African American coaches everywhere.

Win big and the underlying notions of justly deserved bigotry and stereotypes of genetic inequality would all fade behind the confetti marking a champion.

Or so we all thought.

Yet, if the build-up to Super Bowl XLI has taught us anything, it's that two African American coaches meeting in sports' biggest game won't erase the unimaginable opinions protruding from many attending this week's festivities.

Suits and ties genetically disposed of Eastern European descent, men and women born and raised behind the belief in 20th century societal roles, will never fully accept men like Smith and Dungy.

That's why tattered Confederate flags still fly in the deep South. It's why America voted George W. Bush into the White House for a second term.

Steps have been made, but don't let any member of the media searching for a heartwarming, significant story angle convince you Smith and Dungy's arrival in this game proves the American football family, or even the majority of NFL higher-ups, are ready to give African Americans their just due.

"It says very simply that for as far as we've come, we haven't come very far," Golden State Warriors executive Al Attles told InsideBayArea.com.

Yes, Mike Tomlin was hired in Pittsburgh, but by a man almost solely responsible for a rule that pushes black candidates through the door. And yes, more African Americans are getting their shots at prominent coordinator and front office positions.

Yet, in a day in age where Barack Obama is trying to convince the nation he is not 100% African American during a run for the presidency, two head coaches in a league where 70 percent of its players are black aren't being discussed as successful head coaches.

But rather black ones. And that's the overwhelming problem.

No one is asking Peyton Manning how it feels to be white? Or even Lance Briggs how it feels to be black?

However, when two men of authority are of a race suppressed for generations, progress is the sexy word.

Members of the media talked about the move forward with both coaches extensively on Media Day in Miami. The same media who asked Washington Redskins quarter Doug Williams before Super Bowl XXII, "How long have you been a black quarterback?"

Still, everyone fails to realize the absurdity of all this. Progress would be not talking about it at all.

You can contact Jared Trexler at jtt128@comcast.net


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The Key to Super Sunday: Bob Sanders

By Jared Trexler

The eighth man in the box. It's normally a nasty phrase in football fodder. A successful defense doesn't need it, while a porous one creeps that extra defender near the line of scrimmage to clot a bleeding wound.

Meet Bob Sanders, a 5'8" medical wonder, a safety by way of cornstalks and open terrain. A technically-sound hard-hitter, a paradox in today's game of highlight-reel licks and countless poor form.

Since Sanders' return at the beginning of Indianapolis' playoff run, he has turned one of the worst rush defenses in modern history into a solid, stern group in the trenches.

In turn, opposing offenses have faced more down-and-distance issues, allowing Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis to streamroll off the edge.

And that's when Indy is at its best. Unleash the speed, sit back in zone coverage and attack mistakes.

Thus, Sanders' role is more significant than tackles or sacks. It's measured in time of possession, and in the fourth quarter when attrition sets in.

If one player can single-handedly change Super Bowl XLI in Miami this Sunday, it isn't the quarterback destined for the Hall of Fame or the all-everything burly beast manning the middle of Chicago's defense.

It's the eighth man in the box -- Bob Sanders.

A little bit about Bob begins with his pedigree, Erie prep school signaling discipline and heart. Four years under Kirk Ferentz at Iowa, highlighted by freshman accolades, an undefeated
conference slate and the nickname "Hitman."

It suits the diminutive Sanders. He hides behind the wide and the tall. Then he sneaks up on the ball, always the attacker never the attacke.

During the regular season, Sanders played in just four games due to a nagging knee injury. The Colts consequently became one of the worst rush defenses in league history, allowing at least 100 yards on the ground in every game.

During a 44-17 Week 14 loss at Jacksonville, the Indianapolis rush defense surrendered 100-plus yards rushing to both Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew -- in the first half.

Embarrassment didn't yield immediate results. The Bengals ran for 133 yards in a Monday night affair the next week, a game the Colts won. Then Ron Dayne pounded out 153 yards and Ronnie Brown followed suit with 115.

An alarming trend had become statistical truth. The Colts couldn't stop the run, making the likelihood of a postseason march remote.

Enter Sanders, seen in the locker room as the man put on the football field of life to stop Larry Johnson. As prognosticators spouted off about the bad match-up with the Chiefs, theorizing that LJ would run for 1,000 yards while keeping Manning off the field, Indianapolis went about its normal practice week -- this time with the safety in toe.

The difference was monumental. He didn't hide his intentions from the opening snap. Unlike how Pittsburgh deploys Troy Polamalu or Baltimore uses Ed Reed, Sanders lined up as a linebacker then went out and played like one.

Johnson's predestined historic day turned into a game without infamy, a paltry line reading 13 carries for 32 yards with a long run of six. Big Bob missed a tackle on that play.

"He just seems to lift the play of the other guys around him," head coach Tony Dungy told the Boston Globe prior the the AFC Championship victory over New England.

"He's excited about practice. He plays with high energy. He's an emotional guy. Our players pick up on that and they feed on that. He does help everybody play a little bit better," Dungy continued.

And as if truer words had never been spoken, Rob Morris and Cato June turned into the second coming of Lawrence Taylor and Carl Banks.

Jamal Lewis mustered just 53 yards in the Divisional Playoff, allowing the pass rush to sack Steve McNair twice and rush him into two costly interceptions.

Then, against arch-nemesis New England, the Colts held Corey Dillion to 48 yards and rookie Laurence Maroney to 13 on eight attempts. In the second half of a win-or-go-home contest, the Patriots ran the ball just four times...because they couldn't.

No one would have dared to think that impossible feat was remotely possible before the playoffs began.

A Sanders-less unit that allowed 173 yards per game and 5.3 yards per carry during the regular season quickly turned into an immovable force, yielding just 73.3 yards per contest and 3.6 yards a touch.

And because of those stats, the Colts took part in Media Day on Tuesday in Miami, one win away from removing the hump squarely on Manning's and Dungy's backs.

"I was never panicked about our run defense," Dungy said under the Florida sun. "We're going to be tested when we play Chicago, because those two backs (Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson) can pound it."

But so can Sanders.

"They make a lot of plays up front," admitted Jones. "They have a lot of quickness in their front seven, but Sanders is the key to their defense."

Right out of the opposition's mouth.

The key to Super Bowl XLI Sunday night will be whether Jones and his five-man buffet line can find Sanders, and do something three AFC squads couldn't during a rush defense resurgence.

Locate the eighth man in the box, and hit him.

Jared Trexler can be reached at jtt128@comcast.net

**Picture courtesy of Colts official web home***


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Armed with a Tank

By John Gottlieb

It was last week that the Chicago Bears got a bit of good news when Cook County (Ill.) Judge John Moran allowed Tank Johnson to travel to Miami for Super Bowl XLI.

While not at work Johnson was required to stay at home after a December 14 raid on his Chicago suburb house found six weapons with ammunition, resulting in 10 charges of possession of firearms without a state gun-owner identification card. His bodyguard and childhood friend, Willie B. Posey, was arrested during the raid for possession of drugs.

In an article in the (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald, it was reported the police found 550 rounds of ammunition, six guns, including a semiautomatic rifle with 19 live rounds and a loaded .45-caliber handgun, marijuana and what what was thought to be the prescription painkiller hydrocodone.

Two days later Johnson was at a bar where Posey was shot and killed.

And what did the Bears do? They suspended him for one game.

It's apparent that Johnson, who was a second-round draft choice out of Washington in 2004, has a problem keeping himself out of trouble. That was his third arrest in the last 18 months.

The first was in a fight with a police officer with the charges being dropped and the second was a misdemeanor weapons charge in November 2005. Johnson pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 months probation and community service after a valet reportedly saw the 6-3, 300-pound defensive tackle with a handgun in his SUV.

There has always been a double standard for the public and sports stars when breaking the law, but it has never been more evident that this.

How's it possible that Johnson was allowed to cross state lines to play in the Super Bowl? What's the point of probation if you can violate it with no ramifications? I thought these sentences were supposed to be a deterrent to prevent these things from happening again and again.

Johnson is lacking a little common sense and what does it say about the judicial system to let him go and play in the biggest game of his life? What's even more sad is that the prosecution didn't even object to the decision.

Is the district attorney's office more enamored with Chicago's first Lombardi Trophy in 21 years than keeping its citizens safe?

Media day, and this entire week is a joke, but the only thing I wanted to hear, more than Peyton Manning or Brian Urlacher, was Johnson try to explain what's happened over the past year.

I know that the charges are pending since he pleaded not guilty, so I wasn't expecting an apology or anything revealing, but he had the audacity to say that this was the best year of his life and that the situation opened his eyes. Apparently, his past transgressions with the law were mulligans or no big deal.

Chicago tried to shield Johnson by not giving him his own tent, but he couldn't dodge the questions.

When asked on the media coverage regarding his troubles, Johnson replied, "I would say (it was overblown). But it's the job of you guys to hype the hot story. Unfortunately, I was the story that gave you guys ammunition to write about me. Of course, I think that, but I just have to do my job. Sometimes you guys don't have the facts or you fill in the blanks here and there. I don't think that's right, but I don't have any control over that."

That's right, blame the media. I thought that Tank made an interesting choice of words.

Chicago's defense has struggled since the loss of Tommie Harris and Mike Brown, but maybe the franchise could've been the role models and given Johnson a little more than a one-game layoff. It would've made the Bears conquest that much harder, but it also would've made the statement that there are consequences for your actions, even if you're an NFL athlete.

However, Johnson will be lining up opposite Peyton Manning on Sunday looking for the NFL's biggest prize. It must be nice to be an athlete within the dichotomy of the judicial system. It's funny how hard it is to get a second chance in life if you're an ordinary citizen, while the world bends over backwards if you can run fast, throw the deep pass or sack the quarterback.

*** photo courtesy of AP ***


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