A Football Overdose - Most of It Not Very Good

In the 72 hour period that ended shortly before midnight last night, I watched six football games.  I wish that I could say it was all great football, but alas, when the Cincinnati Bengals, Tino Sunseri, and an over-matched opponent in a Showcase Game are involved, you are going to get your share of clinkers.  

Taking them in order.....

• Pitt gets thumped by Old Miss in the BBVA Compass Bowl.  Pitt was never in this one, and Tino Sunseri played to form.  Again, I feel bad for the kid, he was a serviceable QB in his years at Pitt, but he was never great, and he never seemed to improve.  It is a damning indictment on the Pitt coaching staffs (note the plural noun here), particularly on Dave Wannstedt, that they were unable to recruit someone, anyone, who could mount a challenge to Sunseri in the past three seasons.  Perhaps the best thing that can be said about this season is that the same coaching staff will be returning in 2013.  Continuity has not been Pitt's strong point in recent years as you know.  In retrospect, the results of the Compass Bowl proved to be grim foreshadowing of what was to come two nights later in the BCS title game.
• The Houston Texans defeat the Cincy Bengals.  Andy Dalton struggled, the Bengals failed to score an offensive touchdown, and the Texans just did scrape by with a win.  The epitome of the ineffectiveness of the Bengals came at the end of the game, with their season on the line and facing a fourth and eleven situation, Andy Dalton completed a six yard pass (this after badly overthrowing a wide open receiver on third down for what would have been the game winning touchdown).  Best line about his one came form Tony Kornheiser on PTI when he said that this game looked like it belonged on a cable access TV station.
• Packers defeat Vikings.  As soon as it was announced that Christian Ponder was inactive and that Joe Webb, who had taken all of three snaps for the Vikes all season would be playing, well, I'd have probably been best served by watching a DVD of an old movie instead.  Aaron Rodgers was dominant, and Webb answered the question on the minds of Steelers fans everywhere:  Yes, it is possible to have a backup QB play and look worse than Byron Leftwich.
• Ravens over Colts.  This one was dominated by CBS's constant pandering to Ray Lewis after 17 seasons and one beaten homicide rap.  The sight of Roger Goodell giving Lewis a big Man Hug before the game was particularly unsettling.  If I'm James Harrison or Ben Roethlisbergher, I am on the phone demanding the same sort of Commissioner Absolution and hugs from Roger before the home opener next season.  Andrew Luck runs out of rookie mojo and fails to lead Indy to a touchdown, a storybook season for the Colts ends, and football fans across America are condemned to at least one more week of Ray Lewis sycophantry.
• Seahawks over Redskins.  The best game of the NFL weekend, as the Seahawks dominate and Russell Wilson wins the Rookie QB Sweepstakes, although you might want to put an asterisk next to Robert Griffin III's name here.  Griffin was obviously an impaired player as he took the field, and that no doubt affected his performance.  Lots of questions being asked in Washington and elsewhere as to whether or not RG III should have been allowed to take the field in this one.  Football fans can only hope that Griffin will be healthy and ready to go at the start of next season.
• (An aside on Russell Wilson.  How do you feel if you are a Cleveland Browns fan?  At the draft in April, the Browns selected 28 year old Brandon Wheedon over Russell Wilson.  Wheedon showed some promise as he led the Browns to a 5-11 season.  Wilson is a strong Rookie of the Year candidate and his Seahawks are still playing football.  Wonder what they're saying on the talk shows in Cleveland.)
• Alabama thrashes Notre Dame, 42-14, and it wasn't as close as the score indicates.  Brent Musberger, when he wasn't making creepy, leering comments about A.J. McCarron's girlfriend, had the best line right before halftime when he said "if this was a fight, the referee would stop it."   Yeah, that's a hoary old cliche, but right on the money.  The Crimson Tide was certainly awesome last night.  I can't believe that Notre Dame is as bad a team as Alabama made them look last night, but you have to believe that if they played 10 times, 'Bama would win probably eight or nine times.  They are that good.
• All that said about Alabama, why does Nick Saben always look like he's in the middle of prepping for a colonoscopy?   Does the guy ever smile about anything?  I was fully expecting his post game interview to include him talking about where his team let down and on what they'll need to work on after he reviews the game tape.  College  football coaches are hard people to like.
• And speaking of college football coaches, Bill O'Brien, after a brief flirtation with the NFL, and a reported $1.3 million dollar raise, courtesy of a well heeled booster, will remain at Penn State in 2013.  His comments about being "committed to Penn State and his players" and that he's not a "one and done guy" would have sounded a lot more meaningful had they come BEFORE the NFL dalliance and the million dollar raise.  Also, note that O'Brien never said anything about beyond 2013, so expect this same dance to occur next year about this time.