Who knows and who cares? We’ve been gifted the potential for amazing Conference Championship games. Grab a beer and sit down.
I hadn’t washed my Cowboys sweatshirt all season, and despite protests, violent and none alike, I let my Cowboys slippers go unwashed to the point of perma-moist. Whether fan by fantasy or fanaticism, these are the simple duties we must endure. And because sports elicit an emotional reaction from us, yet produce outcomes which usually subscribe to the school of logic, it is all for naught.
The Cowboys disappointed few as we watched Rob Ryan’s ego and gut get in the way of a playoff birth. I slinked to the corner of my room to hear reports that the hated Giants were playing at a level that finally matched their potential. Sunday, I found myself watching New York dismantle Green Bay in a particularly efficient manner at a bar in Gowanus. It was a friendly crowd of armchair quarterbacks, some more knowledgeable than others, but all in blue. As it became apparent the Giants were the better team on the field that day, I felt my hatred dissolving. I felt the general nerves and excitement creep in as Green Bay tried to sustain a drive, and then I accidentally clapped when Jason Pierre-Paul swatted a pass from Aaron Rodgers.
Perhaps I’m weakened, the cyclical hubris of Jerry Jones keeping me from enjoying the past fifteen seasons thoroughly, but I find myself now watching this year’s playoffs as a fan of football rather than that of a specific team. And so far, the playoffs have operated in nearly perfect form.
Most of the games have produced logical results. No, not in the way that one could look before the game and pick with confidence a winner maybe, but after the fact they all make sense. The Packers fans moan, incredulous of the outcome, their repeat season going the way of almost every other previous champion. But had they faced a pass rush as prideful and determined as the Giants at any point during the season? Watching as an objective observer, it is obvious. The Giants are playing defense the way everyone thought they could/should, and Eli is clawing furiously at his older brother’s shadow. New York, along with San Francisco and Baltimore are allowing the “year of the quarterback” adage to take a victory lap, by tacking on the older, nobler “defense wins games” to their victories. The Patriots – the Empire, the Dark Side, villains for only their supreme domination – did exactly what everyone assumed they would to the Broncos, but at least Denver was nice enough to give us one postseason victory – putting a pause before witching hour. For Denver fans, beating the Patriots felt necessary, but for NFL fans it was enough to do the improbable to Pittsburgh – to remind us why it is we watch sports, for that clichéd “any given Sunday” when stats are set ablaze and passion and luck are enough to will the ball to bounce in your favor.
We are left with the final round before the Super Bowl, our greatest marriage of athletics and consumerism. On the AFC side, we have been granted a matchup between two pillars of the current century: The New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens. The Aughts have been good to these two franchises, and this will be a week spent binging on hyperbole as we say the Patriots have been setting the pace on the offensive side of the ball for the past ten years and the Ravens, likewise, have been the standard for defense. There is little to like of the Patriots from a human aspect: Tom Brady is more beautiful and better at his job than most of us; Bill Belichick wears a hood and doesn’t give us the satisfaction of making an ass of himself in post game press conferences after orchestrating a drubbing; and new stud Rob Gronkowski looks like a front runner for the “most likely to get your daughter drunk and make her do something she’ll regret” award. But these are the wild conjectures we love because they fill us with unfounded hate and passion and give us cause to yell at the television on Sundays.
Conversely, the Ravens are an emotional buffet catered by the great Ray Lewis. While still able to deliver punishing blow after blow, he has become one of the league’s great orators. Yes, he is fearsome, but we also are able to project wisdom on to him. An elder statesman of the game, he will drive an opponent into the ground, only to laud that man’s effort after the game if Lewis deems it worthy. This growth and maturity, especially when layered over someone so historically aggressive, is a weak spot for any fan. The Patriots are favored, and it’s hard to argue the line as it’s a home game for them and the Ravens had trouble putting pressure on Yates last week against Houston. Brady doesn’t need too much time to put points on the board, but it’s no secret the Patriots are good at giving up gobs of yardage when their offense takes the bench. So who knows, and really who care (aside from the obvious fan bases)? This game should be a treat for all, and trying to determine the outcome prior seems to only devalue our enjoyment.
The NFC presents us with a similar game in that it has incredible potential to be enjoyable for all fans. The echoes from various points of the season – what happened to the Giants? San Francisco can’t be trusted – have quieted down, and the Giants and the 49ers are playing amazing football. Last week’s games were memorable for different reasons, but leave us with out a clear-cut underdog. The 49ers are favored, and earned that standing after the instant classic finale against the Saints, but there is very little that is scarier than Mathias Kiwanuka and Jason Pierre-Paul barreling down on your quarterback. Though, I’m sure Manning hasn’t forgotten Justin Smith. The great thing, or rather frustrating thing with this matchup is without a clear underdog we have nowhere for the casual fan to put his or her allegiance. One cannot swear at the 49ers for their “evil” practices that don’t actually exist, just as one cannot mean mug Tom Coughlin thinking of him as an oppressive force. We spent most of the season thinking these two teams were one loss away from folding, but they have not. And they continue to excel and fill the headlines with the minutia of “becoming a team” and “playing as a unit.” Like the AFC Championship, there is little need to pick a winner. The Giants feel like a safer pick, but, again, who cares?
