The outcry over viewership of NFL games reached its crescendo last night when this year’s two NFC powerhouses met up in Dallas on the NFL Network.It was the first matchup of 10-1 teams since the 90s and involved two of the most beloved franchises in all of sports, yet 2/3 of the U.S. was deprived due to the disgusting greed of rich men.
The NFL has gone from a home-grown game to an elitist sport more every year, but it has become increasingly alarming recently. The accessibility of the game to true fans that bleed their team colors tells the story.
The Super Bowl was the first to go.
The tickets have become so exorbitantly expensive that no real fan can go see his or her team try to take sports’ greatest crown. Even playoff games are becoming a corporate, convoluted mockery of their former selves with tickets so amazingly exclusive that true fans are prohibited from attending.
Next, the NFL decided to outsource its fan base by sending games oversees depriving even the privileged few with season tickets from attending their home team’s games.
The NFL Network serves as the final dagger in the heart of the true fan. It is only a matter of time before the NFL stops accepting the massive amounts of money offered by the big networks and begins passing on that expense to fans by making all regular season games pay-per-view.
Not only does that increase the difficulty for any fan to see the teams they love, it also decreases their enjoyment of the event by placing them in the unsure hands of brown-nosing announcers whose checks have the NFL logo on them.
But before we get into this week’s stuff, here are my thoughts for the week:
1. The death of Sean Taylor will make the next couple of weeks in the NFL a very hollow affair for a large number of players and fans and it is a dark cloud that will hang over the rest of the season – a moment of silence for a young man senselessly gone too soon.
2. Bill Parcells built the Cowboys team that will most likely represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, but he has taken shots from many of his former players on his coaching style and the atmosphere he fostered. But when asked about the matter and about Terrell Owens, all Parcells did was compliment all the players and give the credit to their efforts. Now that is the epitome of class.
And now the main event, this week’s top three waiver wire adds to keep an eye on.
Waiver Wire Adds:
Adrian Peterson (RB-CHI): The Chicago running game has been abysmal this year due not only to the ineffectiveness of Cedric Benson, but also to the ineptitude of the Bears’ offense as a whole. Now that Benson is on injured-reserve, the job falls to Peterson. On the upside, he has been more successful this year with the touches he has seen, averaging more yards per carry than Benson and half the touchdowns with a quarter the carries. And keep in mind, Peterson was prolific in college at Georgia Southern University.
Kolby Smith (RB-KC): Larry Johnson’s ankle seems to be worse than the Chiefs are letting on and with Priest Holmes announcing his retirement, Kansas City’s ground game lies on the shoulders of this rookie. If last week’s extraordinary effort was any indication of things to come, he could help you down the stretch.
Anthony Gonzalez (WR-IND): He finally had the game everyone has been waiting for last week with a 100-yard-plus effort. And with Marvin Harrison still rehabbing, there is no better time for him to come up big.
We are going to forgo Week 13’s Matchups because this is, unfortunately, the last column of the season.
Here are my final predictions for the season to give you an idea what teams you should continue to look to for help during these final critical weeks.
NFC Division Winners
NFC North – Green Bay Packers
NFC South – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFC East – Dallas Cowboys
NFC West – Seattle Seahawks
NFC Wildcards – New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings
AFC Division Winners
AFC North – Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC South – Indianapolis Colts
AFC East – New England Cheaters
AFC West – San Diego Chargers
AFC Wildcards – Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns
