Sunday, February 7, 2016

A little dab'll do ya

In a few hours we'll all be watching the first Super Bowl ever that isn't defined by Roman numerals.

Thank God. It was getting to the point where I couldn't decipher XLVIIIMMC anymore. I guess it's because I'm not Roman.

Nevertheless, interest in the game, at least locally, is out of sight. That's because the Charlotte Panthers, that NFL colossus just an hour and a few minutes down the road from us, has pretty much been shredding everything in its path, coming this close to a perfect season. As it stands, 17-1 — with one more to go — ain't bad.

Th Panthers take on the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50.

I'll be clear about this: I'm not necessarily a Panthers' fan. I'm a Pennsylvania import, so my team of choice is the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles have always been my team for as long as I can remember. So give me credit for not abandoning the Eagles and becoming a Panthers' bandwagoneer. I truly bleed Midnight Green.

Having said that, the Eagles are 3,000 miles away from this year's Super Bowl. And I have to admit, I do enjoy watching the Panthers play football. This year has been a lot of fun.

Why?

And we're upset about Cam Newton's wardrobe because...?
 At 6-foot-5 and a svelte 245 pounds, Panthers' quarterback Cam Newton is rewriting the position prospectus. He's been responsible for 35 passing touchdowns and 10 more rushing. Wow. Greg Olsen is perhaps one of the best tight ends I can remember, reminiscent of prototypical tight end John Mackey. Luke Kuechly is a remarkable force at linebacker in the Dick Butkus/Ray Nitschke mold, and running back Jonathan Stewart might be the best running back nobody ever makes a fuss over.

You could go through the roster position by position and it would be impressive. Even when a player falls out of the lineup for whatever reason, his replacement seems more than capable. And that's what it takes.

Besides, I enjoy watching Newton having fun playing the game. I don't understand some of the criticism I've heard about him being a hot dog and not respecting the game. C'mon. I enjoy his dabs. I like his outlandish wardrobe. He's articulate and thoughtful. So lighten up. He's 26 years old and he's taken your team to the Super Bowl. Kinda like the way that Namath guy did.

So I'll be pulling for the Panthers, even though the Broncos have West Davidson graduate Josh Bush (No. 20) playing in their secondary, and even though this likely could be Broncos' quarterback Peyton Manning's final game as he prepares to step into the Hall of Fame.

We're almost there: Kim's five-bean chili is in the crock pot, the beer is in the fridge, the hummus is waiting to be dipped. Or dabbed, I can't remember.

It should be a good one: Panthers 28, Broncos 24.


Is it me or does the guy in this 1950s TV commercial look a little like Luke Kuechly? Especially when he takes off his hat. Hmm. I never had this problem, by the way...




No comments:

Post a Comment