Sound Observations - NFL Relegation

Well, as a Packers fan, I want to stick a piping hot iron stake in both eyes after seeing what occured last night, but there's plenty more to get this week...

NFL

1.) I've talked about this before, and I think Mike has originated the idea on this site, but why don't we relegate teams to the minor leagues like the English Premier League in soccer? I think this is the best way to work the UFL into a marketable system in American football. Think about it:

The 2008 Lions get sent down to the UFL after finishing 0-16 in the NFL. Rather than reward their incompetence with a high draft pick and fresh new logo, they must win a certain amount of games in the UFL the following season to become eligible for reinstatement in the primary league. Wouldn't attendance actually increase to the UFL games, in the hope that, if they're playing inferior competition, they have a chance to be promoted at the end of the year? This would provide huge incentives for the UFL teams to recruit quality talent, with the hopes that those players would be able to compete at the highest level.

The converse is true as well. If you have a team at 3-11 in week 15, and there's only a few teams with that record or worse, won't you be playing as hard as possible in the final weeks of the season to avoid relegation? This brings a new dynamic into the league that has plenty of ramifications all season long. It'll provide excitment in both leagues and keep an amorphous affiliation between them. Someone get this idea to Mr. Goodell.

2.) Shannon Sharpe wore a purple velvet suit yesterday for the CBS pregame. A velvet suit. Let that one simmer in your brain for a while. Mmm...

3.) I was at a bar yesterday to watch the Packers/Vikes (because Tennessee played a 3 pm game for some fucking reason and I couldn't weep in the privacy of my own home), and saw some very energetic and vocal Cleveland fans. Even when they were losing 159-3, they kept complaining about calls and cheering their team when they got their only first down. That's committment. Good for them.

4.) This is ridiculous to say, but... I... I think Terry Bradshaw had a pretty amazing interview with Brett Favre on Fox's pregame show yesterday. It was conversational, realistic, biting, and revealing in a way that most people can't get from the super-intelligent Favre. Surprised the hell out of me, but I've got to give him credit. Now, why they conducted the interview in a hall closet of someone's apartment I don't know.

5.) As K-Dub mentioned in the previous post, the Titans looked like they cruised to an easy win with Vince Young, circa October 2007. The reason why is simple: Jeff Fisher is a very, very good coach. I originally bet on Jacksonville to win, but then I thought, "Is there a better coach for a mid-level talent team coming off a bye week, playing a moderately talented visiting team?". I changed the pick and had no doubts the Titans would pull it out. No one does more with less over the course of a season than Fisher.

All the pundits are talking about how Fisher has had only 6 winning seasons in 16 as a head coach. Well, he's only had 5 losing seasons as well, and while 8-8 doesn't really blow the hair back, many of those seasons were during the whole "We're moving to Tennessee! Oh, well, first we have to stay in Memphis for a while, then we'll have to play at Vanderbilt's stadium." days. He's a good coach, and it would be moronic to fire him. Which means he'll be coaching Dallas next year.

MLB

6.) Rodriguez indeed is getting the proverbial gorilla off his back these days, but let's not forget he started this series 0 for 8, and is still not what I would call a clutch hitter. You don't learn stuff like that, or get used to the pressure. You just kind of close your eyes and hope for something to happen. If you're as talented as Alex Rodriguez, sometimes it does. Doesn't mean he won't choke next time.

7.) Strangely enough, given the fact that I really like the city of Philadelphia, I agree with Mike. I don't want to live in a world in which the Phillies have won back to back championships. Of course, I live in a world where Florida won back to back NCAA championships in basketball, while holding the National Championship in college football at the same time. Those were dark days.

8.) What're the odds at this point that the Cubs will EVER win a World Series? Is this even calculatable? Is that even a word? My head hurts.

TV

9.) I'm starting to notice that HBO has gotten away from nudity in their programming. I have to voice my opposition to this. Not only do they show a grand total of 3 distinct movies in a day, but their "original programming" is all mindful, thought-provoking Emmy-bait. This is not right.

Even the previously-fun-to-watch-but-now-looks-like-it's-written-by-a-retarded-monkey show Entourage has focused more on career goals for the group and less on the gratuitous, happy-to-throw-myself-at-and-willing-to-fuck-a-guy-I-just-met SoCal girls from the first couple of seasons. I want answers! If we can't get quality nudity from network shows that can somehow show dismembered and disemboweled corpses, but need to blur out a nipple, we need to depend on our premium channels to give us a little skin. That is all.

Holla back!