Super Bowl recap

Well I was off on my prediction, but what a good game. Right down to the final seconds, the Steelers earned the victory, but the Cards made them work hard for it.
However the commercials were lame with a few exceptions, The Diet Pepsi tough guy ad was probably the best in my opinion, but for the most part they were well below the standards of previous Super Bowls, maybe due to the economic downturn or maybe the hype over the commercials themselves.
In the long run the commercials actually take too much away from the game, as does the over hyped halftime shows. I wanted to enjoy Bruce Springstein, but it wasn't that great of a show, I would just as soon see a regular half time with a marching band, but I guess I'm more of a traditionalist in that regard.
The NFL is always guilty of promoting the event over the game, but the game itself is so much better than the ads or the halftime shows, and the past several Super Bowls have lived up to or exceeded expectations.
Now when do the Stanley Cup playoff s start?

Drumcoach

Super Bowl Sunday

Aah, Super Bowl Sunday, the big game, the culmination of the 2008 NFL season, lots of great snacks, and of course all the new commercials.
Sometimes the games end up being blowouts, but often they are very competitive and exciting, think of the Rams vs. the Titans, the Pats vs, the Rams and the Giants vs. the Pats. All of those games were worthy of the event that has become the Super Bowl.
The Steelers vs. Cowboys in the 70's were also great games and I hope for a great game today, however everyone is saying that the Cardinals will get blown out by the Steelers and I think that is a strong possibility, but the Cards have been the underdog in every game have played in this years playoffs, and often they were supposed to be blown out.
In short I expect to watch the Steelers romp to an easy victory, but I won't be surprised if the Cards pull off a major upset. I actually would like to see a team that has never even been to the Super Bowl get the win, so I'm secretly hoping for the Cardinals to win, but I wouldn't put any money on this game.
Well only ninety minutes 'til kickoff so I'm going to take a nap and skip the pregame, which has been going on all afternoon anyway, and then hopefully watch a competitive game.
Oh yeah, my head tells me the Steelers will win by two scores, (at least 10 points) but my heart says; Cards-31 Steelers-27.

Drumcoach

Grandkids, why they are so special

The picture at the top of this blog is of one of my grandchildren, Delaney, during her families visit at Christmas.
Why do grandparents love their grandchildren so much?













I think the primary reason is that when you are a parent, your own children grow so fast, and even though you may not realize it, you don't make enough time for them. Then they are grown and moved on with their lives, (except for Josh, but he is handy to have around) and you know then that a main part of your life is missing.
I don't dwell on the mis-steps I made as a parent, but I wish I had made more time for my own kids while they were young. Playing softball a couple days a week, or playing in the band every weekend sure seemed like fun at the time, but I now think about how selfish I was then. If I had cut back on some of those activities, and spent more time with the family, it would have been time better spent.













We have to work to provide for our families, and that takes a lot of time away, but we can try and do more as a family when we have a chance, but we don't always do that. We always seem to think there will be plenty of time for family oriented activities, but we don't make enough time for the family, and now as grandparents we try and recapture that time through our grandchildren.
Now that I have more time to reflect, I want to be a bigger part of their lives, and the lives of their children, my grandchildren.
Grandchildren go through similar phases as their parents, and the things I missed while I was off having fun with my friends, I can experience through the grandchildren.
Plus, they're just so darned cute.














Drumcoach

Lions new coaches

I like the way the Lions are putting their coaching staff together. Gunther Cunningham is a good addition for defensive coordinator, and Scott Linehan looks like a good choice at Offensive coordinator, even though he struggled in St. Louis. Some people are better as position coaches, or coordinators, than they are as head coaches, I think Linehan falls into that category.
The draft will still be crucial to building a winning program in Detroit. I say "Skip the QB, and go for an Offensive Lineman, then Linebacker or Defensive Back." Actually it wouldn't hurt to take a couple of linemen on either side of the ball.
I think the Lions will be better served by building the foundation at the line of scrimmage this year and add a QB next year, there will be several top QB's coming out next year and it will be better to have someone come into a team with a solid O-line and a good defense.
Jake Long wasn't the only reason for the Dolphins turnaround this past season, but he was definitely a contributing factor in their amazing success story.

Now for the Super Bowl; Go Cardinals! I do like the Steelers, and my mind tells me they will win big, but it would be a great Cinderella story to have the Cards win their first Super Bowl.

Drumcoach

Jim Schwartz to be named next Lions Head Coach

Finally the Lions have apparently selected a head coach, his name is Jim Schwartz, and he's the Ten. Titans defensive coordinator.
I hope they have picked the right man for the job, but after seeing the Titans defense a few times this year I am optimistic about this selection.
It was important that they act soon to fill the head coaching vacancy since several teams are snatching up assistant coaches, and to fill his staff he needs time to interview candidates.
Once his staff is in place he can begin to access the needs of the team, (they are many to be sure) and start to fill holes through the draft and free agency.
Will he be the right man for the job? Only time will tell, but watching his first moves in assembling a staff may give us an idea.
With the Lions the old song lyric, "Been down so long, the bottom looks like up," is appropriate, so any improvement will be a welcomed change.

Drumcoach

Obama's inauguration

Obama's inauguration will take place next week and I hope everything goes well. Even if you didn't support him in the election, he is our new Commander-in-Chief and we should all support him as he strives to get the economy going and resolve the war in Iraq, not to mention the myriad of other problems facing the USA.
I hope for a lessening of partisan politics, but I doubt the fringe groups from either party will ever stop their bickering, and don't try and blame the other side for starting it, or for being worse, that is partisan politics at the grass-roots level.
To paraphrase Mark Twain, "We need more Statesmen, and fewer Politicians." At least I think Mark Twain said that, or someone equally astute.

Drumcoach

New Poll-What position should the Lions address?

There's a new poll at the bottom of the page about who the Lions should take with their first overall pick. The reason it's at the bottom of the page and not at the top is because I don't know how to bring it up to the top, but it's there and feel free to vote Chicago-style, you know, "Vote early and vote often."
Personally I still think they should take the Offensive Tackle out of Georgia first, and a Linebacker next.

Jack
aka Drumcoach