Judson W. Drennan

June 16, 1967 - January 22, 2012

As I wrote in the previous blog, 3rd stone was passionate about the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but I don't think that anyone would argue that this was his crowning achievement. I'm not alone when I say that I believe 3rd stone was personally responsible for seeing to it that Chris Hanburger got inducted into the Hall of Fame last year. He wrote letters to sports writer's who voted, teammates, opposing players and coaches, anyone who would listen to his argument that this nine time Pro Bowler should have long since gotten the nod, and then it happened, Hanburger was inducted.

Originally posted August 6, 2011

The Pro Football Hall of Fame inducts their 2011 class today. Washington Redskins legend Chris Hanburger, a Seniors nominee, finds himself joining the heralded walls of Canton.

Some of you may recall my quest to get Chris his long overdue respect. His nine Pro Bowls are the most in Redskins history, and his four First Team All-Pro honors is tied with the legendary "Slingin" Sammy Baugh as the most in franchise history. He was also named 1972 Defensive Player of the Year by the NFL 101 Committee.

I wanted to give you real Redskins and NFL fans a gift. I spent months talking to players and coaches Chris played against or with. They graciously gave me quotes and letters, which I compiled into a package and submitted to the Seniors Committee of the Hall of Fame a few months ago. His peers awoke the voters and got "The Hangman" finally inducted.

For those who saw Hanburger play, none of these quotes will surprise you. For those younger fans oblivious to his greatness, this may help educate you on the impact Chris Hanburger had on the game of football while wearing a Redskins jersey.

Please enjoy :



JACKIE SMITH
Tight End
1963 - 1978
Hall Of Fame Inductee 1994

As tight end playing for St. Louis and in the same division as the Redskins, I played against Chris twice a season for quite a few years. When I first started playing, linebackers were big strong guys, not very mobile and geared more to stopping the running game.

Chris should be the "poster boy" for the new era of linebackers that could not only be effective against the run, but equally effective against the pass. His combination of strength and speed made it very difficult to block him or even get position on him. His ability to anticipate and then react allowed him to knock down passes in the intermediate distances and make tackles on the opposite side of the field.

He had to be the first linebacker to broaden the scope of the linebacker and increase the expectations of other teams of their linebackers.

I seriously doubt if I ever effectively blocked Chris. My guess is I only got in his way for a split second, because he was intent on being where the ball was on every play.

He was a player all teams had to prepare for...or at least try to.

Added to his great skill is another important aspect of Chris Hanburger. We need to remember the gentlemen that played this game. These are players that played the game with their heart because they appreciated the opportunity and wanted to do their best. They modestly reflect on their accomplishments simply because they would not have been satisfied with less.

Chris Hanburger belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.








Joe Gibbs
Former Head Coach, The Washington Redskins
1981 - 1992, 2004 - 2007
Hall Of Fame Inductee 1996

When Chris was an active player, I coached against him when I was an assistant coach of the St. Louis Cardinals. When we prepared our game plans, we always considered how Chris might react against our plays. We considered him to be an exceptional player and we always took that into consideration during our game planning. He was an all around player who made the most of his abilities. He was tough and smart – two player qualities that I always wanted in my players.

Even though I never coached Chris, I have respect for him as a person and a football player. He is a big part of the Washington Redskins history.








MIKE DITKA
Tight End
1961 – 1972
Hall Of Fame Inductee 1988

Chris was a hell of a player. He could beat you with finesse. He was always in position, and was smart and quick. He also could use power.

He was quiet and did his job, having a great career without the attention he deserved.

People get too caught up in statistics. He knocked me on my ass.

When I was in Dallas, Coach Landry would always tell us to watch him.

He belongs in the Hall Of Fame.





CHARLIE SANDERS
Tight End
1968 - 1977
Hall Of Fame Inductee 2007

Chris was smart. He was a real student of the game, and studied his opponents. He had a nose for the ball, and was very hard to block. He always gave me a headache.





RAYMOND BERRY
Wide Receiver/ Coach
1955 – 1967, 1968-1992
Hall Of Fame Inductee 1973

He should be in the Pro Football Hall Of Fame. Nine Pro Bowls speaks for themselves.

I remember one play I caught a pass, and Hanburger absolutely blasted me. As he was laying on me, I fixed my helmet, looked at him and asked, “Are you OK?” Hanburger looked at me stunned by the question.





SONNY JURGENSEN
Quarterback
1957 – 1974
Hall Of Fame Inductee 1983

Chris Hanburger is the smartest linebacker to ever play in the NFL. He was a coach on the field.

Chris belongs in the Pro Football Hall Of Fame. His nine Pro Bowls is proof.




Roger Staubach
Quarterback
1969 - 1979
Hall Of Fame Inductee 1985

Chris was an outstanding linebacker in the NFL. Even though we had our great rivalry and I didn't like the Redskins, I respected him.


John Hannah
Offensive Guard
1973 - 1985
Hall Of Fame Inductee 1991

He was, at that time, the smartest player in the league. We did everything we could to try to eliminate him from the play. We knew if we didn't neutralize him, then we had less of a chance of winning.






CHARLE YOUNG
Tight End
1973 – 1986

Chris Hanburger was one of the best. It takes an All-Pro, such as myself, to know another All-Pro.

He was the toughest linebacker I ever went against in my career.

He was extremely difficult to block, and he was never out of position. He was a smart, hard working player who got the job done.

He could read you. He knew what you were going to do before you did.





HOMER JONES
Wide Receiver
1964 – 1970

I feared Chris Hanburger much more than Dick Butkus, or any other linebacker in the NFL. He could run with me, and he could hit very hard. He was also very smart.

Chris Hanburger deserves entry into the Pro Football Hall Of Fame.








NORM BULAICH
Fullback
1970 – 1979

Chris Hanburger should be in Canton. The voters must wake up. He went to nine Pro Bowls!

Voters do not realize how hard it is to just make an NFL team, let alone be voted to the Pro Bowl by your peers.

He is at the top of my list of linebackers I played against in my career.

I respected him. He had great football sense. He was very fast, and hard to block. His knowledge of defense was excellent, and he always got to the ball.









JIM HANIFAN
Coach
1973 – 2003

Chris Hanburger played a mistake free game. He just never made mistakes. Don Coryell, Joe Gibbs, and I would game plan on him, but it did not work.

He was intelligent and excellent. He deserves induction into Canton. .

I will always remember one particular game. George Allen had Hanburger reading the hand signs Gibbs and I was flashing to Jim Hart, our quarterback. Hanburger kept making play after play, destroying our gameplan.

I got so mad. On the next play, I saw Hanburger looking over at our sideline. I flashed him the middle finger, which caused Hanburger’s jaw to drop as he looked at me in disbelief. I still laugh today at this memory.






CALVIN HILL
Running Back
1969 – 1981

The best outside linebackers I ever faced were Chris Hanburger, Jack Ham, and Chuck Howley. It was Hanburger, however, who gave me the most trouble and taught me the most. Hanburger made me a better player.

He was scary.

He was the guy who captained the Redskins defense, and called their signals. I hardly ever beat him, and it usually took me all game just to beat him on a play.

You never knew when he was going to blitz, and he often jumped over me on a blitz. He was smart, and gave you different looks. He was a nightmare to oppose.

You would just hope to try to beat him some of the time. He was slippery, and was resourceful. He was difficult to beat athletically, because he was such a great athlete. He was great at the point of attack.

He could really run, and was fluid in his flow. You had to game plan specifically against him, because you knew he was a top opponent.

When I was with the Redskins, he was a great teammate. He was really great in practice also.

He was a big play guy who defined the WLB position. There is a reason he was a Pro Bowl player nine times.

The fact he is not in Canton shows the voters do not understand how good he was.





BRIG OWENS
Safety
1966 – 1977

Chris Hanburger is one of the all-time greats. He was a strong leader both on and off the field.

It is inexcusable that he has yet to be mentioned for induction. He went to nine Pro Bowls, the most in franchise history.

He knew how to read plays. He would argue with Sam Huff in the huddle over what play to call, which kept the team loose.

He was a great friend and teammate.








PRESTON PEARSON
Running Back
1967 – 1980

I had lots of clashes on the gridiron with him, and I never looked forward to opposing Chris Hanburger. He was an all around linebacker.

He was studied, and he knew his opponents. He was always well prepared.

Not only was he very smart, but he was a hard-hitting linebacker. He was really, really tough. He deserves induction.








BRAD DUSEK
Linebacker
1974 – 1981

Chris taught me everything I know how to play linebacker.

He was our “one” general on the team. He knew over 300 audibles for our defense.

He was modest, smart, quick, and fast. He was always one step ahead of the opponents. He had this amazing ability to read the eyes of running backs. He had a sixth sense.

Chris Hanburger should be inducted into the Pro Football Hall Of Fame.







LEN HAUSS
Center
1964 – 1977

I was Chris Hanburger’s roommate for eight seasons on road games. He was always a smart player, and one of the hardest hitting players in the league.

He had a quiet, business like approach. He was not a “look at me” type of player, meaning he would never blow his own horn. He put the team first.

He would study the opponent’s non-stop. He knew the opposition, and was excellent at studying their tendencies.

He was a great player, and a team player. He deserves to be in Canton.








RICKIE HARRIS
Defensive Back
1965 – 1972

Chris Hanburger was the smartest player I ever played with. I really respected him.

He taught me how to read a defense, and he often covered me on the field. He was so smart; you knew you could depend on him to play a defender. It made my job easier.

Our defense was dependent on him to get us in the right position. He was regimented on defensive duty, and knew all of our assignments.

He could run with everyone in the NFL, and he often covered wide receivers on pass plays. He is also one of the best blitzers I ever saw play.

Chris Hanburger was a great player, and he deserves induction into Canton.








Facts :



Chris Hanburger
Washington Redskins
Linebacker
6'2" 220
1965 - 1978
14 Seasons
187 Games Played
19 Interceptions
17 Fumble Recoveries
5 Touchdowns
9 Pro Bowls
4 First Team All-Pro Teams
1972 NFL 101 NFC Defensive Player of the Year

Christian G. Hanburger was an 18th round draft choice of the Redskins in 1965. He was the 245TH player chosen that year. He was a 25 year old rookie, due to his service in the Army before going to the University of North Carolina.

At UNC, he was a 2 way player who was named All ACC at Center his junior and senior years. In 1963, his team won the ACC Championship.

Hanburger played right away and was in the Pro Bowl by his second year in the league. He would then begin a string of Pro Bowl appearances until 1969.

He then resumed that string in 1972 until 1976.

Sacks and tackles were not recorded in those days, but Hanburger was a playmaker.

He is considered one of the best of his era. He was known for his blitzing ability and pass coverage.

Ever the complete player, he returned three fumbles for touchdowns, the third most in NFL history, in his career to go with two more on interceptions.

In 1972, Hanburger captained the Over The Hill gangs defense to a Super Bowl appearance and was named NFC Defensive Player of the Year by the NFL 101 Club.

Hanburger was known not only for good speed, but his exceptional intelligence and quickness.

He had the innate ability to diagnose a play before the ball was hiked. He often would cover the other teams tight end and peel off to knock passes down meant for wide receivers.

Hall Of Fame coach George Allen liked to leave Hanburger in charge of the play calling on defense, and named his team captain for many seasons.

Chris Hanburger's nine Pro Bowl appearances are still the most by any player in the entire history of the Washington Redskins.

His four First Team All-Pro honors are tied with Hall Of Famer Sammy Baugh as the most in team history.

Crazy Canton Cuts http://crazycantoncuts.blogspot.com/

3rd stone from the sun http://judspressbox.blogspot.com/

Since I like classic rock, I have decided to start a little something new for the beginning of my weekly blogs. I am going to find a song that reminds me of a particular event or series of events that have taken place during the week. I thought I would start this blog with this particular song that reminds me of a few of this weeks past events

 http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120124&content_id=26452690&vkey=news_det&c_id=det

and like if this link is true, which normally it is.... I pity the AL Central Pitchers next year when VMart returns.....

And to please the Beezer I found this video of his favorite girl Kate Upton, so here ya go Beezer:

Unfortunately my two younger children Taylor and Noah were in the room at the time as I was trying to watch her do the Dougie.......

Unfortunately, Joe Paterno will not be remembered for his 400+ wins but for what Jerry Sandusky allegedly has done. Joe Pa was the one of the greatest coaches to ever coach in any sport. O.J. McDuffie said in an interview on ESPN radio Sunday, he turned boys into men and truly cared about each of his players, along with Penn St. University. I remember some of the greatest games I had ever seen was when Penn St. first entered the Big 10, and they were playing Michigan. Both teams were dominating each other and the games came down to the final plays in most cases. Maybe he stayed too long, but he was also quoted as saying he did not want to retire a couple months later like his rival Paul "Bear" Bryant did when he retired from coaching Alabama. Unfortunately for Joe Pa, it was two months and a day I believe it was said since he was fired. What a shame he met the same fate as "Bear." Please watch this tribute to Joe Pa and enjoy.......

I thought I was finished with my blog for the week, due to a ton of assignments in my microeconomics and public relations courses, but I have a few more things to say.....

For those of you that do not realize this, this was how Mr. Illitch built the Red Wings into Stanley Cup Champions. He is known for risk taking, even though this was not as big a risk as most think. A few years back he signed Hasek, Hull and even Luke Robataille and won a Stanley Cup. It is in his nature to do so, so I commend him for taking a chance on a kid who has seen nothing but success since coming to the majors in 2006.  Last s.eason, he was second in NL in all major categories, and did you know he will take a walk? Stats don't lie, he has almost 600 walks to go along with his 228 home runs. I remember going to Tiger Stadium and seeing him as a youngster, hanging around the batting cage, hell he grew up in Detroit more or less while his daddy played here. I am not surprised he is here now, wearing a Tiger uniform. Great Job Dave Dombrowski, you added a piece to the puzzle that should eventually make this team a winner again. 

I was a little disappointed when I heard that Roy Oswalt was leaving the Phillies and signing with the Cardinals. The Tigers could really use him on their staff this year, he would have really helped the younger pitchers with his knowledge of pitching. What the hell, what's another $100 million or so, to help Verlander, Fister, Porcello and Scherzer mature even more?

Football, Football, Football tomorrow's the Pro Bowl, does anyone actually care? This is the kickoff of our favorite week, Super Bowl Week where everyone who can get a media pass is in Indianapolis covering this game. Hey Sully can you get me press credentials, and I will go down there and cover it for the Gab. This blog is becoming kind of fun, and the best part is that the Packers are not there.

Did anyone see the hardest shot competition tonight Chara is ridiculous 108 mph, I wouldn't want to block that shot, that would really hurt.

So this concludes another weekly blog, as I have to return to my weeks worth of assignments in microeconomics and public relations. Thanks for reading my post and have a great week preparing for the Super Bowl.

Ever since I was a kid...

There were certain coaches I liked...

And certain coaches I didn’t like...

My first major dislike was...

At the risk of being yelled at...

By one of my former fellow blogettes...

Woody Hayes...

Never liked the guy...

Crotchety old man...

Terrific coach...

But he came across as the eternal grump...

You see...

I grew up in the Midwest...

Got my fill of him there...

Then moved to the West Coast...

And got my fill of him during Rose Bowl week...

Back then...

The Big Ten had a dumb no repeat rule...

You could only “Rose Bowl” it every other year...

Thank goodness for that...

So...

Woody would come traipsing to our neck of the woods...

Pretty much every other year...

And as the story goes...

I had a girlfriend from Ohio who loved the Buckeyes...

Darlyne...

She was obnoxious...

We argued all the time...

On New Year’s Day 1971...

We went to her aunt’s house...

Ohio State was playing Stanford that year...

The Stanford “Indians” back then...

Jim Plunkett was the Stanford quarterback...

She told me everybody there would be rooting for OSU...

I told her...

"Everybody except me..."

However...

Out of respect to the family...

I told her I would keep quiet...

Unless of course she opened her yap...

And I was pretty sure she’d do just that...

Well...

The first three quarters went well for the Buckeyes...

A 17-13 lead...

Then she started to get a bit cocky...

She always called me Douglas...

But it wasn’t just "Doug-las"...

It was that obnoxiously whiny accent of hers...

“Dawwwwg-laaaaasssss...”

So...

She decided to blow my cover...

“Dawwwwg-laaaaasssss...”

She bellowed...

“He’s rooooooting for Stannnnfurrrrrrd...”

“Yes, I am,” I exclaimed... And I told you I would keep quiet...”

“Unless you let the cat out of the bag... Which is what you just did...”

And ironically...

Right about then...

The momentum changed...

Stanford took the lead in the fourth quarter...

And never relinquished it...

And while the comeback was underway...

Someone asked about those thingies on the OSU helmets...

I quickly responded...

“Brownie Buttons...”

“When somebody makes a good play...”

“He gets a Brownie Button on the helmet...”

And much to her dismay...

The team with the Brownie Buttons succumbed...

And I couldn’t be happier...

Needless to say...

Dar-leeeeeeeen wasn’t thrilled with my boasting...

And our thing didn’t last much longer than that...

Back to Woody...

I cheered emphatically when he got canned....

Cue the video...

Good riddance to crabby old Woody...

You see...

If you don’t like somebody...

It’s pretty easy to rejoice when they mess up...

But when you DO like somebody...

And they slip up...

You have more empathy...

What Woody did was a sin of “CO”mission...

The 1978 Gator Bowl...

Punching Clemson’s Charlie Bauman...

After his interception clinched the win for the Tigers...

And...

Within a day or two...

Woody was gone...

Yipppeeee...

Yet...

In that same era...

I had my eye on another coach...

There was something pretty cool about him...

I don’t know if it was the glasses...

I don’t know if it was the schnozzzz...

What a beak he had...

And...

Even though I’d never been to Pennsylvania...

I really liked the guy...

He never seemed to shame himself or his team...

As the years went by...

I felt he wore out his welcome...

He needed to step aside...

And let somebody else do the coaching...

That was my only complaint about Joe Pa...

And amazingly...

He still had a measure of success in his later years...

I liked him...

And those PSU uniforms were perfect for a coach like that...

Not flashy...

But they looked good...

Real good...

Then came the scandal...

Joe Pa didn’t commit a sin of “CO”mission...

It was a sin of “O”mission...

He could have done more...

He SHOULD have done more...

But he DIDN’T do more...

And he was gone...

And rightfully so...

The buck stopped with Joe Pa...

Then came the hate and anger...

And as he left us this past weekend...

I saw cheering from many...

But I wasn’t happy...

I was sad...

Sad it ended the way it did...

Joe Pa deserved better than that...

But he didn’t do enough...

And he paid for it...

He may deserve the blame...

But I can’t turn on him...

And here’s why...

When you like a person...

I mean...

When you REALLY like a person...

And that person falls into disfavor...

It’s pretty difficult to switch gears...

There’s something deep inside of me...

Something that wants to give him the benefit of the doubt...

Especially because I remember the times...

When I second guessed myself...

And realized I could have done more...

I’ve been in Joe’s shoes...

As a teacher in California...

I am a mandated reporter...

I am required to report abuse...

Not to my superior...

But to Child Protective Services...

And I have made that call a time or two...

We are only required to call...

Not to investigate...

But after that call was made...

There’s something deep inside that said...

“I hope everything’s okay...”

I wanted to do more...

And I have asked the student if things were better...

Not to pry...

Only out of concern...

I have no idea what went on in Joe Pa’s mind...

But I am pretty sure...

Just like a call on a running play that went awry...

He wishes he would have done things differently..

At least in my mind...

I’d like to hope so...

Joe was better than that...

dvt

http://sivers.org/images/sound-like-someone.gif

http://blog.cleveland.com/osu_impact/2009/02/woodyhayes.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEVJyf0ft3I

http://i.usatoday.net/Wires2Web/20120123/1352771414_Obit_Joe_Paterno_Footballx-large.jpg

The end of an era?? A ref gets my nod?? Braun tells it like it is?? Fielder not on a team?? Giants, 49ers and more in this edition of Random Thoughts.

Did you expect to see a women every week??

 College football lost one of the greatest coaches of all-time with the passing of Joe Paterno, the longtime Penn State coach who won more games than anyone in major college football but was fired amid a child sex abuse scandal that scarred his reputation for winning with integrity, died Sunday. He was 85.

His family released a statement Sunday morning to announce his death: "His loss leaves a void in our lives that will never be filled. He died as he lived. He fought hard until the end, stayed positive, thought only of others and constantly reminded everyone of how blessed his life had been. His ambitions were far reaching, but he never believed he had to leave this Happy Valley to achieve them. He was a man devoted to his family, his university, his players and his community."

Paterno built his program on the credo "Success with Honor," and he found both. The man known as "JoePa" won 409 games and took the Nittany Lions to 37 bowl games, winning 24, and two national championships. More than 250 of the players he coached went on to the NFL.

He never mention testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug, but National League MVP, Ryan Braun, in a public appearance, to accept his award told a packed room that "everything I have done in my career has been done with respect and appreciation for the game of baseball. You know, sometimes in life, we all deal with challenges we never expected to endure. We have an opportunity to look at those challenges and view them either as obstacles or as opportunities, and I've chosen to view every challenge I've ever faced as an opportunity and this will be no different. I have always believed that a person's character is revealed through the way they deal with those moments of adversity."

Ryan had a stellar season, won the NL MVP in his fifth season, batting .332 with 32 home runs and 111 RBIs, 109 runs scored and 33 stolen bases. He also led the league in slugging percentage (.597).

In a story by ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” Braun tested positive for an elevated level of testosterone in a urine test taken in October. But there are conflicting reports about what caused the positive result, and the New York Times quoted a source as saying a later test showed Braun to have normal testosterone levels.

Before Saturday night, Braun had not spoken publicly about the failed test, but a spokesman for Braun confirmed the result and issued the following statement: "There are highly unusual circumstances surrounding this case which will support Ryan's complete innocence and demonstrate there was absolutely no intentional violation of the program. While Ryan has impeccable character and no previous history, unfortunately, because of the process we have to maintain confidentiality and are not able to discuss it any further, but we are confident he will ultimately be exonerated."

Braun is appealing the result but faces a 50-game suspension at the start of the 2012 season under Major League Baseball's drug policy if the test is upheld. According to The Associated Press, Braun's appeal began on Thursday before MLB arbitrator Shyam Das. If it is unsuccessful, Braun would not be eligible to play again until May 31 and would miss the first 57 days of the regular season, resulting in a loss of approximately $1.87 million of his $6 million salary.

Ironically, MLB commissioner Bud Selig has, on more than one occasion, cited Braun as a clean player and an example of the effectiveness of baseball's drug-testing policy. Braun said he had never been tempted to try them.

"I would never do it,'' he said in an interview with MLB.com, "because if I took steroids, I would hit 60 or 70 home runs."

I guess we can say, to be continued….

Probably the best two Championship games in NFL history happened this past Sunday.

New England Patriots beat the Baltimore Ravens 23-20. Goat was Billy Cundiff, who missed a field goal to tie the game. Or was he? With 23 seconds left in the game, Lee Evans had a potential game-winning catch in his hands, but was stripped by Sterling Moore with 23 seconds left in the game.

Here is the catch that wasn’t for the Ravens:

Here is the missed field goal:

In an old school NFL classic, the New York Giants beat the San Francisco 49ers in over-time 20-17. The goat in this game was Kyle Williams who fumbled which was recovered by Devin Thomas inside the 30 yard line and the Giants recovered. The G-Men ran a couple of plays and then kicked the game-winning field goal to send them to the Super Bowl.

Here is the Fumble:

For the record:

Let's get off the fuck Billy Cundiff bandwagon. Sure he missed a field goal to TIE the game.

It was Lee Evans who cost the Ravens a chance for the Super Bowl when he caught a pass in the end zone just to have it knocked out of his hands. Did anyone remember that?? It happened 22 seconds before the missed field goal to TIE the game where Evans catch would have WON the game

What went unnoticed during the 49ers/Giants game was the way referee Ed Hochuli handled the game. Sure there was several calls that were questionable like Vernon Davis foot on the line and Ahmad Bradshaw’s forward progress, but what he did was call the game with authority. He also kept football fans informed with what happened and why the call was made on replay calls. Well done ref!!

Does Prince Fielder have bad breath, or body odor?? Why hasn’t anyone signed him by now?? He is in his prime, at 28 years of age (in May), .282 average, 230 homeruns, 656 RBI’s.

Just as I was typing the above, when this came in….

Prince signs a 9 year deal worth $214 million. WOW. I guess this makes the Tigers the favorites to win the World Series.

Is there a misprint in the sport section of my newspaper, The Florida-Times Union? Seem to me it says the Philadelphia 76ers are 11-5 and the Boston Celtics are 7-9. It that true?

Til Next Time

Scott

Hello and welcome to another Wednesday of deep thoughts. When you read this I will be wandering somewhere in the brush of South Texas. It has been years since I have had the chance to hunt down south and I am excited to be able to take a couple of days and get away from the city. Hopefully, I will have a safe hunt and be back with a few pictures next week. I did not mention it last week, but I was fighting off a case of shingles. I noticed a patch of bumps on my forehead, but did not think anything of it. During the day, the bumps gathered momentum, so I headed to the Dr.  He took a look and said it was shingles? What? Yep, if you had chicken pox as a kid, you can get shingles as an adult. What a crappy deal, the entire left side of my head was so sensitive, it hurt to shampoo my hair. I did find out that you can get a shingles shot...I would highly recommend it!

By now, everyone will have covered Sunday's games. But I feel compelled to say congrats to Patriots and Giants. Both games were hard hitting affairs that tested each winner. It is no stretch that the winners could easily have been sitting on the losing side of the field. A horribly yanked field goal and an inexperienced punt returner will leave the Ravens and 49ers to imagine what might have been. I hate losing, but when you lose a game you could have won, it is difficult to get over. It is probably easier for the 49ers as they were not expected to be there and have a bright future, but they could have won. The Ravens...are a different story. Joe Flacco really did not play poorly, but the fact is he will have to answer questions about not winning; again. Is this fair? Of course not, but until he wins a SB, he will hear the critics say he can't win the big game.

I guess this Super Bowl matchup will make the NFL suits happy. The "experts" will talk about Brady and Belichick winning another championship or they will talk about Eli passing his big brother in SB wins. The truth is that Brady did not play that well against Baltimore and his path does not get any easier with the Giants pass rush. I suppose that the Patriots will be a slight favorite, but I am not so sure. The Giants have a great pass rush to go with a potent offense. The Giants will have to outscore the Pats, and I am not so sure that they won't. I have not been an Eli Manning fan, but he seems to play his best in big games. Many laughed earlier this year when Eli said he considered himself to be one of the best QBs in the league. But with his play this year, he has a valid point. I had Eli as my fantasy QB a few years ago and developed a strong dislike for what he did not do for my team. As much as I hate to say it, the guy can play the position, especially this time of year. 

Tom Brady annihilates mediocre teams, but seems to have problems against good defenses. When the Giants beat New England in their last Super Bowl matchup, the Patriots were the better team. Save for an acrobatic career catch by an average receiver, the Giants would not have beaten the Patriots. Earlier this season, the Giants beat the Patriots without Hakeem Nicks. Welker and Gronkowski were terrific, but the Giants still won. Can the Pats defense stop the trio of Giant receivers? The Patriots defense came to play last Sunday and I suspect that it will take a season best performance for them to beat New York in a couple of weeks. By the way, Vince Wilfork is truly a beast.... 

Like most of you, I wish the Super Bowl was next weekend. Two weeks to hype this event just sucks, but what can you do? 

Hopefully Steven Tyler will not be asked to sing the SSB at the Super Bowl. Was it just me or did Tyler struggle to sing the anthem? This is a judge of American Idol? I know that this song tests the range of many, but damn...

Joe Paterno died on Sunday. So much has happened since last November, that it is difficult to imagine exactly what his passing means. I have never been crazy about Joe Paterno, but I always respected what he stood for. Sadly, this is no longer possible. Many will always remember that Joe did nothing to stop a predator that resided within his program. This is the truth and there is no arguing this reality. There is something that gnaws at my core, however. Joe Paterno gave years of wonderful service to Penn State and college football. Many great young men attended Penn State and learned strong values from Joe Paterno. The values that Joe preached are important for college men to hear. With Joe's passing, I do not find joy or satisfaction; I find only sadness.  I fear the passing of Paterno is a loss of something much larger than this man. What I suspect is that with Paterno's death, we will no longer have a college coach that teaches the right way. College football has become exactly what Paterno dreaded it would. This regular Joe was simple man with a terrific message about life for his players. It is too bad that when faced with a terrible situation, that Joe could not practice what he preached...so to speak. Sadly, history cannot reflect Paterno's contribution to college football; his mistake will be all that we remember. 

I am not much for basketball, but this video deserves a nod:

With the Pacers out of town, they thought it might be a good idea to have their mascot (Boomer) visit an area high school game. Boomer did his half time thing, but the result left officials wondering how to finish the game. Luckily, there was an smaller gym nearby to finish the game.

Monday night was the football banquet for the Westwood Warriors. This is the end of the careers for most of the Westwood seniors. It is strange to realize that my son is now a football senior...one more year and he will be done. Guys, I can't lie...that last game will be tough. I will be doing a bit of speaking at the banquet, I will be telling this joke:

A friend of mine has fanily that live outside of New Orleans. Her uncle is a police captain in this town and she told me a story recently. There had been rumors of illegal rooster fighting going on, so the captain sent his best two detectives to investigate; Boudreaux and Thibodaux. A few days later, his detectives came back to tell their captain what they discovered. Well captain, they is three main groups involved with this illegal rooster fighting: Dey is tree main groups involve in dis rooster Fightin", he began.

You may have heard that everything is bigger in Texas? I could not believe this when I caught it on the news tonight:

That is all I have for this week, but I will leave you with a bit of Jack Handey to chew on:

The next time I have meat and mashed potatoes, I think I'll put a very large blob of potatoes on my plate with just a little piece of meat. And if someone asks me why I didn't get more meat, I'll just say, "Oh, you mean this?" and pull out a big piece of meat from inside the blob of potatoes, where I've hidden it. Good magic trick, huh?          

I wouldn't be surprised if someday some fishermen caught a big shark and cut it open, and there inside was a whole person. Then they cut the person open, and in him is a little baby shark. And in the baby shark there isn't a person, because it would be too small. But there's a little doll or something, like a Johnny Combat little toy guy---something like that.          

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave a few deep thoughts of your own...