Super Bowl Week Football Stuff

A couple of football related items to warm you up for this weekend's game.

First, "J.D." sent me this excerpt from a Jan. 25th Michael Silver Yahoo Sports column. The excerpt doesn't have anything to do with football per se, but it is a nice commentary on the music of New Orleans and the awful cross promotion the networks include in their sports broadcasts.

OK, so the Saints were about to play the biggest home game in the history of their franchise, in a city that has as awesome a musical heritage as any in America – if not the most awesome. How many artists with New Orleans ties would have been thrilled to sing the national anthem, and would have made it completely memorable? The Neville Brothers? Harry Connick Jr.? The Funky Meters? Marcia Ball? Cowboy Mouth? Deacon John? Fats Domino? Allen Toussaint? Irma Thomas? Rockin Dopsie? I could go on, and on, and on, and on. … Yet instead of any of those accomplished musicians – some of whom, realistically, were probably at the Superdome, or within a few miles of the stadium – the powers that be trotted out reigning “American Idol” winner Kris Allen, the most insipid singer on earth. Gee, I wonder why that was. Could it be that Fox, which broadcast the game, also is the home to “Idol” and convinced the NFL to do it in the name of promotional harmony? Why yes, I believe that is the only possible explanation, and the good people of New Orleans should have been disgusted. Yet I have a feeling they got over it once Hartley’s field goal went through the uprights – and many of them hit the streets and celebrated into the night at establishments featuring acts far more entertaining than Allen’s canned tripe.

The entire Silver column can be read here.

Second, if you listen to minutes two thru six of this WTEM interview with former Redskins offensive lineman, and current SI.com reporter, Ross Tucker, you'll understand why the Steve Spurrier era was doomed from the start. You gotta love Spurrier's attitude toward training camp.

Finally, a few years back, NPR ran Andy Griffith's famous "What it Was,Was Football" stand up routine in honor of the routine's 5oth anniversary. You can listen to it here.