NFL: Media Train Needs To Slow Down

The NFL is into its second week today. They have had a very successful Week 1, and the league is looking forward to an even bigger sequel. Not everything is peaches and cream in the league however. The media has spent the entire week building up games that have no reason being hyped so much. There are three cases in point.

First, the Philadelphia Eagles travel to Atlanta to play the Falcons. In and of itself, this is a decent matchup between two playoff hopefuls. This week, though, every media outlet under the sun has deemed it the "game of the week."

Why? Because Michael Vick is going back to Atlanta where he started his career? Because one player is returning to his former team's home? You'd think Vick was the first player to return to his old stomping grounds.

I recall Joe Montana going back to San Francisco after multiple Super Bowl wins that included MVP performances. He was so successful in the NFL that Vick doesn't deserve to tie Montana's shoes let alone be named in the same sentence.

Reggie White (perhaps the greatest defensive lineman to play the game) returned to Philly after his success there and his move to Green Bay. The fans booed him. Seriously? That's Philadelphia fans. White didn't win the big game as an Eagle, but he did as a Packer. Perhaps, that was a case of familiarity breeds contempt.

How about when Keyshawn Johnson returned to Tampa Bay for the first time after winning a Super Bowl with the Buccaneers and then leaving them? You don't think that stirred some feathers. The point is, Michael Vick is returning to his former home, I get that. But does that make it the top game of the week? No.

Is that a historical moment in the long-standing prominence of the NFL? Not really. Vick has never won a championship. Let me repeat that. Vick HAS NEVER WON a championship. The media is making it out to be the return of the prodigal son. It is in a way, but it's not as if he had a Emmitt Smith type of career and is returning to his home of former glory.

He was dynamic in Atlanta, but he screwed his own life up. He messed up the good thing he had there. It's not like the team traded him or cut him after he was a league MVP, and he got his rings. He is not on the level of half of the greats that returned home to their former residence.

Next, there is a phrase that used to mean something in the past several decades, however, due to over-usage and improper usage, it has become all but irrelevant. That phrase is "must win." How many teams started 0-1 after last week? How many times has a playoff team started their season 0-1 or 0-2.

I know for a fact that the Giants started their Super Bowl season 0-2, and everyone counted them out from that point on. They squeaked into the playoffs and got hot. Why can't a team go 0-2 today and end up doing that? There is no reason that feat can't be equaled. Therefore, calling the Giants, the Colts, the Falcons, the Steelers, etc as teams that "must win" in their given game scenarios this week is ludicrous.

It makes no sense. It's only Week 2 folks. It's not Week 15. I can understand it if the playoffs were on the line in December. Then the talking heads can yap away about must wins all they want. For heaven's sake, it's only the second week of the season! Give the hype a break.

The talk is not only extended to 0-1 teams, it goes beyond that to mention 1-0 teams in a must-win scenario. Ridiculous, right? ESPN (who lately I have deemed Entertainment and Sports Philly Network due to their extended Phillies and Eagles coverage) had the nerve to call the Jets game today a must-win against Jacksonville on ESPN NY.

Jets QB Mark Sanchez stated it was, but the writer of the story on the site takes it even further. He feeds off the QB's comments and unravels a diatribe of cliches that would make Vince Lombardi turn over in his grave.

A winning team given to a "can't afford to lose this game" scenario. A team that has a track record of recent success against a team that has struggled mightily to be a contender in their own division, let alone the league. The comparison is unbelievable.

That brings me to my final point. I read an article yesterday that made me physically ill. A Giants fan imagines a scenario where the Giants end up going 0-3 if they lose tomorrow to the Rams (which would make them 0-2) then an automatic loss to the Eagles. Then, he thinks the season unravels from that point on, and Tom Coughlin gets fired as a direct result.

The hype extends to those who don't get paid for being talking heads. This from a proclaimed fan, too. I was floored. I can imagine if it came from an Eagles fan. They do a lot of bragging for fans of a team that never won a Super Bowl or a ring.

But this from a fan of a team with a storied history. A team that had a pivotal hand in building what we know as the NFL these days. That's a fan? Shameful. Thank God we live in a country where someone can claim to be a fan of his team and sell them out just as quickly. The same country that allows me, as a writer, to defend said team.

This country allows for the media storm to brew and spill over into an all-consuming fire, leveling everything in its wake. As fans, we have a responsibility, nay, an obligation to control that storm beforehand so that it doesn't build into a blaze. We have to remain objective.

If we, as fans, give into our passions for our respective teams and believe everything we're told by the hot-air spewing pundits, then we are not being true to our team. That type of fandom allows for excessive disapproval that leads to stupid actions like flipping over cars in the parking lot at games and getting into fights and being arrested in the stands.

Using our heads more than our hearts allows for a fan to be logical and realize that it's only Week 2. It's not the end of the season. Even if our teams lose all 16 games, it's not the end of the world. Ask a Lions fan. They'll tell you. Their team was dreadful and literally unwatchable for years, yet, the sun still rose, and life went on.

It's football folks. It's a game. It's not our mortgage (unless you're dumb enough to bet your house on a game). It's not a sick family member. It's not a job loss. It's a game. Let's keep things in perspective.

Let's force the media to keep things in perspective and not listen to them every Sunday like they are the answer to life's consistent questions. They know as much about predicting the future of the season as a spin of the roulette wheel.

So hop onto the train of thought while it's still boarding at the station. You'll thank me for it later.

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