The Super Bowl is the top prize for only one team to claim. The Indianapolis Colts are everyone’s favorite, and rightfully so. But in the infamous words of Herman Edwards, “you play to win the game.” There is a reasons why you play the game, because on any given day, any team can beat another team. This is what underdogs hang their hats on.

Peyton Manning and the Colts have been nothing short of spectacular, on the other hand so have the New Orleans Saints. Drew Brees and the Saints were the top scoring offense in the NFL this year. They looked as invincible as the Colts all year, except for the last 3 weeks of the regular season. They lost 3 in a row to end the season and backed into the #1 seed in the NFC. Many believed that their season was an anomaly, that they had peaked by seasons end. In the divisional game versus Arizona they looked like their old explosive self again, they dominated all facets of that game, and came back the following week to beat Minnesota, creating 5 turnovers. Looking like a Super Bowl team throughout the playoffs has to give them confidence and belief that they can get it done. I know that in situations like this, the underdog often seems to garner a resolve that spurs them to greatness. In the face of total public doubt, the Saints may conjure the will to win. Nothing less than a great performance will be necessary, but the same goes for the Colts. Anything can happen, injuries are such a part of the game of football, an injury to Peyton, an offensive linemen or a player like Reggie Wayne or Dallas Clark could be the difference in the Colts winning and losing this game, the same goes for the Saints.

Do not think for one second that the Saints are buying into the public sentiment that they have no shot. They believe that they are just as much a team of destiny, as the Colts. All they need to do is play the game of their lives one time, that’s the beauty of the Super Bowl. One game to win it all, no seven game series to allow a team to regroup, one game to decide it all and all that it takes is for Peyton Manning and the Colts to have one bad day on Sunday for the Saints to claim their place in Super Bowl history. Stranger things have happened, what a story book ending this could be for the city of New Orleans, Sean Payton, Drew Brees and the rest of the Saints to pull off the upset of the century. All you have for one day, 60 minutes, letting it all hang out, to be the best in the 2009-2010 and take the Lombardi trophy back to the crescent city.

Seth Joyner

2/4/10

There is a season for all things, and one thing is for sure, change will come to everyone whether we like it or not. The Tiger Woods we all assumed we knew has not lived up to our expectations, who ever does. He, like all human beings are subject to the process of living and learning. It seems he is doing a lot of learning these days, some lessons in life come hard and some come easy. To have to go through this process in such a public way cannot be easy, but then again, as he said, “I brought this shame on myself.”

For many his words today will never be enough, it will only fuel more speculation and questions. To get forgiveness, one has to be willing to extend forgiveness. He has asked, so as a fan and fellow human being, who at various points in my own life, has needed forgiveness, I forgive him. He will never get that from many people, they are simply beyond forgiveness, there is nothing he can do about that. Asking for forgiveness is as beneficial to the person asking, as the people or person being asked.

He has taken the first step towards normalcy in his life, that is all that anyone can ever ask of another. To admit your faults, ask for forgiveness in a contrite way and move forward. Nothing every changes without motion forward. Tiger’s issues, no matter how much the public wants to make it public, really are his and his wife’s to work out. We can speculate and debate it all we wish, but at the end of the day, only he and Elin can work out their issues and when they do one way or another, the only thing we will be left to ponder is his play on the golf course, his behavior on and off the course and his desire to become a better person and role model. It is encouraging to hear him speak of his desire to have young people believe in him again. His desire to be, his expectation of himself to be, leads him to hope and where there is hope failure cannot exist. He will be the role model we once knew again.

Within every problem lay the seeds of solution, problems and adversity brings about change for the better. If there is anyone that knows that, it is Tiger Woods. This is a period of growth for Tiger, he’s spoke of the changes that he needs to and is making in his life and that is the most important step into a new season in anyone’s life.

Although he feels there is a need for more therapy and healing,  a part of this will come with time and when he’s back on the golf course. Golf is his life’s passion and purpose, that is why he is the best to ever play the game. It will  not only be healing for him and his family, but also for the public. Because the public loves winners and have historically found ways to look beyond there heros faults. In this season of change for Tiger Woods he has asked for forgiveness, now let us all move on and look forward to his return to golf as a method of healing and a season of change for everyone.

Seth Joyner

2/19/10

Today the San Diego Chargers released LaDainian Tomlinson, not big news given the fact that it’s been long-expected. Considering all that he has meant to this franchise, and being one of, if not the greatest Charger ever, one still has to pause to think about this move. If anyone understands the business of the NFL it is me, playing for 4 different teams over a 13 year span says it all.

Fans on the outside looking in see the NFL as a game of football, but to those who have played or lived close enough to the game know that it is all business. “What have you done lately,” is the creed that the league lives by, regardless of injuries, and/or how the supporting case around you perform. Suffice to say, that the only position that’s safe from this motto is QB, in most cases.

Football is the ultimate team sport, no matter how good a player you are, rarely do you see one player single-handedly take over a game. Even when Peyton Manning or Drew Brees is having a phenomenal day, the RB’s, WR’s, TE’s and O-Line are doing all the necessary things for him to succeed. The same holds true for any other position. LT’s decline may be attributed to age (30), but the way these elite athletes train nowadays, I beg to differ. Yes he has had his share of injuries the last two years, that’s a part of the game though, but what I have observed is that he has not been the same, nor has the Chargers rushing attack been consistent since the departure of Lorenzo Neal. You can add to the mix the fact that the O-Line has gone from one of the leagues best to mediocre and has been built to pass protect. The NFL has turned into a passing league, and the decision was made to turn the reins of the team over to Phillip Rivers in the midst of LT’s injuries. With 30 plus passing attempts  per game being the average for the Chargers, and the average number of plays per game right around 60, that didn’t leave many plays for the running game (LT, actually 13 carries per game), given the fact that he shared touches with Darren Sproles. No wonder his numbers are way below his average.

I wonder out loud if this was a deliberate move to minimize his numbers to validate his release. Never in his career has his attempts or production been so low. With a hefty salary coming into this season and Sproles contract up as well, this was clearly a business move. That being said, I get it, I just wished they would call it what it really is, instead of trying to make it seem like he’s washed up. No doubt he has some good football left in him, and with a resume befitting a first ballot Hall of Famer, the only goal left for him is a Super Bowl Championship, I’m sure he will have plenty of teams interested in his services, even if for only one season. The business exempts no one no matter how great you are or have been.

Seth Joyner

2/23/10