Football News (If I Had My Way)
Below is an exercise in alternative history. What if things had gone the way that TALB wanted them to go? What would be the football headlines look like?
Bowls Not So Bad Off After-all (February 15)
With the last of the bowls reporting their finances for this past college football season, it turns out that the new eight-team BCS Championship Tournament did not impact the smaller bowls as much as predicted by critics. While a few bowls did show significant losses year-over-year, most saw even or increased revenues.
The PapaJohns.com and San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia bowls both experienced significant revenue losses compared to the 2007-2008 bowl season. Even taking into account the weakened economy, a PapaJohns.com spokesman said that their “19% decline in ticket and ancillary revenues” would force the organizing committee to take a look at the game’s continued existence. On the other side of the spectrum, Tampa’s Outback Bowl reported an overall revenue growth of twenty-one percent. Owing in large part to the playoff structure. The selection rules prohibit more than one team per conference be seeded into the tournament. In turn, (at the time) one loss Alabama, a virtual shoe-in for the Sugar Bowl in past years was instead available to the “traditional” bowl pool and played in the SEC’s long-time “second place” bowl the Capital One (nee Citrus) Bowl. Which created a domino effect of other strong SEC teams “falling” to bowls that in the past would not have been able to select them. In the case of the Outback, they had the choice of a loaded Georgia squad or the hot Ole Miss team. Organizers selected Ole Miss who faced off against Michigan State.
The Florida Gators defeated the Utah Utes in the inaugural BCS Championship Tournament Final held at Dolphin Stadium outside of Miami, 41-30.
Brett Favre To Replace Madden in SNF Booth (April 25)
After the retirement of John Madden, NBC Sports chief Dick Ebersol looked high and low for a suitable replacement. Initial reports had Cris Collinsworth joining Al Micheals for the marquee game of the week. But after what are being called intense negotiations with Fox, NBC has selected Brett Favre to fill in the vacant slot next to Micheals.
Favre played 16 years in the NFL, 15 of those with the Green Bay Packers. He retired after leading the Packers to a 12-3 mark during the 2007 season. Immediately after retirement, he was signed to be a studio analyst for the Fox NFL Sunday pre and post game telecasts. His intimate knowledge of the game, and of current players showed from day one. And the program earned its highest ratings in years during the 2008 season.
Bucs Draft Day Trades Lauded by Analysts (May 5)
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, long thought to be enamored with Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman, instead took the first day of the draft and turned into the NFL’s version of eBay. They dealt their mid-first round pick to the Steelers for their first round pick, a second, and a third. Then they dealt both second round picks for two later second round picks and a raft of 2nd day selections. After the wheeling and the dealing was done, the Buccaneers ended up with 14 solid rookie players. These players won’t be expected to be starters on day one, but should make solid contributions, and eventually move up to be leaders of the team. Josh Freeman was selected in the second round by the New Orleans Saints.
Rebuilding? Or Reloading (May 18)
Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher has only been on the Seminole speaking circuit for a couple of weeks now. But this, his second go around, feels a lot better than last time. This time last year he was the upstart who had just replaced the legendary Bobby Bowden. Following the 2007 campaign which ended at 7-6, Bowden agreed to hand over the team to coach-in-waiting Fisher. During last year’s tour, Fisher was generally on the defensive after replacing the living legend. Now that he’s put the Seminoles on the right track, finishing 2008 with just three losses (Boston College, Wake Forest, and Florida) the Seminole faithful are now 100% behind him.
“It’s good to be out here kind of triumphant, you know?” Said the sophomore head coach in between speaking engagements in South Florida. “Last year was an amazing ride. These kids played like there was no tomorrow.” Unlike the last few seasons, the Seminoles actually took pride in a loss. In November, the ‘Noles were in the game until the final seconds against eventual champion Florida. Losing by just two points with the ball in hand as the clock ticked down to zero.
