And the Curse of Tony Dungy is born

You know what you don't want going into a football game? You don't want Tony Dungy saying the other team has no chance to be you. He said the Cowboys had no chance against New Orleans. Then Dallas went to the Superdome, used the comment as fuel, and won 24-17. The Saints could calm down, forget about 16-0, and rest players if they needed to. Then Dungy said his former team would beat the Saints in the Super Bowl, and it wouldn't be close. He said the Saints had no chance to win the Super Bowl. After their 31-17 win over the Colts, N.O. coach Sean Payton said when he heard the comment from Dungy, he knew they would be all right. Maybe Dungy was jealous of the Colts success without him, and dropped the curse on them. Either way, beware in the future when Dungy goes on a limb.


Now to the game itself. The Super Bowl gave us another classic. It was not a one score game, but if you watched, and you did, you know it played like one. As time goes by, don't forget about the second quarter. There were over 8 minutes in the quarter when Manning hit Garcon for that big first down. Oh wait, no he didn't. Garcon dropped the ball, and the next time Manning touched the ball, it was 1st and 10 from his own 1 yard line with about :40 left in the half. The Saints get a 3 and out and a field goal. Big momentum lift for a team that had just been stuffed at the goal line.

And then Sean Payton really went for the momentum. The first onside kick outside the 4th quarter in Super Bowl history was successful, and the Saints turned it into a TD. Now Manning and the Colts had to chase. Which they did with a TD drive of their own. That's when I turned to someone in the room and said "You give the MVP to the winning QB". They were putting on such a great show. They set a new record for completions in a SB, yet there was only one interference penalty and one turnover, both coming on the Colts' last drive.

And with all of that drama going on, the story took the one turn you never expected. Manning made the big mistake. The name Tracy Porter is now on the "Free drinks for life" list in every bar in the Big Easy. I just couldn't believe it. In that game, the first big mistake was going to cost you the game, and it did. The two oldest rules in football determined Super Bowl 44: Take care of the ball, and you've gotta make plays. The Saints made the plays and protected the ball.


Now to the stories. I've got to start with Brees since I'm in Austin. He is the first Texas born QB to start a Super Bowl, and he went to PURDUE. Texas, A&M, Tech, TCU, etc. None of them offered Brees a scholarship. Then his comeback after the injury in San Diego and his decision to embrace New Orleans will be the stuff of legend in the NFL for years to come.

But most importantly, congrats to Who Dat Nation. I had the pleasure of watching the game with a proud member named Linda, and she was sweating it out right up until the Saints made the final stop. But when they did, what a moment. The look on her face was 43 years in the making. The look said "The Saints are going to win the Super Bowl". She almost couldn't believe it. It took a while to sink in. But yes, Linda, your Saints are jokes no more. They can never take that Lombardi trophy away from you. There will never be bags on any one's head again. The Saints are the champs. Who Dat indeed.

Soul Music Only

Those who know me will tell you I probably don't have a lot of religious experiences. I had one tonight. I saw the movie Crazy Heart. It is simply one of the best movies I have ever seen. First, the movie part. Jeff Bridges has given us the Dude and Bad Blake, two iconic roles that people will talk about and study for years. Whether he gets the Oscar or not really doesn't matter that much. Icons don't need Oscars. Now, to the religious part.

I know, how can I consider seeing a movie about a washed up country singer a religious experience? Simple, because it's more than music to me. I found this definition of religious: "appropriate to religion or to sacred rites or observances." Those who know me will tell you I consider music one of the most sacred things on Earth. And the music of Crazy Heart speaks to my spirit. It reminds me of why I discovered country music in the first place. See I grew up on rock and metal. That is the music of my youth. It's also my father's music. It's part of why we are close. But as I went through college, I also began to discover country music. That's my grandfather's music. It made me feel close to him after he died. In the movie, when I saw those denim button up shirts with the pearl snaps, I thought of him and nearly cried.

The movie made me think of 1997. I sat in an efficiency apartment at 44th and Ave A in Austin Texas. I put a CD in the player that would change my life. It was "Juarez" by Terry Allen, a wonderful musical gift. It opened up a world that let me know there was a connection between my grandfather's music and what would become mine. There was a line in the country music sand that ran from Bill Monroe to Merle Haggard to Randy Travis to Bruce Robison. And it all had one thing in common, soul. I found a plastic sign in a ditch when I was in Jr. High that read simply "Soul Music Only". I kept it. That's my only requirement for music. It has to have soul. Crazy Heart has soul.

So if you're a little like me, you might like this movie. I love a good song. I love a good album. I still call them albums. I have to listen to the songs in order the first time because that's what the musician intended. I listen to the song. The words, not just the tune. They become part of me. I want to know who wrote the song. I want to know why. I remember the first time I saw Billy Jo Shaver live. When I hear Willie Nelson's voice, I stop no matter where I am. I have spent nights at the Cactus Cafe in Austin watching one musician and one instrument stir more inside me than a 20 piece band ever could. And when I talk about my favorite Johnny Cash songs, sometimes I have to choke back tears. It's not just music. It's my soul. Crazy Heart is a movie about my soul.

Favre "Pants on the Ground"

Don't be the person who hasn't seen it

It Comes Down to One Sad Story and The Most Important Thing

Wow, where to start on Bama's 37-21 victory over Texas. Obviously there will be tons to say on the show today at 4:00. Let me just mention 3 things here that stood out.

1) The Colt injury. When the most irreplaceable player in the game is out on his 5th play, it is the story of the game. Alabama fans must acknowledge that while celebrating their title. It is certainly not an asterisk, but it is part of the story. In all the years I have watched football, I have never seen that scenario play out in the biggest game. My heart goes out to Colt as he tries to make sense of it all.

2) The answer to 2 of the biggest questions in the game was "no". Can the UT defense stop Bama's run game when they need to? Can the UT O line step up when they need to?

And 3) Texas did not make plays. Bama did. From the moment Colt went out, there were plenty of chances for Texas to keep the momentum, help Gilbert settle into the game, and have a chance to win. They just didn't make those plays. It took too long for the team to get over Colt's absence, and by the time they did, they had dug too big a hole. Congrats to Bama. Ingram was a stud. They were the better team last night.

If you are rooting for Texas and want to get pumped for the game, check this out. Thanks to one of our listeners, Michael, who sent it to me.

I AM A CHAMPION

Aggie Football 2000-2009

If you know me, you know I love numbers in sports. Sure they can lie, and sometimes they are for losers. But sometimes they tell the whole story. As I watched A&M get beat 44-20 by Georgia the other night, I was as upset as I have ever been as a fan. Then I realised why. I had seen this story many, many times. There are those who cover A&M trying to put a positive spin on this. They say it was a 24 point loss and you gave up 24 in special teams. So just fix that breakdown and you're done. Stop. Just stop.

With the decade at an end today, I took a look back at the past 10 years of Aggie pigskin. It better be headed somewhere, because the recent past is nothing special. Remember, these are not my opinions. These are the facts:

Record - 63-59 (52% win %) ; Record in the '90s - 94-28 (77% win %)
Losing seasons - 4
Season with a winning Conf. record - 3

Record vs UT - 2-8
Record vs OU - 1-9
Record vs TT - 3-7
Record vs OSU - 6-4
Record vs Baylor - 8-2

Record vs Ranked teams - 9-32

Games giving up 40 points in a loss - 29 (UT had 5 for comparison)
Average score in those games - 49-21
Number of those games with a one score margin - 2

Have I made a point yet? The Aggies are better than Baylor. They are almost as good as Ok. St. (who had 4 more wins and 2 more winning seasons in the decade) You are fooling yourself if you have them anywhere above that.

Now an opinion - I looked for big wins in the decade and found 5. that's it.

2000 - 26-10 over #8 K.St.
2002 - 30-26 over #1 OU
2006 - 12-7 over #10 UT
2007 - 38-30 over #11 UT
2009 - 52-30 over #21 TT

Please tell me if I'm missing one. I love my Aggies, and I always will. But I'm not ready to start counting moral victories after a 24-point loss. Maybe that's the big difference between me and some other Aggie fans. They know moral victories are all we have right now. I'm not ready to admit it.

TX/OU thoughts, numbers, and a pick

You know what they always say, “Throw out the record books”. And you know what I always say, “Always look at the record book in this one. Because it tells the story”. The late ‘80’s and early ‘90s of this series got people thinking that anything could happen. And of course it can. But the numbers tell you it normally doesn’t. This is the 33rd ranked matchup since the AP started in 1936. The higher ranked team has won 22 of the previous 32 games (69%). So almost 7 out of every 10, the “better” team wins. It’s the 8th time they’ll be 10 spots or more apart in the rankings. Texas is 3, OU is 20. In the previous 7 games, the higher ranked team is 5-1-1. UT won as the lower ranked team in 1958. Oklahoma has never won such a matchup as the lower ranked team. Also, just for you super nerds, this is the first time either team has been 20 or lower in a ranked matchup. Yes, I know. It’s a wonder my wife ever gave me the time of day. In the last 23 games, just the team with the better record is 10-5 (8 games they had the same record going in). So again, always lean towards the better team in this game.
Before we get to my thoughts on this year’s game, another interesting stat. This is obviously a match up of a 2 loss team and an undefeated. How many times has that happened in the entire series? Only 11 times out of 103 games (11%). In those 11, the undefeated team is 8-3. In the 8 wins, the average margin of defeat is 31-7. In the 3 wins for the 2 loss teams, they won by 3 points, 6 points, and 2 points. So what does that tell us about this game? It suggests that Texas will win a blowout or OU will win a close one.


Now to this game. I like Texas because of the defense and the way they match up with this OU offense. The closest thing the Sooners have seen to this level of run defense is Tulsa. Texas is #1 in the country against the run. Plus I don’t think Bradford, that O line, and those WR’s can score enough to beat Texas. On the other side, everyone is talking about Texas and slow starts, or the running game. Here’s what everyone is missing. OU’s defense isn’t great. It’s good. The best offense they’ve played, BYU, beat them. Texas has too many weapons and will be the biggest challenge OU has faced. The 47th best pass defense will give up plays to Colt and that passing attack.
Lastly, this game is all about the Texas O line for me. If they play well, ball game. If not, OU will be in it until the end. So keep these last 2 numbers in mind from the OU perspective: turnovers and running game. The last 23 games in the series, if you win the turnover battle, you win 78% of the time (18 of 23). Texas can’t have the turnovers deep in their territory that have plagued them this year. If OU can get an early lead, they can withstand a Texas charge. To ultimately win, though, OU must run well. If you outrush the opponent over the last 23 years, you win 70% of the Red River Shootouts. And with Bradford’s options in the passing game, a running game is critical for the Sooners.

Ok, one last weird number. The only team in the last 23 games to lose turnovers and rushing and win – ’90 UT (14-13). Shock the nation indeed.

Again, I’m taking Texas. I’m trusting my eyes and the numbers. The better team normally handles business is Dallas. UT – 35, OU – 13.