There is nothing like the euphoria of the morning after a hometown win in the NFL. When I flew back from Tampa Bay Monday morning, there was the palpable sense of excitement.
You see more Ravens hats on the streets. People high-five strangers and strike up conversations they normally would not have. Kids actually want to go to school to act out their favorite plays from the previous day. And the workday almost seems bearable, doesn?t it?
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Conversely, the hangover for the other half of NFL cities is brutal. All day long, they read column after column ripping the team, and it only gets worse with the Chicken Littles on talk radio. You just want to find the nearest panic room and stay there awhile.
So just remember this: It?s only one game, and the opening game at that. As well or as poorly as your team played this week, it?s just one week. There?s going to be another Sunday to pin your hopes on(or have them dashed).
Still, you have to feel pretty good if you?re a Ravens fan this week. Don?t feel guilty about it. Revel in it.
The prima donna receiver
Baltimore fans don?t have much to worry about when it comes to attitudes with their receivers. In fact, they have a corps of guys that are genuinely down to earth. As you look around the NFL, however, there isn?t a position more full of itself in the league.
New England shipped out receiver Deion Branch this week because he held out going into the last year of his contract. With Oakland coming to town this Sunday, you have the very essence of what is wrong at the position.
Randy Moss, the greatest receiver since Jerry Rice, finds the worst thing you can say about your team and blurts it out. That?s a real talent. Meanwhile, teammate Jerry Porter didn?t like the direction the team took in the offseason and is also demanding a trade. Don?t get me started on Terrell Owens.
The only true star receiver that seems to relish his life and opportunity is Chad Johnson of the Bengals. Some might not like his showboating, but he?s not a malcontent. He?s been humbled by his past and learned to not repeat his mistakes.
Even if receivers can no longer perform the Riverdance, we need more guys like him in the league.
Manning vs. Manning: Who cares?
Am I the only one could have cared less about Peyton and Eli Manning last week? The only thing that truly would have amped up my interest in the Colts vs. Giants is if Peyton gave his brother a wedgie before the coin toss.
They were never going to actually play across the ball from each other at the same time like, say, Tampa Bay linebacker Ronde Barber and his twin brother, Tiki, the Giants? running back.
Manning vs. Manning was just a bunch of contrived hype in the midst of a game between two good teams.
Matt Palmer is a staff writer for The Examiner. He can be reached at [email protected].
