StcChief
09-23-2005, 06:52 AM
Interesting commentary on Football and hype.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/sports_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_83_4099645,00.html
ENGLEWOOD - Maybe Mike Shanahan doesn't understand our deal. Or maybe he has decided honesty is such a novel concept these days, it just might work. He is, after all, master of the unexpected.
All I know is, he's blowing our old deal. In case you don't remember, here it is: We ask how big the upcoming game is. The Broncos say it's bigger than big, crucial, critical, must-win, hugely gargantuan, a vastness of enormity.
Doesn't matter if it's the Oakland Raiders in December or the Saskatchewan Roughriders in September. Deal doesn't change.
The basis of our deal is Marketing 101. The game must be hyped to make people watch. Frankly, this hasn't been necessary in Denver for some time because everybody watches anyway. But it's still our deal, dating to the days of vertically striped socks, and we are supposed to stick to it.
In the old days, when reading was still popular, newspaper types were in charge of holding up our end. Privately, team officials often questioned our commitment to the deal.
Truthfully, they had a valid complaint. We might get around to asking how big a game was, but not until we asked how the backup left tackle was responding to treatment after biting his lower lip at lunch.
Club officials sometimes asked us to get with the program. We said we'd acquiesce if they made Shannon Sharpe available. This bargain worked out well all the way around.
Now that television has marginalized the literati, wretches are much more enthusiastic about our deal because TV types care a lot more than newspaper types whether you turn on the tube.
This is all to provide a little background on Shanahan's plot twist Wednesday when a TV guy asked how big the big Monday night game against Kansas City is. Surprisingly, it was not Gary Miller, "one of the ultimate authorities about the Denver Broncos," according to CBS 4. I don't know how many ultimate authorities about the Broncos there are, but if Gary is one, I'm assuming there are quite a few.
Anyway, the ball was sitting there on a tee for Shanahan, as it is every week, and the man turned it into an onside kick.
"We've been talking about this all year," he said, referring, apparently, to the past two weeks. "When you have 16 games during the season, every game is big. Obviously, the games are even bigger in the AFC West. We could have this conversation each week - 'What a big game.' Yeah, it is a big game. It's not like baseball. It's not like basketball. You've got 16 games, and you have to use that to your advantage. You want to take advantage and win those games at home, especially in your division. We understand how big it is. We talked about it last week. It's no different this week."
No different this week? What kind of hype is that?
This week's game is always bigger than last week's game for one very simple reason: Last week's game is over.
Nonplussed, the TV types consulted amongst themselves. Miller, their leader, insisted someone try again. So someone did, asking Shanahan if he gets up for the Chiefs more than other teams because . . . well . . . you know.
"I'll be honest with you," Shanahan said, and we knew we were in trouble. He had already been honest once. Twice in one day? What, had someone forgotten his medication?
"I get up for every game," he said. "Each game is important. There is not one game that is more important than another."
An inaudible gasp went up from among the wretches. I began to wonder if this honesty thing might have legs, especially when I heard Jake Plummer talking about the return of Quentin Griffin.
"It's great having 'Q' back," Plummer said. "It was really hard when he got cut. He's one of my favorite players. . . . Hopefully, if he gets a chance to go out there, he'll make sure there are no more thoughts of letting him go."
Our heads were swimming. Here was Plummer telling Shanahan not to cut Griffin again and Shanahan telling us the coming game is no bigger than any of the others.
I wanted to check the cycles of the moon or the rotation of the Earth or something. Unfortunately, I don't know anything about that stuff.
I do know that with honesty, like running the ball or pass defense, you have to be consistent over time. For example:
Q: How much better is the Chiefs defense this year than last?
A: Well, last year they ranked 31st and this year they rank 26th, so I'd say about five places better.
Q: Who's better, Tony Gonzalez or Antonio Gates?
A: Which one are we getting ready to play?
Q: Gonzalez.
A: The other one.
You get the idea. Shanahan can be a trendsetter here. He always has taken pride in being a little ahead of the curve.
Honesty over hype. Quite a concept.
Personally, I'm still skeptical. Shanahan's burst of forthrightness might have been a bit of undigested beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, to borrow from Dickens.
But you never know. It could start a whole new rallying cry:
"It's just another game!"
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/sports_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_83_4099645,00.html
ENGLEWOOD - Maybe Mike Shanahan doesn't understand our deal. Or maybe he has decided honesty is such a novel concept these days, it just might work. He is, after all, master of the unexpected.
All I know is, he's blowing our old deal. In case you don't remember, here it is: We ask how big the upcoming game is. The Broncos say it's bigger than big, crucial, critical, must-win, hugely gargantuan, a vastness of enormity.
Doesn't matter if it's the Oakland Raiders in December or the Saskatchewan Roughriders in September. Deal doesn't change.
The basis of our deal is Marketing 101. The game must be hyped to make people watch. Frankly, this hasn't been necessary in Denver for some time because everybody watches anyway. But it's still our deal, dating to the days of vertically striped socks, and we are supposed to stick to it.
In the old days, when reading was still popular, newspaper types were in charge of holding up our end. Privately, team officials often questioned our commitment to the deal.
Truthfully, they had a valid complaint. We might get around to asking how big a game was, but not until we asked how the backup left tackle was responding to treatment after biting his lower lip at lunch.
Club officials sometimes asked us to get with the program. We said we'd acquiesce if they made Shannon Sharpe available. This bargain worked out well all the way around.
Now that television has marginalized the literati, wretches are much more enthusiastic about our deal because TV types care a lot more than newspaper types whether you turn on the tube.
This is all to provide a little background on Shanahan's plot twist Wednesday when a TV guy asked how big the big Monday night game against Kansas City is. Surprisingly, it was not Gary Miller, "one of the ultimate authorities about the Denver Broncos," according to CBS 4. I don't know how many ultimate authorities about the Broncos there are, but if Gary is one, I'm assuming there are quite a few.
Anyway, the ball was sitting there on a tee for Shanahan, as it is every week, and the man turned it into an onside kick.
"We've been talking about this all year," he said, referring, apparently, to the past two weeks. "When you have 16 games during the season, every game is big. Obviously, the games are even bigger in the AFC West. We could have this conversation each week - 'What a big game.' Yeah, it is a big game. It's not like baseball. It's not like basketball. You've got 16 games, and you have to use that to your advantage. You want to take advantage and win those games at home, especially in your division. We understand how big it is. We talked about it last week. It's no different this week."
No different this week? What kind of hype is that?
This week's game is always bigger than last week's game for one very simple reason: Last week's game is over.
Nonplussed, the TV types consulted amongst themselves. Miller, their leader, insisted someone try again. So someone did, asking Shanahan if he gets up for the Chiefs more than other teams because . . . well . . . you know.
"I'll be honest with you," Shanahan said, and we knew we were in trouble. He had already been honest once. Twice in one day? What, had someone forgotten his medication?
"I get up for every game," he said. "Each game is important. There is not one game that is more important than another."
An inaudible gasp went up from among the wretches. I began to wonder if this honesty thing might have legs, especially when I heard Jake Plummer talking about the return of Quentin Griffin.
"It's great having 'Q' back," Plummer said. "It was really hard when he got cut. He's one of my favorite players. . . . Hopefully, if he gets a chance to go out there, he'll make sure there are no more thoughts of letting him go."
Our heads were swimming. Here was Plummer telling Shanahan not to cut Griffin again and Shanahan telling us the coming game is no bigger than any of the others.
I wanted to check the cycles of the moon or the rotation of the Earth or something. Unfortunately, I don't know anything about that stuff.
I do know that with honesty, like running the ball or pass defense, you have to be consistent over time. For example:
Q: How much better is the Chiefs defense this year than last?
A: Well, last year they ranked 31st and this year they rank 26th, so I'd say about five places better.
Q: Who's better, Tony Gonzalez or Antonio Gates?
A: Which one are we getting ready to play?
Q: Gonzalez.
A: The other one.
You get the idea. Shanahan can be a trendsetter here. He always has taken pride in being a little ahead of the curve.
Honesty over hype. Quite a concept.
Personally, I'm still skeptical. Shanahan's burst of forthrightness might have been a bit of undigested beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, to borrow from Dickens.
But you never know. It could start a whole new rallying cry:
"It's just another game!"