With the First Pick, Andrew Meola Selects…Anything but the NFL Draft

I have turned on SportsCenter every day this week, and almost every time, ESPN has led the show with NFL Draft “news.” It’s bad enough that the four-letter network shoves the almighty NFL down our throats every week of the year. But the NFL Draft is perhaps the most overblown, overhyped event on the sports calendar.

I don’t want to completely napalm the draft. It’s a tremendous thrill for the athletes selected. Hearing their names called and shaking hands with the commissioner is undoubtedly one of the greatest moments of their lives. And they deserve it. But the draft is so riddled with problems that it’s nearly impossible to enjoy.

For starters, the draft is now on in primetime, which is tolerable and by far the least egregious of this event’s crimes. But it’s three days long. Three days! There’s absolutely no reason for the first round to be separate from the second and third and for the second and third to be separate from the final four. Two days should be the absolute maximum.

Secondly, the amount of coverage in the weeks before the draft is completely absurd. Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay bombard us with their mock drafts and predictions day after day after day. I won’t speak for anyone else, but I hit my saturation point pretty darn quickly. And I don’t want to pick on ESPN (though they are the network that perpetuates this whole thing.) Most radio and TV outlets fall into the same trap of blitzing the viewer with draft coverage.

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T³: Top Ten (Make that Five) Thursday- Superbowl Storyline's

The New York Giants and the New England Patriots will play the biggest football game of the year on Sunday. And guess what?

I’m already tired.

It’s Thursday, and I’m already tired.

My favorite team, the Giants, is playing in the Super Bowl and I’m already tired.

Why? Because for the past 10 days (and the three to come) the media has saturated us in Super Bowl hype as if John Madden were baptizing us into the church of FOOTBALL!

It’s not the amount of hype and buildup that bothers me. It’s the manufactured storylines that talking heads have been shoving down our throats for two weeks because they have to have something to say in the 24/7 news cycle. So here are the top five (Gimme a break. I’m lazy this week.) stupid Super Bowl storylines that have gotten on my nerves.

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Super Bowl Quarterback Breakdown: Entertainment Statistics

With the Super Bowl less than 2 weeks away, one of the biggest story lines heading into the game will be the quarterback matchup.  While ESPN will undoubtedly break down every possible statistic while comparing these two over the next 10-days, I thought it would be fun to break down the stats that are much more important to your Average Joe fan.  I call them; the Entertainment Statistics (insert ominous music).  Let’s head to the tale of the tape…

Looks:

  This is more for our female viewers, but hey, I’m comfortable enough in my heterosexuality to breakdown a category like this.

   Brady: If this guy’s career as a one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time didn’t pan out, he could have become a GQ model.  Actually, he does that anyway.  Golden arm, good looks, deadly combo.

   Manning: As a Giants fan, it’s tough to find fault with a guy who has brought you to 2 Super Bowl’s, but this category just isn’t his strong suit.  I’ve described Eli’s look as one of someone who can’t remember if he closed his garage door.  He’s always puzzled.  It makes from pretty interesting facial expressions.

   Advantage: Brady

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Beyond the Boxscore: JJ’s Take on the World of Sports… On and Off the Field… By: John Jastremski

I’m usually going to begin this little column on a happy note, because that’s the kind of happy go lucky type of guy I am.

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