I'd like to tell you I was shocked that the Chargers and Giants won this past weekend. But in the NFL playoffs, there should be no shockers. That's the beauty of the playoffs: if you get in, you always have a chance to win. And that's the problem with football fans in the Tri-State: the Bengals never (except for 2005) get in. So they never let us see that logic in action.
All you have to do is qualify. Look at the Steelers, the sixth and final seed in the AFC after the 2005 season. They caught a major break when Carson Palmer went down in their game against the Bengals. The Steelers went all the way to a Super Bowl win that year, even being that final team that qualified.
Now, I see the Patriots and Packers playing in the Super Bowl next month. With LT and Phillips Rivers recentaly injured, I don't believe either will be at full strength this Sunday. And while the run the Giants have pieced together has been impressive (and the fact that they're a much better road team than home team lately) I can't see the Packer getting caught now. Brett Favre is hot and the Pack's running back is a Giants cast off. With the home field advantage, Green Bay will have plenty of motivation.
A good high school football coach is out of work tonight. Reading has fired Ken Minor. This is not only a good coach, this is a good man. Minor told us today that he was given no reason why he was dismissed. But he is gone. Now, I imagine, the Elder football faithful will hold their collective breath. The athletic director at Reading is the brother of Elder coach, Doug Ramsey. Ramsey has done a terrific job under sometimes stressful circumstances in front of one of the Tri-State's most demanding fans. He might be ready to move on. We'll see.
This week, on Sports Rock, we'll welcome back the gifted singer-songwriter Ryan Parker. You can view some of his work at http://www.ryanparkersongs.com/. But here's his latest.
Sports Rock! airs every Sunday night at 11:35pm and only on Cincinnati's Channel 5. It's the last, best word in sports!
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