Tom Coughlin's Legacy

Move over Rasputin! Tom Coughlin has a tendency for survival that rivals even a cat.

For a man who has been on the hot seat pretty much since getting the New York Giants head coaching job, Coughlin seems to get the most out of his team when it matters most. In the eight years he has been there, he has been rumored to be fired more often than Billy Martin. He has gotten less respect than Rodney Dangerfield felt that he got. Yet, along the way, the Giants have won their division four times, won a Super Bowl, and only had one losing season – his first. If that type of success can get a coach almost fired multiple times during the season, then you have to wonder what the expectations are for the Giants. 16-0 every regular season?

Now that Coughlin has reached his second Super Bowl, he may be poised to pass someone that happens to be considered the greatest coach in Giants history – Bill Parcells. As it stands now, Coughlin is not that far behind Parcells – Coughlin has a .578 winning percentage to Parcells at .611. Coughlin has won one less division title, but he also has one less losing season. If the Giants win, they will have the same number of championships. Maybe then, Coughlin will finally get his due.

The Super Bowl is a huge game for a number of reasons. A lot of legacies are on the line. But perhaps Tom Coughlin has more on the line than anyone else. A win, and he may finally not be coaching week to week.

The Super Bowl Halftime Show

Remember back when the Super Bowl would have halftime performances that people younger than forty knew who the acts were? Well, that ended back when Janet Jackson showed her nipple, and only her plastic surgeon was excited. However, as we live in a country where it’s ok to permit George Lopez to have a television show and Paris Hilton is allowed to exist, yet sexuality is frowned upon, this immediately set off a political correctness firestorm. As the FCC and the media overreact to everything, this was denounced as the biggest travesty since Gerald Ford became President
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Since that point, the halftime ‘entertainment’ at the Super Bowl has involved a series of bands that are further past their prime than Brett Favre. Even though one of the acts featured renowned pervert Pete Townshend, it was still considered better than having a repeat performance of the ill-fated Justin Timberlake/Janet Jackson moment. Even if Townshend was to be hitting on some six year old in the audience, it was not like he was going to expose himself publicly. Unless, of course, that six year old was really asking for it.

Now, for this year, we have the news that Madonna is going to be performing at halftime. Madonna does fit what the NFL has used over roughly the past decade – a washed up artist or group that is still well known. However, people are forgetting one very important thing – namely, that this is Madonna. Look at her history. Jose Canseco. Dennis Rodman. The ‘Sex’ book. Making out with Britney Spears at the VMAs. Numerous movie rolls where she has sex with anything. Her well known and deserved reputation as a whore. Was this forgotten about?

Add to this the fact that Madonna’s career is almost as dead as Helen Keller, and this promises to be a special evening. Will she be wearing a velcro suit that she rips off during the performance, and frolics around naked on stage? Will she attempt to masterbate with the Lombardi Trophy? Will she attempt to have sex with every member of both teams before/after/during the game? And will she attempt to coerce some random person from Malawi to let her adopt his kid? Hey, maybe she goes for the gold and tries to do all of that. While doing a couple of the cheerleaders there, just to show that she’s an equal opportunity whore.

Actually, this is a good move for the NFL. People will actually want to do something other than wake up their great grandparents when the halftime act gets on stage, since they were the only ones that could remember when these groups were young. People will be waiting to see if she brings any barnyard animals on stage, and gives an unforgettable halftime show.

Sit back and enjoy the fireworks, because this has all the potential to be a train wreck.

What is the worst that can happen if we put a Super Bowl in Dallas?

As part of the payoff for Jerry Jones building his grand monument to himself, his ego, and the Dallas Cowboys, a Super Bowl was promised to Dallas. Typically, the same few cities keep getting the Super Bowl, mainly due to weather and that they have proven to be able to handle the event. As such, this was Dallas's first foray into hosting the championship. What was the worst that could happen?

First, the weather all week did not cooperate. A major part of the Super Bowl is the week leading up to the game, where people wander about the city, enjoy different fan experiences, and have a good time. This year, most people were stuck indoors, and were not able to spend the type of money that typically comes into the community during these events. This helps to disguise the fact that there were severe lacks of various items available in Dallas, such as taxis and strippers.

Then, on Friday, ice and snow fell from the roof of Jerry's Monument, injuring six people. This caused the NFL to decide on Sunday to close down four of the entrances, due to concerns about falling snow. Coupled with ticket scanners not working, and a plethora of fans having no idea where they needed to go when their entrances were closed, this rapidly became a farce.

Then, 1250 fans were displaced due to the temporary seats that needed to be installed not being ready in time. Plus, as an added bonus, these seats were not able to code requirements on game day. Why open the stadium when all the seats were not installed? How could the seats not pass inspection on game day? This speaks to the short sightedness of the people running the operation.

And those fans that were affected? Well, 850 of them were moved to a club area behind the Pittsburgh bench to watch the game on television. In standing room only areas. This was not what those people purchased tickets for. And the other 400? Well, there wasn't enough room for them, so they had to leave the stadium. But, the NFL *did* offer three times the face value of the tickets to those affected. Too bad that doesn't factor in how much was spent on hotel rooms, travel to and from the Dallas area, and that these tickets were probably purchased for far more than the face value. But the NFL and Roger Goodell are concerned with what the fans want, right?

As a fitting final chapter, Roger Staubach said that the Super Bowl would be considered a success if the NFL brought the game back to Dallas. Based on what transpired leading up to game time, I wouldn't be holding my breath.