The Cobra
01-28-2011, 11:20 PM
Cobra......this is a C/P from another site,
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2...k&sportCat=nfl
Originally Published: January 25, 2011
By Gregg Easterbrook
Please sit down before I reveal the horrible news -- there will be no cheerleaders at the Super Bowl. Green Bay and Pittsburgh, the last teams standing, are among the small number of NFL franchises that do not have a professional cheer-babe squad. So brace for no cheerleaders at the Super Bowl. How could this happen? This is America!
Because the Super Bowl is the sole NFL game each season to which both teams bring their cheerleaders, normally one of the treats of attending the final contest is gorgeous, scantily attired, dancing women along both sidelines. Instead, in XII days in Dallas, there will be no cheerleaders at all. How could this happen? This is America!
The saying goes -- offense sells tickets and defense wins championships. That has been the theme of the current playoffs. Of the top 10 offensive teams in the NFL this season, only one, Green Bay, reached the title round. But all of the final four teams were in the top 10 for defense. Of the top 10 rushing-offense teams this season, only one, Jersey/B, reached the title round. But of the top rushing defenses, Nos. 1, 2 and 3 -- the Steelers, Bears and Jets, respectively -- made the final four.
In passing, the disparity isn't quite as pronounced. Of the top 10 passing-offense teams this season, only one, Green Bay, made the title round. Of the top 10 passing defenses, two, the Jets and Packers, did so. But in the main event, defense has prevailed over offense emphatically, with defenses No. 2 (Pittsburgh) and No. 5 (Green Bay) reaching the Super Bowl, while offense No. 9 (Green Bay) is the highest represented.
Once the Super Bowl is reached, some games are decided by offense, such as San Francisco's 49-26 victory over San Diego in 1995. But in recent season-finale contests, defense has shown the way. In 2008, the Giants took the trophy by holding the Patriots, who had just set the NFL record for regular-season scoring at 37 points per game, to 14 points in the Super Bowl. In 2009, the Steelers won the Super Bowl by controlling Kurt Warner and the high-scoring Arizona offense. Last year, the Saints won the Super Bowl by holding the Indianapolis offense to a net of 10 points, considering the New Orleans defense also scored a touchdown.
Now the no-cheerleaders Steelers will face off against the no-cheerleaders Packers. (Green Bay allows Wisconsin small-college pep squads, in college attire, on the sidelines of home games.) With both teams being built around defense, the trophy might go to whichever's offense is least frustrated. But since scantily clad cheer-babes propitiate the football gods, and neither team has them, how will the football gods know whom to root for?
c/p espn.com
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2...k&sportCat=nfl
Originally Published: January 25, 2011
By Gregg Easterbrook
Please sit down before I reveal the horrible news -- there will be no cheerleaders at the Super Bowl. Green Bay and Pittsburgh, the last teams standing, are among the small number of NFL franchises that do not have a professional cheer-babe squad. So brace for no cheerleaders at the Super Bowl. How could this happen? This is America!
Because the Super Bowl is the sole NFL game each season to which both teams bring their cheerleaders, normally one of the treats of attending the final contest is gorgeous, scantily attired, dancing women along both sidelines. Instead, in XII days in Dallas, there will be no cheerleaders at all. How could this happen? This is America!
The saying goes -- offense sells tickets and defense wins championships. That has been the theme of the current playoffs. Of the top 10 offensive teams in the NFL this season, only one, Green Bay, reached the title round. But all of the final four teams were in the top 10 for defense. Of the top 10 rushing-offense teams this season, only one, Jersey/B, reached the title round. But of the top rushing defenses, Nos. 1, 2 and 3 -- the Steelers, Bears and Jets, respectively -- made the final four.
In passing, the disparity isn't quite as pronounced. Of the top 10 passing-offense teams this season, only one, Green Bay, made the title round. Of the top 10 passing defenses, two, the Jets and Packers, did so. But in the main event, defense has prevailed over offense emphatically, with defenses No. 2 (Pittsburgh) and No. 5 (Green Bay) reaching the Super Bowl, while offense No. 9 (Green Bay) is the highest represented.
Once the Super Bowl is reached, some games are decided by offense, such as San Francisco's 49-26 victory over San Diego in 1995. But in recent season-finale contests, defense has shown the way. In 2008, the Giants took the trophy by holding the Patriots, who had just set the NFL record for regular-season scoring at 37 points per game, to 14 points in the Super Bowl. In 2009, the Steelers won the Super Bowl by controlling Kurt Warner and the high-scoring Arizona offense. Last year, the Saints won the Super Bowl by holding the Indianapolis offense to a net of 10 points, considering the New Orleans defense also scored a touchdown.
Now the no-cheerleaders Steelers will face off against the no-cheerleaders Packers. (Green Bay allows Wisconsin small-college pep squads, in college attire, on the sidelines of home games.) With both teams being built around defense, the trophy might go to whichever's offense is least frustrated. But since scantily clad cheer-babes propitiate the football gods, and neither team has them, how will the football gods know whom to root for?
c/p espn.com