AFTER DOWN-TO-THE-WIRE games with do-or-die plays and sudden-death overtimes in perhaps the greatest weekend in Super Bowl quarterfinals history, we're finally down to the NFL Final Four.
Whew. You may catch your breath. Two playoff games went past regulation time and the other two were tighter than Joe Namath snuggling up to Suzy Kobler and nearly wound up in OT, too.
So who do you like now? Who do you root for now Mr. or Mrs. My-Favorite-Team-Is-Out-Of-The-Playoffs-And-Pitchers-And-Catchers-Are-Still-Weeks-Away-From-Reporting?
The Patriots? Who around here can forget the Tuck Rule three years ago that robbed the Raiders of possibly advancing to a Super Bowl that they might have won to save any future embarrassment? The Pats get all the lucky breaks the Red Sox don't.
The Colts? Peyton Manning's playing like Johnny Unitas and Indy has an Arena Football offense, yet it's hard to back an ownership group that packed its bags in the middle of the night and moved out of Baltimore with complete and utter disrespect and disregard for the fans it left behind, right Raiders fan?
The Eagles? Donovan McNabb has made Rush Limbaugh eat his words like chunky soup and that's good, but Philly fans, as passionate as they are, turn on their teams quicker than meat eaters against mad cows. They booed McNabb the day he was drafted and yesterday showed no remorse for Brett Favre and Destiny's Cheeseheads.
Well, then, what about the Panthers? On the outside, they seem to be as bland as oatmeal but they're the biggest underdog left in the field. They don't have the established star players of the other Final Four teams, but they might be the most exciting team left in the field.
If you're looking to watch a close game rather than a complete rout, try this: The Panthers four times this season have played in sudden-death overtime and won eight times on their final possession of the game. Of their 13 wins, 10 have been by six points or less.
If you're looking for an emotional attachment, try this: Their head coach, John Fox, figuratively gave Raiders owner Al Davis the finger when he abruptly resigned as Oakland's defensive coordinator two weeks before the Raiders season opener in 1995. Fox up and quit following a heated argument with Davis in the airport following a 27-6 exhibition loss to the Falcons. I mean, how many people do you know that have told Al Davis to shove it?
But, if you're looking for a local-boy-does-good story, try this: When Fox replaced George Seifert as Carolina's coach in 2002, among the assistant coaches he retained was former San Marin High School star quarterback Mike McCoy who, at one time, was the youngest assistant coach in the NFL.
Now 31, McCoy has been a key in the development of Panthers rags-to-riches quarterback Jake Delhomme who has a lot of similarities with McCoy. They both played at mid-major football programs (McCoy at Utah and Delhomme at Louisiana-Lafayette) and both played in NFL Europe and both spent a lot of time on the bench in the pros before finding their niche.
On game days, McCoy, the team's quarterback coach, is on the Carolina sideline radioing plays from offensive coordinator Dan Henning in the press box to Delhomme on the field.
That's no small feat considering Delhomme has approximately 140 plays divided into 10 categories listed in fine print on a piece of laminated paper strapped under a long sweatband on his left wrist. McCoy relayed the game-winning play - something called X-clown - to Delhomme on Saturday when Carolina QB threw a slant pass to wide receiver Steve Smith that Smith turned into a 69-yard touchdown on the first play of the second overtime.
Thus, in consecutive weeks, the Panthers have knocked the Cowboys and Rams - the 49ers fiercest rivals - out of the playoffs. That deserves a rooting interest.
What's sad, though, is McCoy's mother, Gayle, business manager at Novato High School, was all set to cash in a plane ticket to fly to Charlotte, N.C. for Sunday's NFC title game had the Packers held on to upset the Eagles yesterday. Instead, she'll have to hope her son's team advances to Houston for Super Bowl XXXVIII because the conference championship game will be in the City of Brotherly Love.
If victorious, the Panthers will play in their first Super Bowl. The Packers, Colts and Patriots have all been there, done that.
Thus McCoy, a Novato native, would have a chance to win a Super Bowl ring. Brian Pariani, the tight ends coach for the Denver Broncos who attended Marin Catholic High, has two. One of McCoy's high school teammates and best friends, Brett Carolan, has one.
McCoy is due. He's been around some great NFL coaches. He played for the late George Allen at Long Beach State. He was in the Denver Broncos training camp with Mike Shanahan, with Mike Holmgren in the Packers training camp and with Steve Mariucci in his first season in San Francisco when McCoy suited up for his one and only NFL regular-season game as the team's third quarterback. McCoy's playing career ended in 1999 when, after being cut by the Eagles in '98, he wound up with the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League.
McCoy has traveled the world to chase a dream. He followed Doug Flutie and Jeff Garcia as the starting quarterback in Calgary. He followed Kurt Warner as quarterback for the Amsterdam Admirals where he shared playing time with Jay Fiedler. He took snaps behind John Elway, Brett Favre, Steve Young in the NFL yet never attempted a single pass in a regular-season game.
Hasn't the time come for McCoy to get his just reward? He and the Carolina Panthers need all the good karma they can get in Philly. He and the Panthers could use your good cheer and support.
So root, root, root for the homeboy.
www.marinij.com
Whew. You may catch your breath. Two playoff games went past regulation time and the other two were tighter than Joe Namath snuggling up to Suzy Kobler and nearly wound up in OT, too.
So who do you like now? Who do you root for now Mr. or Mrs. My-Favorite-Team-Is-Out-Of-The-Playoffs-And-Pitchers-And-Catchers-Are-Still-Weeks-Away-From-Reporting?
The Patriots? Who around here can forget the Tuck Rule three years ago that robbed the Raiders of possibly advancing to a Super Bowl that they might have won to save any future embarrassment? The Pats get all the lucky breaks the Red Sox don't.
The Colts? Peyton Manning's playing like Johnny Unitas and Indy has an Arena Football offense, yet it's hard to back an ownership group that packed its bags in the middle of the night and moved out of Baltimore with complete and utter disrespect and disregard for the fans it left behind, right Raiders fan?
The Eagles? Donovan McNabb has made Rush Limbaugh eat his words like chunky soup and that's good, but Philly fans, as passionate as they are, turn on their teams quicker than meat eaters against mad cows. They booed McNabb the day he was drafted and yesterday showed no remorse for Brett Favre and Destiny's Cheeseheads.
Well, then, what about the Panthers? On the outside, they seem to be as bland as oatmeal but they're the biggest underdog left in the field. They don't have the established star players of the other Final Four teams, but they might be the most exciting team left in the field.
If you're looking to watch a close game rather than a complete rout, try this: The Panthers four times this season have played in sudden-death overtime and won eight times on their final possession of the game. Of their 13 wins, 10 have been by six points or less.
If you're looking for an emotional attachment, try this: Their head coach, John Fox, figuratively gave Raiders owner Al Davis the finger when he abruptly resigned as Oakland's defensive coordinator two weeks before the Raiders season opener in 1995. Fox up and quit following a heated argument with Davis in the airport following a 27-6 exhibition loss to the Falcons. I mean, how many people do you know that have told Al Davis to shove it?
But, if you're looking for a local-boy-does-good story, try this: When Fox replaced George Seifert as Carolina's coach in 2002, among the assistant coaches he retained was former San Marin High School star quarterback Mike McCoy who, at one time, was the youngest assistant coach in the NFL.
Now 31, McCoy has been a key in the development of Panthers rags-to-riches quarterback Jake Delhomme who has a lot of similarities with McCoy. They both played at mid-major football programs (McCoy at Utah and Delhomme at Louisiana-Lafayette) and both played in NFL Europe and both spent a lot of time on the bench in the pros before finding their niche.
On game days, McCoy, the team's quarterback coach, is on the Carolina sideline radioing plays from offensive coordinator Dan Henning in the press box to Delhomme on the field.
That's no small feat considering Delhomme has approximately 140 plays divided into 10 categories listed in fine print on a piece of laminated paper strapped under a long sweatband on his left wrist. McCoy relayed the game-winning play - something called X-clown - to Delhomme on Saturday when Carolina QB threw a slant pass to wide receiver Steve Smith that Smith turned into a 69-yard touchdown on the first play of the second overtime.
Thus, in consecutive weeks, the Panthers have knocked the Cowboys and Rams - the 49ers fiercest rivals - out of the playoffs. That deserves a rooting interest.
What's sad, though, is McCoy's mother, Gayle, business manager at Novato High School, was all set to cash in a plane ticket to fly to Charlotte, N.C. for Sunday's NFC title game had the Packers held on to upset the Eagles yesterday. Instead, she'll have to hope her son's team advances to Houston for Super Bowl XXXVIII because the conference championship game will be in the City of Brotherly Love.
If victorious, the Panthers will play in their first Super Bowl. The Packers, Colts and Patriots have all been there, done that.
Thus McCoy, a Novato native, would have a chance to win a Super Bowl ring. Brian Pariani, the tight ends coach for the Denver Broncos who attended Marin Catholic High, has two. One of McCoy's high school teammates and best friends, Brett Carolan, has one.
McCoy is due. He's been around some great NFL coaches. He played for the late George Allen at Long Beach State. He was in the Denver Broncos training camp with Mike Shanahan, with Mike Holmgren in the Packers training camp and with Steve Mariucci in his first season in San Francisco when McCoy suited up for his one and only NFL regular-season game as the team's third quarterback. McCoy's playing career ended in 1999 when, after being cut by the Eagles in '98, he wound up with the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League.
McCoy has traveled the world to chase a dream. He followed Doug Flutie and Jeff Garcia as the starting quarterback in Calgary. He followed Kurt Warner as quarterback for the Amsterdam Admirals where he shared playing time with Jay Fiedler. He took snaps behind John Elway, Brett Favre, Steve Young in the NFL yet never attempted a single pass in a regular-season game.
Hasn't the time come for McCoy to get his just reward? He and the Carolina Panthers need all the good karma they can get in Philly. He and the Panthers could use your good cheer and support.
So root, root, root for the homeboy.
www.marinij.com
