Note: the following column pertains to things currently happening in the NFL. It may not be suitable for hippies.

The holidays are a magical time, meant to be celebrated by eating everything in sight, watching football and yelling at people you don’t like. When taking these three factors into account, it’s easy to see that the holidays are the most wonderful time of the year to be a sports media pundit (read: ten kinds of crazy with opinions about football, a la Mark Schlereth).

Indeed, when most people burrow themselves away from the cold, NFL talking heads awake from a deep slumber, slouching towards Bristol to be on TV. They can read teleprompters. And they can smell fear.

Unfortunately, this wintry phenomenon of abominable showmen is accompanied by an increased frenzy of NFL teams whoring themselves out to make the playoffs. While American viewers look on in an eggnog-induced stupor, analysts and commentators turn ESPN studios into an episode of Battlebots over the most inane playoff scenarios.

Yet when a non-playoff story comes about that allows the media vultures to begin circling, the perfect winter storm is unleashed. Typically this story involves Brett Favre in some manner, such as “Playcalling-gate”, a manifestation of the increasing media obsession with naming any sports controversy “NAME OF CONTROVERSY-gate”. While it may be given plenty of attention, a Brett Favre story is quickly dismissed as anyone covering the story immediately sides with Favre.

Above: ESPN: where stupid happens ©.

This month, however, NFL think tanks were served the perfect holiday feast to gorge themselves on: Indianapolis Head Coach Jim Caldwell and his Colts’ imperfect season.

Caldwell committed a cardinal sin in the sports cliché department by benching his starters late in a week 16 matchup against the New York Jets. In doing so, Indianapolis gave the Jets the free-ride equivalent of a game against Kansas City and terminating any chances for Indy’s undefeated season. In denying good, hardworking ticketholders the ability to watch Peyton Manning desecrate yet another NFL defense, in this economy, for goshness’ sake, Caldwell tossed the depraved pseudo-experts a much-desired bone.

Within a few days ESPN viewers forcibly quaffed a lifetime worth of Caldwell bashing – in Caldwell’s first year as head coach, no less – and saw the media outrage rehashed countless times in print. Even Manning let his frustration be known, and when Peyton speaks, the lemmings of sports journalism are bound to follow.

Critics found it incomprehensible for a coach so close to attaining perfection simply hang a left and give up for the regular season, against the friggin’ Jets, no less. How could he?

Yeah, how could he? How could Caldwell make a smart business decision by protecting his chief assets (or “asset”, as it were: Manning) while focusing on making a Super Bowl run? NFL analysts continue to hide behind the veil of sentimentality in the league while refusing to acknowledge the fact that the NFL is a business – one that keeps other businesses (like ESPN) running.

When doing their jobs, pundits should give Caldwell some credit for trying to do his. If he was able to coach his team to a 14-0 start, it just might be possible that he knows what he is doing here. The Colts run a quality organization, and if members of the media aren’t willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, then guys like Sean Salisbury shouldn’t expect us to cut them some slack when they screw up. Not nearly enough criticism is being directed at the guys who are doing the criticizing.

Questions? Comments? E-mail me at chris [at] thed3experience.com All original material copyright © 2008-2009 Chris Jarmon

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Posted: 12|31|09 at 6:11 pm. Filed under: Musings.
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