The PC of the NFL

The political correctness of the NFL is on display in all the reviews of the Super Bowl performances. The PC I speak of has nothing to do with race (in this case the "victim" is Donovan McNabb), but with management. To wit: though shall not have anything but respect for the coaches.

The Philly coaches lost that game. I cannot agree more with Thew about clock management. But clock management was not an issue with McNabb, the coaches did not seem to have a clue. Onside kick? While you can justify it,...nah, it was stupid. Have Akers bang it into the seats, give the ball to the Pats on the 20. The fact is, the Pats are programmed for mistake free ball at that point, which means the run. Three and out and Philly has the ball on their 35 or better with 46 seconds left. At least four plays to get it to the Pats 45.

With Akers' leg, you have a chance. At that point in the game, that is what you want.

Further, after the change in possession, on your 4, you best have the sequence of 3 or 4 plays called already. A huddle on second down? How can you blame McNabb? Donovan did not have his best game, but neither did Brady. Both defenses played really well, but the Pats secondary was really soft at that point and Philly has an excellent receiving corp. If I am an Eagles fan, I would be considering gathering the pitchforks.

The Eagles were lucky to be in it at that point. The Pats were uncharacteristically sloppy, but that is the result of the injuries. Despite all that, I would give the edge (if only slight) to Brady over center and NE on the defensive side. Philly relied too much on the big play and did not seem to get the idea that the NE secondary was really soft underneath.

The players on each team made plenty of mistakes: players do that and it is especially noticeable in the Super Bowl. But the coaches need to lead. The Eagles looked confused and tentative the closer it got to the end of the game. The players reflected that. The Pats coaches looked more confident as the game progressed. The players reflected that.

Say the unsayable: Andy Reid and his staff screwed the pooch.