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Normally I think Tim Keown's pieces for ESPN are simple, lazy hackery -- sports columnists who're resigned to making a "list" or "bullet points" are just too damned lazy to find a real topic, follow it to fruition or even use regular paragraphs and are worthy of all the scorn they can draw. But Keown at least has half a column, and it's very very true.
Dick Vermeil should be everyone's hero. Today we can forgive, even learn to appreciate, all the crying. The man saved football Sunday afternoon, and everybody who has an interest in the game should be giving him his due right this minute.
With his team down by three, and five seconds left, Vermeil turned his back on convention. Most coaches -- heck, all coaches before Sunday -- would have slapped their quarterback on the butt and sent in the field goal team to tie the game and set up overtime.
Dick Vermeil showed more guts than any other NFL coach would have on Sunday.
These are the guys who coach to save their jobs first, and to win the game second. They're assuming failure and reading the next day's newspaper ("We Lose; Coach a Gambling Fool") instead of taking a clear-eyed look at the situation.
Vermeil went for it. He called "20 Blast" and Larry Johnson ran straight into the end zone to win the game. The Raiders cleared out like Johnson was carrying the ball in one hand and a gun in the other....
Dick Vermeil should be everyone's hero. Today we can forgive, even learn to appreciate, all the crying. The man saved football Sunday afternoon, and everybody who has an interest in the game should be giving him his due right this minute.
With his team down by three, and five seconds left, Vermeil turned his back on convention. Most coaches -- heck, all coaches before Sunday -- would have slapped their quarterback on the butt and sent in the field goal team to tie the game and set up overtime.
Dick Vermeil showed more guts than any other NFL coach would have on Sunday.
These are the guys who coach to save their jobs first, and to win the game second. They're assuming failure and reading the next day's newspaper ("We Lose; Coach a Gambling Fool") instead of taking a clear-eyed look at the situation.
Vermeil went for it. He called "20 Blast" and Larry Johnson ran straight into the end zone to win the game. The Raiders cleared out like Johnson was carrying the ball in one hand and a gun in the other....