By Jack Cooney
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| Redsox Ramblings | Patriot Passions | |||
278. Two Hundred and Seventy Eight. 278 Yards. Only 278 Yards.
What am I talking about, you ask ??? No, it's not the number of yards Rich Gannon has to average in his remaining games to surpass Dan Marino's single season passing yardage record. No, it's not the combined running and passing yardage Michael Vick could accumulate against the porous Cincinnati Bengals. And no, it's not even a guess of how many yards I think Tom Brady will throw Monday Night against the Titans.
278 yards is the exact distance between the front door of my office and the first KRISPY KREME DOUGHNUT STORE IN MASSACHUSETTS, located at Wellington Circle in Medford, MA. How do I know this ??? Silly question if you know me, but I did pace off the yardage during the groundbreaking ceremony last week, which included a mobile doughnut truck store on wheels. YUMMY !!!
And finally you might ask, what in the world do Krispy, hot delicious doughnuts have to do with the Patriots ??? Very simply: absolutely nothing. I just wanted you to know how distracted I've been lately and how hard it's been for me to write about my other passion: the Patriots. Let me try.
Monday Night Football. Two playoff contenders each with 8-5 records, including the defending Super Bowl Champions against one of the hottest teams in the NFL. Steve Air McNair and Eddie Munster George. What more could you ask for ??? 100 year old John Madden and Ageless Al Michaels doing the play-by-play and what's his name singing that great song, ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL ??? Well, are you ???
Forget about taxing your brain trying to figure out all the various AFC playoff scenarios. In the immortal words of Raiders owner, Al Davis, Just Win, Baby !!! Sure, the Pats' will actually survive should they fall victim to the Houston Oilers Tennessee Titans. Sure, the Pats' first concern is to win the AFC East Division title by beating the Jets next week and the Dolphins in the regular season finale, but you don't want to lose the big MO: MOMENTUM !!!
Go home from work tonight, take a power nap, and turn on Channel 5 at 9:00 pm. It's going to be a very physical game, but that's just the way the Pats' defense has been playing lately. Lawyer Milloy, Tebucky Jones, and Victor Green have given their opponents anything but SAFETY the last few weeks. Ty Law seems to have stopped taking his cousin's ecstasy this season. O-T-I-S, my man, Smith is a true risk-reward performer. Either get burned or make a key interception or fumble recovery. Ted Johnson is back in the middle where he belongs. Yes, it's all about the defense because, all together now, DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS !!!
So, take out the wine and brie. Serve the appetizers on your finest china. Go wild and shotgun a beer. And, for crying out loud, stop thinking about doughnuts !!!
PATS 27 TITANS 20
You can email Jack at JCooney@challiance.org