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On a weekly basis, I find myself watching NFL football and thinking of all the ways it is becoming outdated.
For one, the NFL MVP race continues to be dominated by quarterbacks and running backs when, clearly, defenses are the predominant force on the league's best teams.
But it doesn't stop there.
For instance, fans still inexplicably do the wave, coaches still punt from the opponent's 40, coaches still tuck laminated play sheets into their pants and some people think Brett Favre is still a threat to win a Super Bowl.
Talk about a time warp.
My biggest pet peeve, though, is our lack of creativity with nicknames.
Terrell Owens is T.O. LaDainian Tomlinson is L.T. Seriously? How descriptive! And doesn't Lawrence Taylor object to that on any level?
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| The play and look of Staubach were major reasons the Cowboys gained popularity in the '70's. (Getty Images) |
As a lifelong Steelers fan, I have to admit my bias. But I am a rational person.
My parents' generation objected to the nickname when it began. It was pompous, presumptuous and arrogant -- much like the Cowboys and their fans.
Still, though, the name America's Team was fitting.
Roger Staubach was a Navy man with a clean-cut image who led his charges to victory and wore one of the best uniforms every created. The Cowboys were always on national TV, and wherever they played, there were flocks of fans in silver and blue.
Over the years, though, that mystique has been slowly killed by an ownership that cares more about talent than character and general ineptitude across the board. In short, the nickname needs to be passed from the Cowboys to the team they face on Sunday.
The title of America's Team carries with it responsibilities the Pittsburgh Steelers are more than qualified to meet.
First of all, Cowboys fans no longer can lay claim to being the biggest and best in the game. Both teams have good home crowds, but Steelers fans travel so well that opposing players have complained about lack of home support. At their road game at Washington, there were an estimated 15,000-20,000 Steelers fans on hand. At one point, Jason Campbell had to go to the silent count.
Second, America deserves a team that knows how to win big games. The Cowboys have as much as hype as any team recently, but they haven't won a playoff game since 1996. In that same time period, the Steelers have won a Super Bowl, nine playoff games and appeared in three conference title games.
The Steelers' personality is also reflected in the style of its leaders. Ben Roethlisberger, who is on the verge of being the winningest young quarterback ever, is a shot-and-a beer guy who would prefer to ride his motorcycle helmetless. By contrast, Tony Romo spent his off week before a playoff game lounging with Jessica Simpson on Mexican beaches.
(We at Sonny's Side don't question the company, merely the dedication to team.)
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| Much like Staubach, Roethlisberger is liked by fans around the league, not just in Pittsburgh. (Getty Images) |
The sad truth is that the nickname "America's Team" doesn't even have any exciting or proud story behind it. An NFL Films representative was looking for a creative way to market the Dallas Cowboys' 1978 highlight film when he came up with the name.
Coincidentally, that was the same year the Steelers beat the Cowboys in one of the best Super Bowls ever.
Not long after, NFL Films approached the Rooneys to ask if they'd like to be called "The Nation's Team".
No, they said. They were Pittsburgh's team and that was more than enough for them.
It seems the Steelers are better at humility, too.
Sonny Amato is a CBS SPiN contributor and editor of theterribleblog.com
