WTF, Mercury Morris?

So if you haven't heard, Mercury Morris couldn't stand that his fifteen minutes of post-NFL fame were over from last season. A couple days ago, the guy who was about the 6th or 7th most impressive 1972 Dolphin (seriously, he's not even their best running back. Guess which back from the 72 Fins is in the Hall of Fame? I'll give you a hint, it's Larry Csonka and not Mercury Morris) saw another opportunity to come out and have people listen to him, and said he likes the 2008 Tennessee Titans.

Now, ok, don't get me wrong. If the Titans went undefeated, that's great for them. I'd be disappointed the Colts didn't win it all, but you can't argue a perfect season. However, Mercury Morris is the same guy who was on ESPN literally every 20 minutes last year to talk about how he didn't want the Patriots to go 19-0. I didn't want them to go 19-0 either, but I can at least appreciate that what the Patriots did was far more impressive than what the Titans have accomplished thus far.

I've said it before, and this isn't just a bitter Colts fan talking now (if I'm arguing FOR the Patriots, you can't in good conscience call me biased), but the Titans aren't as good as their record shows. They don't have the capability to go 19-0, or even 16-0 for that matter. I can guarantee it won't happen. If we adjusted the records to show where teams should actually be had referees not made game changing blown calls, the Titans would have lost back in week 5 to the Ravens. You remember that false start on the Titans where the referees "blew" the whistle (funny how no one really gives up on the play despite it having been blown dead) and then Terrell Suggs gets called for contact to Kerry Collins' helmet? Except instead of hitting Collins' helmet, Suggs had a clean swipe at his arm as he threw and didn't touch his helmet at all? That play? And that call wiped out the 3rd down stop the Ravens made, allowing the Titans to go downfield and score? Yeah, that.

Anyway, you could make at least 10 of those arguments this season and change the entire shape of the playoffs. The point is, the Patriots were about 100 times the team the Titans are. I can understand how Morris is rooting for the team who no one believes in. But the reason no one believes in them is because they're not even the best team in the NFL. As long as they stay perfect, they'll be on top of the power rankings, but once they lose, expect teams like the Giants and Panthers to take their spot. If the Jets beat them this Sunday, they could also move past Tennessee.

What the Patriots did was ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. No one embarrassed so many quarterbacks, so many defenses, so many coaches, or so many fans as the 2007 Patriots. When the Patriots came out, except for maybe three games during the regular season, they completely dominated the other team for 60 minutes. They hardly had to fight for a win. When have the Titans ever been accused of running up the score? The Titans are +113 in point differential so far, which is not too shabby. I won't argue that. The Patriots in week 6 were +138. By week 11, they were +254.

I love this quote from Mercury. "The Patriots, you people were crowning them after the second game and the season was a formality. I kept trying to tell you". I think they were made the favorite after the second game, but they certainly weren't handed the Lombardi Trophy. By the way Mercury, if the season was as long in 2007 as it was in 1972, the Patriots would have won the Super Bowl + 1.

I can see why Morris is rooting for the underdogs, although it's kind of strange to call the Titans underdogs. However, I just don't see how if you were part of the only undefeated team in history, you would rather a team that's barely squeaked out a good portion of their wins and benefitted greatly from others' mistakes join you in history than the most talented, most dominant group of guys ever put onto a football field.

So how much talk did Larry Csonka do during the season? Well, he said he didn't wish the Patriots any luck, but would congratulate them if they went 19-0. That was it.

Mercury, for the love of Peyton Manning, just go away. I'm really really hoping the Jets quiet him for another few months on Sunday.