There will be two major story-lines in the next two weeks:
"Ben Roethlisberger seeks redemption"- This story-line has already been beaten into the ground and we're not even into ground. We're going to hear non-stop about how Roethlisberger is a changed man after being accused of sexual assault twice in the past five years. Columnists are lazy and this is certainly an easy topic.
"Aaron Rodgers is finally out of Brett Favre's shadow"- This will be the other major storyline of the next two weeks. There will be multiple columns written about how Packers GM Ted Thompson made the "right" decision to dump Favre three years ago in favor of the unproven Rodgers. There will be multiple columns written about how Rodgers is a completely different person than Favre.
The Sub story-lines for the next two weeks:
"Ben Roethlisberger is a changed man"- Honestly he is! He's engaged and will never party in a college town again! Merril Hoge has been a role model to him!
"If the Roethlisberger wins another Super Bowl, he enters the conversation as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time"- If Roethlisberger wins another Super Bowl, he'll tie Troy Aikman and Tom Brady for most all-time and pass John Elway. This will be another dominate topic, just like last year with Peyton Manning and if he won another Super Bowl.
"If the Steelers win their third Super Bowl in five years, they're the next great dynasty"- Columns comparing the late 2000's Steelers comparing them to the early 2000's Patriots will certainly be talked about.
"If Mike Tomlin wins another Super Bowl, is he a hall of fame coach?"- I'm sure this one won't be as talked about as others, but I'm sure someone will bring it up. Just remember this, both George Seifert and Tom Flores have two Super Bowl rings and they can't even sniff the hall of fame.
"Win one for the old-timers"- Donald Driver and Charles Woodson have both been in league for over ten years and have never won the Super Bowl. Woodson has at least been to a Super Bowl (A loss with the Raiders) while Driver has never been. This will be a big topic in the Wisconsin newspapers.
"Two great NFL cities"- Green Bay and Pittsburgh are two of the smallest professional sports cities in the nation while having two of the largest NFL fan bases. We'll hear a lot of columns about both cities being "blue collar" and how they worship football and the teams that represent their cities.
Lingering stories from this past Sunday:
"What exactly happened to Jay Cutler?"- This will be a big storyline for the next few days. Jay Cutler was ripped by everyone and their mother for not continuing to play on Sunday and will continue to be ripped for the next couple of days until he reveals what exactly happened to his knee.
"The Jets"- The team that grabbed the most headlines over the year, will certainly be talked over the next few days. Everything from Rex Ryan's postgame press-conference, to Brian Schottenheimer's play-calling in the fourth quarter, to Mark Sanchez turning into an elite QB will be dissected at least for another couple of days.
That's ten easy story-lines that I expect every newspaper and website columnist to hit on in the next couple of weeks. They're easy and lazy columns to write. The question is, should I keep track of all the columns written in the next two weeks that hit on these story-lines? You decide. Also if there is a storyline that I missed, feel free to share in the comments section a storyline you feel will be beaten into the ground and I'll update this post.
Update!
Two reader sugestions from Mark in Visalia and Kris Thompson:
Dallas/Jerry Dome/Cowboys- These will be a big storyline this next two weeks. The weather next week in Dallas is suppose to be cold, so you can expect something from Bill Simmons complaining about the weather and why the Super Bowl should always be held in Miami. Also expect a column or two on Jerry Jones and the Cowboys and how they were expected to play in the Super Bowl in their own stadium this season.
Old School owners vs. New School owners- Via kt1000: "You know there's going to be a lot of talk about the franchises w/ old school ownership(i.e.the sainted Rooneys) vs the Jerrahs & Snyders, especially in light of the upcoming lockout."
Labor Dispute- Huge miss by myself. I totally forgot about the incoming labor dispute in the NFL. This is will certainly be a hot topic in the coming two weeks.
You forgot about the game being played in the JerrahDome and the fact the Cowboys aren't playing in that game.
ReplyDeleteYou know there's going to be a lot of talk about the franchises w/ old school ownership(i.e.the sainted Rooneys) vs the Jerrahs & Snyders, especially in light of the upcoming lockout.
ReplyDelete