Tall Matt's Travels

I love football. With the exceptions of friends/family, movies and Mountain Dew, football is at the top of the list of things I've missed this year. There's only so much force-feeding of soccer one American can take. And, while Rugby is a good alternative, it just isn't the same. I just enjoy the forward pass too much. So, from August on, I've pledged allegiance to any sports bar carrying the occasional American football game. And, thank goodness for the internet - I may have gone into a severe bout of withdrawals without it.

Vancouver is quasi-America, and seems to be in love with the NFL and football in general to a respectable degree, which pleases me. I spent Sunday watching the final day of the NFL regular season, and hopped over to a sports bar on Jan. 1 for my annual overdose of ridiculously titled bowl games. However, as tonight proved yet again, it was a damn good year for me to be out of the country.

I'll start with the obvious. As most of you know, I'm a big Broncos fan. Just check the pictures. I come by it honestly. It started back in the day - back when Elway was taking teams to the Super Bowl by himself, and then getting dismantled by New York, Washington and San Francisco. Whatever. He's been vindicated. They've struggled to be consistent ever since, which is frustrating as hell. This year, however, was not a pretty sight - even from the internet. 7-9 sucks a lot, and if Shanahan didn't have two rings, he'd probably be on the hot seat. There was a silver lining though. Two big slaps to the faces of the Kansas City Chiefs means this year wasn't a total loss.

The second obvious - My Cornhuskers were freakin terrible. I don't even remember my grandpa telling stories about years like this. Losing to USC is one thing. Losing to Okie State by 30 is another. Giving up 76 to KU made me think about seppuku. But, there's light at the end of the tunnel - Bill Callahan is no longer any danger to himself or others, Grandpa Tom is back in the mix and Bo Pelini is the new head coach. The Big Red will be rolling again soon.

Then, there's the rest of the stuff - The Patriots going 16-0. Michigan getting beat by Appalachian State. Everyone ranked number one or two losing at least once. Kentucky beating LSU. And, more mind-boggling, MU and KU actually playing for something in November. Rediculous! Missouri was even ranked number 1 for God's sake! Just writing that actually hurt me. And, to top even that, KU just won the freakin Orange Bowl! KU? Normally at this time of year, football is a distant memory and KU nation has turned to endlessly criticizing Bill Self.

I love football. But I'll probably pretend this year didn't happen.