Quote Of The Day: Joe Wells

I like football. I liked playing it; I like watching it. And I'm a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. Always have been. It was watching Lynn Swann catch a football that did it, although these days, I have trouble watching those old clips without hearing the distinctive tones of the late, great John Facenda in my head, accompanied by an orchestra version of "What do you do with a Drunken Sailor?"

It starts with a whistle...and ends with a gun. 60 minutes of close-in action from kickoff to touchdown. A call. The ball is snapped and the play continues. A drama of man on man and a race against the clock. It's precision, persistence, power. The unleashed speed of the kickoff. The whistling feet of a great runner. The reckless fury of a goal-line stand. The crowning glory of a winning touchdown. The swelling roar of the crowd... This is pro football. The sport of our time.

Ed Sabol of NFL Films, Inc once said about Facenda: "He could make a laundry list sound like the Constituion." I don't think I can disagree.

Digressions aside, the Steelers have been up and down since those magical seasons of the '70s. But Joe Wells points out that second-year defensive back Troy Polamalu has finally found the secret formula of defense, which I hope will bring the Steelers back to the top again.

What's the magic formula? Apparently it's this: (1) Diagnose; (2) Run like hell; (3) Hit somebody.

It's beautiful in it's simplicity, like some kind of "Zen" football. In fact, I think it would make an excellent Haiku:

While reading the play,

I run like hell down the field

to hit somebody

I'm already getting antsy for opening day.