is he more like QB Jim Kelly and the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVII, when the Bills were blown out, 52 - 17, by Troy Aikman and the Dallas Cowboys (aka "America's Team")?
Or will John McCain -- or perhaps Sarah Palin -- turn out to be like Buffalo Bills kicker Scott Norwood, whose missed kick in Super Bowl XXV many say cost the Bills the game, to the New York Giants?
Or put another way, if John McCain were an NFL quarterback, who would he be? Thoughts?
And if Barack Obama were an NFL quarterback, who would he be?
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Thank you so much for bringing up those memories. Please also don't forget the second drubbing by the Cowboys as well as the drubbing by the Redskins.
Re Norwood: "many say"?! Bottom line: if Norwood makes the kick, Bills win. Of course, what led to that situation in the first place was the masterful defensive effort of the Giants crafted by evil-genius-even-back-then Bill Belichick.
Obama as QB? Hmmm. Well, definitely not Jack Kemp. Probably a (pre-2008) Peyton Manning/Tom Brady type - smart, sees the whole field, has a good team around him, doesn't get flustered.
Dave S, are you a Bills guy? My husband grew up in Buffalo and is still a bit embittered about the elusive Super Bowl title.
RE: QBs, I would compare McCain to Favre, but an early Favre, not the seasoned vet. Favre used to make all kinds of gimmicky, reckless plays that then blew up in his face. He almost didn't make it in the pros, but luckily for him, he had good coaches that channeled his gun-slinger impulses in a positive direction. McCain has no such coaching staff.
RE: Obama, I agree with Dave; he's cool under fire and takes full advantage of the tools at his disposal, much like a Brady or Manning.
I will go on record and say that after watching Spike Lee talk about the Michael Jordan, Willie Mays, Joe Willie Namath, and Barack Obama in the same conversation on Morning Joe today, that I was inspired to finally say out loud that McCain is toast in this election.
Sports is so often a game of momentum, and unless someone is transcendent (Jordan, Gretsky, and Woods come to mind), it is highly unlikely that the team or player who is behind will come back and win.
So, McCain is absolutely no Brett Favre (who is likely very Republican). Favre has always shown himself to be transcendent and capable of overcoming his own worst mistakes (this Sunday's Jet game is a good example). McCain has shown himself too stiff, too uninspired, to be a transcendent figure.
And which quarterback is Obama? Obviously history would have us look at Doug Williams, the first black quarterback to win a Super Bowl (his Redskins routed the Broncos, in spite of initially being heavily favored with legendary John Elway at their helm). But Williams quickly faded into history. We don't want that to happen here.
The sports pundits all say that Peyton Manning is the smartest guy on the field today ("On a regular basis, Peyton walks up to the line of scrimmage, reads the defense, changes the play to take advantage of the defense’s weaknesses and then he tears them apart.") But that's probably not the best pick.
As a life long Giants fan, I will suggest that perhaps there's a little Phil Simms in Obama (who Sports Illustrated considered to be the "Most Underrated Quarterback" in NFL History in their August 27, 2001).
I will continue to think on this.
I posed the question on another blog and a commenter wrote:
Obama – Joe Montana
McCain – Ryan Leaf
I likey.
I grew up between Rochester and Syracuse and am indeed a Bills guy despite the four straight SB losses.
I was kind of thinking of McCain as Favre myself, and you are spot on in the early "Favre as undisciplined maverick" characterization. Of course, even with all of that coaching the maverickiness would still come through; you have to WORK to throw the most INTs in NFL history.
Furbo, if anything Obama is being overrated, at least by his most fervent supporters and in terms of what they expect from him (I say this as a supporter who thinks very highly of his abilities). I am sticking with the Manning comparison.
Obama is Drew Brees--overlooked for a while, but bringing massive game to the table and outplaying people who have better reps than he does.
McCain is Gus Frerotte--never really all that good, but hung around for a long time, and now that he's starting, he's showing why he's not All-Star material.
Good picks by Incertus. Around DC Frerotte is renowned for celebrating a TD by headbutting the (concrete) wall of Fedex Field, thereby concussing himself, so the self-inflicted nature of much of McCain's campaign trouble is a good match.
Obama is Steve Young. Crafty, smart, but people have their doubts because he escaped the shadow of The Clintons (Joe Montana), yet he proves to be just as good, just as smart, and is a winner.
McCain is Favre. Brilliant, a survivor but became selfish late in his career, when he should have retired. He brings false hope to people who really want to believe and yet can't help but make mistakes in his desire to win. Palin, FYI, is the Jets.
This just in (again, posted in comments on another blog but too good not to post here):
Even better – in what game do each play?
My take – Super Bowl III
Obama – Joe Namath ; McCain – Johnny Unitas
Namath – young, energetic and the face of change in the NFL (last Superbowl before the merger);
Unitas – distinguish veteran trying to rally his team late in the game but unable to overcome the foregone conclusion of a Jets win.
Are you saying you want to f**k the Jets, Tommy? The past two games have really hit/hurt you Jets fans hard, haven't they, honey (despite Sunday's narrow win)? Maybe next week they will wear their Titans uniforms and will win decisively.
I think McCain is George Blanda (doesn't know when to quit).
Obama, I would agree, is Peyton Manning. He's not quite cool enough to be Tom Brady.
Palin = Daryle Lamonica (aka, The Mad Bomber). She just keeps taking shots, hoping something connects.
sorry, don't like (or watch) football!
Love the Unitas Namath comparison.
Still, aside from the chuckle of imagining McCain with those same black high tops, and Obama with the Namath fur, this doesn't quite work either.
In his time, Johnny U was brilliant, but by the time Joe Willie beat his colts, Johnny's brush cut style just couldn't hold up to Broadway Joe. So maybe that works. But Namath was all sex and athleticism, and not sure we'd ever refer to him as cerebral or especially intelligent.
I'm not sure we have found the best quarterback match for Obama yet.
As QB, I pick Jim Kelly for McCain. Not because of the 4 SB losses.
As a QB Kelly was tough, dove in, took hard hits, was headstrong and at times had to run the ball on his own to get the job done. Kelly made good decisions w/ a no huddle offense due to his experience and instincts.
I'm afraid Obama, if elected will be like Heath Shuler who when he came to DC complained that he could not throw the ball as well as he did in college because the ball was "different".
For me, I'd rather have a seasoned QB.
I'm a Rochester born, 1989 SUNY @ Buffalo grad - Go Bills!!!
Being the Philly guy, I see Obama as a Randall Cunnigham. He revoluntionized the poistion and was an amzing talent. The only question was whether that style would work on the big stage. (I guess that makes Buddy Ryan William Ayers!)
McCain is a Doug Flutie. Didn't quite have the typical make-up for the position and got far on hard work. Also, both are remembered mostly for a heroic event before they got to the bigger stage.
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