One of the many things on my RSS feed is a football column, the Fifth Down, from the NY Times. They have a variety of things to fill the week, but today is "matchup day", when Mike Tanier looks forward to Sunday's games and how the teams stack up.
Imagine my delight, when reading todays column, when I came across this entry:
49ers (4-5) at Packers (5-4)
Sunday, 1 p.m.
Line: Packers by 6 1/2
The college coach Jeff Tedford drew inspiration from Isaac Asimov, programming Aaron Rodgers and others (Trent Dilfer, Joey Harrington, A.J. Feeley) with the Three Rules of Quarterbotics. Rule 1: Always hold the football directly under the chinstrap. Rule 2: Methodically read the defense, dumping to a running back if nothing else is open. Rule 3: Obey Rules 1 and 2 at all costs, even if it means washing out of the N.F.L. Pro scouts grew suspicious of Tedford's automatons four years ago, opting instead for spread-option freewheelers like Alex Smith.
Rodgers abandoned Asimov for Philip K. Dick: like Roy Batty in "Blade Runner," he rejected his programming. Rodgers is now the dangerous loose cannon, and Smith (drafted first in the 2005 while Rodgers sweated for the cameras and tumbled to No. 24) is trying to outgun him while chafing against a system that doesn't maximize his limited talents. Smith found an origami swan in his locker after practice this week. It cannot be a good sign.
Football AND SF. What could be better?!
Posted by Jvstin at November 20, 2009 8:29 AM