NFL notes

I have but two. Three days until kickoff.

One item is this gem from Lions President and CEO Matt Millen, as quoted in the team's media guide: "Success in the National Football League is simple: 'The team that wins the Super Bowl is successful and the other 31 teams are not.'"

If you ain't first, you're last! That statement of Millen's is so completely insane I don't even know where to start. Were the 18-1 Patriots unsuccessful last year? Were the 10-6 Browns, who many pundits picked to win two games, unsuccessful? Of course not. Obviously, a Super Bowl win is the ultimate goal, but it's far from the only measure of team success. Crazy. Detroit, maybe putting Reese Bobby in charge of your franchise wasn't such a great idea. Millen should lay off the old peyote.

Adding an extra veneer of absurdity is that Millen has been one of the league's least successful and most-criticized GM's, with Lions fans threatening a walkout when his contract was inexplicably renewed. Dude, go .500 and we can talk about benchmarking success.


The other is that Chad Johnson legally changed his name to Ocho Cinco, which I find hilarious. I've always been amused by Johnson, his pregame talk, TD dances, etc., and I find this comical as well. As a teammate, I've heard he's not the greatest, but as a fan I like 8-5.