Bad backs ... and backups

I had plans to be very productive on this football Sunday because the Pats aren't playing till tomorrow night. I did not intend to sit on the couch all day with the NFL RedZone channel watching game after game after glorious game. Unfortunately I hurt my back taking an air conditioner out of the window of my parent's house Saturday morning. No really. I did. Ask my Mom. So the debris covering the front yard from the week of storms will just have to wait. RedZone here I come.

For those of you who don't know what the NFL RedZone is, I wrote a post last November after I spent my first Sunday afternoon with channel 287 thanks to the wonderful folks at Comcastatron. If you are an NFL fan, a day watching the RedZone just might change your life. And not for the better.

VICK: I need backup.

As I sat there, remote gathering dust, I thought if it weren't for the RedZone I would have the option of flipping between the Jets-Bills and Panthers-Saints games on CBS and Fox. That's it. I probably would have spent most of my time watching the Saints game after it became very clear the Bills were not going to threaten the upset of the Jets. I would have stuck with Brees (my fantasy team's QB) and Fox and the commercials that came with them. Instead I stayed in the Zone. Where commercials don't exist. It's like the Utopian world where Sookie and the other fairies of "True Blood" come from. With cheerleaders. I wonder if that's starting to bother the folks at CBS and Fox who pony up hundreds of millions for the "exclusive" right to show NFL football.

Guess that's their problem. My problem was my aching back. So I settled on the couch with a Coke (product placement) and the RedZone.

As I watched all the best moments from the eight 1 o'clock games I began to notice a trend. A lot of teams in the league are using their backup quarterbacks. And they, like my back, are bad.

Ryan Fitzpatrick of the Bills. Charlie Batch of the Steelers. (I know they are 3-0 coming into the day but that's because of their D). Seneca Wallace of the Browns. Shaun Hill of the Lions. Jimmy Clausen of the Panthers. Those are just a few of the many backups who have been given the keys to the offense only to throw the team into reverse. Granted, some of them put up decent numbers. For a game.

One backup who was looking good was Mike "Mad Dog" Vick. He had discarded his orange overalls and was playing better than ever. Till he was sandwiched at the goal line against the Redskins in the big 4 o'clock game. Vick left and was replaced by Kevin Kolb, who was the starter (barely) before he got hurt. Kolb came in and proceeded to play like a backup. As Kolb overthrew receiver after receiver, I thought "Pats fans are pretty lucky Tom Brady is the team's QB." Very lucky.

Granted, he has not played to his Hall-of-Fame level since returning from his knee injury last year. Even he would have to agree with that. But that doesn't change the fact that he is among the five or so quarterbacks who make the difference in the NFL. Very lucky. We should all relax a little and enjoy watching him throw to Welker, Moss, Hernandez, et al. while we can. It won't last forever. And if the Pats don't win the Super Bowl it should still be a season filled with some entertaining games.

Brady has made some uncharacteristic mistakes the last year and three games. Especially on the road. If you've been reading this blog, or any local sports website or newspaper, or the Farmers Almanac, you know the Pats haven't won a meaningful road game since Brady returned.

From my spot on the couch I saw both the Ravens and Broncos pull out last second road wins against good teams in the Steelers and Titans. Can the Patriots finally accomplish that tomorrow night? It sure would be fun if they could. And sure would make my back feel better.