CyberZahm

I gotta tell you ... Ol' Herm was born with a horseshoe up his ass.

I cannot believe how lucky this sombitch is when it comes to backing his scrawny ass into the playoffs when it is not deserved.

Jets fans will recall his first year, the year AFTER the Jets missed the playoffs because Joh Hall missed a 39 yd FG at home to lose to a lousy Detroit team in Wk 16. Al Groh is shown the door, and Herm comes in. Herm's team has a playoff position in its sights, when the lose at home to a shitty Buffalo team in Week 16. That forces them into a "must win" road game w/ ultimate Super Bowl bound Raiders in Oakland. Raiders have nothing to play for... But are still winning, until the same John Hall hits a 54 yd FG at games end (after some horrendous play calling bogs them down at the Raider 37 yd line). So Hall misses a 39 yarder, and Groh is a bum; Hall makes a 54 yarder, and Herm is a genius.

And who can forget the year when they stumbled and bumbled along, were 8-7 going into the last week. But all the games that had to go their way (and there were plenty!) went their way on Week 17, including the Pats beating the Dolphs in Miami to deny Miami the division. When the Jets rolled over an uninspired Packers team later that day, Herm's 9-7 Jets had a divisional title (with tiebreakers against both Miami and Pats). Incredible.

But this year w/ KC was just as amazing. KC played like crap and were out of things going into Jags game. Even with a win in that game, they needed the favored Titans to lose, the 6.5 points favored Bengals to lose at home (with a possible "win and in" oppty on the line), and then, finally, the 10.5 points favored Broncos to lose at home to the 49ers, with a "win or tie and in" oppty there for the taking.

So New England, with NOTHING to play for, beats the red hot Titans in TN. OK. But then the Bengals, with everything to play for, miss a 39 yard FG w/ 8 seconds left, and then give up a TD bomb in OT, and lose to the Steelers. No matter... Broncos can't lose to SF. And they played exactly that way, not to lose. And deep into OT, it appears that tie may in fact be on the horizon, but SF mounts a late drive, and the last few yards they got made all the difference in the world, as Nedney's 36 yd hooking kick barely gets inside the upright before wildly hooking wide right. The announcer actually screams "He missed it!" but the refs throw their arms up, backing in Lucky Herm back into the playoffs.

To get that lucky once is a blessing... THREE times is freaking amazing.

Albert... only YOU can write this line:

"And who can forget the year when they stumbled and bumbled along, were 8-7 going into the last week."

Forgive me... but what year was that? This century? Last century?

BTW... some asshole gave me a Yankee hat for Christmas. It's presently propped nicely in the fireplace... kindling all around it. I'm delaying the inevitable. There will be a proper ceremony later in the day.