We're officially past the halfway point in the NFL season, and we still have no idea who the best team in the league is. We have, however, seen a lot of teams with a legitimate chance to make the Super Bowl.
Two of them are the Steelers and the Eagles.
This is a very important development, and not just because both teams are from Pennsylvania. If the two teams were to meet each other in the big game, we would have a starting quarterback matchup of Michael Vick and Ben Roethlisberger.
Think about that for a second.
A man who was convicted of running a dogfighting ring and served 23 months in prison would be facing a man who was accused of sexual assault twice in the past two years. In the Super Bowl. Wow.
Admittedly, the two men have both done a lot to reform their old ways.
I don't doubt that Michael Vick genuinely regrets what he did, and I believe he is fully entitled to a second chance. Furthermore, I've actually been rooting for him the past few weeks. After all, it has been fun to see him sprinting around the field again.
As for Roethlisberger, well, he was never charged with anything other than acting like a jerk. The two sexual assault accusations definitely raised some questions, but he does deserve the benefit of the doubt.
Still, when you combine the two together and put them in the Super Bowl, you have to wonder how it will look. Many people have a negative view of the NFL because they look at it as nothing more than a league of criminals. If this were to happen, that sentiment would only strengthen.
Think about the week leading up to a theoretical Eagles-Steelers Super Bowl. Both quarterbacks would be asked a myriad of questions about their transgressions. Questions they might not have the answer to.
It might not be all bad. It would depend on how the media frames it. A less cynical person would just view it as a matchup of two people who made mistakes and who were now looking to find redemption on the ultimate stage.
In addition, the matchup would be alluring when considering the two quarterbacks' place in NFL history. Roethlisberger would be going for his third ring and a chance to solidify himself as one of the all-time greats. Vick would be going for his first ring, which would surely start a conversation about the Hall of Fame.
Unfortunately, that's not what most people will be thinking. Vick and Roethlisberger have both been judged very harshly in the public eye. Many people believe that Vick should not have been allowed to re-enter the league upon his release from prison. I disagree with these people, but it is a very common position.
In addition, many people believe Roethlisberger was guilty of the alleged sexual assaults in question and that his fame was the main reason he was never charged.
Most people are already well aware of what these two men did and already have their opinions about it. With that said, if the two men were to play against each other in the most watched television event of the year, it would call a great deal of attention to their histories. Effectively, it would bring all of the cynics out of the woodwork.
Personally, I'm not rooting for an Eagles-Steelers Super Bowl, but that's just because I'm a Pats fan. Roger Goodell has a much better reason to pray it doesn't happen; his league's reputation could take a huge hit.
E-mail: john.hugar@ubspectrum.com
