Surrender Cobras

New Orleans, you will be responsible for my heart attack one day. Either because of the food.... or more likely, because of the Saints' end-of-game antics. This weekend, I was watching the New Orleans Saints play the Baltimore Ravens. It was a very good game.  At the end of the game, with two minutes left, Kathe and I went out to get a pizza.  (I know, I know.)  And for some reason, there was NO update on my phone. I left when it the Ravens were going for it on 4th and 6, and missed the critical moment. Justin Tucker lining up for a PAT.  Seriously, this guy NEVER misses.  Everyone on the entire field was trying to figure out whether Brees was going to pull off something amazing in the last 30 seconds, or whether it was going to OT. Nobody thought that a missed PAT was a possibility. This is classic cobra weather.  And I missed it just like Justin Tucker did. Afterwards, twitter has gone crazy over the expression on Tucker's face.  Rightly s...

I am a little conflicted about what to do with Coaching Cobras.  Mostly because I have been the source of the coaching cobra far too often (No, Crorey, don't shoot a three! No, Crorey, don't kick the ball back to your goalie before you look to see where he is! Et cetera).  Because I have seen firsthand the surrender cobra attack my coach after I did something unexpected and stupid, I am reluctant to poke fun at coaches who are suffering from a cobra bite. But when you are an elite coach, and you pretty much have your pick of the best athletes in the nation, the surrender cobra attack is funny.  And when your team is SUPPOSED to win, like, say, in the case of a #2 team going up against an unranked opponent, and then you get whupped...guess what?  Your cobra is going to get published. This past week, it was Urban Meyer.  I haven't gone back to the Georgia loss from the previous week, but I suspect that I would see some there, too.   For ...

I caught a glorious half cobra today during the Clemson-NC State game.  The game was already out of hand, at 24-0.  But for one NC State fan, it still came as a surprise when her quarterback was intercepted. It is a beautiful thing when it happens.  Jeff Trulick caught another one, a little later.  Ohio State had no answers. That is when the cobra strikes. As Jeff said, the only valid reason for a half cobra is if you have a beer in the other hand.  

I love Surrender Cobras. The most famous surrender cobra of all time. Time ran out as a fumble was returned for a touchdown. Michigan St 27, Mich 23. I love that moment of turning.  That moment when a sports fan watches something improbable happen, and watches his team go from certain victor.... to certainly not. I love it because passive fans never display the gesture.  People who attend sporting functions solely because they provide a nice place to interact socially.... well, they never do it.  Why would they?  There is nothing invested. The Surrender Cobra attacks only the passionate - the fanatic - the believer.  They are wearing the colors.  Maybe facepaint.  They are hoarse at the end of the game.  They know the stats, they know the positions, they know who is in, and who got hurt.  But they are not statisticians.  They know the details because they love the team. And when that moment comes, when their te...