As some may have watched, the Grammys took place tonight, displaying some of the musically “talented” artists from the past year. For three hours we were witnesses to live performances, speeches, tributes, and fashion trend setters, as CBS’ production group drilled into our heads why it is probably a good thing that we are not outrageously rich, with the only sense of reality being a dressing room, a stage, and millions upon millions of people claiming they want to marry us. I applaud, and am somewhat envious, despite how much trouble I had turning the channel, of those who avoided watching the awards show. Please, don’t relapse next year, for you will, without a doubt, be left terrified, and more than likely quivering in a corner as Lady Gaga drowns out the sorrow in the background.

The performance that stands out the most in my mind is Taylor Swift with Stevie Nicks. Swift, the young, maybe 18 (?) guitar playing, self song writing performer that many have seemed to become huge fans of, including my roommate who decided that his best idea for a Halloween costume was a long, blonde curly wig, a flattering top and a guitar, put together a performance that, in her mind, was for the ages. Stevie Nicks, who has forever sounded like a veteran chain smoker, was singled out by Swift as being her “childhood idol” whom she dreamed of performing with.

Weird.

In my mind, the duo reminded me of the relationship between several players and their current teams. Out of those relationships, the one that stood out to me was that of Terrell Owens and the Buffalo Bills. T.O is the Stevie Nicks of the relationship, singing the same tune year in and year out, hoping for a contract based on his past abilities and successes. While he has been an outstanding player on the field, he is the only person who finds it easy to cover up his off-field issues through boosted stats. The Bills are then forced into the Taylor Swift roll, constantly singing out of tune as they struggle to obtain some sort of respect within in the NFL. When combined, Owens gets put on the backburner, fading off while we all focus our attention on the Bills, some of us wondering how long it will be before they realize that maybe it really is time to hang up the old fashioned ways and start down a new path.

Lady Gaga opened the Grammys, putting on one of her infamous performances that left people wondering why exactly mainstream music these days was anything anybody wanted to listen to. Her live performance was attention grabbing, with flashing lights and bright colors interacting with the dancers on stage, putting together an attractive performance that people had a hard time taking their eyes off of. Her attempt to attract attention of Americans watching struck me as very similar to another NFL story line over the season.

Rex Ryan, talking trash and looking gigantic.

Rex Ryan, rookie head coach of the New York Jets, was also one to use lots of glitz and glamor to attract attention to his new team. Whether it was the quotes calling out Bill Belichick, or the self-inflicted crying stunt that he pulled after his team lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Ryan exclaimed his dire need to be heard from coast to coast. Despite the scenario, he realized when the spotlight began to drift, it was time to immediately made the changes to draw it back towards his direction. Just like Gaga, Rex had no grasp on how to go about life as a public figure without the view focused totally on him. Whether it worked out as successfully as Lady Gaga’s attempts is for those to debate, although, it’s hard to ignore the fact that Ryan seemed to be discussed quite a lot for being named a rookie head coach with a team that is playing in the same division as the attention hoarding New England Patriots and the heart attack kid-esque Miami Dolphins.

Beyonce decided that her best performance would have to include a cover of an old Alanis Morissette song, “You Oughta Know“. While her entire show was pretty decent, there were parts that I didn’t understand, including the inclusion of the Morissette song, as well as the soldiers that accompanied her to the stage. It seems as if the audience was expecting something high powered and intense, and, despite getting it, was still let down in the end.

Welcome to the comparison game, Houston Texans. With an offense that included a quarterback that threw for the most yardage in the AFC (Matt Schaub), and a wide receiver that had the most receiving yards in the AFC (Andre Johnson), you still somehow missed making the playoffs, thus extending your streak of unsuccessful playoff appearances another season. You had the defensive rookie of the year in Brian Cushing, as well as Mario Williams with the pass rush. Just as with Beyonce, a lot of us were expecting you to take over the AFC South this year with a solid offensive output, complimented by a defense that had finally found its feet. I guess we really should “oughta know”.

Sorry, it is my blog and I'd rather have this picture than one of Wes Welker.

The build up for the Michael Jackson tribute during the Grammys spared no expense. We all knew that Jackson would be remembered by A-list artists, stunning graphic design, and the utmost respect that the music industry could gather. With several big names in music singing a Jackson song about his love for the earth, the Grammys banked on a 3-D element to show to everybody that Michael was still in the hearts of everybody in the industry, influencing the way they lived their lives and made their decisions (just ask L’il Wayne… when he gets out of prison).

There are two teams that this performance reminded me of. The first, who came to mind almost immediately (being a Ravens fan, of course) was

the New England Patriots. With so much expectation behind them after the return of their savior, Tom Brady, as well as a passing game that included the emergence of Wes Welker, the Pats rode the high road into the playoffs. The fans in Boston had no doubt that New England’s football team was back on track, looking forward to a rematch with Peyton Manning’s Colts. However, the letdown shocked everybody across the league, as Baltimore ran over New England with a game plan that took Brady completely out of the performance. Is it ironic that Michael Jackson was, even through pictures, hardly relevant once the Grammy performance began?

The second comparison, briefly, was the New York Giants. The expectations might as well have been just as high, although it is hard to compare their past success with that of Michael Jackson’s. Strictly as food for thought, the Giants came into the year looking to run over the NFC East, with annalists leaving the Cowboys and Eagles for nothing more than stepping stones. But without a dominating running game behind Brandon Jacobs, New York became the team that fell off the radar, despite being the biggest “blip”.

During the Grammys, Drake seemed to have the biggest hit, putting together the intensity that drew the viewers. He had high energy, accompanied by Eminem who, arguably, is one of the best lyrical poets of our generation. Drake set the tone, bringing in Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, to accompany him in his performance in an attempt to put his show over the edge. Unfortunately for Drake, CBS, with it’s attempts to edit the content, canceled out more than single words and sent the whole performance spiraling. Take a look if you didn’t catch it.

To get an idea of how good the song actually is, especially with Barker’s rock remix, check the video out below.

To compare this performance with any team in the NFL, the award has to go to the Minnesota Vikings. Despite their reputation and expectations, Brett Favre and friends couldn’t figure out a way to close it out. He got as far as he could until the NFL disputed over whether or not to allow him or Drew Brees move on; With a “blind eye”, Roger Goodell allowed a blatant facemask call to go unnoticed, giving Favre a one way ticket back to Mississippi. The NFL found a way to edit out what they didn’t want, allowing the high powered, ratings-grabbing New Orleans Saints to advance to the Super Bowl.

Last, but certainly not least, was the Haiti tribute. One of the biggest names in R&B history, Mary J. Blige, will perform side by side with Andrea Bocelli, one of the most successful Opera singers in the world. The duet was touching, and was one that could send chills down somebody’s spine. Whether it was truly a moving show, or comparably better to the acts that surrounded it, the tribute to the Haitians was one that will most likely go down as one of the best in Grammy history. Supported by good cause, it provided a feel good story that directly helped those who were affected by such a terrible tragedy.

While it is quite obvious what NFL story lines draw a parallel comparison to the Haiti tribute, I will go on anyways. The New Orleans Saints, who have provided such a great, uplifting source for the New Orleans population to draw to after the Hurricane Katrina destruction, have reached the Super Bowl. When the hurricane hit, many felt the pain of not only losing everything, but also losing their football team, something that drew their attention away from the seriousness of life for just a few hours each week. The Saints, who contemplated leaving the city, stuck around. Many of the players became heavily involved with the community, playing their own role to re-grow a city that has so much tradition.

Saints' fans show off their team pride. Will the Saints ever again have a hard time attracting fans?

Never again will the New Orleans Saints face having to move based on a lack of fan support. They have engraved their place in the city’s history, mainly because of the impact and the distraction that the football team provided during a time when nobody in the area could have asked for anything more. While the toll of Katrina drifts into our past as time moves on, you can count on one thing- The people of New Orleans will not forget the struggle they had to make in order to re-grow as a community. Without the NFL franchise to rely on, the climb that was forced upon the city would have been even harder. And so, in that sense alone, the New Orleans Saints are the NFL’s feel good story, just as the Mary J. Blige-Andrea Bocelli performance was during this year’s Grammys.

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