The Chat House with Michael Wilbon

Sports News

Welcome to another edition of The Chat House, where Post columnist Michael Wilbon was online Monday, Jan. 19 at 1:15 p.m. ET to take your questions about the Super Bowl matchup, violence in the NFL, the rise of the Cardinals and his recent columns.

The transcript follows.

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Brooklyn, N.Y.: Was I on some kind of really strong hallucinogen or did the Arizona Cardinals just reach the Super Bowl? I never thought I'd see the day. I've spent most on my morning keeping an eye out for the other three horsemen of the apocalypse. On a serious note, does this win punch Warner's ticket to Canton? Two MVPs are impressive, now doubt, but I don;t care what else you did in your career, you QB the Cardinals to the Super Bowl, you are a Hall of Famer.

Michael Wilbon: Hi everybody...sorry we're late but I was returning from Pittsburgh this morning from the AFC Championship Game, and congrats to the Steelers and their fans who are absolutely the best fans in professional football...But we have to start with the Cardinals being in the Super Bowl. Wow. This falls under the heading of "Things I Never Though I'd See." I thought Kurt Warner was Canton-bound already, but you'd have to figure this seals it, right? There have been two hideous teams in the NFL, historically: Lions and Cardinals. And Warner just delivered one of them to football Heaven...

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Tampa, FL: Did McNabb's performance yesterday end any chances of him getting to the Hall of Fame?

Michael Wilbon: I thought McNabb played damn well yesterday. And even if he was terrible, which he wasn't, you mean he couldn't go to the Super Bowl next year? This loss ends his career? Stop with that now...just stop...

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Fox: Terry Bradshaw has a knack for picking the right team to win. I believe everyone on the Fox Pre-Game show picked Philly to win except Bradshaw. Now having said that, I cannot imagine he would pick against the Steeelers, no way no how.

Michael Wilbon: Half the guys on ESPN's Countdown Show picked the Cardinals. I know E. Smith formerly of the Dallas Cowboys was loud and clear in his pick, and said before the game that Fitzgerald and Boldin were going to be too much for the Eagles to handle. But yeah, Bradshaw has an instinctive feel for the game now as he did in all those years he was piling up four Super Bowl victories. I love Terry...Everybody on that show, actually.

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Vienna, Va.: I realize it may be early to submit a college hoops question, but what do you make of the "phantom" T called by ref John Cahill on Greg Monroe during Saturday's Gtown-Duke game at Cameron? Monroe is one of the most mild-mannered Hoyas ever, and while you can't say that Georgetown certainly would have won without that T, the call definitely blunted a good run the Hoyas made to cut the Duke lead to 4.

Michael Wilbon: It was a bad call, clearly. Very bad call. But that call, alone, didn't cost Georgetown the game. It wasn't the only bad call. But it just aggravated me to be reminded already that calls like this in college and professional basketball are just awful and get in the way of otherwise good games. I still think that by and large the officiating in both levels of the sport is really, really good. But the exceptions seem to be growing...and increasingly bothersome.

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Silver Spring, Md.: We already knew Matt Leinart was on the outs with the Cardinals and Kurt Warner taking them to the Super Bowl seals it. Where, if anywhere, do you see him ending up?

Michael Wilbon: You don't think the Cardinals are thinking Warner is their QB of the future, do you? He's 37. He's got, what, one great season left in him? The team still has to look for a franchise QB. Maybe it's not Leinart, maybe it is. But it's not going to be Warner forever and a day. I like Leinart and I hope he's learning a helluva lot from Warner.

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College Park, Md.: Toss-up, PTI-style: More unlikely story - the Rays in the World Series, or the Cards in the Super Bowl?

Michael Wilbon: Cardinals, because they have so much bad history to fight. Sitting across the room, TK says The Rays because they had no money in the toughest division and had to beat the Yankees and Red Sox while the Cardinals were making progress the last couple of seasons.

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Falls Church, Va.: Will fools run McNabb or Reid out of Philly after four NFC Championship losses?

Michael Wilbon: They'll try.

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Somerville, Mass.: Tell us why we shouldn't underestimate the Cardinals like we all want to so badly do. They don't look like last years Giants as far as I can tell...

Michael Wilbon: You're in the majority on this. A lot of people are voicing what you are, saying, "I'm sorry, this team was AWFUL down the stretch!" And they were. There's no way to run from it. That's why the turnaround is so stunning, right? They lost four games by 35 points or more in the second half of the season. Couldn't win on the road...couldn't win in the east...They were awful...And now they're not. They're in the Super Bowl...

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San Francisco: I know I know, manhood football but that scene with McGahee was ugly. It wasn't one of those awkward hits where someone gets hurt it was one of those lets hurt somebody hits where someone gets hurt. I know you rail against protecting the quarterback above all others, but how about no launching yourself to make a hit to protect everyone. It's not necessary to make a tackle, and a big hit without leaving your feet can still send a message about coming across the middle. I think the players need some sort of protection, guys are on average bigger and stronger than a generation ago, but necks, bone and tendons aren't.

Michael Wilbon: Trust me, it was scary sitting in that building with McGahee on the ground like that motionless...I was terrified, and so were many of the players, including Ben Roethlisberger who told me he was holding back tears just thinking about being in that position two weeks earlier...Ben was one of several Steelers who tried after the game to get an update on McGahee...But these Steelers-Ravens games are scary on the whole. They're too violent. I wrote Saturday a column in anticipation of the violence...The teams revel in it until somebody is being carted off the field.

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Washington, D.C.: It wouldn't have changed the outcome, but how on earth wasn't the Ryan Clark hit a penalty? He launched himself up high and made as direct a helmet to helmet contact as you can get. If there is some distinction to make it "legal," isn't it a distinction without a difference? That had all the impact of a car accident.

Michael Wilbon: I think Ryan Clark will be fined and in a major way...We'll see. I don't know that the zebras knew immediately it was helmet-to-helmet...

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Reston, Va: If you were McNabb, would you want out of Philly?

Michael Wilbon: He doesn't. Trust me.

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Chicago: On Kurt Warner and the Hall of Fame -- if Joe Namath can make it, so can Warner.

Michael Wilbon: They're totally different cases, but Warner should be in. Three Super Bowls, one win already, two regular season MVPs...

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Miami, Fla.: Why do you think Warner should be in the Hall of Fame? He's had 3-4 extremely good years, but has had miserable years as well. Peter King made good points in his MONDAY MORNING QB column on si.com stating that a 5-year window of excellence is VERY rare to include someone in the HOF (Gayle Sayers is the lone exception)

Michael Wilbon: I don't buy that at all. A lot of offensive players, receivers and backs and QBs have a five year, six year window. And it depends on how brightly your star shines in that time...to me it does anyway. Longevity is the hallmark of some players, shorter periods of brilliance is the hallmark of others...like Deion Sanders and Sayers and others. Dick Butkus only played nine years, I think. Do I think Terrell Davis of Denver, with seven seasons and probably five great ones, should be in the Hall? Yes, I do. I don't have a formula for this and don't feel one is necessary.

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Washington, D.C.: Kobe vs LeBron today - gimme your picks: which one gets more points, the victory and more minutes on TV.

Michael Wilbon: It's in L.A. so I favor the Lakers...But the Cavs have won 5 straight vs. the Lakers, so that's another reason I'm picking L.A. tonight. I don't know who'll get more points and couldn't possibly care one bit about that unless somebody goes for 60 or something. MVP right now, to me, is LeBron. But it's early and can change. My MVP list right now is LeBron, Dwight Howard, Kobe, but I also know it'll change weekly and probably between those three the whole way.

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Windsor, Conn.: Mike,

With all the talk of the Clark hit, let's not forget a few things. As you reported on Saturday, the Ravens purportedly had "bounties" on certain players. Also, Simms and Nantz on CBS seemed to think the hit was clean. Don't know that it was, but Simms has a lot more experience than I do.

Your thoughts?

Michael Wilbon: I tend to defer to players on the specifics of those issues because they played and I didn't. Pretty simple, huh?

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In the Zone: Are you guys going to be able to make it in to do PTI tomorrow? Or do you have a backup plan to do it from an undisclosed location?

Michael Wilbon: We're planning to get to the studio on 7th and Mass. NW, which likely will include a 6-mile walk for me, from Mazza Gallery or somewhere in the Friendship Heights area.

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Philly Phool: MW,

McNab played great football yesterday, and for almost all of the season this year, but I think Andy should go. He can't get it done. Didn't the Chargers fire Shottenheimer for less? Some of his play calling just seemed off this year, especially in a lot of the early losses.

I do realize that if Andy goes so goes McNabb, but I hope not. If Andy doesn't get pushed out, what do you foresee happening next year?

Michael Wilbon: I'd fire Andy from his job as personnel boss but retain him happily as coach. He's failed the team when it comes to talent procurement, not preparing or leading the players.

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Springfield, Va.: I am so tired of watching wide receivers mouthing off on the sidelines. Please tell Boldin that yesterday's Cardinal win was a team victory. He needs to grow up.

Michael Wilbon: You just did...Now, what about Warner yelling at the same coach, or does that not count?

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Baltimore: Hi Mike. I watched Raheem Morris's introductory press conference and came away very impressed; I think he'll do well in Tampa. On a broader scale, though...given the recent trend of hiring young, inexperienced, and somewhat obscure head coaches, do you think that the poor economy could in some way be tied in to this? Obviously, someone like Morris's asking price wouldn't be on the level of, say, Bill Cowher's. I just find it astounding that men who have won Super Bowl titles have been fired and/or are on the sideline and apparently, not all that much in demand (Billick, Shanahan, Gruden).

I know this is a "copycat" league at heart, and it may just be as simple as seeing the Harbaughs and Sparanos doing well. But could it also be as simple, at least in part, as the owners just not as willing to pay top dollar for a coach as they were a couple of years ago? Thanks!

Michael Wilbon: You raise an interesting point that I didn't think of...Actually, you raise two, one about economics and another about the copycat nature of the league, which we've known for years...But here's the flaw in your argument...It's going to cost $12 to $15 million, we're reading from reports in Tampa, to buy out Jon Gruden...So, there's no financial advantage there. Now, if we see a bigger movement toward that kind of hiring your theory may hold up or be easier to advance. I think it's an entirely new trend and it comes from a younger owner like Joel Glazer who hires younger guys who perhaps remind them of themselves on some level, who have a certain identifiable energy.

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"Receivers" mouthing off: Thanks for that, Mike.

Warner, Gannon, Simms: fiery competitors.

Boldin, Owens, Johnson: "me first" punks.

Hmmm...

Michael Wilbon: Hmmm...

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Hamilton, N.Y.: Pass interference at the end of the Eagles/Cards game or no?

Michael Wilbon: I wouldn't have argued had the hanky come flying out. I think probably it should have been called, but it's a tough, tough call. I also understand why it wasn't. And the receiver, I thought, should have made the 4th down catch anyway.

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Charlotte N.C.: Any chance you can get Obama on PTI for "Five Good Minutes"?

Michael Wilbon: I don't know...It was going to happen some weeks ago, but the thing is the president has so many more critical things to do now that he's President of the United States...I've got a list of things to ask him, but we can't be a priority anymore...Just can't.

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Fairfax, Va.: A black guy from Chicago is being sworn in as president tomorrow! You don't really think you're getting out of here today without giving your thoughts on this historic moment do you?

Michael Wilbon: It's cool. It's great. I knew when I met him seven years ago that there was a greatness about him that was different than anything I'd ever seen in person.

Charles Barkley and I left Barack Obama that day, looked at each other as we were getting into our rental car in Chicago, and said, "Damn, I've never seen anybody like him..." Both of us said that. Out loud. And now, it's happened.

My mother, who's 82 years old and grew up in the Jim Crow South and sat on the backs of buses, tells me I'm too cavalier about this, that I've come to presume too much. And maybe I have. Maybe it's because I actually have interacted on quite a few occasions with the new president...Here in D.C., in Chicago mostly...in person, via telephone.

I'm impressed, I'm hopeful, I'm ready to get past the partying and let the man get to work. Mostly, I love that he's a man of great intellect. I hate this notion that people who govern should be "a regular guy like us." The hell he/she should be like the rest of us. They, particularly The President and Vice President, ought to be smarter by leaps and bounds...Quicker studies, more scholarly, able to consume more information and break it down in ways most of us cannot.

The man's intellect is damn impressive. And we've never needed it, not in the last 50 years, more than we need it now...

So, do you know how I feel now? That a man who has made his home in the community where I was born and raised has grown up to be President of the United States? I'm thrilled.

I only get emotional about it when I think about my father, who grew up hating his segregated hellish life in rural Georgia and moved to the South Side of Chicago, didn't life long enough to see this.

Every single day since the Democratic convention I've thought about what my father would have thought. He'd have run into The President somewhere because my father did business on the South Side...Jesse Jackson came to my home when I was 10 years old...We all knew each other...There was one degree of separation. And now a guy from that little slice of concrete is sitting in the White House. Damn.

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Tampa, Fla.: Odds on John Gruden replacing Andy Reid as Eagles coach?

Michael Wilbon: 0. None. No chance.

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DC: Disagree with the post on Clark. He only hit McGahee in the head because McGahee ducked down as the hit was coming. He really did hit him in the shoulders first.

That's what is so scary to me about this -- that wasn't a dirty play, and the result was almost catastrophic. I'm sure I was not the only one who was seriously afraid that McGahee would come out paralyzed or worse.

Like boxing, I'm very conflicted on football right now. I admire the athletes greatly, I appreciate the mix of strategy and violence, but ultimately it is barbaric. Thank God it wasn't worse, but if the game continues like this, someone will die on a football field. Legally.

Michael Wilbon: Thanks for that...

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Bethesda, Md.: With the Cardinals in the Super Bowl, just how insufferable has Norman Chad become?

washingtonpost.com: Going Where No Cardinals Fan Has Gone Before (Post, Jan. 19)

Michael Wilbon: Totally insufferable...but I congratulate him anyway. Look, I picked the Eagles and Steelers at the beginning of the season and stuck with them...But I'm over-the-Moon happy for the Cardinals in general, and specifically for Bertrand Berry, No. 92 on your program and a defensive end from Notre Dame who, when he retires, is going to be fabulous on TV because he's smart and funny and irreverent, and Larry Fitzgerald who I've known all his life because I'm friends with his dad Big Larry...It's great to know guys who've suffered through the worst times and worked their way to the championship stage.

I've come to know Kurt Warner in recent years to and he's a tremendous guy...just the nicest man you could meet, kinda like Trent Green, who Warner replaced some years ago in St. Louis. So, I'm happy for the Cards and for the Steelers, specifically Byron Leftwich who I've known since he was in the 9th grade growing up here in D.C., and Ben Roethlisberger, one of PTI's more frequent guests, a damn good quarterback and somebody I've gotten to known well since he graduated from college...

I'm happy for all of them, and others, too, but those are the guys I know best on those teams...People ask us all the time, "Who do you root for?" The answer is easy: People I like and come to know well, either before they became pros or since...

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the Super Bowl and looking forward to getting back into basketball, both pro and college. This, to me, is the end of the NFL season. The Super Bowl is a different animal, something separate and apart from the rest of the season. It's over now. The Circus is in two weeks but the season has ended...It's been fun. We'll chat next week, mostly about hoops I'm sure, but I must run and prepare for PTI...Thanks again...See you guys next week. Have a great week. Enjoy the festivities. MW

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Annandale, Va.: What's the latest on McGahee?

washingtonpost.com: McGahee "neurologically intact" reports Baltimore Sun

Michael Wilbon: He was released from the hospital and is said to be doing fine, though his specific injuries have not been addressed by the team...

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Come on, Mike: "I wrote Saturday a column in anticipation of the violence." Mike, I love ya, but you wrote a column venerating the violence. You and everyone else who adores manhood football adds to the atmosphere in which someone has to get seriously hurt once in a while. Own up, man.

Michael Wilbon: Own up to what? Talking about the realities of football and why its so irresistible? Sorry. I think I even said in column that somebody would be helped off and somebody carried off. I don't want, nor deserve credit. It was just an observation based on watching pro football for 40-plus years...I said it couldn't be sanitized...You saw it. Could it?

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