A Grip on Sports: You don’t have to have a rooting interest to find things to root for during the NFL playoffs

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Sitting down to watch NFL games Sunday, we had two teams we wanted to see win and one game we really didn’t care much about. When we got ready for bed everything had worked out perfectly.

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• Growing up in the Los Angeles area, we were Rams fans. Just about everyone, except maybe my dad, was. As my kids were growing up in Spokane, they became Seahawks fans. Just about everyone around here, except me, is.

Which informed my choices in games yesterday.

The morning game, with Philadelphia facing Tampa Bay, didn’t move the needle one bit. My anti-Tom Brady bias couldn’t overcome the disappointment of the Eagles not recognizing the greatness that is Gardner Minshew. Thus we had no preference either way. The hope of a decent game was quickly buried and we moved on.

To San Francisco facing the Cowboys in Jerry Jones’ Dallas palace. As we’ve mentioned in this space before, my dad was a 49er fan. It had roots in World War II, the Great Lakes Naval Academy and a bunch of other interrelated pieces that would take too long to explain, but just know he always rooted for them. So we give them the benefit of the doubt these days as well. And when they are facing the Cowboys, there is no doubt.

We despise Dallas. One of the happiest days of my life was Sept. 4, 1984. Not just because that was the day of my first child’s birth, but also the Rams steamrolled the Cowboys the night before in front of the Monday Night crew. And then Kim went into labor.

(OK, so the record shows Dallas won 20-13 but the Rams were ahead 13-0 at halftime, which is all I remember.)

Yesterday’s game was perfect. Not only did the Cowboys lose, the way they did was so silly as to be embarrassing. Penalties galore. A key pass lost in the sun in an indoor facility. And then the last play, which was like something out of the Three Stooges or I Love Lucy.

It’s not as if the 49ers were perfect. Jimmy Garoppolo made some plays here and there but also did what he does, missing an open receiver in a key situation and giving Dallas life with an ill-advised interception. Perfect. A derriere-whipping awaits next weekend in Green Bay, and then an offseason of soul-searching concerning the quarterback position. That seems to play in the Seahawks’ favor, right?

The nightcap featured the AFC version of the Hawks, circa early in the past decade, vs. the Steelers, whose Seattle villainy dates back to a long-ago Super Bowl. To think, that game, Super Bowl 40, was Ben Roethlisberger’s rookie season. Now he’s headed into retirement after last night’s 42-21 loss to the Chiefs.

Big Ben is still big, bigger even, but he’s not Big Ben, if you know what I mean. Where he once stood strong in the pocket, shucked off rushers like so many gnats and heaved the ball downfield, his final games were filled with short passes and hopes the Steeler defense can do enough for a win.

It couldn’t. Not against the Chiefs.

There won’t be a goodbye Super Bowl for Roethlisberger as the XL was for Jerome Bettis, which means the NFC team doesn’t have to worry about any Bill Leavy-like shenanigans.

Which is something everyone should be happy about.

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Gonzaga: Scoring points is fun. And entertaining. Never overlooked. But, as Theo Lawson explains, the Zags are scoring a whole bunch of points these days because of their passing, which can be entertaining and fun but is also often overlooked. … COVID-19 has forced postponements and rescheduling. The Bulldogs found out yesterday they will be hosting San Francisco on Thursday at 8 p.m. Because of that, the time of the women’s game has been changed. We will have some thoughts on this development later this week. For now, Jim Meehan has the schedule news. … The new polls come out soon. Will Gonzaga move back to No. 1? Some people believe so. Other think it will be Auburn. … Around the WCC, a BYU women’s basketball player is taking advantage of NIL. … The Cougar men emerged from a tough three-game stretch only to have to face the team it is tied with in the standings.

WSU: Dallas Hobbs said goodbye to football yesterday, leaving that chapter of his life behind with a note to Cougar fans. Colton Clark has the story of the defensive lineman’s next chapter. … Travell Harris finished up his collegiate career with an appearance – and a touchdown –  in Saturday’s Hula Bowl. Colton has more in this story. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and college basketball, Colorado has a big homestand coming up. … Utah is struggling, which is nothing new. … For USC to win at a high level it takes player development. … The wins aren’t as easy for Arizona right now just as a tough stretch begins. … In football news, Jon Wilner keeps up with conference happenings in his Saturday Night Five column. … Arizona State has landed another transfer quarterback.

EWU: We can pass along the second part of former Eastern Washington sports information director Dave Cook’s story on the Groves brothers. Today’s installment covers their younger years playing in Spokane.

Idaho: The Vandals are still on the road and will play in another dome today, with a game in Flagstaff against Northern Arizona.

LCSC: Legendary baseball coach Ed Scheff, who took the Warrior program to heights unseen in this area, died Saturday in Sequim, Wash. He was 78. Colton has his obituary.

Seahawks: Once again Russell Wilson’s minions have leaked some exploratory news. Why? Who knows? … Just what is Rashaad Penny worth these days? … It may not take a long-term contract to keep Duane Brown in Seattle.

Kraken: It’s not good when you change goalies and the new one enters the COVID-19 protocols.

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• We found this fun story out of Corvallis we want to pass along. Finding a spot to put it, however, was near impossible. So we decided to wait until here. It’s about Olympic gymnast Jade Carey and her debut at Oregon State. As a 21-year-old.  Until later …