Before futility was set in concrete, Redskins coach Mike Shanahan tried buying time last season by explaining that his quarterback situation was "week to week." What he meant - at least, what the rest of us couldn't help but think - was that juggling Rex Grossman and John Beck was a case of going from weak to weak.

We're losing out to India in research and high-tech manufacturing and to China in math, science and who knows what else, but when it really counts, America is still capable of demonstrating its pride in what it thinks is important. When you're talking about what matters to Americans, the old can-do spirit shines through.

NORFOLK After his team's victory over James Madison on Thursday night, Old Dominion coach Blaine Taylor casually referenced "the Doubting Thomases" he figures must be surprised by the Monarchs' 10-2 record in the CAA.

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay said last week that in his dealings with Peyton Manning, the "horseshoe" has to take precedence over everything. It must be nice for Irsay to think that - if he actually does. But is there any other athlete today who is the franchise symbol as much as Manning is for the Colts? Patriots quarterback Tom Brady?

Showtime: Every time I hear this year's NFL championship game referred to as Super Bowl 46 - that's XLVI for you ancient Romans - it reminds me of how pretentious the NFL can be. Why can't we just call it the Super Bowl?

Before you write off Lefty Driesell as a crank, maybe it helps to understand that he's not the only person with ties to the University of Maryland who isn't happy about the school naming its basketball court after former coach Gary Williams.

Who is this year's Jimmer Fredette? It's a trick question, for it presumes that there's another player capable of capturing the imagination of casual basketball fans the way the BYU shooting guard did a season ago. That player doesn't exist, or as yet, hasn't been identified.

In many ways, Joe Paterno's obituary was being written every day for the last two months. When he was diagnosed with cancer in November, just after his controversial dismissal from a job he fought to hold onto many years past a reasonable retirement age, everybody who followed his career harbored the same melancholy thought - he wouldn't last long.

HAMPTON "Unity," Rob Johnson said Saturday night after another victory on the road for Norfolk State's basketball team. "You can't fake that." Escaping with the 80-75 victory, the Spartans have won three consecutive games away from home. It keeps their MEAC record spotless. But just as importantly, according to Johnson, it strengthens their confidence in one another.

The way it is: This Sunday, not Super Bowl Sunday, is the best day of the year in the NFL. This Sunday is for actual fans, not dilettantes who go to parties because it's the fashionable thing to do. Sunday is about football, not fondue or chicken fingers or how many guests you can fit into your home.