Twitter Finds a Rooting Interest After All

Sunday is more about the commercials this year for me as both of my teams in the leagues found ways to not advance (let's not talk about the early replay non-fumble at SFO). Scanning USATODAY I noticed a sidebar on Super Bowl tweets, and the first one caught my eye:

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit - Aristotle" from Deion Branch of the Patriots.

Hey, that's a nice quote. Like that and I'll just pick that up. Let's see who else is in the mix. Ramses Barden riffs on politics, then:

"Boyz 2 Men pandora is jammin right now."

Well, that really fits. There's the comic relief. Who was that . . .

Oh snap -- it's @Ryan_Mallett_15.

One forgets the backup quarterback, especially to Tom Brady-class superbacks. The former Arkansas Razorback cascaded down the NFL draft into the hands of the Patriots thanks to digital media driven rumors about drug use. At the time, all of us around the QB who took Arkansas with a purloined tat of its first BCS win at the Sugar Bowl believed it was a blessing for the junior. A chance to get into a system that would fit his cannon of an arm AND the chance to not be eaten alive as a rookie high-draft pick QB.

Mallett got a handle on Twitter early (hmm, wonder why . . . ) and used it to his benefit as a player (low profile, no stupid jokes, no inappropriate habits/girlfriends/poor sportsmanship) in college and early in his pro time.

Now he's done the near impossible. Sure, telling us how much he likes some "classic rap" seems a little lightweight compared to Aristotle, but consider his role. He is the backup. He's not the leader (and in turn, not the inspirational quote machine). His is to stand in the background.

And he managed to get his name into USATODAY.

Touchdown Mallett.

Proud of you there. Hope you hold a hell of a clipboard Sunday.

At least I have someone to look for on the sidelines between commercials.