If you watched the season debut of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” Monday night and watched Donald Driver’s performance, only one word truly does it justice: Wow. OK, more like: Wow! Possibly an additional exclamation point or two. Not so much for the Green Bay Packers wide receiver’s footwork but for dance partner Peta Murgatroyd.
In all honesty, Driver did do well. Not that his effort was the focus. Not with the outfit Peta was wearing — or not wearing, depending on how you look at things.
In her assessment on Twitter, Peta said: “Thank u to ALL our supporters tonight @Donald_Driver80 exceeded my expectations & I’m so proud of him! How sexy was he? Mumma is proud ;)”
Him sexy? The guy looked good but really wasn’t our focus for some inexplicable reason.
The judges, however did take notice of his cha-cha:
* Carrie Ann Inaba: “You are nothing but charisma and charm. … I loved the routine. It was a crowd-pleaser.”
* Len Goodman: “I thought your attitude was good. … There was flair going on. Sometimes you got excited … and sometimes you lost timing for the impact you wanted to bring out.”
* Bruno Tonioli: “You are a diamond in the rough. You were like a rooster chasing a hen. The attitude is right, but you have to refine it. You have the talent.”
The judges’ score of 21 was greeted by boos.
“Just 31 minutes into the season,” host Tom Bergeron said. “I think that’s a record for starting an ugly mob.”
Nothing ugly about Peta or about the first contestant to dance: television personality/Boston sports fan Maria Menounos. She and Derek Hough also totaled 21 from the judges.
Even non-Packers fans should be voting for Driver. If only so we can see more Peta.
Tennis great Martina Navratilova and partner Tony Dovolani scored a 20 as former court rival Chris Evert watched from the audience. When co-host Brooke Burke praised her appearance, Martina responded: “With all this hair, with all this makeup … If I don’t look good now, it’s over.”
Wonder whether Martina worries about foot faults on the dance floor.
Oh, and just for fun, how about actor Jaleel White (you may recall him as Steve Urkel from “Family Matters”):
In non-dancing sports-related news, quarterback Peyton Manning apparently is heading to the Denver Broncos. The four-time MVP with the Indianapolis Colts reportedly has told the other suitors for the free agent he will sign with the Broncos.
Meaning Tim Tebow’s time as Denver’s QB is over, and he reportedly will be traded. For what? Probably not much. Possibly to Jacksonville or Miami where the former University of Florida signal-caller will be on more familiar turf. It’s unclear how such turf is going to improve Tebow’s passing.
Appearing Monday on the NFL Network, Broncos running back Willis McGahee said of Manning: “I think he’s going to take us to the promised land.”
Gee, and to think some of us thought biblical stuff was Tebow turf.
The impact of the impending Manning addition has done wonders for the Broncos — in Super Bowl odds — and likely will do even more for ticket sales, memorabilia and more. The folks at Bovada.lv dropped Denver’s odds to reach the Super Bowl from 50-1 to 12-1.
Other Bovada.lv odds:
Over/under on Manning regular-season passing yards: 4,000
Over/under on Manning regular-season TD passes: 28½
Over/under on Manning regular-season completion percentage: 65 percent
Over/under on Manning regular-season interception: 16½
Odd on which team Tebow will be on when the regular season starts:
Jacksonville Jaguars 3/2
Denver Broncos 7/4
Miami Dolphins 7/4
New England Patriots 7/1
Cleveland Browns 12/1
Over/under on Broncos regular-season victories: 10
2013 SUPER BOWL XLVII ODDS (odds current, 3/19/2012) (odds on 2/6/2012)
Green Bay Packers 13/2 6/1
New England Patriots 15/2 7/1
New Orleans Saints 10/1 8/1
Denver Broncos 12/1 50/1
Houston Texans 12/1 12/1
San Francisco 49ers 14/1 18/1
Baltimore Ravens 15/1 14/1
Philadelphia Eagles 15/1 12/1
New York Giants 16/1 15/1
Pittsburgh Steelers 18/1 12/1
Dallas Cowboys 20/1 18/1
San Diego Chargers 22/1 16/1
Chicago Bears 25/1 30/1
Detroit Lions 25/1 18/1
Atlanta Falcons 28/1 22/1
New York Jets 30/1 16/1
Carolina Panthers 40/1 50/1
Cincinnati Bengals 40/1 40/1
Miami Dolphins 40/1 35/1
Seattle Seahawks 40/1 60/1
Arizona Cardinals 50/1 30/1
Kansas City Chiefs 50/1 50/1
Oakland Raiders 50/1 50/1
Tennessee Titans 50/1 40/1
Washington Redskins 50/1 60/1
Buffalo Bills 75/1 60/1
St. Louis Rams 75/1 75/1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75/1 75/1
Indianapolis Colts 100/1 50/1
Jacksonville Jaguars 100/1 100/1
Minnesota Vikings 100/1 75/1
Cleveland Browns 150/1 100/1
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