Talking Points: NFL scouts are seeing red

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We know a good quarterback has to have a head for the game, but this is a little extreme. In discussing TCU product Andy Dalton’s NFL Draft potential, one scout recently told Sports Illustrated’s Peter King: “Has there ever been a red-headed quarterback in the NFL who’s really done well? It sounds idiotic, but is there any way that could be a factor? We’ve wondered.”

Full disclosure, today’s Talking Points were authored by a redhead, who thinks the scout has a legitimate concern.

First off, how can Dalton put his “heart and soul” into each performance when everyone knows redheads lack the latter? How could he possibly get a solid grip on the ball when his hand is slathered in Coppertone? How could he endure a hit from Brian Urlacher when redheads feel pain at six times the level of an average human?

Clearly, Andy, you can’t cut it in the NFL. But worry not — there’s always prop-based comedy!

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Before Brandon Roy went off for 16 points in 24 minutes, and before Wesley Matthews hit four 3-pointers to start the first quarter, the Rose Garden crowd was louder than it had been all season. There is an electricity in the Northwest when the Blazers start the playoffs that’s difficult for any part of the country to rival.

Talking Points hasn’t been to Boston for a Red Sox World Series game or to Montreal when the Canadiens are making a Stanley Cup push, but when chants of “Let’s-Go-Blazers” absolutely take over local bars and restaurants in the second quarter of a postseason game, you can rest assured that this type of intensity is going unmatched almost everywhere else. That said, Portland has to win tonight, or fans will see that silence can be just as noticeable this time of year.