John Elway -- two-time Super Bowl winner, Hall of Fame quarterback, restaurateur, car dealer and now: fighter of terrorism. The former Broncos star narrates this eight-minute spot funded by the Department of Homeland Security that, according to the web site, "[lets] Americans know what kinds of activities might be a sign of terrorist activity in the making."
To summarize: Trust No One.
Josh Alper, writing for NBCNewYork, has a more thoughtful take:
One wonders how well Elway would have done in the NFL if he'd applied the same level of suspicion he advocates in the video. At one point or another, he urges people to be wary of those using cell phones, binoculars, gift cards, taking notes and looking at their watch. We're all for stopping terrorism and vigilance is certainly part of any sound defense strategy, but Elway's 8 signs wind up covering far too many everyday activities to know how the average joe is supposed to separate the wheat from the chaff.There's a football lesson for Jim Zorn in that last paragraph, I think.
To put it in football terms, worrying about ... everybody on the opposing defense only works so long as it doesn't distract you from blocking the one guy who is really going to harm your offense's chances of scoring a touchdown.
