It seemed that after Tuesday night's American Idol boxing battle, teenage crooner David Archuleta had the singing contest clearly won over rocker David Cook.
Two hours after legendary ring announcer Michael Buffer kicked off the episode with his signature "Lets get ready to rumble!" call, lead talent evaluator Simon Cowell scored a "knockout blow" for the 17-year-old Archuleta, who wafted through three safe ballads that apparently melted hearts to the screaming audience.
Wednesday's* Idol* finale had a different outcome than expected, according to two fans of the show in the Ravens' locker room.
"I think that David Cook will be more successful, period," said long-snapper Matt Katula with a laugh. "But, judging by Tuesday's show, there was no question that David Archuleta was going to win. It was pretty interesting to see Cook take the win, but Archuleta has some pipes. He's like the reincarnation of Clay Aiken.
"Cook appeals to the modern audience. Really, he's got an unbelievable voice, he can play the guitar and he has a band."
Tight end Quinn Sypniewski agreed to a point. As a regular *Idol *watcher, especially since he injured his knee in an April minicamp, Sypniewski thought Archuleta would win based on Cowell's decree, but Cook clearly outshone Archuleta in showmanship and vocals.
"He has a good voice, but he's a one-trick pony," Sypniewski said. "All he sings are ballads. He tried to sing some Chris Brown song two weeks ago, and he sounded pretty bad.
"Katula compares him to Josh Groban, which I get. They have a similar sound. But, he doesn't engage the audience or make his shows interesting."
It may seem odd that football players are into such a pop culture phenomenon, but it's true. Katula and his wife, Allison, were even planning on throwing an Idol viewing party last night with Todd and Ashley Heap.
Katula was impressed with Cook's performance of ZZ Top's "Sharp Dressed Man" in the results show, perhaps prompting him to buy Cook's first album.
"I'll get his CD, because you know it's going to be pretty good," Katula said Thursday.
Looking back on Idol's seventh season, there is room for comparison to previous installments.
"They keep saying that this season had the best voices, but I think a good argument could be made for the Daughtry and Elliot Yamin season," Katula noted. "Those guys would give this season a run for their money."
Of course, the show becomes more of a spectacle every year, as shown by the record-setting 97.5 million votes. Cook won with 56 percent of the vote, but viewers didn't know which David was the winner until the very last minutes.
"Once I saw that one guy had 56 percent and the other had 44, I really thought it was Archuleta," Sypniewski admitted.
Both players think such a controversial ending could only boost *Idol's *popularity, something the show had never lacked.
But, now that Idol 7.0 is over, they are also glad to put the guilty pleasure behind them.
"I've enjoyed watching it, but I think it's time for the show to be over," said Sypniewski, who watched every week with his wife, Mia. "Let's just say that Fox has gotten their money's worth out of this season.
"We just watch it because it's pretty good entertainment, and I like most music. But you have to take it with a grain of salt."
