The Sports Frog

"This is not a decision that we reached yesterday, or 10 minutes ago," Johnson said. "This was a decision that was running throughout the season."

Congratulations, you have accomplished something no other team has ever done. You have gone 0-16. Instead of being mediocre, you have decided to take things to a greater level and have rivaled the Tampa Bay Bucs, circa 1976, as the worst team ever in the Super Bowl era of the NFL.

You did manage to at least rank #30 in offensive yards per game, managing to beat out those two Ohio teams. (and they had the benefit of playing each other).

Defensively you did manage a fantastic last place finish, based on yards per game. Your rushing defense was last in yards per game allowed. When it comes to suck, Lions you certainly are King.

While the Big Three are being bailed out, maybe the can slide the Lions some cash, so they can bribe some zebras. There is no other way.

Embrace you level of suck. Matt Millen certainly did.

Continue reading "Week 13 NFL Picks - 2008" »

Continue reading "Week 12 NFL Picks - 2008" »

Even though it's tragically named, the 'Wildcat' isn't going away in the NFL.

And because of that, the NFL draft value of college players like Tim Tebow and Pat White just went from questionable mid-rounders to trendy 2nd round, get out the fans, darling picks.

So as pro teams look to add elements of the spread to their traditional offenses, guys like the Jets' Brad Smith or Cleveland's Joshua Cribbs have become even more valuable commodities. They work as 4th wide receivers, contribute on special teams, and have experience behind center to run things from the spread formation.

Continue reading "Don't call it a Wildcat, it's been here for years" »

Continue reading "Week 11 NFL Picks - 2008" »

Continue reading "Week 10 NFL Picks - 2008" »

"Marshall said he had a glove in his pants - half white and half black. Marshall, a big supporter of President-elect Barack Obama - said he drew inspiration from 1968 U.S. Olympic sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who raised a black glove on the medal stand.

Marshall said his message was one of unity under Obama.

"I wanted to create that symbol of unity because Obama inspires me, our multi-cultured society," said Marshall, who read from the message he had typed out on his phone earlier in the day."

This is a tough week in the NFL for me. I feel like a lot of teams will win but not necessarily cover. Over the first 8 weeks of the season, I think I've been picking too many games a week. So i'm going to scale things back a little and focus on the matchups I like and worry less about covering all the bases.

Also, at the end of the list, I've added three college matchups.

Continue reading "Week 9 NFL Picks - 2008" »

Continue reading "Week 8 NFL Picks - 2008" »

This post comes courtesy of Swamp All-Timer Jerloma:

So the Baltimore Ravens allegedly have a bounty out on Hines Ward. I say allegedly because Terrell Suggs admitted to it and then subsequently denied it, presumably after finding out it's a no-no in the NFL. Whatever. The league is looking into it (of course they are) and there might be some fines but I imagine this type of thing is not uncommon anyway. The lingering question however is . . . what's the motivation for a bunch of guys throwing in some cash in order to collect a reward for ending a guy's season?

According to Suggs, the Ravens also had a bounty out on Rashard Mendenhall as well which was collected by none other than "God's Linebacker." Thug Life even admitted to SI after the game that after the hit on Mendenhall, he wasn't calling for medical help for the tailback as the ESPN dolts would have you believe, he was just bragging that Rashard was "done." From what I saw, Ray didn't even do anything illegal on that hit. He was just playing football. I'm not sure why you need a bounty to motivate you to play football but congratulations to Ray. Whatever he collected, I'm sure he did the Christian thing and sent the money directly to the families of Richard Lollar and Jacinth Baker. I could go on forever here so I'll just digress.

Back to Ward. What exactly is the motivation for the big, bad Ravens defense to injure him? T-Sizzle?

The problem is Ward's reputation for knocking the blocks off of unsuspecting defenders. "He does a little cheap shot," Suggs said. "It's legal but it be cheap." So what happens when the Steelers go to Baltimore? "We've got something in store for him," Suggs said.

Wait...what?

SAY IT ISN'T SO!!! HE BLOCKS YOU??? Do the Ravens not teach their wide receivers to block people? A bunch of grown men that have dedicated their lives to a violent sport have decided to pull out their wallets and put a bounty out on the head of a 200 pound wide receiver because he hits them too hard. Think about that for a second. These are professional football players, I'll remind you. "Oh but the blocks are unsuspecting." This is some sort of joke, right? I mean . . . is the reason that these guys chose to play defense because they don't like getting hit? They're actually so afraid of getting hit that they've put a bounty on the head of a dude that weighs on average like 60 pounds less than them . . . because he hits them? Really? I mean REALLY? Todd Pinkston thinks these guys are soft!

Here's an idea. Let's get all readers of the Sports Frog to throw in $5 and the first person to watch a Ravens game that can point out a situation where a linebacker has an unsuspecting wide receiver lined up and chooses to just stop playing because it'd be cheap to hit someone who's not looking gets to collect the whole pot. This would also apply if any Ravens defender gets through the line for a direct blind-side hit on the QB and decides to run around the other side of the QB, turn around, and then hit him, you know . . . just as a common courtesy.

Seriously though, Ray Lewis is scum.

Continue reading "Week 7 NFL Picks - 2008" »

There are not nearly enough deadline deals in the NFL. Not by a long shot. In fact, there are hardly ever any. And that needs to change.

This years deadline is Tuesday. And headlines were made yesterday when it became known that KC's Tony Gonzalez would like to play for a team that doesn't suck. And you know what? He's right.

At 32 years old, he is fast approaching the end of his chance to be effective, and could make a postive impact on a playoff-bound team. The Chiefs could use draft picks to continue their rebuilding process (maybe target a QB next year, fellas). This should be a no-brainer. The KC Star's Joe Posnanski sums it up very well:

Tony Gonzalez is the greatest pass-catching tight end in NFL history. And he has never won a single playoff game. And now the Chiefs look to be light years away from contending again.

That's about it.

Make a deal, KC. Get what you can from the Giants. New York, for their part, should be more than willing to kick over a 2nd round pick (or at least a 3rd), to get a consummate professional onto their team and give Manning another tool in the passing game. It's not rocket science, and NY needs to grow a pair and stop fucking around with bullshit 6th round offers. This makes too much sense not to happen.

While we are here, the Bengals should be looking to deal TJ Houshmandzadeh, the Lions Roy Williams, and whomever else has value playing on expiring contracts on those jokes passing for NFL teams. The only thing teams like KC, Cincinnati, and Detroit have is the future. If they can turn an asset into picks, they need to do that. Without hesitation.

The Swamp is kicking this around here, thanks to BillC. Stop by with a thought or two.

Further evidence of Bengals owner Mike Brown's devastating lack of intelligence (or criminal lack of caring) is that Carson Palmer has not been shut down for the year.

Your quick Bengals recap (like I was going to break a three month dry spell in posting and not start here):

---0-5.

---An offensive line that has ushered angry large men to the QB in frightening ways since pre-season.

---Palmer's bloodied and broken nose not enough of a warning in the pre-season, profoundly stupid offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski is either unwilling or unable to change blocking schemes and approach, and Palmer spends weeks one, two, and three being pounded into a gelatinous mass.

---At the end of the week 3 pounding, his elbow comes up lame. Uber-lame. They won't specify, but it ain't good.

---Palmer sits out a week, comes back for week 5 at Dallas, looks nothing like the Palmer who entered the league in terms of arm strength or accuracy, and is now out for week six.

So, what do I know Part I?

That Carson Palmer should be put on IR, like yesterday. This season had a bullet in its brain for Cincinnati before it started. To continue to hold open the option of playing a damaged Palmer in a season with as much life left in it as a rotting corpse is insane, even by deranged Bengals standards.

The whispers are that Palmer needs Tommy John surgery. Like Delhomme had last year. So, um, hey dumbasses? Get the fuck on with it.

37 years of life, 32 with a rooting interest in one of the most profoundly lame organizations in the entire sporting world.

Yea me.

Continue reading "Week 6 NFL Picks - 2008" »

Continue reading "Week 5 NFL Picks - 2008" »

...this past Sunday. My team won, great. Terrible football game, mind you, but a W is a W. I was left with a few thoughts on the state of these teams/organizations.

- Both coaches are living on borrowed time. Marvin Lewis managed the clock terribly. Romeo Crennel has a poor gameplan. Neither one will be coaching their respective teams in 2009.

- The Bengals need some kind of insurance for Carson Palmer. Ryan Fitzpatrick isn't it.

- The Bengals Organization needs a VP of common sense. You see, there is a fan at each Bengals game, who sits in the front row. He looks like this:

The Bengals stadium personnel love this guy so much that he gets on the Jumbotron several times a game. That's fine. He's obviously a Bengals die hard, which must be hard to come by. Then, when the Browns get the ball, during the TV timeouts, they start showing a montage of this guy in various poses over the word "Defense."

Really? He's dressed as a Stormtrooper. You know, the guys kind of known for sucking at defending anything. Guys who let a few rebels come in and re-kidnap a Princess. You know they would have botched the original kidnapping if it weren't for, you know, this guy:

So, if the Raiders do nothign else right all season, which seems likely, at least they got this one right:

I mean, come on. A stormtrooper? Like anyone's supposed to be scared of that?

I suppose I shouldn't let the end of the Matt Millen era in Detroit go without mention.

Living in Las Vegas, you're at a crossroads of NFL fandom. It's weird, but there's not even close to a team here which could be considered a "hometown team". The Chargers are likely the most popular, but even then are probably only the favorite among no more than 10 or 15 percent of Las Vegans.

So this is neutral ground and there is no sense of shared experience, but best of all, no real rivalries. You're far more liable to hear a Broncos fan commiserate with a Chiefs fan over the sorry state of football in Kansas City than you would anywhere within 300 miles of Denver. (Which I actually heard twice last week.)

So when meeting someone for the first time and the topic of favorite NFL teams come up and I admit that I'm a lifelong Lions fans, inevitably the first thing the other person does is give me the kind of sad look similar to if I had said I had recently had a death in the family. The second was almost always, "What's the deal with keeping Matt Millen around?"

To which I never really had an adequate response. I mean, what can you say? Fans tried boycotts, protests, civil disobedience, there was an infamous game against Cincinnati at the end of the 2005 season where Lions fans wore orange to try and shame the Ford family into firing Millen. Nothing worked. Eventually, you have to come to terms with the fact that fans don't own the team, owners own the team. Either you suffer with that or you don't, but real fans suffer. There are a lot of real fans in Detroit.

And now, with my favorite football team no better off than it was yesterday despite Millen's ouster, at least I never have to answer THAT question again. And maybe there's hope. A new GM will be hired in the next few months. If he's anything like the last few the Lions will continue to suck, but there's always that chance of catching lightning in a bottle.

For the first time last weekend, I went to the Lions "NFL bar" in Las Vegas. Another cool thing about being a neutral NFL city is that bars all over town adopt an NFL team and show only their teams games when they're on. So you can go somewhere and feel like you're watching the game at a bar in Detroit, even 2,000 miles away from your home. The Lions bar is a small hole in the wall, but manned every Sunday by diehards who show up every week without fail and hope for the best.

Given the news that Millen got the boot, I think it might have been kismet that I watched the latest debacle on Sunday with them because I felt the loss a lot harder.

When watching Lions games at a bar with a whole of lot of other games on and a whole lot of other fans from other teams, it's easier to keep a brave detachment from how you really feel. And when the nicer fans of some successful team offer their condolences on another shitty performance, you put on a brave face and laugh off the poor "Lie-downs" when really all that's running through your mind is that your life is half over and there's a very good chance you might go your entire life without seeing the team you love win a championship.

So this past Sunday, it felt really good to be able to vent with a whole bunch of strangers who care as much as I do. We didn't know it at the time, but it really was the last straw in the Millen era and I'm glad I got to share it with them. Hopefully, it was the absolute nadir of an era that saw the Lions turned into a national laughingstock. And when I see them again in two weeks for the Oct. 5 game against Chicago, we'll finally have the gift of hope, which will make what is likely to be another cruel season at least somewhat bearable.

Continue reading "NFL Week 3 Picks - 2008" »

It's the Monday after Week 2 so I will commence with my annual Peter King (Fatty McButterPants) bashing. I have never cared for his writing, his hyperbole, the worshipping of Brady and Farve, the stories about his kids, or just about anything he puts on paper.

So why, you ask, do I read his stuff? It's very simple. He has access. Regardless of how poorly he writes, he has access to information that few others do. So while I can learn a little, it is always been tough to sort through the maze he writes.

But now he is making up new words and phrases.

•Ben Roethlisberger's ouchy shoulder.

There is Doubtful, Questionable and now Ouchy on the weekly injury reports.

•Justin Tuck pulled an LT in St. Louis, velcroing an interception...

•In the span of six days, Broncs have scored 80 points and Jay Cutler has become a baby-faced closer.

• suspended their starriest player, Steve Smith, for the first two games of the season

• Coffeenerdness: Now this is sure to be a big hit with travelers coast to coast. Delta Sky Magazine interviewed me about coffee and took my picture with Bailey, the golden retriever, and you'll see it -- if you're really, really lucky -- in your seat-back pockets come November.

Continue reading "NFL Week 2 Picks - 2008" »

The early games were well stocked with nine contests and besides a few upsets, many teams failed to cover the spread. I have always stayed away from wagering during Week 1 and this is a fantastic example of the hypothesis of that theory. (* I think that may be the first time we used hypothesis on the Front Page)

The Stars:

• Matt Cassel. He had to be shitting bricks when Tom Terrific went down. He actually had more pass attempts today than he had in the last two seasons combined. He went 13 for 18 with a respectable 8.4 yards per attempt and one TD.

• Was there anyone besides me dumb enough to bench Fast Willie Parker this week in fantasy football? Houston had 234 net offensive yards and Parker himself had 138 with only 3 TDs. I deserve to lose this weeks match-up for my own stupidity. (I started Ganja Williams instead)

• The entire Titans Defense. They held Jacksonville to 33 yards rushing on 17 attempts for a whopping 1.9 per attempts average. They also picked Garrard twice and recovered a fumble too. Great play, good coaching and a Win.

• Michael Turner. After a few year as LT's caddie, Turner finally has his own chance for stardom. This week he took full advantage of that opportunity and also took the heat off of his rookie QB. 220 yards on 22 attempts with 2 TDs. The Lions had a total of 62 yards rushing.

• Roscoe Parrish. He had 6 punt returns for a 120 yards with a 63 yard return for a touchdown. Even without the big run 5 returns for 57 yards is very respectable.

• Drew Brees had a 343 yard day against the Bucs defense. He did throw one pick that was returned for a TD, but a 23 for 32 day with a 10.7 yards per attempt will be sending him to Hawaii.

• Donovan McNabb, the washed up Chunky Soup spokesperson, showed what he can still do when he says he is healthy. 361 yards with 3 TDs and a 10.9 yards per attempt will put a shine on any bald spot. Meanwhile Philly's D held St. Louis to 166 bet yards and 3 points. The NFC East may be the toughest division this year.

Continue reading "NFL Week 1 Picks - 2008" »

Continue reading "List of NFL Coaches and Coordinators, 2008 Season" »

Continue reading "Fantasy Football PreSeason!" »

Okay, it's preseason now, and I can't leave the tv on mute all the time.

One thing still stuns me. It's bigger than Favre. Much bigger. But fewer situations detail so clearly the issue I have with punditry and, more generally, commentary.

What pushed conventional thinking to such a point that makes it so commonplace for others to wait until the things play out before sending judgment on a tough decision?

In other words, and specifically, why must we wait to see if Aaron Rodgers works out in Green Bay to know if Ted Thompson made the right move? Why can't people make that call now?

I've really tried to stay away from Brett Favre this year. I really have. I stopped watching the NFL Network in early February. I haven't read the crap that gets written (until editing this post), and I've changed the channel whenever it's been discussed.

So, how was what happened here not the best result for everyone? How can what Thompson did not be viewed upon as anything but the best way through?

We certainly are a reactionary people; spoiled even.

And seriously, Favre won one Super Bowl. A great quarterback. But if ability + opportunity = greatness, Favre's name still rings to me much more on the opportunity side when compared to Elway, Marino, Montana.

"Here's the short version: California prep coaches Kurt Bryan and Steve Humphries concocted a scheme in which, theoretically, any one of the 11 offensive players could be an eligible receiver. The offense lines up in an extreme spread formation with three traditional offensive linemen, two quarterbacks (you read that right) in shotgun, and six players split wide, four on the line and two off it. Once the offense sets, the five "interior linemen" (two of whom are actually split) are ineligible. That leaves six eligible receivers; because the quarterbacks are in shotgun, either could catch a pass. But until the offense sets, it is hard to tell who is a receiver and who is a blocker, and with some creative scheming, even the center could be eligible."

"Hey Brett, how many offseasons of pretend retirement do you think you have left?"

Via another true Swamp Hall of Famer, one who is better than any other guest poster we've had on the front this week without a doubt, SL22 submits a contribution that rips to shreds yesterday's excellent contribution by Jerloma regarding Brett Favre:

Jerloma, you forgot two transgressions in the Bert Favre saga:

C) He retired again
D) He changed his mind again

In the eyes of most people, he didn't become selfish and arrogant in light of these recent events. He just became more selfish and arrogant, and apparently oblivious. Bert seems to be a pretty manipulative guy here, using the liberal media to slander the Packers. Wait, I took that out of the wrong playbook. He's using the media to paint himself as the victim in just about every interview he gives, while also throwing in the occasional sentence that suggests that he knows it's a business or whatever. From MJD:

"I had planned on reporting for the start of Packers training camp Sunday, but Ted Thompson asked if I would give him a couple of days to try to get the situation resolved. I agreed to do that. I don't want to be a distraction to the Packers, and I hope in the next few days we can come to an agreement that would allow me to continue playing football.''

"I asked Ted [Saturday], 'Am I welcome in the building if I report?' and Ted was just about shattered," said Favre in a telephone interview. "He said, 'Brett, you can't do that -- you'll get me fired.' I told him I'm not trying to get anybody fired. So Ted asked me to let the guys report and let's try to resolve this over the next two or three days."

Oh, don't worry Bert, you haven't been a distraction at all. Sure, you once again decided that you wanted to retire, and as such the team decided to move on and continue actually playing football without you in the future. But now you want to come back again, and you want them to put the future on hold for you. Too bad, Bert. Additionally, don't some of these seem like private conversations? Bert gossips like a 12-year-old girl...I can't tell if he has more in common with Joe Montana or Hannah Montana. If Buzz Bissinger were writing this, he might describe Bert as an aging superstar, a franchise quarterback who knows that he has something left in the tank. A player who was caught up in the frenzied emotion of what would have been a dramatic final season, a season where he exceeded even his own expectations, a storybook type of season if there ever was one...a soon-to-be Hall of Famer still desperate for the spotlight and faced with the reality that his best days are behind him; an emotional gunslinger struggling to let go of a dream and likely going about it in all the wrong ways. However, Buzz Bissinger is not writing this, so I'm just going to call Favre an f-ing douchebag.

Look, the Packers will not only be around in 2008, they will be around in 2009, and they probably plan on existing in 2013 and beyond. Bert Favre will not be around then, and if he comes back AGAIN this year, Aaron Rodgers may not be, either. From all indications, the Packers like Rodgers as their QB of the future, having expended a first round draft pick on him and most likely having been pleased with his performance in relief of the injured gunslinger last season. They've told him he will be the starter. He's taken some of his teammates to an Army camp in Fairbanks. He's the guy. He knows he's the guy. And he's probably not going to be too happy when Favre unretires and puts him back on clipboard duty AGAIN. Any more clipboarding for Rodgers and he's going to think he's working at Office Depot. Apparently, the Packers seem to realize this and they aren't going to let Favre do it. And I'm sure they want no part of the inevitable media circus that Favre will have centered around himself in 2009.

That leaves three options.

1. Keep a $12 million QB on the bench. Which, as it appears that Bert is reporting to camp either today or tomorrow, looks like it might actually happen.

2. Release Favre so that he can sign with the Vikings or Bears. If there is one guy who can go INT-for-INT with Rex Grossman, it's Bert Favre. However, the Packers are in a unique situation here where they cannot let Bert sign in the division, as there would likely be a jihad declared inside of Lambeau Field. Any other team, any other player, and I bet this would be the result. But, Thompson just cannot do this. As you said, Jerloma, it's a business. And as a business decision, he'd rather keep Favre on the bench, which he has every right to do. The Green Bay Packers do not owe Bert Favre a release from his contract.

3. Trade Favre. However, Thompson has asked Bert for a list of teams he'd like to be traded to. And Bert won't give him a list. Why not, Bert? If you want to be released so badly to sign with a different team, why can't you just accept a trade instead? Too hot in Tampa Bay, huh? Hopefully they trade him to Arizona. There is no good reason he has not provided a list of teams he'd accept a trade to if he's serious about all of the things he has said in the media.

Bert Favre has placed the Packers in a bind again, and of course he's turned many of his diehard fans against the management (just look at the inane comments everytime MJD or some other high-profile blogger writes about Bert), and he's once again got all of the eyes in the NFL focused on him. He's a d-bag, plain and simple. He's under contract to Green Bay, and they owe him nothing along the lines of an outright release or even a trade to a team that plays in comfortable weather. But hey, keep texting Fatty McButterpants with how disrespected you feel, Bert.

Bert: hey pk

Peter McButterpants: hey bert, whats up?

Bert: ridin the tractor cuz GB doesn't want me ne more

PM: they have 2 bert ur the gunslinger u r a kid out there

Bert: i no im a kid i even use t9word when i txt msg

PM: they r disrespectin u bert

Bert: i still have sumthin left in the tank

PM: ur a hall of famer they shud just release u

Bert: cud u plz print that

PM: no problem number 4 u sexy man

Another offseason 100% devoted to Favre. This is why he's become so disliked and annoying. I think villain is a strong term, Jerloma, because it's not like everybody absolutely hates him. They just think he's a douche and they don't care if he gets to come back and play again. At least, that's how I feel. He told Green Bay that he will not be playing, they made moves to play without him, and now he wants to come back. Again. How can anyone blame them for getting fed up with his act? Bert Favre can play in the Arena League, for all I care.

Via a true Swamp Hall of Famer, one of our best without doubt, Jerloma submits this excellent contribution regarding Brett Favre:

Some time in between the NFC Championship game and now, Brett Favre turned into the Angel of Darkness or at the very least, he became selfish, arrogant, and basically a pariah to the team he's given his career to. His transgressions are as follows:

A) He retired
B) He changed his mind

What an arrogant prick! Look people . . . the NFL is a business and Brett Favre is a product of it. He's probably still better than half of the starting QBs in the NFL (conservative) and as long as there's a market for his services and he has the will to line up behind center, he should be given that opportunity. It's basic supply and demand. Unfortunately, Favre became the bad guy somewhere along the way and the Green Bay Packers are suddenly getting sympathy points from every media outlet west of Montclair, NJ.

The Packers stance is that they've moved on and hence they have told Favre that he will have no chance to compete for the starting job regardless of whether or not he outperforms Aaron Rodgers. On the other hand, they have no intention of releasing him because while confident in their decision to go with the kid despite having a chance to keep a team intact that was one game from the Super Bowl last year, they don't want Favre on a team that they may have to actually play. If he carved them up, that certainly wouldn't look good. After all, this was their decision. Remember though . . . Favre is the one with the ego. Follow that script.

Ultimately, the Packers have no obligation to do a damn thing except honor his contract for the time being. Still, there was never any clause in that contract that indicated he would not be able to compete for a starting job in the final years of it. Keeping him on that team as a backup with no chance to compete would be completely unethical and I'd be shocked if there weren't any rules against it. Cut him. Trade him. Whatever. The point being is that if you're "moving on" then move the fuck on. You can't have it both ways.

There are a lot of scumbags in the NFL but Favre isn't one of them. He's just a guy who changed his mind.

- Jerloma

Apparently in the months before his death in 2005, the former Steeler lineman wrote a lengthy letter about the league and its PED issues. The letter was found on his computer, and was drafted just a few months before Courson's accidental death. From the LA Times:

"I believe the NFL is a prisoner to their own public relations myth," Courson said in the letter, which was found on the computer of his western Pennsylvania home after he was crushed to death at age 50 by a tree he was cutting down. "The level of deception and exploitation that the NFL requires to do business still amazes me."

There's more details in the article, and excepts from the letter will be used in a book written by a friend of Courson entitled ""Spiral of Denial: Muscle Doping in American Football" due out soon.

Somewhere, Frog co-founder (and NFL critic) GaryClark just moved Steve Courson to Norma Rae status.

...another piece of Aaron Rodgers dies.

Dear lord, but Rodgers must hate Favre in ways that are hard for the rest of us to comprehend. At any rate, after the inevitable surfacing of rumors that he is itchy, his denial. Perhaps he needs Solarcaine.

And when he is in camp in mid-August, no one will be surprised.

By the way, that South Park episode from last season? The one where the internet all but disappeared and the Marshs went west and stayed in an internet refugee camp? When Stan Marsh finally got to the 'net and back to his beloved porn, his reaction to that is probably roughly approximate to what Peter King's reaction to this story somewhere was.

Which is as it should be. Steve Mariucci, go:

"Matt Millen has changed 58 coaches already, and he's now finally changing players," Mariucci said. "Sure I've stayed in touch with some of them and some of the coaches, and on occasion Bill Ford Jr. -- I respect the heck out of Bill, he'll take that team over some day."

Ha ha, good one, Steve Mariucci. 58 coaches. That's exaggerating for affect, right? Wait. No?

58 coaches? 58?

Matt Millen, your longevity continues to fly in the face of your incompetence. I suppose, in soem way, it must be honored. So, well done sir. Well done. On behalf of anyone who rode out a shift at their local burger joint in the stockroom smoking a joint and thinking it would be nice to get paid for doing nothing for as long as possible, well done.

...Dallas is not the yardstick for excellence.

From the Miami Herald:

"Some Dolphins officials believe their safeties are better than Dallas'. Among the best battles in camp: Jason Allen (first-team snaps in May/June), Renaldo Hill (expects to be 100 percent after surgery to an anterior cruciate ligament) and former Falcons starter Chris Crocker vying to start opposite Yeremiah Bell. ''Jason has a lot of speed and I like what I see, as much as you can like in shorts and a T-shirt,'' secondary coach Todd Bowles said."

Well, since Dallas' safeties suck, good for Miami. I guess. Way to set a low baseline, Miami coaches.

ETA: All right, suck may be a bit strong. But a highlight of every NFL September for me is waching Roy Williams get torched deep in a crucial spot in a Cowboys game. So, hey Miami, way to be better than that...

And not because he is dead. Or in jail.

But because he wants to get beyond his past. Quoth Pacman:

"There's really just a lot of negativity behind it," Jones said. "It's just time for a change, man. I'm doing everything to make sure that I'm all right as a person, mentally and emotionally."

Ya know, the whole thing reads like a Sports Pickle or Onion article. But it is apparently serious. If only he had thought of himself as Adam Jones a year ago, perhaps there would have been no rain in Nevada and a bouncer would not be paralyzed. Stupid nickname, forcing him to do bad things. Glad those days are behind him now...

One year after picking the Saints to be the NFC's Super Bowl rep at about this same time, Dr. Z at si.com is back to his old tricks. So, yeah, the Saints pick wasn't so shrewd, but it was bold.

So, he's back in the bold game. His pick to be in the Super Bowl for the NFC this time around?

The Vikings.

Seriously.

Head here to read his reasons. They tend to rest on their allegedly ferocious defense, Adrian Peterson, and Tavaris Jackson taking some sort of mammoth leap to being average or better. The argument?

"Besides the production, there's something to walking into the building every day and being the man. I mean every day. Tavaris is pretty good with that." [quote from Childress]

There aren't many better situations for a young quarterback than the one in which Jackson now finds himself. Childress played the position. He coached on the offensive side for 29 years before getting his head coaching shot at Minnesota two seasons ago. For seven years he was the Eagles QB coach and offensive coordinator. Donovan McNabb made the Pro Bowl in five of those years. When McNabb was hurt during the 2002 season, Childress' offense set a team record for points, using three starting quarterbacks."

Sooooooo, to sum up, the guy who threw 9 TDs and 12 picks last season is ready to helm a team to the Super Bowl because Childress is his coach and he knows he's "the man". Ummmm, not exactly convincing. But there you go. Vikes to the Super Bowl. Place your bets now. I bet you can get some wonderful odds...

With regard to its battle with Comcast and other carriers over their refusal to carry the NFL Network on a basic tier?

Perhaps.

The LA Times is breaking some news this morning that the NFL and ESPN are starting talks with regard to the NFL Network's late-season package of games and a partnership for broadcasting those games.

Sure sounds like a blink. From the story:

"The NFL and ESPN on Friday declined to confirm or deny that talks are underway.

"We have a long term and extensive relationship with the NFL," said ESPN spokesman Chris LaPlaca. "To that end we are always in discussions with them about mutual projects." NFL Senior Vice President Joe Browne said that "we speak to our TV partners all the time about all sorts of issues." But an executive with another television network that pays a premium for the right to broadcast NFL games questioned whether that's the case. "If these talks are going on, I'm surprised that the NFL would limit discussion to just one of their network partners," said the executive, who is not authorized to discuss the network's NFL dealings. "It's kind of mind-boggling if they are having these discussions."

Another executive from the same network, who also is not authorized to discuss the network's NFL dealings, suggested that the expected success of Major League Baseball's 24-hour channel has to give NFL owners pause. The Baseball Channel, which is owned in part by Time Warner Cable, DirecTV, Cox and Comcast, will immediately reach a rollout record 47 million cable and satellite homes nationwide when it launches in January -- more than four times as many as the NFL Network reached with its launch in 2003."

MLB eating the NFL's lunch with regard to media and negotiating? Good lord. Man bites dog and all that.

When I am in pain there is nothing better than some oxycodone. Of course it doesn't take away the pain, it just makes you not care. The downside is that sometimes oxycodone can be slightly addictive. Just for a few people, on rare occasions. Sort of like heroin.

New England Patriots offensive lineman Nick Kaczur was arrested in April for illegal possession of prescription painkillers and cooperated with federal agents in a sting of his alleged supplier, The Boston Globe reported Wednesday.

The newspaper cited the alleged dealer's lawyer, a federal affidavit and two sources who had been briefed on the investigation and were speaking on condition of anonymity in reporting that Kaczur, 28, wore a wire during three drug buys in southeastern Massachusetts. The third of those buys was followed by federal agents arresting the alleged supplier.

So basically Kaczur rolled over like a dog and snitched like a rat. If you can't do the time, don't do the crime.

Since most of us do not qualify in either category of this fight, it should be of little to no interest to us. Except it happens to be the NFL versus the players. Just some rich, self-absorbed, greedy motherfuckers fighting over the last slice of pie that none of us will get to eat from, yet we will be the ones with heartburn.

The NFL owners voted unanimously Tuesday to end their agreement with the players' union in 2011, two years before the deal was to expire.

Jemele Hill:

"It's hard to tell which is more astonishing -- that (Karl) Malone actually feels this way, or that (Demetrius) Bell was able to overcome the heartbreaking reality of being rejected by a parent."

Really? You have a hard time figuring out which is more astonishing? I'll help. The second isn't astonishing at all. It's called life. It's realizing that relying on a parent who could do such a thing would be folly.

Is Demetrius Bell the only guy in the NFL draft who has had little to no contact with their father? I'm going out on a sturdy limb and saying not a chance. Before anyone thinks that's got anything to do with any racial/socioeconomic issues, I'll say that I'm in the same boat as those guys, and I wouldn't want it any other way.

Certainly there are situations where growing up without a father creates situations that must be overcome. However, not having a father around doesn't mean you've got a lot to overcome in and of itself.

I didn't have a father growing up. Still don't. I have a Dad, though, and she did a wonderful job of making me realize that it wasn't me who had anything to overcome.

Happy Mother's Day (a bit early), Mom.

Finally, David Witthoft shunned his Brett Favre jersey for the first time in 1,581 days.

The Ridgefield, Conn. boy, 12, wore the No. 4 jersey every day since receiving it as a gift for Christmas in 2003. David's father, Chuck Witthoft, said Monday that his son's last day wearing the jersey was April 23 -- his 12th birthday.

Witthoft conceded his son was starting to become more concerned about his appearance after the jersey barely came down to his belt line.

Witthoft first gained national attention three years ago, and attended his first Packers game in December. He's also planning to attend the Sept. 8 game when the Packers retire Favre's No. 4.

His mother, Carolyn, had washed the jersey every other day and mended it when needed.

of NFL players least likely to be involved in a shooting, Marvin Harrison would definitely be in the top 10. Yet, he is being investigated for just such an instance.

The NFL draft passed without the Miami Dolphins trading Jason Taylor, but that doesn't mean all is well with the team's star defensive player and new football czar Bill Parcells.

Taylor recently became incensed with Parcells during a recent visit to team headquarters, according to the Miami Herald. Taylor popped in on the Dolphins' executive vice president while he was watching tape, but the newspaper said Parcells ignored Taylor without speaking a word to him.

Taylor was taking a break from "Dancing With the Stars" when he stopped in to visit Dolphins players in South Florida. According to the Herald, after receiving a warm reception from his teammates, Taylor decided to seek out Parcells.

But according to the Herald, Parcells had no interest in talking to Taylor. Parcells even looked at Taylor, the newspaper reported, before going back to watching tape.

I am not sure exactly what is going on, but I am thinking tha for some reason, Jason Taylor is not on Parcell's grocery list.

The draft is over and now Mel Kiper can put his hair back into its mummified coffin for six months. When it comes to the draft I have learned to only trust the opinion of one guy. The amazing Dr. Z. He brings sanity to a situation of projections, 40 times, and workout wonders.

Here is a link to Dr Z's draft review. I think he sums it all up pretty well.

Matt Stover, the Baltimore Ravens' veteran kicker, has begun a campaign to replace Gene Upshaw as executive director of the NFL Players Association by next March.

I say that's bullshit. I started the campaign to replace Upshaw a few years ago. In fact when Goodell took over, he spent three hours learning the proper way to stick his hand up Gene's ass to get his lips to move.

"I feel that the board must begin to prepare for a change in leadership immediately," Stover said in an e-mail to the union's executive board and player representatives that was obtained Tuesday by ESPN.

...are taking an interest in Darren McFadden. And, since the Bears pick 14th overall and there is no way McFadden will be there at that point, the speculating about whether Chicago would be inclined to try and move up to get him can start. Even if they don't trade up, they are reportedly interested in McFadden's running mate Felix Jones as well. And he would probably be available at 14 overall.

And, while we're here, at this news we can raise an eyebrow with regard to how the Bears feel Cedric Benson is progressing in the recovery from his ankle break in November. I would guess there is some concern.

Bits and pieces for your perusal:

---Hashmarks at espn.com calls out Dan Rooney and the Steelers for a double standard. And an awkward one at that. In Pittsburgh's defense, that is the same double standard that applies for pretty much every sporting team going. Nothing new here.

---Denver's wider receiver Brandon Marshall with the most difficult-to-believe injury in Colorado since deer-meat gate. Fell through a TV and cut arm? Ok, I guess. It's all in how you sell it, Brandon.

---Bill Parcells actively looking to deal the #1 overall pick? Maybe. But the problem for him is the same as what is driving him to try and deal it. Not necessarily a guy right at the top worth what it will take to sign him.

---The Wonderlics are in. And there are some pretty bright players in this draft. At the least, there are a whole bunch who are three times as Wonderlic bright, as, say, Chris Henry was. At the least, none of them are likely to ever commit a crime while wearing their own jersey.

---A Bengals free agent siging actually wounded another team? Wow. Will wonders never cease and all that. At any rate, the Colts, who rely heavily on two tight end sets, will be having to address the loss of Ben Utecht in free agency. And Bengals fans actually get to look forward to maybe incorporating just one tight end into the their passing offense. Finally.

---Mock draft stuff from the last few weeks: Don Banks at si.com, TSX, Prisco, and Judge at sportsline.com, and scout.com on foxsports. Enjoy. One month until the April NFL holiday weekend. If the Dolphins are not able to trade the #1 overall, the consensus now is now that Jake Long is the player most likely to go in that spot to Miami.

Guess the musing that the Cowboys really might provide a home for Tennessee's number one bad boy were not just idle musing after all. It appears that preliminary talks have been had about bringing the rainmaker cornerback from Nashville to Dallas.

I can only hope that the Cowboys do this, somehow talk Mike Brown into taking the cap hit to deal Chad Johnson, and give us all the spectacle of Terrell Owens, Chad Johnson, and Pacman Jones on one team for 2008.

That would be swell. Someone, please, make this happen.

By popular demand.

So, I've been begging the Bengals to trade this tool for awhile now, as it became painfully apparent about a year or so ago that his shtik, so very funny and amusing for national talking heads, was masking his being a complete dick in the locker-room and a guy who most assuredly looks out for himself ahead of his team at all times. And, in doing so, I was late arriving at the idea that he is as destructive as it now appears he is. I know I argued long and hard that there was no way that he had hit a coach as was reported two years ago about an alleged halftime altercation involving Johnson.

Well, I guess it is a lot less alleged this morning. And I was wrong to think that there was no way Johnson would have done something so stupid. As is now evident, he trades in stupid.

And, as much as it pains me to admit it, it appears Pro Football Talk was right back in the day when it had the story that no one else did that Johnson had blown up at halftime of the ill-fated and doomed Bengals playoff loss to the Steelers and punched a coach. Despite consistent denials from pretty much everyone in the locker-room that day, Shaun Smith (now with the Browns) has apparently confirmed that Johnson punched Marvin Lewis and took a swing at then-receivers coach Hue Jackson. And, really, with the team reeling from the loss of Carson Palmer on the first offensive snap from scrimmage but still in a game that could have been won, I am certain that there was nothing better for them than watching Chad Johnson have an all-time tantrum causing the coaches to deal with him rather than get the team ready for the second half.

All class, that Chad Johnson. And just the kind of calming influence that helps football teams win. Seriously, why can't they get rid of this tool? Oh, wait, because Mike Brown is a tool as well and apparently won't allow it. It amazes me that Marvin Lewis would consent to coach the guy after that. Hell, this explains the persistent bitching about double standards from Bengals players with regard to the rules and Chad Johnson. You want a first class exhibit, post-Terrell Owens, about how to meltdown a team with selfish behavior? It's Chad Johnson. By the way, Cincy's continually coming up small in big situations mirrors that of Johnson, who absolutely disappears when it counts. You build your team around talented but extremely flawed individuals like Johnson, and the circus of the last few seasons in Cincinnati is one of the very possible results.

Awesome. And when he is on the team come August, and daily stories about his mood are all that is being reported from training camp, well, that's gonna be just swell. For everyone else. For Bengals fans? Not so much.

The Jets, fresh off their free agent spending spree, may have a zen for Darren McFadden. And, as luck would have it, a major metropolis teeming with women for McFadden to impregnate.

As for mock drafts, not a ton of new stuff (i.e., before the initial free agency flurry of signings), but here's some reading if you have lost track of the early guesses:

---A collection at sportsline.com

---Don Banks' v. 3.0 on si.com

---Scout.com has a really fine effort that takes into account the start of the free agency period at foxsports.com out just yesterday. Good stuff in that one.

Oh, and what do I like (love) about their version (NTYC* March edition)? For the second mock in a row, Glenn Dorsey falls to the Bengals slot. I like the cut of their gib with those guesses. Hope those worries about his leg linger and let him drop just that far. I really do.

*Not that you care

The Cowboys have a yearning for some Pacman. Jones, that is. I guess they are trying to bring back the "fun" of the Michael Irvin 90s days. A few obstacles:

1. He is still suspended

2. He is a member of the Titans

Still, if this somehow were to come to pass, adding Jones to a team that already has Terrell Owens is, at the least, potentially entertaining.

Don Banks has a good take here on si.com, with nice words for the Browns (he calls them the team to beat in 2008 in the AFC North), Eagles, Saints, and Falcons.

Getting a thumbs down from Banks? Jets (he's not impressed with the moves they have made in free agency), 49ers, Dolphis, Chiefs, Titans, and Raiders. His write-up on the Raiders is noteworthy:

"• Oakland Raiders -- Where to begin? The Raiders gave defensive end-turned-tackle Tommy Kelly more than $18 million guaranteed despite the fact that the onetime undrafted collegiate free agent played just seven games last season and is coming off ACL surgery. They paid a steep price for receiver Javon Walker, who has had three knee surgeries and is said to be playing with a bone-on-bone situation in one of his knees. And they added ex-49ers offensive tackle Kwame Harris, a former first-round pick who couldn't even stay in the lineup for San Francisco's less-than-dominating offensive line last season.

Ex-Giants safety Gabril Wilson is a solid -- if unspectacular player -- but at $39 million, the Raiders had to over-pay to entice him to town. While it certainly made sense to re-sign running back Justin Fargas and franchise cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, the Raiders saw receiver Jerry Porter and quarterback Josh McCown walk away in free agency without getting anything in return. At this point, quarterback is again a concern, because no one knows if JaMarcus Russell is ready to take over the starting job. There are rumors that he's close to 300 pounds and not exactly prepared for his close-up.

Bolded part says what?

Holy Jared Lorenzen, Batman, that's, that's, that's a huge problem for the Raiders is remotely true. Quarterbacks that size can be lovable lugs enjoying life as a back-up. In, say, New York, for the Super Bowl champs. Quarterbacks that size who are #1 overall draft choices? Potentially franchise crippling. And not so much a lovable lug.

John Tomase in the Boston Herald with a pretty decent list to chew over:

1. Dallas
2. Green Bay
3. Pittsburgh (oh please, that sure would be swell, go ahead and stick a hot poker in the eye of every Bengals fan around while you are at it)
4. NY Giants
5. New Orleans

Don Banks yesterday with these thoughts among others on si.com:

---He's a little more non-plussed with the 49ers moves than I am (see my post just below), calling them basically Washington west. Dan Snyder won't be pleased about that.

---He refuses to believe that Randy Moss would really dare to leave all things Tom Brady. I think Banks doesn't really understand Moss then.

---He likes what the Browns got done. Sure. Pour salt, Don Banks.

By the way, Michael Turner is in Ladainian Tomlinson's shadow no more, heading to a pot of gold in Atlanta. $15 million in guaranteed money front-loaded in a six-year $35 million dollar contract.

The Bengals. Of Cincinnati.

Even when they try to do something right, it somehow ends up wrong. How else to explain having acquired a true difference make in the middle of the defensive line in Shaun Rogers for all of two hours Friday afternoon, only to learn that the NFL front office disallowed the deal, and then watch as the fuckin' Browns swoop in and get said difference maker?

I mean, jeebus. Like getting punched in the nuts on a repeated basis. You ask for it to stop, and it continues, unending.

Big winners so far in free agency (three whole days in edition)?

The Browns. Fuckers. But it's hard to argue with a new defensive front, a re-signed quarterback, and a wide receiver. Bastards.

Dolphins. Getting new blood on a team that desperately needed same.

Niners. I don't think anyone they got is going to put them in the playoffs necessarily, but Justin Smith and Deshaun Foster will help them be better.

Losers? Um, the Bengals. Yeah, the Bengals. Even when they try to win, they lose.

Indispensible sorting through all of this? Hashmarks on espn.com, which has rapidly become THE must-stop for NFL news this off-season.

...Oiler's next post on combine stuff that has jumped out at him, pass the time with Hashmarks on espn.com. If you have missed the doings in Indy to this point and care to catch up, there is no better resource for getting up to speed on the nets. This note is of interest:

"LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey still must convince teams that injury concerns are overblown. Dorsey stressed that he hasn't missed games, but medical examinations haven't removed the uncertainty over a stress-fracture injury suffered during his junior season."

Apparently the concerns were sufficient enough that he was sent to a local hospital for a battery of tests over the weekend. Gotta say, as a Bengals fan of a team with the #9 overall pick in the first round, if injury concerns cause Dorsey to slip down that far, well, that would be outstanding.

He laid down blistering 4.27 and 4.33 times in the 40 at the combine yesterday. That's really damn good. And also somewhat of interest was the chatter making the rounds amongst the people covering the combine and captured and relayed to the rest of us via the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

"That's where news got out that Arkansas running back Darren McFadden is not only battling a paternity suit, but that he told a team during an interview Saturday night that he has two children on the way."

Well. That's prolific. He's already blown past the Tom Brady and Matt Leinart level and is already in the Chad Johnson category for children outside of marriage. And, that is a fast enough start at a young enough age that perhaps, dare we dream, Travis Henry's mark might be in reach?

And, again, because I just don't understand this, why is it so hard to buy and put on a condom? Heck, aside from the you-might-make-a-baby concern, should there not also be the you-might-get-a-disease-and-even-maybe-die-because-of-it concern? Or is that worry too rooted in me from being in high school and college in the late 80s and early 90s? At any rate, McFadden appears less than concerned about those kinds of worries.

I remember how Peter Jennigs used to pronounce Nicaragua. It took him 15 seconds. What bullshit.

Meanwhile....Shirts and caps proclaiming the victory of the New England Patriots -- when the American football team actually lost the latest Super Bowl -- have ended up in the hands of poor Nicaraguan children.

Ironically some of these same children made the uniforms for the players in the Super Bowl and after going on strike and getting a raise are now making $0.27 a day. Fucking unions.

• Matt Ryan has decided not to throw at the Combine. What you hiding, Matty?

  "I want to give teams an accurate reflection of how I throw the ball," he said. "I want to throw to guys I know."

  I really liked Ryan in college, but quarterbacking in the NFL is played more in the head than it is in the body. Anyone not able to excel in uncontrolled circumstances should worry that team and its fans.
• The top three running back prospects, McFadden, Mendenhall, and Stewart, will all run at the Combine. Watch for yourself as McFadden's stock drops out of the top 20 and into the waiting arms of Jerry Jones.
• A coin flip has decided the rest of the top 10 for the 2008 NFL draft. There was a three way tie for the third spot, but that is now property of the Altanta Falcons. The Raiders will pick 4th and the Chiefs 5th.
• The competition committee is considering reseeding teams after each round of the playoffs, instead of using the current system which preseeds everyone before the first round and then keeps those matchups throughout the tournament. UPDATE: This is entirely wrong. I read the story incorrectly this morning. What they are considering is granting the top 6 teams a playoff berth, no matter the division champs. Don't tell my mom I was wrong and don't tell the NHL they're thinking about this.

I could wax poetically about the foolishness of keeping writers out of "secret" areas of the Combine, while letting the NFL Network put a camera everywhere. (I hope the aren't doing any colonoscopys) But I wll defer to the great Dr. Z who's opinion on this matter I whole heartedly agree with.

Boycotting the combine

The Combine workouts begin this week. I won't be there. I understand they're going to have them anyway. They used to be absolutely secret deals -- only the athletes, their relatives and about 40 million agents. Writers need not apply. Stay out. Beware the dog! This means you! No pasaran!

Now they're an ongoing feature of the NFL Network. I don't know what the coverage will be like because I've never seen it, but one thing is the same. Writers once again are not permitted to the inner sanctum. Interview areas are set up all over the place, and the press can have the pleasure of crowding like ants around the athletes after they've done what they're paid to do, hopeful of maybe a further moment alone with an agent or personnel director.

There's absolutely no reason why the press should be banned from the inner sanctum, except for the fact that that's the way the NFL always has done it. You know, the old Emerson quote -- "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." The writers could be sitting in the stands of the RCA Dome, or up in the press box, taking notes, minding their P's and Q's, as well behaved as little troopers, answering the call when interviews are set up, just as they do at the NFL draft. But no, the NFL has decided this must be a secret event, except for their own network, of course.

So if you don't want me, Combine people, then you'll have to get by without my help. What bothers me is that my fellow journalists are willing to take any kick in the teeth the NFL dishes out and remain smiling. In the old days, when the labor movement was alive and well in our country, you might have had a chance of organizing the writers into a massive boycott. Let 'em do it without us ... waddya say? Everybody stay away! No chance now. You'd never get all those talk radio people to fall in line, and besides, most newspaper owners are on a social footing with club owners. Their sentiments lie in that direction.

So have a nice Combine, NFL. Have fun covering it, fellow writers. I'll get a printout of the results sneaked to me at the league meetings, and I'll sit down and study the numbers for about 48 hours, as I always do. You don't want me, I don't want you. I've got my own friends to play with.

...appears ready to resume his duties as the Ravens' quarterback in 2008.

"Being a competitor, I understand that people are always going to put something, some name out there," McNair said in his first public statements since the end of last season. "I'm not into speculation, I'm into reality. If it happens, then I'll deal with it.

"But as of right now, my only focus is getting my shoulder ready for the season. I have confidence in myself and in my teammates. If I didn't, I would not come back."

Good luck with that. I am guessing Baltimore's desire for a fresh start in 2008 does not include a 36-year-old quarterback coming off of rotator cuff surgery.

The coaching Marcel Marceau gets relatively effusive. From the Boston Globe:

"In my entire coaching career, I've never seen another team's practice film prior to playing that team," he said. "I have never authorized, or heard of, or even seen in any way, shape, or form any other team's walkthrough. We don't even film our own. We don't even want to see ourselves do anything, that's the pace that it's at. Regardless, I've never been a part of that."

Belichick added that in his "entire coaching career, I have never filmed a walkthrough, our own. I've never been on a staff that has filmed a walkthrough. I'm talking about when I was a head coach. As an assistant, I've never seen a head coach film a walkthrough the day before a game."

Wow. Excellent. The lines are set. GM Scott Pioli is starting the credibility campaign against the mysterious Matt Walsh (alleged tapee of the Rams' walkthrough). And Walsh's attorneys are firing back.

Hmmmm. Where have we seen this before? Oh, yeah, last week. Clemens. McNamee. Attorneys. Congress.

Those who do not learn from history and all that....Crank the circus back up, I guess.

Well, not directly. But indirectly. Because when you have a season as nightmarish as Atlanta just had, you see moves like this:

"Other than Crumpler, one of the team's longtime leaders and best players, former Pro Bowl defensive tackle Rod Coleman, left tackle Wayne Gandy, quarterback Byron Leftwich, linebacker Marcus Wilkins, wide receiver Jamin Elliott and cornerback Lewis Sanders were released."

That is potentially just the beginning. More cuts may be coming, and the names rumored to be at risk in that wave include "tailback Warrick Dunn, quarterback Joey Harrington, linebacker Keith Brooking, guard Kynan Forney, wide receivers Joe Horn and Brian Finneran, and safety Lawyer Milloy."

Mark Bradley in the AJC on the carnage:

"And if it means taking a step backward in 2008 simply to tailor the roster to his liking ... well, [new GM] Dimitroff didn't seem opposed to that, either. "My aim is to put a team on the field that's very aggressive and very passionate, a team that is beginning to believe in itself. That's the first goal. The starting point is to have that in place." He said nothing about going 10-6 or making the playoffs. Rather, he spoke of establishing a template, of setting a new tone. Toward that end, nothing resonates like the rustle of a veteran cleaning out his locker. They'll be hearing that sound often in Flowery Branch, where there's a new man in charge, a bold man who cares nothing for yesterday."

Interesting. And maybe exactly what the Falcons need. Nothing on this yet from the must-read Atlanta focused Braves & Birds site, but, work permitting, I would expect Michael to have a comment there soon.

Arlen Specter appears eager to push ahead with an inquiry after meeting with Roger Goodell:

"There are many matters which have not been explained," Specter said. "And the commissioner is stonewalling."

Gee commish. Sounds like you failed in your sale. Better go home and kick your dog to get your anger out. Or extend Odell Thurman's suspension another year. Whichever makes you feel better.

Oh, and horrible job to you, sir, at containing this. Destroying the tapes and declaring that there was nothing to see? Bad idea then. Bad idea now. Bad idea forever. You really could not foresee the obvious question? That if there was nothing to see, why did you destroy the tapes? Absolute incompetence.

Be right!

Please be right!

League insiders (whoever they may be) are saying that Washington has them some Chad Johnson fever. From the Washington Post:

"Numerous league sources, including some with direct knowledge of conversations between Snyder, Cerrato and recent head coaching candidates, have affirmed that the Redskins have interest in trading for Cincinnati wide receiver Chad Johnson, with two league sources saying Johnson is eager to land a hefty new contract from Washington.

Acquiring an elite receiver is Snyder's top priority, league sources said. The Bengals have said they have no intention of trading Johnson, but his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, is working quietly to broker a deal, the sources said."

Fine. Make it a second round pick and we've got a deal. Well, as long as the Bengals are willing to swallow a horrible cap hit that they would have to take by dealing Johnson. And, now that I think about it, owner Mike Brown doesn't ever take finanical hits on anything. So, sorry league insiders, nice try. I will file that under I-will-believe-it-when-I-see-it. Never mind that getting the Chad Johnson insanity out of Cincinnati would be well worth the cap hit, Mike Brown usually don't play that when it comes to money.

Damn.

Less than favorable. In fact, it was loudly boo-tacular.

Asante Samuel decidely doesn't care:

Arguably. And...what an odd franchise to model.

With the perfunctory Steve Spagnuolo flirtation done (and with neither party apparently particularly interested), the attention is back to Jim Fassel. As for why an obviously talented candidate like Spagnuolo would run from the Washington job screaming? The thing that I have heard/read that makes the most sense is that any coach with any sense will avoid a situation where the team has decided that the position is really a glorified time-out caller, and is trying to make the two coordinators the dominant driving forces. Since those two have already been hired, this take makes a lot of sense. It is the Oakland way of doing things, in large measure, and its a puzzling approach to running a team.

But, hey, for all we know, it is what Tom Cruise has instructed Daniel Snyder to do...

Well, actually, no, it isn't.

But today is the day when Dr. Z's annual review of the NFL announcing teams is out at si.com, so, it is a better day than usual just because of that. No five star teams this year, but Sam Rosen and Tim Ryan on Fox came very close to that exalted level.

As for the bottom of the pack? Once again, it is ESPN's #1 team, with 1/2 a star. No Joe Theismann, but similar result from a year ago. Maybe it's Kornheiser...

Never would have seen this if not for this excellent and funny post by Vandalay over at Airing of Grievances, but the Victoria's Secret people last week tabbed the Steelers' Mike Tomlin as the sexiest NFL coach.

Now that they mention it, I guess he is kinda hot.

That said, while we're here, it is not like he's competing against a crop of Abercrombie & Fitch models though. But perhaps I am missing something when it comes to the Romeo Crennels, Bill Belichicks and Eric Manginis when it comes to hot.

But I doubt it.

Yawn. For a guy who likes to think of himself as original, the antics he is currently engaged in are awfully derivitive of what Terrell Owens pulled to get out of Philadelphia. The problem for Johnson? Those national media members who have not tired of his act (unlike, say, most Bengals fans, or the Cincinnati media) still think of him as a harmless good guy. If he keeps wandering around in front of every microphone he can find acting like a horse's ass, that will change. Good luck with that.

Johnson's other problem? Bengals owner Mike Brown is a stubborn sumbitch. He would be perfectly content to let Johnson bitch, cry, hold his breath, hold out, etc., rather than give in to his trade requests.

Knowing all of that, this particular Bengals fan has set his Johnson meter to "ignore" as this all plays out. In a perfect world, I would deal him for whatever he will bring back, a second or a third or so, and move on. His usefulness to the team has long since been eclipsed by the distracting drama. In this world? I am a mere observer to what is sure to be protracted unhappiness. Oh, and Evil Incarnate claims Johnson won't sit out 2008. Big of him. Being that he is under a contract and all. One that paid him a ton of up-front money two years earlier in a contract renegotiation than the Bengals had to do when the deal got re-done a few years back. See, the usual allegations that the Bengals organization are cheap bastards don't even hold here. The base problem? Chad Johnson is a selfish tool. And that just won't be changing anytime soon.

The guys who own newstands are going to be loving life in the boroughs today. For a taste of the coverage, Bob Glauber in Newsday:

"The New England Patriots were miffed that Plaxico Burress predicted a 23-17 New York Giants' win nearly a week before Sunday night's Super Bowl. Only 17 points for the highest-scoring team in NFL history? As it turned out, Burress gave them a little too much credit.

In one of the most stunning upsets in Super Bowl history, nearly equaling the New York Jets' historic win over the Baltimore Colts following Joe Namath's famous pregame guarantee, the Giants beat the Patriots, 17-14, to ruin New England's attempt at a perfect season and give the Giants their third Super Bowl victory.They did it by matching wits with one of the greatest coaches and greatest quarterbacks of all time, using a brilliantly conceived game plan and getting productive performances from a handful of players who hadn't been major contributors. Until the biggest game of their lives."

That just about covers it. As for Boston, I can't help myself, so, take it away, Dan Shaughnessy:

"There'll be no Hub parade on Super Tuesday. No commemorative books about "Path to Perfection." In New England, the church bells all are broken. Two-touchdown favorites and touted as possibly the greatest football team of all time, the Patriots were beaten by the New York Giants, 17-14, in Super Bowl XLII last night at University of Phoenix Stadium. An 18-0 season dissolved when New York's Eli Manning found Plaxico Burress in the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown pass with 35 seconds left.

The Patriots lost the Super Bowl. It is an alternate universe. It does not compute. It's like hearing Tony Bennett singing, "I Left My Heart in Ashtabula," or seeing a photo of Mitt Romney with his hair messed up. Shocking. This was supposed to be the coronation for Bill Belichick's History Boys."

That's got to set a record for most dated pop cultural references ever. An American Pie shout out? Tony Bennett? Surprised he didn't toss in some Ira Gershwin for good measure. You, you're not particularly with it, CHB.

I'm going to be expecting a whole lot of mea culpas from the chattering class this morning. On to the day after spin and observations.

Don Banks in si.com with Snap Judgments:

"Trust me when I tell you that folks close to Brady were very, very worried about his ankle on the Sunday night after New England had beaten San Diego in the AFC title game earlier that day. Brady basically couldn't even walk on his sore ankle that night at home, which tells you how fortunate the Patriots were that there's a two-week gap between the conference title game and the Super Bowl. Still, Brady appeared to have trouble with his deep passing touch against the Giants, which could be attributable, at least in part, to his inability to plant that foot and follow-through on his throws."

What? I like your stuff, generally, Don Banks, but, what? I don't recall you saying something similar before the game. Were you just holding this nugget in case the Pats lost? That's Peter King-esque. Here's a thought on Brady's troubles that has nothing to do with his ankle. He spent the game being pile-driven into the field by large Giants defenders. Start there and skip the ankle stuff.

A Super Bowl Judgements from Clark Judge at sportsline.com:

"Worst call

It's Belichick again, this time on a fourth-and-13 at the Giants' 31, with just under seven minutes left in the third quarter. Logic says you call for the field goal. Only Belichick didn't. Instead he keeps his offense on the field, and Tom Brady threw the ball out of bounds. Wait a minute, didn't Belichick remember that it was a call just like that -- fourth-and-11 from the 30, to be exact -- that cost Marty Schottenheimer in last year's playoff loss to ... New England? Are you going to tell me that Stephen Gostkowski can't kick a 48-yard field goal indoors? Please. If that's the case, the Patriots should find themselves another kicker.

Great point. I don't recall Buck and Aikman hammering on that call, but it was odd. Apparently Belichick had NO faith in Gostkowski. Or his defense for that matter (what is it, about a ten yard difference in field position if he misses?). But at that point, the way the game had played out, I thought there was a far better chance for Gostkowski to make that kick then convert the first down. And, yeah, New England probably could have used the possible three points later on. Bad move. Bad call.

And, if you were looking forward to the Bill Simmons morning after column, it's here:

"This time around, we were the Rams. We were rooting for the unlikable double-digit favorites with an unstoppable offense. We were the arrogant fans who dismissed the chances of the other team. We had the Super Bowl postgame party looming that had been a hot ticket all week. Then the game started, and everything went right to hell. We looked flat from the first minute. Our underdog opponent gained confidence, punched us in the mouth a few times, kept punching and punching, caught a few breaks, threw a few more punches, ran out of gas near the end, looked to be done ... and out of nowhere, rallied for a miracle drive to steal the championship. We stood there slack-jawed while the other fans celebrated, unable to breathe, wondering what the heck just happened. And then, we hustled out of the stadium like we were fleeing a crime scene."

Mmmmm, your pain, it nourishes me.

A few more random thoughts from me (NTYC):

1. Simmons blathered about the ankle later on in that piece, Banks had his stuff on it, and, well, sorry. I'm not buying it as an excuse for Brady's pedestrian performance. Again, it sure looked to me like New York's relentless pass rush had a lot to do with it.

2. I don't recall freaking out when Randy Moss left the field in Washington early a few years back for the Vikings. So I see no reason for me to freak out over Belichick leaving in the confusion before one second was put back on the clock last night. I better go check to see if I was critical then, in order to be consistent in the criticism today. Assuming I was not critical, there is no reason to be so now. That game was over. Although a little teeny tiny part of me thought it might be funny if Manning had somehow fumbled, the ball had somehow gotten loose, and New England had somehow run the ball back. The stories of Belichick being told about that sequence in the locker-room would have made my millenium.

3. Seriously, how has no one found Tiki Barber to get his reaction to this? Where's Peter King?

4. Great game plan from the Giants in general. Stayed committed to trying to control the clock with a steady running game, and it kept the Patriots off balance all game. As much deserved praise as the Giants defense is getting, it would not have worked had the Giants' offense not done such a good job controlling clock and field position as well.

A lot of fun to watch in general. Just a great game.

...and the rest of us are just guests.

In a Super Bowl and ending that reminded me eerily of another defensive struggle that turned on great quarterback play late (Super Bowl 23 and Montana to Taylor), Eli Manning, with two fourth quarter touchdown drives to Tom Brady's one, led the Giants to a 17-14 upset win for the ages over the Patriots.

A few quick thoughts while waiting for the chattering classes who gave the Giants next to no chance to weigh in on the game:

---Eli Manning had best catch no shit from anyone who calls themselves a Giants fan ever again. I don't see how he could have been better in a big spot, and made every play that the Giants had to have throughout the game, and especially in the fourth quarter. And his escape to launch the pass that ended in the best catch I have ever seen in the Super Bowl (and maybe ever, good lord but David Tyree must have freakishly strong hands) was quarterbacking at its best.

---The pressure from the Giants defense was indeed a huge part of the storyline, as they were able to cause Tom Brady no end of misery for most of the game. They finally wore down in the fourth quarter, but by then had given their offense a chance to win late. You can't have asked for more from them.

---It is impossible not to think of Tiki Barber at this moment, and not laugh. Still willing to talk shit about your former quarterback and former coach, Tiki? I am guessing that answer is no.

--Yes, the game was over, in effect, but Bill Belichick should have been on the field as the final second ticked off. Randy Moss caught a ton of shit a few years back for leaving the field with a second left on the clock. Every columnist and sports talk host who called Moss out over that should do the same with regard to Belichick, for consistencies sake.

---Tony Spagnulo should have a head coaching job in Atlanta by mid-week. Oh, wait, they hired the guy from the Jags. Good job, there, Arthur Blank.

Wow. We've been lucky to have a number of extremely good Super Bowls this decade. This one takes its place in the discussion for best ever.

I have very little interest in the game today. Color me uninspired. As a huge sports fan that statement doesn't even begin to feel right, but perhaps this year I have reason to feel that way. I have refused to watch SportsCenter all week as I will no longer participate in the hyperBowl.

Maybe I just don't like the teams. The Patriots coach dresses like a drunk who shops at Goodwill and continues to participate in "gamesmenship". (Lying about injury reports, spygate, etc...) Maybe Peter King beat any interest for the Patriots out of me a few years ago with his continuous slurping at the fountain of Brady.

The Giants coach is universally hated by almost all his previous players and the team itself just leaves me underwhelmed. Shockey is on IR, Tiki is hiding in a corner eating humble pie and the untested Manning is behind the helm.

Additionally, because this game will draw a huge rating (meaning non-fans) the talking heads in the booth will be reading from Football for Dummies. I might find the game more tolerable if we had a generic announcing team and an advanced team, giving the viewer a choice.

Of course the most fun part of the game will be watching the commercials. This is Xmas, New Years and Chanookah all rolled up into one for Madison Ave crowd and careers will be made and ended in the ad game today.

So have fun and enjoy the spectacle, I for one will be waiting for the House episode that will follow the four hours of boredom. Interestingly most networks usually would broadcast an episode of a new show after the SB, but it looks like the writer's strike is having an effect.

All that being said, Pats win, but fail to cover.

It's here. Nothing more can really be said. If you have somehow missed some of the chatter, you can find your way to the links of interest on the main sites.

I went with 34-33 Giants the Monday after the championship games, and I guess I will stick with that. It's a legit long-shot pick though. The Patriots are the vastly superior team. They can make mistakes and still win, even easily. The Giants make mistakes and they will get crushed.

The usual mind-numbing talking points apply for this one. The Giants will have to be creative in their game plan and be flawless in their execution of same. They will have to get pressure on Tom Brady from their front four and try and capitalize on any mistakes. They will need a good running game to put Eli Manning in favorable down and distances and limit his opportunities to force the ball and make mistakes. They will have to be lucky.

That's all improbable, of course. At least improbable to all occur throughout the game today. But yaneverknow. And the Giants have been charmed and good in the playoffs. And perhaps it extends one more improbable game. Sure, why not?

34-33 Giants.

He's found a way to irritate members of the 1972 Dolphins. Good for him. What did he do to draw their attention? This quote, apparently:

"Johnson, a studio analyst on Fox's Super Bowl telecast, told reporters on a conference call that if the Patriots win, ``I don't think anybody is close to them as far as the greatest coaching job and the greatest team that's played the game. . . . Nobody, including the Dolphins, can ever say they accomplished what the Patriots will have accomplished if they [finish] 19-0."

Responded several of the most annoying team ever:

''I don't think Jimmy and Don Shula ever got along, and he's knocking Don Shula, who's the greatest coach ever,'' Dick Anderson said. ``Jimmy didn't do worth a damn when he was down here.''

Said Manny Fernandez: ``He's a horse's rear end. This is a cheap shot at Shula, whose greatness he never approached. It still eats at his ego. Belichick's team is loaded with talent.''

An irritated Larry Little said J.J. ''didn't go to a Super Bowl in Miami. He was supposed to be the savior and [wasn't].'' Bob Kuechenberg called Johnson's opinion ``ridiculous. I don't want to honor such a stupid remark with a comment.''

Funny, guys. God forbid he express such an opinion. I guess if you once coached the Dolphins, you are supposed to stick your head up your ass and leave it there. Maybe if he had something wrong in his innocuous quote, there would be reason to act like spoiled children. As it is, if the Patriots wins today, what they have accomplished is easily more impressive than what the '72 Dolphins did. And it is not even close. And I can't find anyone sane to offer a serious argument the other way.

Nothing new, really. Other than it ought to be about the last thing possible the Giants could have wanted to see in terms of possible further motivators for the Patriots. Yeah, yeah, they shouldn't need anything to motivate them, they're in the Super Bowl. Except, Bill Belichick has made a hall of fame career out of finding ways to motivate his team at points at which no extra motivation was needed. The "we get no respect" thing from a few years back, for instance. Seizing upon any perceived slight from opposing players (hello, Steelers game from December).

So, we come to it today. Super Bowl. Perfect season. All plenty of motivation. But I have no doubt that in the Patriot inner sanctum, he has found ways to use the Arlen Specter summons of Roger Goodell in ways to further prepare his team. No question in my mind.

As for Goodell, Hashmarks joined the throng questioning just what the hell he was thinking when he destroyed the tapes. And not buying his explanation. It is Goodell's hubris that makes me pleased he is being called to Congress. It also makes the NFL not the most credible source when it comes to denying that the Patriots taped the walkthrough of the Rams the day before their game back in the day. Destroy tapes like Goodell did back in September? Open yourself up to conspiracy theories for the rest of your tenure. And cause people to not really believe a word you have to say on the subject.

Enjoy Congress.

Courtesy of the Milwaukee Journal:

"McCarthy and Brett Favre talked for almost two hours recently and then Wednesday afternoon for about half an hour in a downtown conference room after each accepted a national award at the site of Super Bowl XLII.

Amid expectations that Favre would use his appearance to declare his intention to play an 18th season, the quarterback instead made it appear genuine that he really hasn't made up his mind.

"I haven't decided yet," Favre said. "I'm just going to take a few more weeks."

Which means we are about one month from a Peter King MMQB piece about seeing Brett Favre on his tractor. It's now as much a sign of the coming of spring as the phrase "pitchers and catchers report".

Remember gentle reader, he watches over you:

Seriously?

Actually, yes. Seriously. The issue? Why the league destroyed the tapes that were reviewed relative to the improper spying allegations against the Patriots.

"That requires an explanation," Specter said. "The N.F.L. has a very preferred status in our country with their antitrust exemption. The American people are entitled to be sure about the integrity of the game. It's analogous to the C.I.A. destruction of tapes. Or any time you have records destroyed."

Hmmm, that seems a little over-the-top. Then again, a LOT of people still wonder why the hell did the NFL destroy those tapes? Ordinarily this is where a pithy comment is inserted asking whether Congress doesn't have something better to do. Except that Roger Goodell being called to accountability for his officiousness is rather pleasing to me. For me this isn't about alleged Patriot cheating going back years, it is about the NFL's response to those allegations. Specter's focus seems to be there as well. Happy hunting.

By and large, I've managed to avoid the Super Bowl hype/chatter by design. Not much can be said about what is already an interesting game to make it more interesting. But Don Banks' end of the week thoughts are generally of interest. They include:

---notes on Jeff Feagles making his first Super Bowl in his 20th NFL season. If this were a Jayson Stark column, there would then be 1000 words on all the things that happened in the last 20 years. Happily, it is a Banks column, so that particular inanity is absent.

---highlighting of Randy Moss' "I want to retire as a Patriot" stuff

---For all of the Giant's road prowess, they are the first team to make a Super Bowl with five home losses on the resume

Enjoy.

Jean-Jacques Taylor in the Dallas Morning News has a pretty damn fine read this morning on the sham that is Jerry Jones pretending to pass off Wade Phillips as still being the head coach. The start of the piece:

"Jerry Jones should end the sham and just fire Wade Phillips, if that's what he wants to do. It would be considerably more palatable than listening to the Cowboys' owner tell us how committed he is to Phillips as his head coach, while he puts together a coaching staff that's clearly geared toward Jason Garrett.

Ridiculous. Jerry will vehemently deny this charge, as he should and as you would expect. So will Phillips and Garrett if asked. All of them will talk about the importance of team and how they're all on the same page. My advice: Don't listen to a single word of Jerry's rhetoric. Instead, simply examine his actions. They will tell you everything you need to know about this coaching situation that's doomed to failure."

And what are those actions? According to Taylor, a series of hires of assistants that are tied with Jason Garrett, not with Phillips. And there was the whole massive raise for Garrett to not take the Ravens job thing. At any rate, Taylor has a good point. I am not sure, at this point, why Jones is having Phillips continue as his alleged head coach.

I highlighted it, for what it's worth, last Monday. But there were not many joining in the highlighting. Certainly not Peter King. At any rate, belatedly, a shout-out to Braves & Birds Blog and its talented author for these paragraphs on the Favre-gag:

"I was interested to read how Peter King would react to his man-crush Brett Favre playing so poorly in the Packers' biggest game of the season. Naturally, he totally ignored Favre's role in the game. King spends roughly 5,500 words on the two games and only at the very end meekly points out that Brett shouldn't have thrown a pick to R.W. McQuarters. Really, doctor? Would it pain you to also point out that Favre threw a terrible pick to Corey Webster to set the Giants up for the winning field goal in overtime? Or that Favre preceded his interception to McQuarters with a truly dreadful throw into triple-coverage? Will Deanna no longer invite you over for tea and crumpets if you point out when her husband throws abysmal passes that would cause various talking heads to label just about any other NFL quarterback as a choker or a terrible passer?

Yesterday's game really made me think that Favre is the anti-Bonds. Barry Bonds gets treated ruthlessly by the press because he is, by all accounts, a prick (or at least he's a prick to the media). Favre can get away with terrible throws that would lead any other quarterback to be pilloried because he is, by all accounts, a really good guy.

And let me be even more frank, just to show you that I'm not a hard-hearted man, and that it's not all dollars and cents: I was rooting for Favre after reading the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year piece. That said, sports are supposed to be about performance and Favre's performance was not good yesterday. At one point in the fourth quarter, I was cringing at the idea of Bill Belichick having two weeks to come up with pressure schemes designed to force Favre into excessively risky throws. What does it say that I'm far more confident that Eli Manning will be able to handle the looks that the Pats will throw at him than Fave would?"

Thank you, Michael.

What he said.

And, if you don't already, consider this my updated request that you add Braves & Birds to your cruises around the 'nets. Great stuff, always.

Two coordinators out. Two coordinators in.

No head coach. Still.

A helpful timeline of an organization trying to locate ass in hole in ground from the Washington Post. Columnist Mike Wise on the fall of defensive coordinator Gregg Williams:

"However it happened, whatever led Snyder to his decision, there is no justifying how the situation was handled so soon after the entire organization had gone through the emotional hell of Sean Taylor's killing. For everyone other than Snyder, this job search hasn't been about Gibbs at all. It's been about Taylor and how the team and coaches banded together to reach the playoffs without him. The healing was still progressing when Gibbs suddenly left. Williams was seen as the one link that could keep the chain of emotional recovery together. How else to explain the vilification of Jim Fassel, an otherwise fine fellow with a Super Bowl appearance on his resume, on local talk radio shows and online chat rooms, even the ones run by the team? Or the mass anointing of Williams, whose previous head coaching experience consisted of what everyone agrees was a disaster in Buffalo?

But Daniel Snyder was tone-deaf to all that."

I have no idea what the hell Snyder is thinking. Or Vinnie Cerrato. I don't think anyone does. But it's fun to watch. Course, I am not a Washington fan. Probably less fun for those damned souls.

By now, I am sure, you are well aware that Al Davis has startled himself out of his latest light coma to fuck up his franchise once again. This time around, he is taking away the keys from Lane Kiffin, for reasons that are not entirely clear, given that Kiffin actually turned in a damn good season in his coaching debut, all things considered. Ray Ratto in the SF Chronicle has a must read on the situation this morning. A taste:

"And in any event, this stopped being about Kiffin's abilities long ago. This is about his clash with Davis over things Al holds near and dear, and Davis' pathological need to crush Kiffin in response, to emasculate him to the point that he will either shame himself irrevocably, or resign and leave the $4 million on the table. In other words, he has just asked Kiffin the essential question of 21st Century America - how much filth will you cover yourself in just to keep a job you hate?

If you think this isn't about money, you have bricks loose. This clearly isn't just about getting rid of Kiffin. Al still hasn't paid Mike Shanahan from almost 20 years ago, and is still fighting Mike Lombardi over chump change, simply because he doesn't like to pay people he thinks failed him, contract or no. The cold, brutal fact is, if Davis wanted Kiffin out so damned desperately, he could simply pay him and fire him right now this minute, and begin the task of remaking the team (again) in whatever image he fancies at the moment - maybe the Frankford Yellow Jackets of 1926. But no, the boy prince has torqued off The Master for wanting Rob Ryan out, for trading Randy Moss (apparently on a day Al was getting a manicure/pedicure/rubdown at the Oakland Hilton), and maybe just for staying on salary too long. Thus, The Master is not amused in that very special way of his."

There's more. Much more. And it is a not-to-be missed primer on what the deal is with this situation.

And another reminder that Al Davis may actually be insane.

Good lord, when has he given anyone any reason to think he gives anything other than maximum effort? Has he really built up no reservoir of trust?

Deion Sanders, casting serious doubt:

"NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders said on Sunday night's "NFL GameDay" that "big-time players must play in big-time games. "It must be surgery for him to get a pass on this one," Sanders continued. "I hope we come up with something in the offseason that is not severe but that warrants surgery, because there is no reason not to play, with all the medication in the world today, not to play in this big game that could propel your team into the Super Bowl."

So now he has to schedule surgery to get people to believe he was hurt? Here's an explanation: he was hurt. Can anyone think of any reason why he would not go, otherwise? Seriously?

Bizarre.

For the love of G-d, people, it's sex play. Don't ask. Gisele apparently likes to call him stumpy.

Bob Glauber in Newsday, handing well-earned praise to Eli Manning:

"It didn't seem possible a month ago, when he was stumbling through more growing pains in what seemed like a series of missteps that led to gnashing of teeth for Giants fans. But no matter what happens in two weeks against the Patriots, this much can be said: Manning has grown up as a quarterback, and the future looks a lot brighter for the franchise because of it."

It is hard to dispute that this morning. And, since this blog is old enough that I was around to make merciless fun of the younger Manning (and his father) on that wonderful draft day in 2004 when "Eli Manning face" made its first appearance, I can reflect on how far he has come. Far. Real far. Farther than I could have suspected. But, in conditions he was supposed to wilt under, Manning was the better quarterback yesterday. By far.

As for the Packers, Gary D'Amato in the Milwaukee Journal with this:

"It was so quiet inside Lambeau Field, you could hear the temperature drop."

And, that wasn't just after the winning field goal. The Giants had the better of the play for much of that game, and I thought, cold figured in to the equation, that there wasn't that much of a home field advantage for the Packers yesterday. In fact, big home playoff losses are now becoming something of the norm for the Packers. Mystique has taken a beating in Wisconsin of late, anyway.

Bob Ryan in the Globe, preening on New England's re-discovered running game:

"The fact is they've been playing trench warfare football for the past eight weeks. An additional fact is that in the last two weeks they have been a classic playoff team; i.e. one that wins with defense and smashmouth offense."

We'll see. That was a no Tomlinson day yesterday. The Chargers are a much tougher out when he is playing. And the Giants have a diverse running game that is well suited to challenge the perceived weakness of the Pats defense, namely those aged linebackers.

As for the Chargers, Nick Canepa in the Union-Tribune yields to fate:

"Injuries never should be an excuse in sports. But, when the best runner in football can't play, the best tight end (Antonio Gates) is playing on one leg, and your starting quarterback (Philip Rivers) basically is playing on no legs, it's pretty hard to beat the first 18-0 team in history in its own yard."

True. And it feels like they are finally ripe for a healthy team to get them. And the Giants may be just healthy enough two weeks from now to take advantage of New England's few weaknesses. As it was, a wounded San Diego team was not that far off.

One game rather boring (you never felt like San Diego could really win that, even when it was 14-9 at halftime, the other wonderfully entertaining. Eli Manning makes a leap? Apparently so. As for the national chatter, here's what is being said:

Don Banks at si.com with Snap Judgments and this thought among others:

"Brett Favre had a marvelous renaissance season, but he really help cost his team the game Sunday night with those two interceptions after halftime. Wonder if this bitter ending will spark a new round of retirement speculation for No. 4?"

As for the last part, I hope not. He's coming back, let's spare everyone the weeks of breathless wondering from fawning media types and Peter King reports about seeing Brett Favre on his tractor. Been there, done that. Five times before. At least. As for his other point. Thank you, Don Banks. Troy Aikman certainly couldn't be bothered to mention it during the broadcast, but the picks that Favre through were rookie-making-first-start mistakes. Jaw-droppingly awful picks. And led, in large measure, to the Packers losing.

At espn, Last Call with this note:

"Green Bay finished the regular season with the NFL's eighth-best conversion rate on third down, but the Packers failed on nine of 10 chances against the Giants. Their inability to establish a running game put quarterback Brett Favre in too many third-and-long situations. And while the Packers' line has played well this season, the team's guards aren't particularly strong in protection. That's why Green Bay needed to sustain its recent production on the ground. Favre faced third-and-8 or longer nine times. He avoided turnovers on those plays, only to make poor decisions on first- and second-down plays that resulted in interceptions."

OK, that explains some of the rest of Favre's uneven play, but doesn't excuse those two picks. The Giants' ability to pressure will make the game in two weeks interesting, as big plays are in the offing. Pressure begets sacks, and also begets 90-yard touchdowns, like happened yesterday.

Clark Judge at sportsline.com with Judgements and this note:

"The Giants' Tom Coughlin deserves a standing O for making the tough call that pushed his team over the top ... and, no, I'm not talking about giving Lawrence Tynes another shot. I'm talking about playing his starters in the season-ending loss to New England. One of the ideas was to give his beleaguered quarterback a lift entering the playoffs, and it worked. Manning had a season-high four touchdown passes that evening, and the Giants emerged a better and more confident club."

Um, yes. Without a doubt, he made the right call.

In fact, more on that, in my thoughts (NTYC):

1. I believe I called it a "pyhrric loss" in these spaces writing on the Giants' decision to play their starters in a playoff-meaningless Week 17 loss to the Pats. Well, I was wrong. Hugely wrong. Wrong as wrong gets. One for Coughlin, it was a risk, what he did, but he did the right thing. The way the Giants showed up in that game has clearly propelled them these last three weeks, and Coughlin's decision to stand behind his team in that game and let them play is a large part of that. Props to him. And a big stfu to me and everyone like me who gave him shit about it.

2. If the Super Bowl line is 13 or more, then I am playing the Giants and the points. Hell, I don't need points (but I will take them). They are a formidible opponent now, and match up well with the Patriots. And, they are playing with house money right about now. Nothing to lose.

3. Eli Manning outplayed Brett Favre yesterday, by a long shot. At the least, I would think he should get to have a line or two in future Peyton Manning commercials. Maybe next year Peyton can stand there with a dumb look on his face while Eli says "Jamarky?"

4. At some point, will people start wondering how cancerous Jeremy Shockey was to that team and Eli Manning particular? They sure as hell have not missed him, and, apparently, have thrived without him. And then some.

5. It's two weeks out, but here's my hunch. The Pats come up short and lose in a sizable upset. Giants 34. Pats 33.

Giants 23. Packers 20. In overtime.

It wasn't a perfect game, but it was ridiculously full of big plays and big moments. Eli Manning was far better than Brett Favre who choked in every way that mattered in the second half and overtime. Lawrence Tynes gets to go back to New York and live and even redeems himself in the end. Tom Coughlin gets to laugh at Tiki Barber as much as he wants.

Helluva game.

A few weeks back, the new Dolphins grand poobah told Virginia Tech players at a practice that:

"I'm not looking for pretty boys, dope-smoking guys and guys that aren't dependable," Parcells told the team. "You know those type of guys. I'm looking for reliable, good character people who will come to work every day."

Awesome.

And then this from the Miami Herald today:

"A friend said Ricky Williams told associates the new Dolphins regime indicated he is in the team's plans, as long as he doesn't get in trouble and stays in town for offseason work and rehabilitation from his pectoral injury."

Hypocrisy is fun.

...comes to the same realization that everyone else has already come to:

Shaun Alexander is a pussy

That's a rough approximation anyway. What they really said:

"The Seahawks' running game will require a "major offseason fix," coach Mike Holmgren said in his assessment of the Seahawks' overall performance in his season wrap-up."

Yeah, it will. Try getting a running back who doesn't fall down when someone breathes in his direction. That would be a nice start.

One day after Don Banks laid into the Ravens and Falcons for their piss-poor coaching search, the Ravens finally found a guy to take their job, going with John Harbaugh. That doesn't make Banks' read any less compelling if you missed it the first time around:

"If it's as surprising to you that the Falcons and Ravens can't seem to give their head coaching jobs away, imagine what it must be like from their vantage points, now that the nays are throwing a shutout at the yeas. If the folks in Atlanta and Baltimore are still laboring under the impression that they've got one of the plum coaching jobs in the NFL to offer, they're either practicing self-deception or not paying attention."

Ouch. I am used to seeing paragraphs like that written about the Bengals circa 2002.

Tony has a new job. Though the family isn't thrilled about moving from New Jersey, the idea of South Florida is appealing. Silvio and Paulie Walnuts will be joining Tony and it won't be long before heads start to roll.

Dallas Cowboys assistant head coach Tony Sparano is the new Miami Dolphins head coach.

The two sides on Wednesday morning completed work on what ESPN.com has confirmed is a four-year contract worth about $2.5 million to $2.7 million per year.

Seattle at Green Bay. 4:30 EST on Fox.

Weather forecast: 80% chance of snow, temps around 30 at kickoff, little to no accumulation expected.

Outlook: Hard to say. I do know that the line, generally giving Seattle 8 points, looks a little stout to me. I don't know that I think Seattle can win, but I do think they can keep it close enough to give me a slight lean toward them + the 8. I would feel better about that if Shaun Alexander were not such a dripping pussy (aka as a "Chad Johnson").

Jacksonville at New England. 8:00 EST on CBS.

Weather forecast: Dry with temps in the 30s at kickoff and winds starting to pick up to the 10-15 mph range from the northwest.

Outlook: New England in a rout. 13.5 is the line I have seen most places as the week comes to a close, and that is not enough to make me think Jacksonville. I think the Patriots will be able to shut down the Jag running game, and Garrard will make more mistakes like he did last week. Only this time they will help the Pats to a rout, rather than letting the Steelers back into the game. And, with the dry and relatively nice January conditions in Foxboro, the Pat passing game should be good to go.

Some decent reads for your football Saturday:

Bill Simmons' division round picks column is worth a look.
Don Banks' general NFL News and Notes piece on si.com is well worth a moment of your time.
Clark Judge at sportsline.com with a good weekend preview here.

Thoughts on the games before, during, or after? Bring them here and here in the Swamp.

Enjoy the games.

Quoth the emodiment of Malkovich in Malkovich's head:

"I'm not sure what's going to happen. ... I've been labeled as selfish, as the reason we're losing. I've been told I've been a cancer to my team.To do me the way I was done, not too many people really having my back within."Now the season is over," Johnson said on ESPN radio. "I was the problem, I have been a distraction. Chad Johnson, the fingers were pointed at me. My celebrations, all this stuff was the reason we were losing. The only thing for me to do or say now is, if you guys, as a team and organization, want to further yourself in the playoffs, I think you need to get rid of what the problem was during the season."

Well. That's quite a mouthful, talented dickhead person.

Two possibilities:

1. Johnson's feeling are actually hurt that anyone who has watched his brand of selfishness eat away at an organization and begged him to grow the fuck up have that opinion.

2. This will be the start of an organized Evil Incarnate-led (Drew Rosenhaus) off-season campaign to force Johnson out of Cincinnati.

If its the latter, I am rooting like hell for Evil Incarnate. Yes, please, talk some other team into Johnson. Give the Bengals a 3rd rounder for him. Done. And, don't get me wrong, Johnson is ridiculously talented. And intermittently productive. But the disappearing in big games? The running out of bounds instead of trying for a few extra yards? The allergy to downfield blocking? All of those sins, combined with the non-stop me-me-me-me-me-me-me-me stuff from Johnson has brought him to the point in Cincy where I can assure you, as it comes to the Bengals, he is more trouble than he is worth.

At any rate, looking at Johnson's quotes up above, he WAS a cancer to the team last year. He IS selfish. And he was one of the reasons the Bengals were 7-9 last year. He was a distraction, his celebration-thing long since has stopped being entertaining. To this Bengals fan, it was entertaining maybe the first time. If Johnson had ever grown up, he would acknowledge his role in the team's failure, and his need to improve in significant areas, and make the leap to team leader. Instead, he continues to be a two-year-old locked in a 30-year-old's body. Time for that to go somewhere else.

Make it so, EI.

"That's right Aaron. You're never going to get to start for Green Bay. Go cry on your wee pillow. Maybe you'll get lucky like Hasselbeck and land with another team. Maybe you'll even be good. Who knows? Who cares? I sure as hell don't.

I'm like Lazarus. As a matter of fact, that's what I'm going to call the new line of Wrangler jeans I sell. What, you don't have a national endorsement deal because you never get to play? Oh, sorry, I can't hear you over the pile of money that's in my basement. Keep crying and I'll come back until I'm 40 and they have to wheel me out there like Hannibal Fucking Lecter! Now get me my pain shot Clipboard!"

Two road wins out of the four games, one by a slight underdog. Nothing entirely surprising about the first weekend's games, and the storylines for the upcoming weekend have been in place for some time. At the least, New York's win in Tampa probably makes the Giants/Cowboys re-rematch in Dallas the most compelling on paper next weekend. While Dallas has beaten the Giants twice, it is the Giants with all of the momentum at the moment. If the Cowboys are favored by a touchdown or more on that game, I would think Giants and take the points with gratitude. On to the national talking heads.

Don Banks in si.com with Snap Judgments:

"Had a heck of an intriguing question posed to me Saturday night at the Jaguars-Steelers game. If the 2006 NFL Draft were re-held today, would USC's Reggie Bush still be taken ahead of UCLA's Maurice Jones-Drew? I don't think so. And I'm not sure it's even remotely a debate. Score another one for the science of NFL drafting. Bush was the No. 2 overall pick in the first round. Jones-Drew went toward the end of the second round, 60th overall."

Fair point. Can someone let Jack Del Rio know? Because it still takes far too long for Del Rio to get Jones-Drew involved in your average Jacksonville game. And he uses him far too infrequently.

Peter King in si.com with MMQB:

"I'll just say it right now: We want the ball, and we're gonna score. OK?''

-- Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, kicking off his postgame press conference with a Leno-esque reprise of his overtime-coin-flip pronouncement that backfired four years ago in Green Bay. Seattle, of course, makes a return trip to Lambeau this weekend."

I missed that on Saturday, so props to King for highlighting it. And, belatedly, heh. Well done, Matt Hasselbeck. The only thing you can do is laugh along with everyone else. Nice.

Clark Judge on sportsline.com with Judgements and this thought among others:

"And while we're on the subject, what was with that Ben Roethlisberger run on third-and-6 with three minutes left? The guy throws for 337 yards, but when the Steelers absolutely, positively needed a first down to kill the clock, they go conservative and keep the ball in the hands of Roethlisberger? Somebody introduce these guys to Herman Edwards. You play to win the game."

Yeah, that stuck out. The Steelers fans in the Swamp have highlighted that as the number one disappointment of the loss. You would have to think Mike Tomlin will learn from that mistake.

As for my thoughts (NTYC):

Continue reading "NFL Wild Card Weekend: The National Take" »

I don't even know what that headline means. Perhaps it is a misguided attempt at irony.

New York Giants at Tampa: 1:00 EST on Fox.

Weather Forecast: Mostly sunny with a high in the upper 70s and light winds.

Outlook: Can the Giants follow-up their emotional outpouring against the Pats in a game that means something? Will their banged up starters be able to go? Will Eli Manning pull Eli Manning face when it counts? Does any of that matter and is Tampa simply the better team regardless? I really have no good idea. Most lines have this one Tampa as about a three point favorite. I give a very slight lean to the Giants plus the points, but have not good feel for this one.

Tennessee at San Diego: 4:30 EST on CBS.

Weather Forecast: Shitty as hell, considering it is San Diego. Near 100% chance of rain with high winds gusting to 25 or 30 mph and temps in the mid to upper 50s.

Outlook: The weather will probably help San Diego bettors feel beter about laying the 9 or 10 (depending on where you caught the line) because it should force Norv Turner to use LaDainian Tomlinson like he should. Which is to say, often. Plus, San Diego is the far more playoff tested team. And they might even be due to win one. And, with Tennessee as hurt as they are, San Diego and give the points in the easy call here.

From compelling, to not-so-compelling, to hellaciously compelling, all in the span of three hours. And, plenty of weird coaching decisions on both sides to second guess this morning. Mike Tomlin from Pittsburgh will take a lot of shit for the two-point attempt from the 12, and he should, but Jack Del Rio should not be off the hook for the bizarre pass/pass/pass sequences when Jax was well up and which led to turnovers and quick points and put the Steelers in a position to win that game.

Still, entertaining for pretty much everyone with no vested interest in the game.

From Jacksonville this morning, the Florida Times Union is happily focusing on the 4th and 2 scramble that won the game for the Jags:

"Garrard's 32-yard run on fourth down out of the shotgun formation basically saved the season. "They kind of lost their gaps,'' Garrard said of the play. "They thought it was a pass.''

Designed qb draw? I couldn't tell, but if so, gutsy good call. And then some.

From Pittsburgh, Gene Collier on what happened to put Pittsburgh in comeback mode, only to fall short:

"In an era when NFL coaches and personnel executives continue to scour the football earth for quarterbacks who can merely manage the game -- whatever that means -- what Ben Roethlisberger did to the game last night simply defied any kind of management methodology. Alternative frantic mismanagement with sensational and even inspiring leadership, Big Ben wound up emotionally crushed when the music stopped, crushed to the degree that nothing in his 29 completions and 337 yards and two touchdowns, and four consecutive second-half scoring drives could console him.

"No one should blame anyone or anything other than myself for this," Roethlisberger said behind wet eyes 25 minutes after Jacksonville slipped past the Steelers, 31-29, in the wild-card round of the AFC playoffs. "I dug us too deep a hole and even though we came around in the second half, I'm ashamed of the way I played."

Damn, that's a little strong, Roethlisberger. It wasn't a great game by any stretch, by you, but that comeback was one for the ages. If you are going to make as many mistakes as Roethlisberger made in the first half, it is nice to be able to fix them, and he pretty much did. On a team where the offensive line was sieve-like all year, and the best part of the running game was hurt, Pittsburgh was only where they were thanks to Roethlisberger. I would assume very few people in Pittsburgh are forgetting that. And, for a guy whom profootballtalk continues to try and slander as being not loved in the locker-room, that's a pretty damn stand-up quote in the section above.

With Roethlisberger at qb, the Steelers will be competitive for a Super Bowl for the next decade. Dammit.

In Seattle, a scare and then comfort in Todd Collins finally being Todd Collins. From the Seattle Post and columnist Art Thiel, drinking perhaps too much of the local Seahawk kool-aid:

"If any sports comparisons are valid, they have a little San Antonio Spurs about them. No championships yet, of course, but a quiet resolve that relies on teamwide efficiency instead of celebrating individuals. Sports fans know how little-embraced are the Spurs, despite embodying the virtues Americans are said to cherish. As with the Spurs, the Seahawks are reluctant honkers of the horn. Best of all for Seahawks fans was another tell-tale of a mature team: No big whoop in the locker room."

That's probably because they were damn lucky to win. And, in this Spurs/Seahawks analogy, I am having a tough time following who on the Seahawks is playing the role of Tim Duncan, but, hey, no hallucinations for me this morning, that might be where I am off.

In Washington, Michael Wilbon in the Post on the crucial 4th quarter meltdown:

"But the missed Suisham field goal changed everything. Coaches and players like to talk about "all three phases" of the game and how no one play should be identified as determining the outcome of a game. But even Collins called coming away without points "pivotal. We've got to convert that into points, especially in the playoffs. That was a big missed opportunity. We'd have been up 21-13." Kerney called it "the key momentum change" in the game: "I think that miss really fed us a great deal or energy and a great deal of emotion. From that point on, things went well and we just took control of the game." Seattle drove for one score, Collins started to play like a backup coaches would rather leave in mothballs for 10 years, Romo was off the hook and Destiny's Team was headed for the longest imaginable flight east. It's hard not to review the sequence and come to any conclusion other than the Redskins blew a wonderful chance at stealing a playoff game on the road."

Yeah, points there would have been huge. Steadier play from Collins later would have helped too. And some defensive stops. But sometimes when it comes unraveled, it does so all at once. Tough ending to the season for Washington.

Washington at Seattle 4:30 EST on NBC.

Weather Forecast: Rain and steady wind, between 15-25 mph with higher gusts.

Outlook: Emotion of Washington against home field of Seattle. Give me...Seattle over the emotion. Todd Collins on the road, even though he has been playing well, just seems like a little too much to ask.

Jacksonville at Pittsburgh 8:00 EST on NBC.

Weather Forecast: Rain. And a correspondingly sloppy field.

Outlook: Steelers are banged up and facing a team that physically dominated them just a few weeks back. The whole world is rushing to put money on Jacksonville. Big mistake. You are getting points on the Steelers in this one? Take them happily. Home dogs in the NFL are a rare and precious bird. Bag it while you can get it.

Things worth reading:;

---Bill Simmons' predictions column on espn.com.

---Clark Judge's look ahead at the weekend on sportsline.com.

---Don Banks' Wild Card breakdown at si.com.

Fun day ahead.

Strong stuff, from si.com's Zimmerman, as always. In his last power rankings, he compares where teams ended up with his pre-season guesses. Well worth the read, even more than usual.

Gotta love a columnist willing to hold himself accountable for his previous verbiage. He could give Peter King many lessons. And probably should.

You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here.

Get out.

---Ravens Management

For a bunch of teams, it comes to a merciful close. For a teams like the Browns and Eagles, a frustrating close (deserving of playoffs but not in). For Bengals fans, teeny tiny solace that they finished 7-9 but somehow held onto a top 10 draft pick (#9 overall). God bless parity. For the national chatter, read on:

Don Banks at si.com leads us off Snap Judgments, as usual, with this thought among others:

"The decision of so many playoff-bound teams to rest several starters undoubtedly skewers the Week 17 results. But still, you can't like what you see of the Cowboys offense about now. Or Seattle's defense. And the general state of affairs in both Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay -- which have both lost three of their past four games -- has to be making Steelers and Bucs fans a bit uneasy, to say the least. On the old momentum meter, here's how I'd have my up to the moment rankings at the start of the AFC tournament:

1. New England; 2. Indianapolis; 3. San Diego; 4. Jacksonville; 5. Tennessee; 6. Pittsburgh. I'm pretty certain that's about right.

In the NFC, strangely enough I'd have it: 1. Washington; 2. N.Y. Giants; 3. Seattle; 4. Green Bay; 5. Dallas; 6. Tampa Bay. While we can have differences of opinion in the league's junior varsity conference, it's hard to make the case that anyone in the NFC other than Washington is playing its best ball of the season as the playoffs approach. By next weekend, and the following weekend after that, we'll know how significant the momentum factor really was in this year's NFL postseason."

Usually? Not very. Then again, that Steelers run from the #6 spot to Super Bowl champs two years ago causes one to give just a little more heed to what Washington is starting to put together than you might otherwise want to. At the very least, I am damn sure there will be no Titans run to the Super Bowl from the #6 spot in the AFC this time around...

Peter King at si.com with MMQB and a bunch of drool for the Pats/Giants to start his column:

"Two things were great on Saturday night: The Patriots, and the game. I admire this team. I loved this game."

Slurpy, slurpy, schluck, lick, nibble, slurp. Same as it ever was. Nice that some things are constant in life, Peter.

Clark Judge at sportsline.com with this thought in Judgements:

"And while we're on the subject, who feels good about Dallas these days? The Cowboys have been on a downward spiral the past three weeks, with Sunday's loss to Washington disturbing. OK, so they had nothing to play for, but they left their starters in for three quarters, and they produced zilch. I don't know if it's déjà vu all over again, but the more I look at what happened to Dallas at the end of last season the more I wonder if we're not in for another fade."

Perhaps. In fact, when it comes to the NFC, almost nothing would surprise me. Except a Tampa run to the Super Bowl. That still would. I, despite impassioned arguments from Buc supporters in the Swamp, remain unconinced of their ability to string three NFC playoff wins in a row.

As for what I think (NTYC):

Continue reading "NFL Week 17---The National Take" »

Life without you is just fine.

Don't hurry back.

Cordially,

The Titans

How bad was their 1st round decision-making process last year?

This bad:

"'He's going to be a good receiver. But is Teddy Ginn going to be a No. 1 receiver?'' Dolphins receivers coach Terry Robiskie asked, repeating the question. ``That's hard to say.''

Um, you picked him 9th overall. You better be able to say he'll be a #1 receiver. Good lord. What a fuckawful pick.

Speaking of fuckawful, Cam Cameron, you're next. It looks like you won't be retained by Parcells, and your staff seems fine with that.

"Cam Cameron, who reportedly could be let go this week, even has lost some support from his staff. ''Some coaches aren't fans of Cameron -- the religious stuff wears on them,'' one close associate of the staff said. (Cameron is religious and perceived by some as judgmental.) One player said he appears to second-guess defensive coordinator Dom Capers at times."

I will say this, the "religious stuff" is probably a shitload harder to take when you are 1-14, that's for sure.

As for Parcells' alleged genius, well, Dolphins fans better hope he is, because he apparently had not spent a whole lot of time noticing how bad they were, even thought that was sorta his job at ESPN.

"Parcells has been telling his media confidants, of which he has quite a few, that he really didn't know a lot about the Dolphins and their problems before he accepted the job as Miami's executive vice president of football operations."

Wow. Good luck with all that to Parcells. And to Dolphins fans. Hope he gets up to speed soon.

Although a try-hard-to-impress-the-new-boss win over Cincy today would be unsurprising. I am guessing even if the Dolphins manage that kind of effort, Parcells will eventually find himself to some tape, and the tape will not lie...

Apparently out in Detroit.

Rumored to then be in as offensive coordinator in San Francisco. Which would be awesome. Because the nation was clammering for a 49er offense that throws the ball 50 times a game with Alex Smith next year and only hands the ball off to Frank Gore five times a game.

The 49ers are fixed!

Or not!

I'm guessing not!

Well, kudos to the Giants. I guess. That was one entertaining football game last night as they valiently tried to keep New England from 16-0. The various networks simulcasting the game were pleased with the effort, I am sure.

As, I am betting, was every person associated with the Tampa football team and its fanbase.

As I murmured earlier this week (along with countless millions, I am sure), the Giants have an actual game that matters next week. The Pats don't. Risking the kind of effort and injury that NY risked last night didn't make a whole lot of sense. Still doesn't. At least, it doesn't, if you think you need a healthy center next week against Tampa. Or a Sam Madison who isn't banged up. Or a Kawika Mitchell who isn't freshly injured. Etc. Etc.

Bob Glauber in Newsday loved him some atmosphere and makes the one argument that Coughlin was not professionally negligent that you can make. Namely, that his players wanted to sell out for the game last night. Which is fine. But it doesn't make it smart.

...play their starters!

And everyone can see if that is folly!

The people happiest about the Tom Coughlin's decision? NFL/NBC/CBS. Oh, and every Buc fan on the face of the earth.

Weird decision, Coughlin. This is your one chance to rest up key regulars for the game that actually matters, next week in Tampa. Allowing yourself to get sucked into the stop-the-Patriots-hype? Dumb.

For the record, Tampa is resting their regulars. Just sayin'.

Scott, a linebacker for the woeful Ravens (owners of a nine-game losing streak), with this response to a reporter who asked him about his previous promise to "kill" the Steelers' Hines Ward after Ward put on a blocking clinic against the Ravens a few months back:

"Have we gotten that low in the season that there's nothing to talk about but personal vendettas? There's nothing to talk about [in terms of] the game or the matchup?"

Wait, I got this:

Um, to the first question: Yes.

To the second question: No.

What's left to say? Apparently the Patriots are willing to play bad football in an effort to grab records. At least they are human. As for the national thoughts, read on.

Don Banks in si.com with Snap Judgments and this among others:

"Derek Anderson picked the worst possible time to rip off his first four-interception game of the season. The Browns quarterback has had a wonderful year, virtually coming out of nowhere to lead Cleveland to nine wins and the cusp of the playoffs. But if the Browns (9-6) somehow lose out to Tennessee next week in the race for the AFC's final postseason berth, Anderson's egg-laying in Cincinnati is going to haunt Cleveland all offseason. And it just might help sway the decision the Browns face at quarterback, where Brady Quinn awaits his fate."

Well, gee, Cleveland, on behalf of the rest of the AFC North, let me request of you that you go ahead and switch over to Brady Quinn. Talk about a good way to piss away your 2008 season. December in Cincinnati, when the wind is up, is a hellishly awful place to make a living throwing a football. If you hold it against Anderson that he was the next in a long line of quarterbacks to see balls sail in the swirling winds, and go to the very unknown in Brady Quinn, well, that would be awesome.

Peter King in si.com with MMQB and this among his usual Patriot dry-humping:

"Tampa Bay (10-5). Interesting comment from a prominent league official on Friday. "The Bucs are amazing,'' said Prominent League Official. "They're running away with their division, they've got a quarterback who's played great in the playoffs, they've got a Super Bowl coach, and it's like they don't exist. You never hear a word about them when people talk about Super Bowl contenders.''

Dear Prominent League Official: Losses to Houston and San Francisco in the last month might be a reason why...

Clark Judge at sportsline.com with Judgements and this among others:

"So the word now is that John Fox is safe in Carolina for another year? That makes sense. First, he's in the middle of a long-term contract. Second, Bill Cowher won't return to coaching until 2009. Cowher lives in Raleigh, and if the Panthers go down the chute next season you can bet Cowher will be on Jerry Richardson's speed dial."

Meh. I still think that the most likely landing place for Cowher will be in Washington eventually, helming a high-profile team built on defense and running the ball. It will be like slipping on a comfortable old shoe.

As for my thoughts (NTYC):

Continue reading "NFL Week 16---The National Take" »

Bad news Titans fans. A quick glance at the playoff picture tells me you need the Browns to lose. And, since they are playing the Bengals today, you are about to enter into the world of uncertainty inhabited by Bengals fans. Which Bengals team will show up? The kinda competent one? The give-up-on-life one? Regardless, whichever team it is will still be coached by Marvin Lewis, so you have to figure the Bengals will be out-coached, regardless. Enjoy our despair as Bengals fans, and welcome to our world.

As for the rest of the week in the NFL, the best of the best appear to be these:

Houston at Indianapolis: God help you if you have Colts regulars and are in the final game of your fantasy season. Tony Dungy claims he won't rest his starters even though he is locked into the #2 seed in the playoffs. Past history says he will do just that at some point. I love the Texans to win a game the Colts don't care about.

Green Bay at Chicago: The Packers need a win to stay alive for home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Given Terrell Owens' injury and uncertain status for next week, the Cowboys and their fans will be big Bears fans for this one.

Cleveland at Cincinnati: Little Titans fan to big Titans fan, "Why does that man yell so much on the sidelines?" Big Titans fan to little Titans fan, "That's Chad Johnson. And he's an asshole. And costing us the playoffs."

New York Giants at Buffalo: With the Patriots looming in Week 17, to call this one a must win for the Giants is an understatement. Lose this, and the Giants are soon to be reduced to rooting like hell against Washington and New Orleans.

Philadelphia at New Orleans: Everyone who likes discontent and discomfort for all things Giants are big Saints fans here.

Washington at Minnesota: Good lord, flex scheduling finally works! Congrats NBC, on getting a game well worth the Week 16 moment. Winner in great shape for the playoffs. Loser? Not so much (and DOA if it is Washington who comes up short tonight).

Enjoy the games.

...it must be time for yet another round of columns about how Lions owner William Clay Ford doesn't care about fans and the fans should do something about it. Drawing the short straw for this annual exercise in 2007? Terry Foster in the Detroit News. Alright, Terry, you got anything remotely fresh?

"Matt Millen has become that old great-uncle that used to stay tucked away in an upstairs bedroom. Now and then you'd slip a tray of food under the door. And he would slide it back when he was finished eating. Millen is the same way. You don't see him. You don't hear him, and people don't even think about him any more. However, he must be eating well because his paycheck sure is swell.

When he took over the Lions, Millen was the bumbling man with the mustache. Now he has become more symbol than man His powers have been reduced, yet he is still in on the decision making. His record is dismal, yet he remains. Players continue to fail, yet he picks their replacements. His selection of coaches has been a disaster, but he will probably get to pick the next one. Millen is now evidence the Lions don't care about their fan base. As long as William Clay Ford Sr. keeps the front office unchanged, it shows he really does not care about the fans."

Meh. Sorry Terry, Detroit fans have been there and done that with respect to the sentiments in your column. Heck, your column is basically a cut and paste of countless before it in Detroit papers on Ford, his lackey Millen, and the general state of hopelessness and despair that surrounds that franchise.

Oh, and Terry? Bad form blaming Lions fans for a part in this because they show up to games. On their behalf, fuck you. Fans, true fans, can no more give up their fandom, even in the face of hellish ownership, than dogs can give up on bones. All they can do is suffer in the face of their fandom. But that isn't their fault. Keep the blame on ownership where it belongs. Leave the fans out of it.

Supposedly the Falcons are wooing him for a position with authority above that of GM Rich McKay. Which, should Bill Parcells take the job, would probably mean that McKay is on his way out. Exactly zero people outside of McKay's immediate family in Atlanta would be sad about that.

As for what bringing Parcells in for Atlanta might mean? Dunno. Hopefully it doesn't mean, if you are a Falcons fan, that Drew Bledsoe is dusted off for one more rodeo.... Some fetishes are extremely unseemly.

...one is pretty much compelled to listen. Because he has a track record of saying and doing stuff that kills teams. And I couldn't help but notice during a sideline shot or two Sunday against the Eagles, he sure seemed to be upset. And doing plenty of jawing. And, as a Bengals fan, I know from jawing and upset on the sidelines (thanks for nothing, Chad Johnson). At any rate, quoth the Owens:

"We got to pay attention to detail, and I'm sure the coaches will see that," Owens said Monday morning. "I mentioned it to [receivers coach Ray Sherman]. You know it's not a matter of guys doubling and triple-teaming me. I feel like in certain situations, I can outrun coverage."

Ah yes, the ol' outrun-triple-coverage play. A sure-fire success almost, what, none of the time?

"I think it's obvious the last two games, I haven't really moved around," he said. "I'm sure we'll go back to the drawing board and game plan and assess it. We all made some mistakes in the game."

Yes, but what I am hearing is that you think your coaches made more of them.

And, perhaps, it begins.

Something to watch these next two weeks heading into the playoffs in Dallas? Whether Tony Romo, struggling as it already stands, starts trying to force the ball to Owens to keep him happy. Regardless of the coverage. Which is not the ideal recipe for success...

Marty Burns' take on si.com here.

Marc Stein's take at espn.com here.

A few things jump out if you have not been following the Association closely:

---Did you know the Blazers have won seven straight? And that they are going to be in the playoff chase for the 8th spot in the West? Even without Greg Oden? Add Oden to that team next season, assuming Oden can find health, and the Blazers are going to be a near-future major factor in the Western Conference.

---At 20-2, the Celtics are one successful road trip to the Western Conference from people seriously talking about whether 70 wins is reachable.

---The Magic, at 17-8 are still plenty good, but home losses to Atlanta and Memphis should give those predicting they can take the East come June serious pause. Let's just say I don't see the Pistons or Celtics losing two at home to teams like the Hawks and Grizzlies.

---Although at 11-12, the Hawks are not nearly as bad as they used to be.

---How is life post-KG in Minnesota? Pretty fuck-awful. 3-19. With a bullet. Can Minny threaten 70 losses? For those of us who enjoy ironic synergy, the dream is alive for a 12-70 Minnesota campaign and a 70-12 Boston campaign.

--By the way, same as it ever was out West, where San Antonio, Phoenix, and Dallas are the best of a strong conference. But, there is a fourth team threatening to join that group, and it is a new-comer. That would be the Hornets. if you have not had a chance to watch them play recently, do yourself a favor and find a game. Chris Paul is morphing into a young Isiah Thomas (the player, not the horrid coach/GM) and is pretty much impossible to defend most nights.

A big shout out to winter for adding the element of fun for the casual viewer to the games yesterday. As for the games themselves, amazingly, with two weeks left, the Browns have a real shot at the AFC North. Romeo Crennel has done one heck of a coaching job there in 2007. As for what the chattering class is saying this morning, read on.

Don Banks at si.com with Snap Judgments and this observation among others:

"San Francisco's upset home win over Cincinnati on Saturday night makes you wonder about the judgment of the 49ers offensive coaching staff, doesn't it? If Niners third-string quarterback Shaun Hill is capable of playing that efficiently -- 21-of-28 passing for 197 yards, with one touchdown pass and a 3-yard bootleg scoring run, what was he doing stuck behind both starter Alex Smith and backup Trent Dilfer, as San Francisco's season swirled down the tubes the last three months?"

Wait, I got this one. Um, Don? I like you and all. You generally do rock solid work. But, and I promise you this, you canNOT take one game against a Bengals D and take any lessons from it. You just can't. The list of living breathing NFL quarterbacks who would not show well against the Cincinnati (quitters/no-talenters/heartless/bad coached) Bengals is very, very, short. Maybe only Brock Berlin is on it (and he likely only had problems because G-d was still distracted with all things Tim Tebow). And that was likely skewed a week ago by the torrential rain he had to play in. Maybe Shaun Hill will be all that. But you will need far more than one game against the Bengals' joke of a defense/team before you get to wondering about the SF coaches and why they didn't dust Hill off before now.

Clark Judge at sportsline.com with Judgements and this thought amongst others:

"CBS analyst Dan Marino said that Indianapolis or Jacksonville can go into New England and beat the Patriots. I disagree. The Colts suffer from Dome Syndrome, which tells us that no dome teams have gone to the Super Bowl by playing outdoors. Yeah, Jacksonville can run the ball, but what's the Jags' weakness? Uh-huh, pass defense. Good luck against Tom Brady."

Damn, Clark Judge, you are going to make me agree with Dan Marino, at least with respect to the Colts. Have you been watching Indy play games this year? Yes, they are still fully capable of winning games through the air (and have done so). But they are built much differently from their previous editions that had problem outdoors in January. If they do meet New England for the AFC title game, and the weather is frigid or sloppy, Indy is well-suited this time around both offensively and defensively to survive a game like that. Up until yesterday when the Patriots finally re-discovered Laurence Maroney, I was wondering if they had not morphed into the 2004 Colts and might be vulnerable in bad weather games. Actually, considering the mere 20-10 margin of victory over the Jets, and that one of the Pat TDs came from the defense, I still think they are vulnerable in bad weather games. Without the pass offense cranked up, the Pats can be had.

At espn.com, Last Call with this tidbit from the Heard in the Pressbox section:

"The Pittsburgh offensive line is a mess; the problems begin at center and move to the right. The Steelers have enjoyed superb play at center for more than 30 years, from Mike Webster to Dermontti Dawson to Jeff Hartings. That's one Hall of Fame snapper (Webster) and one who deserve serious consideration for Canton honors (Dawson). But Sean Mahan, signed from Tampa Bay as an unrestricted free agent, has struggled for much of the season. And the performance from the right side of the line also has been subpar. Pittsburgh isn't able to run the ball with any kind of rhythm, and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is getting hit an awful lot."

That paragraph likely has the sanction of uber-Swamper Jerloma who has been sounding the warning about the Steeler offensive line since the pre-season. For those who have not been paying attention, those same offensive line issues help to underscore just how good Ben Roethlisberger has been. If he doesn't make the Pro Bowl this year, the process is more of a joke than usual.

As for my thoughts (NTYC):

Continue reading "NFL Week 15---The National Take" »

(looking at that pic, I guess Brian Billick is an SNL fan. And, as in the sketch, when he gets nervous, heads to his 'pits)

Bad. Worse. Baltimore.

Lose to the 0-13 Dolphins? Almost epic on the bad loss scale. For those of us who have been annoyed over the years with the swagger of the Ray Lewis-led Ravens, well, a bit of karmic payback watching Miami pull that one out yesterday. As for the view from Baltimore this morning after the Ravens lost their 8th straight game? Bleak. You're up, David Steele from the Baltimore Sun:

"This is the sound of a team hitting a new low, the background music for the worst team in the NFL: thumping and laughter. The thumping came from the fists of Ravens officials pounding the tables in the back row of the Dolphin Stadium press box. It began when Greg Camarillo was at the 30-yard line, pulling away from the last defender, nothing in front of him but the end zone, a 22-16 victory and a playoff-level celebration by his Miami Dolphins teammates. The laughter came from Derrick Mason."You want me to be truthful? I just laughed," he said of the moment yesterday when he and the Ravens realized that this wasn't a nightmare, that they were wide awake, that they had lost to an 0-13 team. "I couldn't do anything but laugh, just laugh and sit on the bench," Mason added, then paused. "Try to embrace it all, and go from there."

Immediately, where Mason and the shellshocked Ravens went was the locker room. Inside, there was mostly silence. No speeches this time. No bragging about how one unit or the other had performed in defeat. No second-guessing. No conspiracy accusations. No bitter tirades against referees or coaches or reporters or teammates. There was mild distress about not going for a game-winning touchdown from the 1-yard line at the end of regulation. Otherwise, it was widespread resignation. Or more accurately, grim acceptance. This team flat-out stinks."

A team resigned to losing? Grim acceptance? Damn, Ravens fans, as a Bengals fan, let me tell you, those are frightening words to read about your team. Because, I promise you, when a team and organization get used to (and, eventually, resigned to) losing, it is a bottomless pit of horridness that they are falling into.

It's tough to say what the White family should be more embarassed about. The fact that Roddy wore a "Free Mike Vick" t-shirt, or the pride he took in his t-shirt making ability.

"That was homemade. I did that myself."

Very good, Roddy! Now class, everyone look at how nicely Roddy wrote on his t-shirt. Isn't that nice?

Not of every game. That would be silly. Because no one needs to spend time thinking about Brock Berlin's pro debut in the rain/sleet/snow in Cincy against a bad Bengals team on behalf of a bad Rams team. Oh. Sorry. I've already said too much.

What games do matter today (based on who would make the playoffs if the season ended today)?

These among others:

Miami at Buffalo: The Bills at 6-6 are right in the thick of the last playoff spot chase in the AFC. The Dolphins are fuck-awful. Any reason to linger on this one when flipping by it on your NFL Sunday Ticket? The weather. Snow and sleet in Buffalo in December. That and seeing who Miami is auditioning on offense this week.

Dallas at Detroit: If only to watch the continued meltdown of Detroit's once promising season. Insert your own why has G-d forsaken the Lions comment here. My thought? Her sense of humor is well developed and cruel.

San Diego at Tennessee: This one just oozes Chargers get rolled. As between a Norv Turner coached team and a Jeff Fisher coached team at this point in the season, I know which team will likely be mentally and physically prepared to play and which won't.

Arizona at Seattle: With a two-game lead on the Cardinals, the Seahawks are likely headed to another NFC West title. The Cardinals are in the thick of the Wild Card chase to boot. If history holds, the beginning of Arizona's late season testicle kick of their fanbase begins today.

Cleveland at NY Jets: Browns will lose another. Mark it.

And then, this one:

Pittsburgh at New England: Undefeated seasons on the line. Guarantees. Good teams. Probably a reason or two somewhere in there to tune in. And then some.

Political stuff, I'm sure. Frankly, I have not paid much attention.

But, in a world gone mad, with crises upon crises, he's come across my radar again hot on an issue that demands heavy political interference. The Week 17 game on the NFL Network between the Patriots and Giants. Patriots fans are going to be hella inconvienced apparently. So, by God, letters will be written. That's right. Letters. 20th century hardball right there. Pen and paper. Quill and ink. Parchment paper. A stamp. Strong words. The text of the letter:

"Dear Commissioner Goodell and President McSlarrow, I am writing to express my concern on behalf of football fans across the country who find themselves caught in the middle of a corporate standoff. While the National Football League and a few major cable companies continue to blame each other for the current state of NFL Network carriage, too many American football fans are being held hostage.

Unfortunately, this disagreement has led to the use of what could potentially be an historic football game as leverage in a negotiation. On Saturday, December 29th, the New England Patriots will play the New York Giants in a game that could determine whether the Patriots become the first NFL team in 35 years to finish the regular season with an undefeated record. Unfortunately, millions of fans outside of the local media markets - including fans living in Massachusetts and New York - will not have access to the network that will broadcast the game.

I recognize that the games shown on the NFL Network have been the long-standing subject of commercial negotiations. I do not wish to interfere with these negotiations, and I hope that the two sides can come to an agreement that will ensure that NFL games will be broadcast to the maximum number of television households across the country. In light of the unique circumstances surrounding the 2007 New England Patriots, I urge you to reach an agreement as soon as possible, so that football fans across the country are not prevented from viewing what could be an historic sporting event.

I thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
John F. Kerry

Well.

I am sure that will work.

Or not. The NFL's response? A polite "fuck you" (paraphrasing).

Everyone can carry on then. Nothing to see here. Except a football game. As a DirecTV subscriber with a clear southern sky access, I shall enjoy the game as naturally I would. Sucks to be the rest of you.

The refs got it right.

And the refs interpretation of calling Rolle "boy" is different than Rolle's interpretation. However that is possible.

Hugs and kissed,

The League

PS: The Rex Ryan is still OK with his timeout call.

In year two of the new Monday night arrangment, ESPN finally gets an all-timer. At the least, this one will be remembered for a very long time.

In the very immediate aftermath of New England's rather improbable 27-24 win, Mike Sando, who was working the game and giving solid updates all night on Hashmarks on espn.com, had a must read series of entries following the game, including quick posts of the relevant raw quotes from the locker-rooms. As you might expect, the quotes from the Baltimore locker-room (see the 12:22 am entry) are the fun ones. As always, take anything said in the aftermath of crushing disappointment with about two million grains of salt. The general theme? "The NFL wants New England to win." Looking at that fortuitous defensive holding penalty on 4th and game late, it resonates a little (even though it shouldn't). That was a lot of breaks the Pats got. I guess they are lucky AND good. Bastards.

The view from Baltimore? Either "dominant effort" (say! I recognize moral victory columns. Welcome to dead bird season, Baltimore) or "total collapse" (yeah, that was a spectacular mental meltdown following the go-ahead TD).

The view from Boston this morning? Well, as celestial punishment for playing such a close game, it is Dan Shaughnessy with the verbiage on luck.

As for my thoughts (NTYC):

1. As the weather turns bad and wintery, an issue for New England given their locale, I keep waiting for them to re-discover Laurnce Maroney and try and control games on the ground. I am still waiting. Have they become so enamored with the pass (a la Indy from a few years ago) that they are vulerable in bad conditions? If so, that would be rather ironic.

2. Nice effort from Baltimore, moral victories aside, but one can't help but watch another game of effectiveness from Kyle Boller and wonder just how badly alleged offensive genius Brian Billick screwed up his development. And whether Baltimore might not have a few more wins this season if Boller had been inserted for the broken Steve McNair a few months ago.

3. New England's defense can be had. Particularly by a team commited to a physical running game. I see at least two teams in the AFC capable of dictating a game in the trenches in the cold. One is Pittsburgh. The other? With a little health, Indy. Addai is fully capable of giving the Colts a ground presence to win a bad/cold conditions game. Ordinarily you would think San Diego as well, but I don't trust Norv Turner to do the right thing.

4. Fun game. And pretty well done by the ESPN Monday night crew. Mike Tirico has excelled at controlling the booth this year, and he did good work at the critical moments last night. Having Ron Jaworski in the booth this year instead of Joe Theismann has been heaven sent. Even Kornheiser has found some balance in terms of when to chime in and when to stay quiet. At the very least, I was able to watch the game and not have to dwell on how much I hate the broadcast crew. That's a start in the right direction.

McCowns: 33-of-58 for 454 yards, 5 TDs and 1 INT
Mannings: 36-of-56 for 483 yards, 5 TDs and 3 INTs

What now, Miami Dolphins (other than praying for a Bengals lay-down in Week 17)? Dan Le Batard in the Miami Herald on the smoking carcass of Miami's 2007 season following the nearly inconceivable 40-13 home loss to the previously 2-9 Jets:

"Wasn't bad enough to be down 42-7 at the half against New England or lose 3-0 last week in the most boring football game ever played. So Miami descended Sunday several floors below where you thought ''rock bottom'' was. And a hissing Marty Booker spoke to the TV cameras through a stream of curses afterward, then ended interviews with, ''I'm done. I'm sorry.'' And a seething Keith Traylor, who has never said anything interesting as a Dolphin, wondered aloud why he came back through so much pain to be a part of this worst embarrassment. And a defeated Jason Taylor spat a hollow ''They [stink], too'' at the hated Jets before a Miami public-relations man ended his interviews for the day. Etch Booker's words on the tombstone of the haunted 2007 Dolphins.

They're done. They're sorry. And the only reason they'll be relevant for the season's last month -- the only reason anyone in the country will be paying attention to this laughingstock -- is to see if Miami's shame grows from merely embarrassing to epic, historic and forever. This is how you lose when you are trying to avoid 0-16? You lose by 27 points in the most winnable game on your schedule?"

Well, when you put it THAT way, that's not real good.

If ever there was a directionless franchise (and, as a Bengals fan, I know from directionless franchises), it's Miami right now. And, has been for some time. The worst part is that there is really no reason for hope at any point in the short or long term. Is there an 8-win season in the offing for them next year? Hard to imagine how that could be.

Those 10 wins this season that Jon Kitna babbled about in the off-season are all of a sudden damn close to a pipe-dream. And, while the Lions are at it, so too the playoffs at this point. Michael Roserberg in the Detroit Free Press on how to view the Lion's season as 6-2 has turned into 6-6 following a 42-10 beatdown at the hands of the Vikings yesterday:

"The Lions have lost four straight. They look like they expect to lose the next four, along with their wallets, keys and sense of humor. The most popular question after this debacle was, "What happened to the team that started 6-2?" I understand the question. But I think it is flawed. I think it's like asking why that woman who looked good when she was across the street was not so attractive when you saw her up close. Why should we assume that the Lions who started 6-2 were the "real" Lions, and the ones who have lost four straight are imposters? By any objective measure, the Lions are fortunate to be 6-6. For the season, they have been outscored by 44 points. They have lost three games by at least 30 points.

Does that sound like a good team? They don't even pretend they have a running game -- Sunday, they rushed three times in the first 56 minutes. Their theoretically explosive passing game remains just that: a theory. Their secondary is so bad, I expect cornerbacks to line up with their backs to the line of scrimmage, just to get a head start. Their most talented player, Shaun Rogers, has been a nonfactor for most of the past month. They are technically still in the playoff race, in the way that those lobsters in tanks at seafood restaurants are technically still alive.

What? They rushed three times in the first 56 minutes of that game? How the fuck is that possible?

Oh. Yeah. Mike Martz is the offensive coordinator. Almost forgot. Carry on then.

You know by now, I am sure, that Washington lost yesterday due in no small part to Joe Gibbs forgetting a basic rule. You can't call consecutive timeouts. If you do it is a penalty. 15 yards of penalty. Enough to move a potential game-winning field goal from 51 yards down to 36 yards. Enough to help lose a game. Mike Wise in the Washington Post with the salient question this morning:

"Now the harder dilemma: How much can one pile on criticism of Gibbs from here on out? How much can a coach who lost the best player on the team not to injury, but death, be taken to task at this moment? Part of me wants to heap criticism on the coach who has now lost five second-half leads this season and 15 since 2004.

And if it was all right to play football this week -- and use the game as part of the grieving and recovery process, as so many players and coaches said -- well, when is it all right to talk about football? When is it all right to get into the dynamics of a team on a four-game losing streak that is in immediate danger of missing the playoffs for the second straight season?"

That pretty much frames the discussion. I know from the Swamp chatter, particularly from Washington fan garyclark, that the bolded part above highlights his complaints, mainly that Gibbs' playcalling and overall instincts have been absolutely awful this year (and really, since he returned from NASCAR). And, really, have been for some time. Wise's point in the article, wondering whether the death of Sean Taylor gives Gibbs a pass for yesterday and, really, the season, will be something for Daniel Snyder to wrestle with. Setting emotion aside, it is hard to advocate for Gibbs sticking around. Solid read from Wise.

I am to understand that Miami was actually leading 13-10 in their 40-13 loss to the Jets yesterday? Good lord.

Sorry, America, for the Bengals. They won't apologize, so let me, one of the godforsaken who follows them, do it for them. What you saw last night, if you chose to watch that mess, was what they inflict on their fanbase on a weekly basis. Poor coaching. Worse execution. No poise. Childish behavior. It's a clinic on how to be a bad football team. Thanks, NBC, for giving everyone a chance to see it up close. You're swell. Tools.

(And, hey, how did you like the stupid patented "quick-kneel" by Carson? Huh? Ain't that special? And if he's wrong about a team being offsides? A wasted down! Blows up drives! And the coaches are the ones who have put this in place!)

As for the rest of the day in the NFL, on to the usual suspects.

Don Banks with Snap Judgments in si.com and this thought among others:

"Not that you couldn't see this coming to some degree, but the Lions are now in full fledged freefall, back at .500 after finishing the first half of the season at 6-2. And with Dallas, at San Diego, and at Green Bay still to come on Detroit's schedule, even staying at .500 is going to be an accomplishment. From 6-2 to 7-9 might somehow feel even more disheartening in Detroit than all those desultory years of double-digit losses."

Yes. I imagine it will. Particularly after the off-season bravado from Jon Kitna that looked to be more than just whistling in the dark this time around. Losing is one thing, but Detroit has been getting ripped asunder. Not a lot of resiliancy being displayed there in the face of adversity.

Peter King apparently has a new editor who demands timely columns as MMQB has been up early enough weeks in a row now to constitute a pattern. Sayeth King:

"This from my NBC information honcho, Joe Gesue, via the Elias Sports Bureau: Of all the quarterbacks drafted since the AFL-NFL merger 37 years ago, Dan Marino is the only one with a higher passer rating than Ben Roethlisberger. Marino through 50 games: 94.3. Roethlisberger: 92.1."

I highlighted that from his stuff to once again try and drive home the point that too many people are reluctant to understand: Ben Roethlisberger is a great quarterback. In every respect. On the list of "wills-his-team-to-wins" quarterbacks in the league, he is right at the top. Enough with the "caretaker" bullshit and the rest of it. He has always done what he's been asked to do. One way or the other. He's a great quarterback, no matter how you break it down.

Clark Judge at sportsline.com has this musing in Judgements among others:

" Say this about Norv Turner: He learned his lesson. When he lost to Kansas City earlier this year, he fed LaDainian Tomlinson six times in the second half for 16 yards. Result: The Chargers were outscored 24-0. In the rematch Sunday, he gave L.T. the ball 10 times in the second half, and he responded with 117 yards. Result: San Diego outscored the Chiefs 14-0 and picked up its third victory in four weeks."

How much does anyone want to be that Turner forgets that lesson in at a critical time. Like, say, round 1 of the playoffs?

As for my thoughts (NTYC*)

Continue reading "NFL Week 13---The National Take" »

The best story lines today include:

Pittsburgh vs. the Dead Cats vs. the Field/elements: At the least, it won't be a monsoonal rain in Pittsburgh today. But it will rain. And sleet. And generally be miserable. So at least the national audience forced to watch the Bengals/Steelers tonite can hope for some muddy shenanigans.

Houston at Tennessee: At 5-6, the Texans still have a discernable playoff pulse. The Titans the last few weeks have played like they are DOA, even though at 6-5, they have a real shot at the playoffs. It will be raining and raining plenty in Tennessee today, another potential slop-fest.

Seattle at Philadelphia: Interesting, if only to find out if AJ Feely can be that competent two weeks in a row. Because, if he can? Probably a full-fledged QB controvery will break out.

Jacksonville at Indy: At 8-3, the Jags are just one game behind the Colts. Win this one Jacksonville, and the division is up in the air. And then some.

Jets at Miami: Miami wants to finally win one? This would appear to be as good a shot as they are going to get...

Cleveland at Arizona: At 7-4, if the playoffs ended today, Cleveland would be in. The Cardinals are next to impossible to read. As always. As for Cleveland, how could they cast Derek Anderson aside after what he has done this year? Brady Quinn or no Brady Qunn?

Giants at Chicago: The Eli Manning game after game. If he looks anything like last week, he may not be allowed back to the Metro area.

Oh, and welcome back Adrian Peterson (MN version). Take two weeks off, still lead the NFL in rushing. Darren McFadden thanks you for your goodness.

Hopefully you didn't waste a fantasy football trade on Ricky Williams, because the fact that he might be productive was truly a fantasy. Ricky Williams' latest comeback lasted one game.

Playing on a field that resembled something that had been recently harvested, Williams was injured in the second quarter Monday on a play when he fumbled. After being tackled, he was accidentally stepped on while chest-down on the ground.

And here is this piece of brilliance from the Miami "coach" :"My No. 1 concern coming into the game, when you hurry a guy back, obviously he could get hurt," Cameron said after the game.

Well then why play him on a field in worse shape then most 8 year olds play on? And precisely what was he rushing back from? I thought it was a drug suspension. Not sure I understand what Cam's point was, but that certainly puts me in the majority.

I remember a point Joe Morgan made this past season. "You have to stay motivated to be healthy."

Got that one from the Bengals' zealot board I frequent. Pretty much sums up the irritation most Bengals fans have with a certain talent. In case you are not aware, that pic (minus the caption) was taken as Johnson headed back to the sidelines after incurring his 15-yard excessive celebration penalty last Sunday. Lewis chose "boys will be boys" for his coaching technique. That's worked out well so far (add in sarcastic tone as necessary)...

The dead cat bounce is in full effect.

Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor was the victim of a shooting at his Florida home, according to a statement released Monday by the team.

The brief statement from the Redskins said Taylor was undergoing treatment at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami and that Miami-Dade County police was investigating. Police said they were sending spokesmen to the scene and had no other immediate comment.

I am still having a hard time believing what AJ Feely put together last night in greater Boston. Perhaps even the mighty Patriots are prone to reading their press clippings....

At any rate, on to what the paid professionals think.

Don Banks, at si.com with Snap Judgments and this thought among others:

"After 50 regular-season starts and just more than three full years of watching his every move, can we just all agree that Eli Manning is what he is? He's never going to be Peyton Manning; and by now, it's our fault if we don't realize where he fits into the pecking order of NFL quarterbacks. He's a good, but far from great passer, who can still struggle mightily at times to see the field accurately and put the ball where his receivers -- as opposed to defenders -- can catch it. Manning has never played worse than in the Giants' 41-17 homefield flameout against Minnesota on Sunday, which happened to occur in his 50th regular-season start since being selected first overall in 2004. He threw four interceptions against a Vikings pass defense that was ranked worst in the NFL coming into the game (288.4 yards allowed), with a league-record-tying three of those picks being returned for touchdowns.

Manning now has a ho-hum 16 touchdowns and 15 interceptions this season, and he's just 27-23 as an NFL starter since taking over the No. 1 job in New York on Nov. 21, 2004 -- the 10th game of the Giants' season that year. Factor in his 0-2 playoff mark, and Manning's 27-25 starting record is almost the definition of mediocrity.

That it is. And there is enough of a track record now to begin to draw some conclusions from that. Somewhere, Tiki Barber chuckles. I hate it when Tiki Barber is right.

Peter King again with MMQB up early (it's now a trend) and this lovin' on his main squeeze Brett Favre:

With five games left, Brett Favre is in position to have the best season, statistically, of his career....Favre has never had a rating of 100 for a full season, never thrown for 4,500 yards in a season, never completed two-thirds of his passes in a season ... all things he's on pace to do at 38, in his 17th NFL season.

Alright, for a change, that is a fact based opinion from King. At some point, the past slobbering over Favre has to be forgotten to accept how good Favre has actually been this year. Damn good.

Clark Judge at sportsline.com with Judgements and this:

"Now I know Tennessee's Albert Haynesworth is the defensive MVP. In the eight games he played this season the Titans were 6-2 and allowed more than 22 points once. In the three he's missed they're 0-3 and hemorrhaged 28, 34 and 35 points."

Correct. And, dare I say, no one gives a shit about the face-stomping thing from a year ago. And, when he hits free agency this off-season, Brinks trucks will deliver sacks of cash to the bank of his choice.

As for what I think (as always NTYC):

Continue reading "NFL Week 12: The National Take" »

Great call on your flex scheduling game. Clearly you all are omnipotent. Any suggestion that your flex scheduling acumum sucks clearly comes from idgits. Clearly, something is in the works that the Bengals will actually show up next week, if you have the celestial pull to make last night's game compelling.

You are failing your "flex" scheduling exam. America boos.

I understand that CBS and Fox can protect a game each. I understand that the NFL Network has lucked into the Green Bay/Dallas game next Thursday. All that acknowledged, seriously, New England/Philly tonite? Because we need to see the carnage?

Keeping Cincinnati AT Pittsburgh as the national game next week? Why? In the hopes that this is the game where Chad Johnson goes crazy and kills someone? For the love of all that is holy, why not try and pick games that might be, ah, entertaining? Competitive? Interesting?

Just a thought.

• Donovan McNabb missed practice again Thursday because of ankle and thumb injuries, and it's uncertain whether the five-time Pro Bowl quarterback will play for the Eagles against New England on Sunday. I know I wouldn't feel too good if I was playing the Pats on Sunday.

• Although team officials said this week that Marvin Harrison is making progress in his rehabilitation from a knee injury that has plagued him for nearly two months, the Indianapolis Colts wide receiver will not play in the Thursday night game here against the Atlanta Falcons.

Colts vs Falcons on the NFL Network tonight. Well all 37 people that are able to watch the game will be dissapointed not to see Marvin.

• Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren says starting running back Shaun Alexander will miss his third consecutive game at St. Louis on Sunday because of the sprained left knee.

• Tennessee running back Chris Henry dropped his appeal Wednesday and started serving his four-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.

In other pot related news Ricky Williams may play Monday night. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it.

• Adrian Peterson was on the field for the first part of Minnesota's practice on Wednesday, participating in light individual drills with his teammates.

• Broncos receiver Javon Walker returned to practice Wednesday, a sign that his right knee has possibly healed enough to allow him to play Sunday at Chicago.

When we plucked Priest Holmes off the free agent pile a few weeks back. Sike.

So...New England is pretty good. Got it.

Even more entertaining than watching New England run up the score on teams? Listening to broadcasters make apologies or excuses for it. Al Michaels and John Madden were more than up to the task last night. We learned that Buffalo should "just stop them" (thanks Madden) and that this wasn't personal since Belichick genuinely "likes and respects Dick Jauron" (thanks Michaels). Quality non-sensical blathering in the midst of a boring game.

As for what the national talking heads are saying, read on:

Don Banks at si.com with Snap Judgments and this thought among others:

"I'm starting to think these Dolphins, at 0-10, have a real shot at running the table in reverse, losing to a degree that no NFL team has ever lost before. How cool would it be if the Patriots and the Dolphins provided perfectly historic bookend seasons in the AFC East? You realize, of course, that no team has ever had either a 16-game divisional lead (as New England would) or a 16-game divisional deficit (Miami's potential fate). I knew you did."

Pretty simple math, Banks, and pretty easy to figure out that it would be unprecedented. And, you are just now realizing that this has a real shot of happening? Welcome to the rest of the world. Still, the biggest obstacle in the collective dream of seeing an 0-16 season? The Bengals. They play Miami the last game of the year. And, knowing the team I root for, are more than capable of choking with the spotlight on them. Hell, they live for that. A loss to Miami to end the season would make a lot of sense in terms of how that team operates.

Peter King is again up earlier than ususal with MMQB and has this observation:

"1. No one except maybe the '27 Yankees could beat the Patriots right now."

Too true. Only arguably the best baseball team ever could possibly beat this Patriots football team. Everyone else might as well give up. Even you, 1996 Bulls. You can't take this Pats club. Only the '27 Yankees. Wait, what are we talking about here? Well done, Peter, as usual. My hat is off to you.

Clark Judge at sportsline.com with Judgements and this note:

" I hear NBC's Cris Collinsworth criticizing Philip Rivers' mechanics, saying the guy needs some coaching. I thought that was why the Chargers hired Norv Turner."

Actually, the Chargers hired Norv Turner in an attempt to convince Troy Aikman what the rest of America knows, Turner is a bad head coach. Even Aikman has to be coming around to that realization now.

As for what I think (NTYC):

Continue reading "NFL Week 11---The National Take" »

Giants lose.

Eli Manning gets blamed (your source may vary, but, damn, Tony Romo, why you gotta go and be good when Eli is not?)

Somone has to rally to him.

Tom Coughlin, your turn:

"We know the environment that we are in here and, obviously, you would like it to be different, but it is not," said Coughlin, who was a primary target of scorn last season but has escaped such scathing analysis this year. "So the only way that we know to do anything about it is the next game."

Damn, that's the best you got? Sorry, Eli, you are on your own.

"Bill Barnwell: It's weird. We define offensive players by how great they are when they perform on the field, but it's almost as if we define great defensive players by how their teams do when they're not around (Bob Sanders being the first example that comes to mind). There's something very strange about that."

Soooooo close. And yet, sooooo far. Miami gets to 0-9 by allowing Buffalo to play awfully and win to get to 5-4. The Bills, I am sure, are very appreciative.

The Miami Herald columnists are starting to get challenged in looking for the right adjectives to describe the mounting carnage. You first, Armando Salguero:

"All this losing obviously didn't agree with Jesse Chatman, so midway through the first quarter of Sunday's Dolphins game, the running back excused himself from the Miami huddle and, on his way to the sideline, lost his breakfast and everything else he'd eaten before the game.

And what Chatman left there on the turf, around the 30-yard line, was a picture of this Dolphins season.

Ugly. Smelly. Rotting.

That's where we are now that Miami has proved beyond reasonable doubt that it is the NFL's worst team by losing 13-10 against the beatable Bills and, in so doing, remaining the NFL's only winless team."

That's a nice list of adjectives. And an even better visual. Maybe Miami can put a package together to Cleveland to get Brady Quinn from them...

Speaking of Miami quarterbacks, why in the world can't rookie second round pick John Beck get on the field? Greg Cote, you try to figure it out:

"Why does a QB change so terrify this coach? Beck is an ''old rookie'' at 26, and not a piece of porcelain who might be irreparably shattered by adversity. Figuring out whether Beck is the next Marino, a bust or whatever shade in between is all that's left that matters this season (other than avoiding 0-16, and since Trent Green and Lemon have both failed to avert that wreck, why not let somebody else drive?)

Two very tough road games, to Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, happen next. I can see Cameron justifying the babying of his rookie by keeping him under wraps and insulated from those two hostile environments. But if Beck isn't playing -- starting, learning, growing, revealing the future -- by the next home game, against the also-woeful Jets, it will constitute a grievous stubbornness and malfeasance by Cameron. And it will beg that chanting to grow until it's just about all you hear."

As it should.

Coming up for a breath of fresh air from the work grind, I actually got watch the day's games yesterday. It was a nice reminder of what was, and what will be once again someday, once work backs off a bit. Because of that, I actually can revive for today the national look post. And what say the national talking heads on a day that worked out spectacularly well for Steelers fans?

As always, we start with Don Banks and Snap Judgments at si.com:

"Sorry, but I can't really consider Tennessee a serious playoff threat until the Titans prove they can top 20 points on a regular basis -- something they've done in only two games this season. That was an ugly 28-13 Titans loss to visiting Jacksonville on Sunday, and Vince Young's continued Year 2 struggles have to be concerning Norm Chow, Jeff Fisher and Co."

Valid. Then again (not that I am absolving Young, who has been awful), perhaps Tennessee will want to go out and find Young some living breathing competent receivers at some point and see what happens.

Peter King is up early with Monday Morning Quarterback, and has this to say on Ben Roethlisberger (among other things):

"None of those items, however, was the story of the day. Ben Roethlisberger was. When I watched Roethlisberger last year, I thought, "Flawed quarterback.'' When I watched Roethlisberger on Sunday, I thought, "Franchise quarterback.''

Wow. If only there was some reservoir of success that Roethlisberger had prior to last year for King to have looked upon before forming the "flawed quarterback" opinion....Good lord Peter, the man led the Steelers to a Super Bowl win, exclamation pointed by that win on the road at Indy a few years back. He's always been the guy who refuses to take a sack, refuses to go down before getting the extra yard, and generally sells out to win. Just NOW you are realizing he's a franchise quarterback? Jeebus. It's not like his struggles last year were do to anything off-field or anything...

Clark Judge on sportsline.com with Judgements:

"The NFL should hold a refresher seminar on two-point conversions. Invite Joe Gibbs and Andy Reid to attend and remind them that you never, ever, ever, try for two until the fourth quarter. Both of them did, and they failed. But that's not the point. They did what you absolutely, positively should not, and that's panic. Reid gets a pass because he won, but Gibbs must stay after school."

Yeah, Gibbs is a puzzle. On the surface, it appears that Washington is progressing. Talk to a Washington fan, however (like, say garyclark in the Swamp) and you get a whole world of frustration willing to be vented. At this point, as always, I should be paying far more attention to what garyclark is saying.

As for my thoughts (NTYC*):

Continue reading "NFL Week 10---The National Take" »

Sorry I have been away from posting up here so long. To the four people who have noticed, I appreciate it. Work is killing me. I might be back to something like normal in mid-January.

Now, the Shula thing;

1. I have no problem with him saying it. It's his opinion, and no matter how mad it makes the Patriots, it's a valid one.

2. I have no problem with the Patriots using Shula's opinion, along with everything else, fueling their furious anger. Good for them at finding an edge. Would that Marvin Lewis were one millioneth that clever when it comes to finding ways to motivate a team.

3. The Patriots' anger at Shula's opinion and their response this far seems to be aimed at trying to bludgeon that opinion out of Shula and anyone who holds it. Sorry, Patriots and fans, even if your team goes 19-0 and beats the current non-Don Shula Dolphins in the game in Foxborough 135-0, it won't change what some people are going to think.

4. Who should you blame for people like Shula holding the opinion they do? Other than Bill Belichick, how about Roger Goodell? The way he handled the spy-camera thingy was a textbook example of how you ferment perpetual skepticism with regard to New England's past accomplishments. No matter how much the current Pats win, there will always be a question, in some people's minds, about whether previous editions were helped improperly. Such is life. Deal with it.

5. In my opinion, there is a cloud over the previous Super Bowl wins. Nothing that is happening now will change that opinion of mine. If that opinion (not mine specifically, but the fact that opinion exists) fuels your bludgeoning ways now, so be it. But it exists. Life's hard that way. A mental asterisk affixed to the 2007 team? Probably not warranted. A mental asterisk to the accomplishments of previous editions? Perhaps more warranted. At any rate, that people wonder about either today's team or the past teams is the fault of the Patriots themselves and the league office.

6. I wish people wondered the same things about the Bengals. Sadly, competence, however achieved, continues to be illusory for G-d's cursed franchise.

*Cranky old guy

The buzz this morning is that the Colts were pumping in crowd noise in yesterday's game. It's not a new accusation. But this time there may be audio evidence. There were a few seconds when Jim Nantz and Phil Simms were announcing and it sounds like the crowd is a record skipping behind them.

You can listen for yourself here at 850thebuzz.com (listen from the 0:17 to 0:22 second mark).

Funny enough, in the game yesterday, Nantz and Simms were talking about how loud it got in the Dome when the Pats were on offense, and how quiet it got for Manning. They were praising the Indy crowd for its "discipline."

Of course, Patriots fans are furious. How the hell is Belichick supposed to steal signals with all that crowd noise being pumped in?

The Swamp is kicking it around here.

UPDATE: The NFL is officially investigating.

That's your new NFL single-game rushing record, thanks to Adrian Peterson.

And he did it while the best running back in football, LaDainian Tomlinson, watched from the sidelines.

And he did it against a very hot team that sported a run defense ranked 7th in football coming into the game.

Chargers coach Norv Turner said, "I have been in this league too long to use the word embarrassed." Umm, Norv? Don't sell yourself short there, big fella. You've got plenty to be embarassed about.

The entire controversy about whether or not the Patriots are running up the score (they clearly are) is amusing to me. Football guys enjoy making fun of "the unwritten rules of baseball." They think baseball players are silly for getting their feelings hurt when someone steals a base in the 8th inning up by 10 runs, or "pulls a Manny" and strikes a pose to watch the ball as it leaves the field of play. But these same tough guys are getting their panties in a bunch over what the Patriots are doing.

What it comes down to is this: If you don't like it, stop them from doing it.

This has always been my stance not only on running up the score, but also on touchdown celebrations, sack dances and any other sort of showboating that takes place. Bill Belichick may not pull out a Sharpie to sign the football when his team scores a touchdown, but when he keeps his starters in long after the game is decided, or calls for an all-out aerial attack when the team is up by more than 30 points, it's the same exact thing.

And don't give me individual vs. team. There isn't a team in football, or any other sport, that doesn't celebrate when they do something well. Showboating isn't limited to Joe Horn and his cell phone. The entire Ravens defense celebrates on almost every tackle. It's part of the culture of sport.

He is showing up the other team. He is rubbing their noses in it. And he is showboating. Do I think it would be more classy to go another route? Absolutely. But do I think he is outside of his rights? Hell no.

Detroit Lions quarterback Jon Kitna and his wife dressed up as a naked man and a fast-food drive-through attendant at a teammate's Halloween party, depicting an embarrassing moment for one of the team's assistant coaches.

Now Kitna is getting some flak on local TV and in a newspaper column. Kitna said he was just trying to have fun, but regrets the scrutiny the costumes created.

I think Kitna should be applauded for his creativity. If you don't want your feelings hurt then don't drive naked to Wendy's.