The Crystal Ball 2013 The Super Bust

Eli Manning stated his brother Peyton does not need to win any additional Super Bowls to secure his legacy as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. Well of course Eli would say that. If Peyton never wins another Super Bowl that means Eli always has the “I have two rings, how many do you have” trump card. Very shrewd Eli.

Opening Kickoff

YAY! A Harbaugh free Super Bowl! I guess that sweetheart Anquan Boldin deal between the brothers didn't work out so well. Oops. And considering Kaepernick’s performance, perhaps getting rid of Alex Smith was a bit hasty as well. I’m sorry, is it too soon?

The Way It Was

Broncos 26 – Patriots 16

By the NFL doesn't miss a beat. Broncos AFC championship gear was being advertised on television less than 15 minutes after the conclusion of the game. They had not even awarded the AFC championship trophy. Seahawks NFC gear was being hawked, pun intended, before Richard Sherman inadvertently enraged half the nation. At the speed of commerce….

So I thought that when a receiver turned back and hit a defenseless defender, that was considered a crack back block, which was banned a few years ago and unofficially called the “Hines Ward Rule”. I guess Denver found the “Wes Welker Exception”.

I think it’s pretty obvious Tom Brady is not the same quarterback he used to be. Whether its age, lack of top flight offensive talent or staleness of the system that has eroded Tom Terrific is anyone’s guess. But Denver took away Brady’s running game and dared him to beat them through the air, even with their banged up secondary. Brady couldn't capitalize.

But give the Broncos this game. They looked primed and obviously wanted the win something terrible. Congratulations to them. And to Champ Bailey, making his very first Super Bowl appearance. Champ now you get to be the Jerome Bettis of this year’s Super Bowl. Go hit the cookie table.

Seahawks 23 – 49ers 17

Boy, don’t you just want to slap the snot out of Jim Harbaugh? He just acts like he needs a good butt whuppin.

I felt so bad for NaVorro Bowman, who made the big play, got the big turnover, but because of stupid rules, didn't get the ball, and worse got his knee destroyed. His teammates stepped up and stuffed the 4th and goal attempt on the very next play, but I'm sure that was cold solace.

Oh, and by the way thank you FOX Sports for replaying Bowman's gruesome injury 974 times. Good gravy.

Colin Kaepernick morphed into a turnover machine in 4th quarter, but credit the 49er defense for keeping the damage to a minimum and holding Seattle's offense to only 3 points. As much as I hate Harbaugh, that is exceptional.

And speaking of Kaepernick, I warned him about karma for mocking Cam Newton. He should have listened more closely.

And one last thing, if I may, on the Richard Sherman episode. I keep going back and forth regarding what Sherman did and what any other professional athlete has done through the years trying to discern a difference. And honestly I keep coming back to the same thing. People saw an angry African American male yelling at a Caucasian female and it triggered a visceral response. The problem here is that no one wants to admit openly this is a racial issue. Whenever race gets brought into the conversation of this, I have seen and heard it dismissed far too rapidly. Why? Why cannot we have an honest discussion about this topic? Sherman himself has been opening dialogue all week, trying to use this moment for positive change. My guess is that people are afraid if they admit, either to themselves, in public or both, that this is a racial issue, they will think that makes them racist if they reacted so negatively. I don’t believe that. I think all it shows is that for all the good work we’ve done in racial relations, this shows that there is still more good work to do ahead of us. Everyone makes mistakes; it is part of being human. The tragedy lies in not admitting or learning from them. So let’s all just be open and honest with ourselves and each other, recognize this as the teaching and growth moment it can and should be, and go forward working hard and growing together. The only way we make the world a better place is by working together.

The Steel Pit

A few interesting things in Steeler Nation occurred this week.

First, the team hired former Titans head coach Mike Munchak as their new offensive line coach. Let’s see, former collegiate All American, Hall of Fame offensive lineman, celebrated line coach, third former head coach on Steelers staff, joining Haley and LeBeau. Jackpot.

The other came from the world of television entertainment. In October, the NFL passed a rule stating that all NFL teams are now required to participate in the HBO documentary program “Hard Knocks”. There are a few exceptions to the rule, but basically it boils down to teams can be chosen to participate if they:

1)     Have an established head coach (no rookie head coaches)

2)     Missed the playoffs for two consecutive seasons

3)     Have not previously appeared on the program

This leaves the 2014 Hard Knocks pool looking like this:

Bears

Bills

Cardinals

Giants

Jaguars

Raiders

Rams

Steelers

Gee, I wonder which championship franchise with a massive and loyal following could be chosen to push HBO subscriptions come August…..

Only In Faux NFL Reality…

Let’s run through a few interesting tidbits I’ve found recently. Here’s a good one, a list of the 30 times you wanted to smack the smug off of the New England Patriots. I wonder how they restrained themselves to only 30 times.

The NFL is looking to branch out, and bring in a broadcast partner with whom to extort more profit; I mean split duties with in broadcasting Thursday night games. Let’s see, is it time for The CW to shine?

Apparently, in the 49ers loss, head coach Jim Harbaugh found humility. Must have been in the discount been next to his preferred khaki pants.

Harbaugh may have found humility, but he certainly found no love lost between himself and Brandon Jacobs. The running back still cannot stand his former coach.

Early in the week, it appeared that Wes Welker would be punished for his wicked hit on Aqib Talib. But then the NFL realized if they did this, that would mean Manning would be minus one weapon for the Super Bowl, and a pre-ordained story line must not be deviated from, even if it means disregarding the “safety” rules the NFL itself put in place, so Welker got let off the hook, I mean made a legal hit. Somewhere, Hines Ward shakes his head in disgust.

The NFL is considering eliminating the extra point. Does that also include reducing the amount of commercial breaks that follow a touchdown score? No? Figures.

Did you hear the one about a Seattle teen fired for wearing a Broncos jersey to work? Oh no, that’s not how it went. He was told to go home and change as the Bronco jersey did not meet the proper dress code for his employer. Said teen then decided not to return to work, and when they called to find out why, and he said he wouldn’t be coming back in that day, THEN they fired him for being basically a spoiled douchebag. Believe it or not, employers have the right to dictate any dress code they want. If an employee doesn't like it or wish to abide by it they are free to find new employment opportunities. That this is a story that made national headlines is pathetic. When did we become such a bunch of whiners, where every little uncomfortable moment is a national tragedy?

And finally, Raiders cheerleaders are suing the team, claiming they are owed back pay from the team. Only the Raiders could manage to screw up so badly their cheerleaders sue them. And people wonder why this team never wins.

The Super Bust

It finally happened. For once, the sports media world got it right.

The two preseason favorites to make the Super Bowl, by my unscientific calculations the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks, have reached the Super Bowl.

With both teams making the big game, that means for there to be a Super Bust, it must be played between both alternates. It also means that for the first time since I’ve been tracking this stat, a consensus preseason favorite will win the Super Bowl. Stunned I am.

But faith I have not lost. This appears to be the exception that proves the rule. Of course, should next year’s favorites win, then we will need to explore a burgeoning trend. Until then, I feel confident that all will be corrected and return to normal by this time next year. In the meantime, congratulations to both the Broncos and Seahawks for living up to expectations, and here’s hoping nothing screwy happens to my theory regarding scandals and Super Bowl winners. I can’t have two bubbles burst in two weeks!

NFL Firing Line

And then there was one….

Cleveland: The last man standing, after asking more than a few dates to the prom, finally found a dancing partner. The Browns hired Buffalo defensive coordinator Mike Pettine as their new head coach. Congratulations Cleveland, and good luck Mike!

And with that, the NFL Firing Line/Coaching Carousel/ Head Coach Musical Chairs comes to a anticlimactic conclusion for yet another season. We’ll see you all back here again near the end of the 2014 season, when another round of head coaching terminations brings this feature out if it’s annual hibernation, and we find out who Cleveland and the other newly coach-less organizations tab as their head coach. Until then, au revoir!

He Said He Said

“You were magnificent today.” – CBS Sports’ Jim Nantz to Peyton Manning following the AFC Championship game

Yeesh, Nantz why didn’t you just rub up against him like a cat? Nantz was laying it on pretty thick before he dropped this line. Afterward everyone within earshot looked a bit uncomfortable, including Peyton.

"The reason it bothers me is it seems that's the accepted way now to call someone the N-word. They say thug, and that takes me aback. Maybe I'm talking loudly on the field and saying things I'm not supposed to, but there was hockey game where they didn't even play hockey. They just threw the puck aside and started fighting. I thought, 'Oh man. I'm the thug? Geez.'" – Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman

He nailed that one right on the head. You don’t have to like his act, but he’s a very intelligent, thoughtful man who by accident or design has opened up some very interesting points of conversation in our society. The more we learn about him, and the more he speaks outside of the football arena, the smarter he looks and the dumber his detractors look.

"I'll let the league handle the discipline on that play. It's not for me to decide, but it's one of the worst plays I've seen. That's all I'm going to say about that." – Patriots head coach Bill Belichick

That’s all I’m going to say about that? Who did Belichick become, Forrest Gump? Does that make Tom Brady his "Jenny"?

“Pretty cool little story that Manning raised $24,800 for his own charity by evoking the "Omaha'' call at the line of scrimmage 31 times against the Patriots in the AFC title game. Eight Omaha, Neb., businesses combined to donate $800 every time Manning said his favorite indicator word as part of his cadence calls. The "Peyback Foundation'' focuses on helping at-risk youth.” – SI.com’s Don Banks

No, that's not cool, we covered this last week extensively, it bothered me then and even more so now. It’s even more disturbing that three additional companies piggy backed on this nonsense. Well at least I finally have a baseline price for dignity and shame; $24,800.

“As I said, it’s not how I would react. But he didn’t sugarcoat his opinions. We ask players for the truth all the time, and they so rarely give it to us that we’re shocked when they do.” – The MMQB’s Peter King

Shocked? Instead of his rant, Sherman could have defecated on the field in front of reporters and got less of a reaction than he did. Shocked is an understatement.

“He kept them in the game with his legs, but he hurt them with his arm.” – Fox Sports analyst Jimmy Johnson on Colin Kaepernick

And down the road of the option quarterback he goes.

“I cost us this game.” – 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick

Until you learn to trust your arm, read defenses better and bail to your running game every time things get hairy in the pocket, it won't be the last one either.

“I was destined to do this.” – Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer during his introductory press conference

I like Mike Zimmer, he is a really good defensive coordinator, and his story is one of triumph and tragedy. But I keep thinking I’m going to hear those words echoed ironically in a few years.

“One of the great descriptions I’ve ever heard about a person is velvet and steel, that an individual should be, particularly guys that play this game, like a piece of steel wrapped in velvet. So, on the field you’ll find a hard-nosed, tough, fast, physical individual. But then out in our community, you’ll see them as caring, as kind, as cordial as you’ll ever see a human being. That’s the combination we’re looking for, civility and toughness.” – Lions head coach Jim Caldwell

Ok, that’s a great quote. We all kind of ribbed him during his tenure in Indianapolis, I mean come on man blink once in a while! But I’m rooting for him in his second go around. Perhaps without the expectations of winning with Peyton Manning he’ll be more free to try something different.

Idiot of the Week

Man, some people just rub you the wrong way. There’s something about them, maybe their gait, demeanor, look, or maybe it’s more abstract than that. But sometimes some people just flip an annoying switch, and that’s all it takes to loathe them. With that said, it gives me immense pleasure to award this week’s idiot to Tom “holier than thou” Brady.

On Monday, after getting smacked around in the AFC Championship game again by Peyton Manning, Brady was on local Boston sports talk radio, the bastion for Mensa level conversation, and chimed in on the growing Richard Sherman uproar with this comment:

"I don't know him at all. I've watched him play and he's that kind of guy. I approach the game and I have respect for my opponent. That's the way our team always plays and we win with graciousness. When we lose, we can do better. Some teams don't always do that, that's not their program. The only way to counter that is to beat them. When you don't win, you've got to shut your mouth and listen to it. Someday when you get an opportunity down the road, maybe that's a source of motivation.”

What a sanctimonious jackass. Does he really believe the nonsense that comes out of his mouth? Let’s ignore for the moment that he states right from the start he doesn’t even know Sherman, and then proceeds to judge his character. I want to start with his win with graciousness line and debunk that first.

We could go back through the last 10 years and find instance after instance of Brady and his team winning with a severe lack of graciousness. How about every game in 2007 where the Patriots went on a scoring mission and relentlessly ran up the score on overmatched opponents? Very gracious of you Mr. Brady. Or having it revealed that your gracious team scored significant gracious victories through cheating. That showed an immense respect for your opponent. I guess we could question the graciousness and respectfulness of your teammates mocking other teams on their field after victory. Yes, it’s happened, and I’m sure Charger fans, as an example, would be very happy to remind you of these happenstances. Maybe we could discuss how your wife lambasted your own teammates after a painful Super Bowl loss. It would appear grace and respect are well honored concepts in the Brady household. Perhaps we should discuss all the documented times where you screamed at and berated teammates, coaches and officials during games. That sounds not at all like the behavior or a gracious and respectful person.

Speaking of respect, how about your head coach blasting your most recent opponent by saying they tried to intentionally harm your teammates? That doesn’t seem very respectful to me. Or where your head coach ripped apart your former teammate, a man he once coached and then refused to pay market value for, because he was involved in said hit? Was your coach really mad about the hit, or mad that his former pupil has been trumping him ever since he refused to pay Welker what he’s worth? Either way, it’s not very respectful or gracious.

Or you yourself, stating you could care less about this year’s Super Bowl, even though both participants are former opponents of yours who have bested you in your most recent meetings with them. Is that respectful and gracious to say you could care less about their professional triumph at potentially winning a Super Bowl? A triumph you have now been unable to duplicate yourself in almost 10 years?

Now let’s go back to the first part of the comment. Brady states he does not know Sherman, which is a lie. He does, he most certainly does. Because last season Brady and the Patriots went to Seattle and played the Seahawks. During the course of the game, Brady was dismissive and condescending toward the Seattle defense. Said defense took it personally and went out and shut Brady down. Afterwards, Sherman found Brady and mocked the smug smartass with the epic, “You mad, bro?” Brady obviously did not forget, as evidenced by his shut up and listen to it line. He used this little interview to try to get back at Sherman for making him look stupid. Instead, it only makes Brady look worse, like say judging the character of a man whom he admitted he knows nothing about. The epitome of grace and respect.

Tom Brady lecturing anyone on the showing respect and graciousness in the world of sports is as laughable an idea as Roger Goodell’s “safety” initiatives. It’s nothing but lip service that conveniently ignores a body of contrary evidence. Even if there is a moat around it, Tom Brady lives in a rather large glass house. Perhaps he should remember that next time before he sets about throwing stones. In the meantime, I’m chucking one back in his direction, and emblazoned on it is one word: Idiot.

On Tap This Week

Oh man, this week is all the good stuff. We get to start looking at all the potential NFL storylines to emerge in advance of the game. Then there’s all the great nonsense stuff to come out, like:

Media Day – oh that’ll be good

Prop bets – who doesn’t like those???

Super Bowl Party recipes – let’s get to grubbin!

Super Bowl commercial speculation – who’s gonna do what?

The halftime shows, the Puppy Bowl, and all kinds of alternate programming that will happen before, during and after the actual game.

Throw in the Hall of Fame voting and, you know, an actual football game sometime Sunday, or maybe Saturday or Monday depending upon the weather, and this is the most packed week of the NFL calendar! And we’ll cover it all and more next week! Stay tuned!

The Crystal Ball 2013 The Sherman Offensive

Since the conclusion of the NFC Championship game, the dominating story in the NFL has been Richard Sherman and the response to his post game comments about Michael Crabtree.

In case you’ve been under a rock, Sherman used a post game interview segment to explode on 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree, with whom he’s had a growing feud, to Fox Sports reporter Erin Andrews and the world effectively lost their collective minds. It’s almost 48 hours later, and the story is still dominating headlines and talking head shows.

Personally, I thought Sherman exploding in the interview was hilarious, captivating and downright good entertainment. I didn’t find him dangerous, threatening or even all that controversial. Sure, it was childish, boorish and even a bit unsportsmanlike. But it was also genuine, honest, raw emotion expressed after he made the play that sent his team to the Super Bowl. We always ask for honestly from athletes all the time, and rarely do we get it. And while sometimes getting the honest reaction can be a mixed bag, this time I absolutely loved it. And Erin Andrews would agree, and she stated as such to Dan Patrick on “The Dan Patrick Show”:

“How much have you and I wanted a moment like that where an athlete didn’t say, ‘We’re playing Seahawks ball,’ ‘We’re taking it play-by-play, game-by-game, this is what we wanted.’ He lost his mind, and it was awesome for once, you know?”

That quote from Erin alone allows me to forgive her for those incessant Cintas commercials. Well, Sherman provided us what we have all wanted, both reporters and spectators, an athlete speaking his mind. Except this time, the populace freaked.

Perhaps sensibilities have changed. But I don’t understand when we stopped enjoying, rooting for, and against, a brash, loud, trash talking, hard hitting player. In the past, we’ve reveled in these men, labeled them characters and rose them to mythological status. Art Donovan, with the help of David Letterman, made a second career of reliving his playing days and loudmouth ways. Conrad Dobler played the villain beside Dan Dierdorf’s hero his entire career. Michael Irvin and Deion Sanders rode their penchant for talking the talk and walking the walk to the Hall of Fame. And I must point out, to any Steeler fan out there deriding Sherman, you are being ridiculously hypocritical. Sherman is a younger, smarter, savvier version of Joey Porter, one of the all-time great smack talkers and hard hitters.

But something about Sherman’s post game performance really tripped the collective breaker, as evidenced by social media. My theory is Sherman’s tirade was seemingly directed at Erin Andrews and this is where people took exception. Sherman took the post game interview opportunity to further deride and humiliate Michael Crabtree, after doing such on the field of play. Sherman was loud, boisterous, self serving and aggressive, seemingly coming out of your television and right at Crabtree. But what people saw, initially interpreted and reacted to, was a big, seemingly scary, angry African American male yelling and looking threatening at a smaller Caucasian woman.

Many people have already tried to debunk the race issue of Sherman’s comments and the subsequent public reaction. But it would seem Sherman’s outburst, and the reaction to it, played on some deep, still existing racial fears, whether consciously or otherwise. Think:

Last season, when Sherman barked at Tom Brady after the Seahawks defeated the Patriots in Seattle, everyone laughed. Why? Because Brady’s a prima donna and a snob, and it was good to see him taken down a peg or two.

Last May, when Sherman destroyed Skip Bayless on ESPN’s First Take, everyone laughed. Bayless is a clueless idiot who speaks just to be heard and it was about time someone put him in his place. Sherman was a hero not afraid to speak his mind.

Last summer, when Sherman initially ripped apart Michael Crabtree after their initial feud started at a charity event, everyone was fine with it. Crabtree gets so much attention as a receiver, what HAS he actually done to deserve such recognition?

But when Sherman went on a rant about Crabtree, a rival he showed up in the biggest moment of his career, to Erin Andrews, that went too far. Why did that go too far?

It wasn’t anything different than he’s said in the past. And let’s be honest, Sherman didn't say anything different from any other loud, brash professional athlete has said through the years? Nothing, nothing at all. He promoted himself as the best player at his position. Man, give me a penny for every athlete who’s ever said that, I’d be ready to retire. He talked badly about an opponent. Again, just a penny and I can retire twice. He stated that when you match someone against a superior opponent, the results will be the inferior opponent will be vanquished. Yeesh, forget sports, I’ll take 1/10^th of 1 penny for every time something of the same has been uttered by a human being. I’d make so much from that alone; Bill Gates would call me to borrow a few bucks.

And what Sherman said is certainly no worse than anything Crabtree himself said or did about and to Sherman. Crabtree showed poor sportsmanship himself on the field by shoving Sherman in the face and walking away in an angry huff, then blasted Sherman in the post game comments and on Twitter, and he’s given a free pass. I’d like to know why no one is saying anything about that.

When you break it down, the key variable is gender and color. As a society, we have come a very long way in race relations. But every once in a while, we get a reminder that there's still work ahead of us. I believe this is one of those times. Personally, I wonder if the reaction had been different if Tony Siragusa had conducted the interview, or even if it had been Pam Oliver.

The vitriol and negative comments directed at Sherman since Sunday night have been aimed at denigrating and destroying a man the purveyors of these opinions obviously do not know at all. Many of the descriptions I’ve heard and read to describe Sherman and his actions follow a similar pattern; “out of line” “inappropriate” “over the top” “rude” “ignorant” “irresponsible”, “ruthless thug”, “moron”, ”stupid”, “classless”, “jerk”, “fool”, and on and on it goes. But and while Sherman may have been rude, he certainly is not stupid, ignorant or a thug.

Sherman hails from Compton California, where his parents, a garbage truck driver and a nurse, pushed their children to excel in academics and kept them busy with activities, one of which for Richard was obviously football. He is a graduate of Stanford University with a degree in Communications, a school he chose for its academic prowess. He is working on a Masters degree and writes a regular column for The MMQB of Sports Illustrated.

If anything, Sherman should be held up as a success story and a positive role model for kids everywhere. Through hard work and dedication, as well as a commitment to education, Sherman has managed to rise to the top of his profession. He is what we claim to want as a society for our children. We, as a society, always tell kids if you work hard, study and do your best, you too can be successful at anything. Well, he did just that. He worked hard, he studied even harder and he put in the effort to become a well rounded, intelligent, successful young man. And again, people are heaping hate upon him because he busted the chops of some guy on national TV? Haven’t Simon Cowell and Gordon Ramsay made successful careers doing just that?

Listen to Sherman’s speech again. He seems wild, loud and crazy, but he never swears, never uses improper English and never uses slang. Do you think, perhaps, the whole trash talking act may be a calculated move to increase visibility, potential endorsements and income and potentially lead to a post football career in the media by a Stanford COMMUNICATIONS graduate?

Oh wait, it totally is.

"Things I do probably look like madness, like I'm totally out of control, but there's always a plan. It's part of a greater scheme to get some eyes, to grow the market, to grow Seattle."

Sherman has used his media pulpit on The MMQB to apologize and explain what led up to Sunday night’s blowup with Crabtree. He has also spoken with head coach Pete Carroll and apologized to Crabtree and his teammates for being a distraction. Obviously, his tiff with Crabtree became something much larger than he ever anticipated, and far larger than it ever should have been.

I believe the negative reaction to Sherman stems from either (A) people do not know him and are assuming the worst based on one impression; or (B) or people are assuming Sherman is just another angry, rude and ignorant athlete.

If the answer is (A), the solution is simple. Look into the man and find out a few things about him. Here’s a few links, to get you started and on your way.

If the answer is (B), then perhaps you need to look inside yourself, ask yourself truthfully why you have come to such a firm, instant judgment of the man, why you seem to be unwilling to change your opinion of said man in the face of contrary evidence, and what that means about yourself.

The Crystal Ball 2013 The Championships

As soon as last week's Broncos game came to a conclusion, I steeled myself for it. 7 days of "BRADY VS. MANNING!" The media deluge of a fabricated rivalry that followed made me long for the days of Brett Favre retirement coverage.

Opening Kickoff

Apparently, 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh gets his khaki pants at Wal-Mart. Ignoring the fact that those are not NFL approved apparel, I was confused as to geographically where Harbaugh makes his purchases. I didn't think they allowed something so pedestrian and common as a Wal-Mart in San Francisco.

The Way It Was

I know I've mentioned it previously, but my truly favorite part of the playoffs is watching a game and, usually in the second half, knowing one team only has minutes remaining in their season. If the game is a blowout, well it's not that big of a deal. Obviously the losing team has improvements to make and they're not quite ready for prime time. But in a tight, one score difference game, that last quarter is magnified and becomes epic to me. This mostly applies to the Wild Card and Divisional rounds, where there's still a few weeks of football to be played. Championship weekend doesn't mean as much, as there's only one remaining game. And the Super Bowl means nothing, both competing teams conclude their season at game's end. But the first two weeks of the playoffs, you can feel how poignant those waning minutes become.

I was only able to watch Saturday's contests, so let's get just focus on those games. Heck do we even need to analyze the horrific officiating in Carolina, or Manning surgically dissecting the Chargers again? Nah, been there, done that.

Seahawks 23 - Saints 15

And that kids is why Shayne Graham has been everywhere man. And I'll bet he'll be somewhere else next season too.

What bad clock management by the Saints burning two timeouts in the second half because they were unaware of the play clock counting down. I know the noise was deafening, but they have functioning eyes, right? That's Andy Reid level incompetence.

Marshawn Lynch is definitely a beast, and showed as much on his potential game sealing touchdown run. But I'm just not that big a fan of Skittles. I prefer peanut butter cups. But I guess throwing those would get messy fast.

The key part of Lynch's run was Saints cornerback Keenan Lewis. Lewis collapsed in to stop the run he thought would go up the middle. Unfortunately, by pinching down Lewis gave up outside containment. When Lynch bounced to the outside, Lewis was out of position, and one juke from Lynch later, Seattle had a touchdown and what turned out to be an insurmountable lead.

If Seattle wishes to progress further in the playoffs, Russell Wilson must play better football.

Did anyone else think Percy Harvin was concussed on the FIRST hit to the head he took? Yeah, me too. So much for safety. More on that next week.

Doug Baldwin lost his helmet on a huge catch and it was immediately followed by a stupid challenge from Sean Payton. You can argue at that point he had no choice but I disagree. He should have saved the challenge and timeout. With how the endgame played out, that timeout may have saved Colston from making his poor decision to lateral the ball and allowed New Orleans an opportunity for one last crack at the end zone.

And speaking of Colston, he should have just stepped out of bounds and New Orleans still would have had one more play, and a decent shot to score. Again, if the Saints had that wasted timeout, then Payton could have used it there and Colton wouldn't have to be a goat. I appreciate Payton falling on the sword and claiming he instructed the team to perform the lateral, but I don't believe that.

I wonder how the Saints play calling would have changed if they had made those two missed field goals. Then again, I wonder how the game would have unfurled if Pete Carroll had challenged the obvious missed fumble earlier in the game.

Patriots 43 - Colts 22

What a rushing clinic by the New England offense. If I were Denver, I'd be terrified by that balanced attack. No Von Miller is going to hurt extra this week.

The Patriot no name defense played inspired and with focus. I love their moxie and ability to go for the ball.

At one point in the 3rd quarter Andrew Luck looked straight up confused. I tried to clear it up and let him know he should just accept he's losing in New England for the second year in a row. Peyton got used to it, so should he.

New England's punter should have kicked the ball out of the end zone for a safety. That was the inevitable result, but if he just kicked it, he may have avoided getting injured.

I also loved Belichick going for a 2 point conversion because he has no holder for extra points. Although once the game looked out of reach, Belichick changed that stance and found a holder. And I'll give Brady this. He's not too big a star to hold for an extra point.

Does anyone else find it odd that Vinatieri has been a Colt longer than he was a Patriot? It seems strange, no?

You knew after a certain point the Colts were going to lose. But it's hard to count out Andrew Luck. There's just something about him. He really has a positive, infectious spirit and a never say die attitude. He's like a Tim Tebow with a good throwing motion and accuracy.

Although perhaps the accuracy is not quite there yet. Luck had 6 interceptions in 2 playoff games and the Colts had 7 turnovers overall compared to 14 turnovers in regular season. Scrap the Tebow comparison, it's like Peyton Manning and his disparity between the regular season and post season performance never left!

Woof, LaGarrette Blount out beasted Marshawn Lynch with 4 touchdowns. He scored 4 touchdowns in one game. He's Al Bundy!

Tom Brady threw zero touchdown passes and the Patriots still scored 43 points. Again, Denver should be terrified.

Honestly, near the end I felt bad for Chuck Pagano. He had the look of a man watching the world around him falling apart, with no way to stop it. It was a pure look of helplessness and it was sad and pathetic. Maybe next time Chuck.

The Steel Pit

With so many off season questions bounding around, including re-signing Roethlisberger to a new long term contract which seems to be a talking point of Art Rooney II, what is the big story in Steeler Nation?

The big story is that head coach Mike Tomlin used the word "obviously" 322 times during his weekly press conferences throughout the season. That's the big story. It's not a joke. It was on the front page of the local newspaper. Seriously. Yikes.

Only In Faux NFL Reality…

Colin Kaepernick mocked Cam Newton's Superman move during the 49ers/Panthers tilt. Obviously, Colin is unaware at how karma works.

Professional awesome cool cat, and NBA broadcaster, Charles Barkley hung out in the Patriots locker room after the game. He also blasted Patriot fans for being unappreciative of their team. Thanks Charles, I've said that about New England fans for years, it's nice to have the backup.

Is it true? Is Rob Ryan being frozen out of head coaching jobs because of his long hair? If you ask me I'd say his twin brother's job performance most likely has more of an impact

Apparently, suspected murderer Aaron Hernandez is not allowed to watch Patriots games while he's behind bars. If I were in charge, I'd make him watch them, surrounded by other prisoners harassing him for being such a massive fool to throw away a life in the NFL just to be a "gangsta".

Speaking of Hernandez, it appears he may have been the shooter in a 2012 double murder. What a waste of human space.

Uh oh, Goodell's having a bad day. It looks like his concussion settlement is falling apart. Is anyone else surprised an organization that pulls in over $10 Billion a year and still manages to claim tax exempt status would have iffy numbers when it comes to trying to pay off former players? The truly sad part is the longer this drags on and the more nonsense that occurs, the only people making money will be the lawyers for each side, the more the NFL will look like asses yet still manage to weasel out of paying anything substantial and the more players will suffer and pass away. It's just shameful how we human beings treat each other, although this is merely a very specific microcosm of that behavior.

You know it was coming, the season's first Mock Draft. It would seem someone thawed out Mel Kiper Jr. Kiper showing his perfectly coiffed hair is a sign of Spring coming, right?

Davone Bess had a bad week too. First he got busted for Tweeting a picture of himself with a prominent bag of weed visible. Then he got arrested at an airport for assaulting an officer. With antics like these, he'll probably soon find himself unemployed. So getting out of Cleveland would be an improvement on his week.

Upon Further Review

Amongst the assault of Manning vs. Brady stories was this particular gem, that dared to suppose how history would have unfolded if things were different. What would have become of the previous decade if New England had drafted Manning and the Colts had drafted Brady.

I'll stop this supposition before it starts. The problem with these hypothetical thought processes is they suppose everything else that happened would remain the same. And by definition, that means that Manning would be coached by Bill Belichick and Tom Brady would be tabbed a starter, despite the fact he landed that job by accident and injury, and would be coached by Tony Dungy. The theory supposes that every other player that played for each team during the time period still did. Almost like some sort of odd version of Freaky Friday, yet no one switches bodies and we all know they switch teams. Unfortunately, this sort of theoretical revisionist history never works.

If the Patriots had drafted Peyton Manning in 1998, there would be no magic dynasty with Bill Belichick. At that time, Pete Carroll was still the head coach in New England. Manning's ability, and the promise of better play to come, would have kept Carroll from being fired for at least few years. With Manning propping up Carroll's pro football career, who knows if either would have developed to become the player and coach they are today.

With Carroll leaning on Manning, would he have ever been able to achieve the growth in his coaching career that he learned from being fired and then learned on the job at USC? Who knows, perhaps he would have been stunted as a coach and dragged both himself and Manning down into mediocrity and Manning would never have ascended to be a major factor in the argument of greatest quarterback of all time. In that same vein, Carroll not taking the USC job also affects the fortunes of that university as well as the careers of Matt Leinart, Carson Palmer, Mark Sanchez, Matt Cassel, Reggie Bush and many other USC alums that became NFL players. In fact, it affects whether some or all of those gentlemen even attend USC, which then in turn affects other universities and football career. And that in turn affects the fortunes of the Cardinals, Bengals, Jets, Saints, Dolphins, Texans, Lions, Chiefs, and many more.

As for Manning, we've established that he would not have worked with Bill Belichick's defense, so that theory is right out the window. Never mind that for the most part, his Colts defenses in the last 15 years stacked up almost identically to New England's defensive units, but that's an argument for another day.

So would Manning have become the field general he is today without the tutelage of Tony Dungy and Tom Moore? Professional sports is littered with stories of talent and potential unfulfilled for one reason or another. Could Manning not working with two of the most influential professional coaches in his career be one of those stories? As we saw with Charlie Weis after he left New England, his offensive prowess left much to be desired. Imagine how his unimaginative schemes and play calling could have stunted Manning. That is if Weis was even in New England during Manning's imagined career there.

If Carroll doesn't get fired, then Belichick doesn't have the opportunity to take the seat once held by his mentor Bill Parcells. If he doesn't nab this job, who knows where he might have ended up. There's a possibility Belichick, if he even gets another crack at a head coaching position, may have ended up somewhere that didn't have the pieces he needed to show his ability, like he was forced to endure during his tenure in Cleveland. Maybe he never gets another opportunity to become a head coach, and he becomes a vagabond defensive coordinator, perhaps one as respected in that role as Dick LeBeau. While that's a great career, it's a far cry from being talked about in the same breath as Chuck Noll and Bill Walsh.

And let's not forget Tom Brady. Remember, Brady was a 6th round draft pick, a college backup that was thrust into a starting role due to injury, found his stride, grabbed an opportunity with both hands and has not let go in over 13 years. His collegiate career dictates that even if the Colts took him in the draft, it most likely wouldn't be before Round 6. So he's a 6th rounder on the Colts in 2000. Where does that leave him on the depth chart? Remember, if the Colts are not preparing draft Peyton Manning in 1998, then perhaps they don't trade Jim Harbaugh, yes that Jim Harbaugh, to Baltimore. Perhaps they hang onto him hoping for a better 1998 season and beyond. If Harbaugh's career plays out for the length it does in our world, then Brady becomes a backup to an aging and soon to retire Harbaugh.

Who knows if he gets the same kind of instruction and support from Harbaugh that he did from Drew Bledsoe in New England. And who knows if Jim Mora's Colts are able to bring out the best of a talented but raw Tom Brady like Bill Belichick was. Perhaps instead Brady becomes a Jon Kitna, Steve DeBerg or Charlie Batch, talented quarterbacks who never truly found the right situation and right head coach and never reached their full potential.

And those are merely the initial issues with this hypothetical exercise. If these changes took place, who knows if any of the other hundreds of players that have put on a jersey for both teams would have ever been there, and how these individual personnel changes would impact the NFL as a whole, as well as NCAA football, which in turn also affects the NFL yet again. It's a fun exercise to think of what Bill Belichick could do with Peyton Manning in his prime, or how Tom Brady would look in Colts blue. But if you want to play theoretical games, make it more realistic, like what if the team's traded quarterbacks. When you propose it from a draft standpoint, you ignore too many variables to make the exercise realistic, fun or even viable.

NFL Firing Line

Cleveland: - Team owner Jimmy Haslam wrote a letter to fans of the team urging patience in the team's protracted search for a new head coach. One question, what has this team ever done to show anyone they know how to choose the right coach?

Detroit: - Looks like Whisenhunt lost the job, just not in a way we expected. Instead, the team tabbed Jim Caldwell, late of Baltimore, as their new head coach. Considering Schwartz had been creating a team of underachieving, unlikable pseudo bad boys, this could be a very interesting departure for the Lions. Maybe this time around, Caldwell will learn to blink on the sidelines.

Miami: - The sea mammals hired Bill Lazor as their new offensive coordinator. Not that people were dying to know, but I mention it because Lazor is a cool name. That is all.

Minnesota: - Bungles defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer has indeed become the new head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. Seriously, a second Bungles assistant as a new head coach? Did these teams see Cincinnati in the playoffs?

Tennessee: - Taking their time my fanny. The team announced, in a surprise to some, that they hired Ken Whisenhunt as their new head coach. I'm not sure what that says about the Detroit job, but it's not good.

He Said He Said

"Ben, we have to have him retire as a Steeler. There’s not a doubt about that." - Steelers President Art Rooney II

Well, Art, I'd say the ball is squarely in your court as to whether that happens or not. Your move, sir.

"Loud Noises" - sign held up at the notoriously loud Quest Field

Somewhere Brick Tamland is smiling. while he pours ketchup into a hair dryer

“What’s weighing on my mind is how soon I can get a Bud Light in my mouth. That’s priority number one.” - Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning when asked about his upcoming off season neck exam

I didn't realize Peyton had an endorsement deal with Bud Light.

“This is my 13th year. You don’t know how many chances you have left. The opportunities are getting fewer and fewer.” - Saints quarterback Drew Brees

All NFL rookies and future rookies. Listen to this man, that's the gospel truth for your profession. And that's coming from one lucky enough to play longer than 4 years.

"Peyton Manning won a playoff game for the first time in four years." - Tuesday Morning Quarterback's Gregg Easterbrook

I know one of those seasons was lost to injury, but that still is jaw dropping to read, especially with all the hyperbole we hear regarding Manning's status as a great quarterback. A great quarterback wins more than one playoff game in 4 years.

"Well, it's within the rules. It's within the spirit of the rules of the National Football League. I actually respect it, what you're trying to do for your team, put them in the best possible position to win that you can. And I respect that their organization does that for their team. They do that in a lot of ways, with their team, with their fans, with their organization. So, what do I think of it? I respect it." - 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh on Seattle's California ticket ban

Good answer. I bet he feels differently later today.

“We understood from the beginning that if we wanted to speak to all of the coaches on our list that we may need to wait until they have completed their participation in the playoffs. We are prepared to wait as long as necessary because this is a very important decision. Everyone in our organization is committed to finding the right leader for our team.” - Browns owner Jimmy Haslam on the team's head coach search

I'd love to see their interview list. You think they'd wait until training camp for the right coach?

Idiot of the Week

With the Pro Bowl a week away, I was pretty sure the award of idiot would go to Roger Goodell, for coming up with such a ridiculous construct as picking sides, and Deion Sanders, who as a team captain will not only pick a squad of Pro Bowlers but is also claiming he'll suit up and play as well. At least with Sanders playing we'll have one person playing at full speed. The whole concept is such a dumb idea, I mean why would I want to watch a team filled with Sanders' favorites? Cripes, I didn't think it possible but Goodell found a way for me to dislike the Pro Bowl more.

Then the Peyton Manning Omaha nonsense occurred. Peyton saying Omaha during his pre-snap cadence has pretty much become a meme in and of itself. But things got out of hand and now a charity is involved, and that brings us to our idiots. I award the 5 companies donating money to Manning's Peyback Foundation as this week's idiots.

I know what you're thinking, how could I name 5 companies doing something for charity as idiots? Allow me to elaborate. The 5 companies, ConAgra Foods, First National Bank of Omaha, Mutual of Omaha, Omaha Steaks and Union Pacific Railroad, are all based in Omaha. So in order to jump upon Manning's inadvertent publicity for the city, the combined companies have pledged to donate $500 to Manning's charity for each time Peyton says Omaha during the AFC Championship game. Sounds nice right? Wrong.

While I would hate to discourage charity work, let's do the quick math. If Peyton says Omaha 40 times, that comes out to $20,000 for his charity, and breaks down to a $4,000 out of pocket charity donation for each company. In contrast, let's look at each company's yearly Sales and Revenue...

ConAgra                                                        $15.5 Billion

First National Bank of Omaha                   $844 Million

Mutual of Omaha                                         $5.9 Million

Omaha Steaks                                              $450 Million

Union Pacific Railroad                               $964 Million

(All numbers approximate based on current available financial statements)

Seriously? These companies pull in this much money, per year, and they're only throwing in for 1/5th of $500 dollars per mention of Omaha? I bet their weekly toilet paper budget is more than $4,000. This isn't a charitable donation, this is an incredibly cheap, tax deductible advertising opportunity.

These companies don't give two craps about doing something for charity. If they did, they'd offer to put up a share of $50,000 or $100,000 for every time Manning says Omaha, some significant amount that could really make a difference. Instead they found a very cheap, and effective, way to advertise during a highly watched and profitable NFL broadcast without having to purchase advertising time. By attaching their company's names to the name Omaha, their obvious hope is that every time Manning says Omaha, people will think of these companies and their "generous" offer. They found a way to circumvent the high advertising costs of NFL Playoff games and at the same time make themselves look generous and magnanimous.

Well I for one am not buying it, believing it or rooting for it. Personally, I hope Manning eradicates Omaha from his cadence this week. As for these five companies, if I can find a way to avoid ever giving these companies my business, I will. In the meantime, for exploiting a charity and a charitable act by giving less than the bare minimum of money to cash in on unwarranted attention and grab cheap advertising.......

ConAgra

First National Bank of Omaha

Mutual of Omaha

Omaha Steaks

Union Pacific Railroad

....you are all despicable idiots.

On Tap This Week

Before we even get into it, I'll just blow everything open right now with a major spoiler. Washington and Colorado are the only two states in the nation to legalize marijuana. The Seahawks and Broncos both hail from those states, respectively. I am rooting for the Toke-A-Bowl. Yeah, It had to go there.

Last week: 3-1

Season to Date: 169-95

The only problem with the Toke-A-Bowl? It would pit the two consensus preseason favorites to make the Super Bowl against each other......IN the Super Bowl! It would guarantee for the first time the Super Bust would fail. Yet if the Super Bust comes through, that would mean New England and San Francisco would make the Super Bowl, and my worst nightmare would come true, even worse than last year's Harbaugh-Bowl. This is going to be a very interesting Sunday.

Sunday

New England (13-4) at Denver (14-3)

This game has just about everything thrown in. Manning vs. Brady XV, the Patriots cast in the underdog role, one that Tom Terrific is relishing, despite the fact that he's been ill and missing practice, Manning playing with the specter of his career potentially ending depending upon the diagnosis of his neck in the off season, and Broncos safety trash talking Julian Edelman and setting himself up to get torched all afternoon by Tom Brady. All of this is merely background for the match up whose victor gets a one way ticket to New Jersey and the Super Bowl. Here's hoping the game itself lives up to half of the hype. If it does, it'll be an instant classic.

Broncos over Patriots

San Francisco (14-4) at Seattle (14-3)

The building rivalry between these two teams is fascinating, especially with their style of play not inaccurately compared to Steelers/Ravens. They do not like each other, and it shows on the field. Seattle upped the ante by banning ticket sales to people in California, but we'll see if they back that up with their play. If they truly match Steelers/Ravens animosity and rivalry levels, I guarantee this game will be as epic as the 2009 AFC Championship game, and as entertaining. Here's hoping

Seahawks over 49ers

The Crystal Ball 2013 The Divisionals

Sure, it was cold in Green Bay for the 49ers/Packers tilt, but it wasn't Ice Bowl Cold. Heck, even Tom Coughlin was sitting at home yelling, "You call that cold? You should have seen my cheeks!" at the television.

Opening Kickoff

If Peyton Manning had taken care of business back in Week 15, on Sunday he would be facing a Pittsburgh team with a questionable secondary and below average run defense. Instead he faces a Chargers team full of whiz and vinegar, playing with house money and feeling like a team of destiny. Way to make your life more difficult there Peyton ol' boy. It's your move now.

The Way It Was

The Chiefs and Colts 89 point affair personified the "wild" in Wild Card Weekend.

Did anyone on the Chiefs sideline ever come to the realization that they should have covered T.Y. Hilton? Obviously not. I wonder if they're making the adjustment now.

Maybe KC starters shouldn't have taken last week off. They got bit big time by the injury bug, and I wonder if it's because they were "saving" themselves for this week.

Come on Andy Reid, you were supposed to play the Eagles for the championship, just to drive every Philly fan insane. You couldn't focus for the second half long enough to prevent at least one score?

Yeah, that looks like a great comeback for Indy, but you know they'll lose this week. I mean, come on, they were down 28 points at home. That's not the sign of a world beating team.

Although scoring five touchdowns in 24 second-half minutes, is a sign of a world beater. New England's thin defense had best tighten up about midway through the third quarter.

Now, Kansas City is 0-8 in the playoffs since 1993, the last time they won a playoff game.

You think that's bad? The Bungles, who reverted to true form, are winless in the playoffs since 1990. Head coach Marvin Lewis is now 0-5 lifetime in his playoff career as Bungles head coach.

I know no one was surprised the Bungles blew it at home. I shouldn't have picked them, and I knew it going in. But I was picking more against San Diego than anything. Yeah, that worked out well.

I hope Bill Leavy is happy. Now he has half of the fan bases in the AFC North ticked off at him and the Chargers after his crew blew those two critical calls that allowed San Diego to reach the post season instead of Pittsburgh. If the Chargers pull off the upset against the Broncos, he may want to avoid Denver for future vacations as well.

I'd like to point out to all those who state they don't see the point of hiring NFL officials full time, I'm looking in your direction Peter King, that maybe this particular situation could be reason enough? If the officials worked full time, then perhaps they would be focused solely on the game and how to properly officiating it rather than splitting their attention between football and how they make a living. If they had this sole year round focus to really absorb the rules, know and drill extensively about what to expect and look for in any conceivable situation, then possibly they don't miss things like an illegal overload to one side on a field goal attempt, and then the Steelers, Chiefs, Bengals and their fan bases aren't griping to the NFL for the entirety of the off season.

Brady has a 17-7 playoff record

Peyton is 9-11

What’s that say…

The Steel Pit

So far the off season has started off relatively quiet. Team president Art Rooney II made the media rounds, and stated he was excited about how the team finished, pleased with the direction of the team and looking forward with great anticipation to the 2014 season.

So far, who stays, who goes, what free agents get resigned and who gets released, Roethlisberger's potential contract extension, any coaching changes and many other questions are just now being asked. Hopefully, the beginning of some answers will emerge soon.

Only In Faux NFL Reality…

Jim Harbaugh made a moronic statement after the 49ers win, calling Michael Crabtree the greatest catcher. How stupid, everyone knows that arguably the greatest catcher is Johnny Bench. Oh, he meant receiver? Well, in that case he's even dumber, since that title is held by FORMER 49er Jerry Rice. You know, that guy catching passes in a suit during the goodbye ceremony for Candlestick Park? It would seem the dumbest player instructor, or is it coach, sits in the head office for the 49ers.

It would seem the Puppy Bowl is on target to destroy the Super Bowl in ratings this year. I'm a huge Puppy Bowl fan, but I don't see it happening. Let's get real here. People love to gawk at accidents, and this Super Bowl in New Jersey is shaping up to be a real train wreck. Sorry Puppy Bowl, but you don't have a chance.

Professional wrestler Ric Flair gave a pep talk to the 49ers before their game. Well no wonder they won. Come on Green Bay, you couldn't call up Rowdy Roddy Piper?

More wrestling/football crossover news, as it turns out that Hulk Hogan is a Patriots fan. I guess this makes sense, considering Hogan's persona in the 1980's wrestling scene, but for shame Hulkster, for shame.

With more former players finding fault with the NFL's concussion settlement and opting out to take their chances at individual lawsuits, it appears the deal is in danger of falling apart. Ok, now who here is surprised that Goodell's quick fix to the NFL's dirty concussion secret is failing?

Speaking of ol' Rog, it looks like he's up to his old tricks again. Seems the commish wants to expand the NFL further, potentially playing the Super Bowl overseas in London. Come on Goodell, don't you think we should wait to see if this current cold weather Super Bowl experiment works out first before we make any big new promises?

And to the surprise of no one, a Philadelphia fan spit on a New Orleans fan during their game. You stay classy Philadelphia.

Upon Further Review

For me, this season I think one of the most enjoyable stories all year has been the maturity and leadership of Michael Vick. This year, I believe we finally saw him become the man he could be, should have been, and one we all hoped we would see upon his return to the NFL.

I understand that many will never forgive or give Vick any quarter. And I completely understand. The dog lover and owner in me will never forgive Vick for his past actions. And that part of me has trouble reconciling with the other parts of me that support Vick's attempts to rebuild his life and career.

But I have always believed that as a nation that believes in second chances and redemption, Vick's story has always been one to potentially be a great one. And this year, I think we've really seen the fruit it bears.

Michael Vick has shown incredible leadership, intelligence and poise in a season that may have marked his last in the NFL as a starting caliber quarterback.

This season, Vick showed true leadership. When teammate Riley Cooper was caught publicly using a hateful racial epithet, the devastation in the locker room could have derailed the season before it even began. A Caucasian man using such insults when he works with African American men, the divide could have been great. But Vick took control of the situation. He defused the controversy, stood up for his embattled teammate and even went so far to chastise his younger brother who had stepped over the line in reaction to Cooper's antics. It showed true leadership of the locker room and of his team

It also showed to me a tremendous amount of compassion as well. Vick stood up for a fellow teammate that made a terrible mistake. He could have piled on him like many were doing and chastised him for his mistake. Instead he reached out to a man who made a mistake, and helped lift him up and support him through a tough time. That showed incredible compassion and kindness.

But he didn't stop there. He also showed incredible humility, intelligence and support when the change at quarterback came. He could have blown up, demanded his job back, and become a real distraction to the team. Instead, he supported the team and its decision to go forward with Nick Foles as the offensive field general. He went even further by helping Foles learn his new role as a starting NFL quarterback. His magnanimous support of Foles allowed the team to overcome a sluggish start, win the division and host a playoff game.

A small part of me was rooting for the Eagles to win it all just for Michael Vick. It feels weird just saying such a thing, but it's true. To me, at least, he has shown incredible growth as a person, teammate, friend and human being since his downfall brought on by his hubris and despicable ways.

For me, the 2013 NFL season will be the season that marks the rise of the Michael Vick redemption story. And in true redemption fashion, it cost him his most coveted professional desire, to be a starting NFL quarterback, to truly realize his full potential. This is the stuff of heart warming movies. I wonder if Disney has purchased the film rights yet.

NFL Firing Line

Exciting moves and plenty of intrigue color the NFL coaching searches. Here's where we stand.

Cincinnati: – To replace Jay Gruden, see below, the Bungles hired Hue Jackson to be the teams new offensive coordinator. Watch your back Marvin Lewis.

Cleveland: - The team as interviewed several candidates, but leading candidate Josh McDaniels removed himself from consideration. Wow, how terrible must the Browns situation be if even McDaniels says no?

Detroit: - Apparently, the job is Ken Whisenhunt's to lose. I guess we'll see what happens whenever San Diego exits the playoffs.

Miami: - The team fired offensive coordinator Mike Sherman, and came to a mutual parting of the ways with general manager Jeff Ireland. That's a good start, but with that team, and what they allow behind closed doors, I'd keep going with the firings.

Minnesota: - The team's search phase is over, and apparently the leading candidate is Bungles defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. What is with teams thinking guys who coached a team that has not won a playoff game since 1990 are a good bet?

Tennessee: - The Titans are taking their time and being patient in their coaching search. That sounds good, but dang, give us something to wag gums about.

Washington: - The Snyders hired Bungles offensive coordinator Jay Gruden as their new head coach. Yeah, that'll work out well. Let's all meet back here in 3 years for the next new Washington head coach.

He Said He Said

"People talked about cold weather and it would be a tough-to-catch ball, but the greatest catcher of all time, Michael Crabtree, catches everything. If my life depended on it and someone had to catch a ball, I'd enlist Michael Crabtree to do it." - 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh on receiver Michael Crabtree

Considering Crabtree's history and penchant for dropping balls, I’ll take that bet. Hey Harbaugh, I'm your huckleberry.

“It’s mind over matter.” - 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick on going sleeveless in Green Bay

Yeah, he didn't mind because all that mattered is no sleeves means everyone gets to see his cool tats.

“I left everything out there. I’m too tired to drive. I just want to go to sleep.” - Colts receiver T.Y. Hilton after his transcendent performance in not wanting to drive home

Is there anyone available to drive a future All Pro receiver home?

“They had their hearts ripped out. They should hurt. That’ll make us better.” - Chiefs head coach Andy Reid

Yeah, that would. What would also make the team better is their coach not making terrible clock management decisions or bad play calls that preserve time for an opponent who is fighting the clock. But I guess that didn't need to be said.

"What can I say? I've always been a very good heel." - professional wrestler Ric Flair on the controversy of his support for the 49ers while also having been supportive of the Panthers, who reside in his former city

WHOOOOOOO!

“In the end we were not able to agree on the direction of the franchise. We’re looking for great things. If you look at where we are as a team, it was probably time to make a change.” - Titans general manager Ruston Webster on the firing of head coach Mike Munchak

Wait for it.....

“I can’t fire someone when I don’t believe they should be fired. Firing someone is awful.” - former Titans head coach Mike Munchak, to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. Reportedly, Munchak was fired in part due to his hesitation to fire staff members.

Apparently, Munchak and Webster have very different feelings regarding letting go of people.

“Because certainly, the light is at the end of the tunnel for me, no question. And so, I think you enjoy these things maybe even more than maybe you have in the past.” – Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning on his career winding down and savoring every moment

This one’s….for Peyton! Nah, just doesn’t have the same ring to it, no pun intended.

Idiot of the Week

Lots of idiots this week. Lots and lots of idiots. Our nominees include:

Andy Reid - How do you lose a 28 point 3rd quarter lead? Yes, the team was riddled by injuries, but still. How? And when you had their defense out of position at the end of the game, and a chance for the winning touchdown, you call time out? Wow.

Jay Gruden - Damn man, have you ever heard of a hurry up offense? Or at least of the concept?

Phillip Rivers - Really, a bolo tie? Are you auditioning for the Cowboys?

All worthy of winning, and its truly an honor just to be nominated. But this week our winner is......Washington owner Daniel Snyder!

First Snyder, in cleaning house after the dismal season, announces he's retaining defensive coordinator Jim Haslett. I guess the team didn't bother to look at the defensive statistics, or even the game film, from the 2013 season.

Next, he hired as his new head coach, an occasion to which Snyder is well accustomed, Bengals offensive coordinator Jay "no I'm not Jon" Gruden. The hiring seems to be based on Gruden's reputation as an offensive guru and developer of quarterbacks, but have you seen how far he’s developed Andy Dalton as a quarterback? In all fairness, Dalton most likely an average quarterback at best, so there's only so much any coach could do with limited material. But Gruden is the one who lobbied to draft Dalton over the owner’s first choice of Colin Kaepernick. Gruden didn’t think Kaepernick was as good as Dalton.

And finally, we get this wonderful article from The Washington Monthly, that succinctly encapsulates what an arrogant, elitist scumbag Snyder truly is. Looking past the initial items in the story, how he has driven the franchise into the ground, increasingly raises prices for an ever cheapening product, and sues grandmothers because they cannot afford to pay his astronomical ticket prices, we get to the heart of this story. How Snyder, who wanted a river view from his home, almost got an innocent man sent to prison because he blew the whistle on a sweetheart deal Snyder had made to cut down trees belonging to the National Park Service. Trees and park area that belong to all Americans, not just the entitled.

So for continually making bad football decision after bad decision, increasingly bilking fans out of money and providing less and less of a quality, or even decent, product in return and for basically being a wealthy, entitled, selfish, arrogant egomaniac who would have fit in well in pre revolution France, Daniel Snyder, you are an idiot.

On Tap This Week

Boy, the wildest thing about Wild Card weekend was the aim on my picks, as in it was way way off.

Last week: 1-3

Season to Date: 166-94

Ok, let's try this again....

Saturday

New Orleans (12-5) at Seattle (13-3)

I smell 2005 Steelers at Colts all over this one. And yes, I know, Seattle is my NFC horse. But something just seems off about this one. I'm sure I could be wrong, but dang, it really feels like the same setup and situation. Perhaps I'm just having flashbacks or something. Oh, sorry, I forgot to switch over to Beast Mode. My bad. Ok, everything is green and blue now.

Seahawks over Saints

Indianapolis (12-5) at New England (12-4)

You can question Tom Brady's age, his diminishing skills, his lack of true weapons, his no name no star defense, Belichick's penchant for trying to do everything on the sidelines, the team’s injury bug and decimated depth, Brady’s 7-7 playoff record in his last 14 games or anything else you want. Indianapolis barely squeaked out a 1 point victory last week, at home, to a team that by the end was using third string cornerbacks and running backs just to field 11 guys. You feel good about them on the road against the most successful head coach/quarterback combination of the last 15 years? I thought so.

Patriots over Colts

Sunday

San Francisco (13-4) at Carolina (12-4)

Apparently, Ric Flair speaking to San Francisco last week kicked up a maelstrom of nonsense to the point where Flair will not be at the game this week.. Flair used to live in Charlotte, and has been receiving death threats for supporting Carolina's opponent. He also knows some of the Panthers team members and the coaches, and some of the players have adopted his WHOOO! as part of their game preparations. Wow, who knew this was such a big deal? What I want to know is, how come no NFL team has adopted Junkyard Dog or Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka as their official wrestler?

Panthers over 49ers

San Diego (10-7) at Denver (13-3)

I've been looking at this San Diego situation all wrong. I need to be rooting FOR them. The more they win and stay in the playoffs, the more the light shines on the horrific state of officiating in the NFL, how convoluted the rules are, how capriciously they are enforced and how stupid Roger Goodell looks for not addressing this issue head on. Plus, since they've been doing everything the opposite of my desires all season, if I start pulling for them, the more likely they'll just lose. So I should pick them to win!

Oh even I'm not that stupid. As much as I question Peyton's playoff ability, I'm not questioning it this week. Although If he "pulls a Peyton" and loses this game, I'm advocating for Eli to publicly taunt his brother with his TWO "Patriot slaying" Super Bowl rings.

Broncos over Chargers