Interesting NFL stats after nearly 5 weeks

Bottom 6 teams in terms of points scored – points against compared to their win-loss record their record. I expected the first 3, but not the next 3.
Buffalo: -74 ------------ 0-5
Carolina: -58 -----------0-5
San Francisco: -54 --- 0-5
Arizona: -50 ----------- 3-2
Jacksonville: -30------ 3-2
Miami: -26------------- 2-2

Here are some other interesting ones:
Detroit: +14 ---- 1-4
Chicago: +18 --- 4-1

All of the NFC North teams have outscored their opponents. Combined record of the teams in the division is 9-9.

None of the NFC West teams have outscored their opponents. Combined record of the teams in the division is 8-12.

The whole AFC South division is 3-2 and they have 2 of the 3 worst defenses in terms of points against.

This was written before the MNF game of week 5.

General NFL thoughts after Week 2

The Favre will not do well this year until either his ankle improves so that he is more mobile or they solve their o-line issues. A new receiver might help some, but it will not solve the issue of Favre having to spend too much time and energy trying to save his own life.

I marvel that with a program that will anonymously drive you home from anywhere for any reason, NFL players still get DWIs.

I wish I had a good solution to the concussion problem. It is a violent sport and it seems to me that concussions are not just happening on the massive hits. It pains me every time I hear about someone having one.

I hate the media asking Vick questions that would intentionally drive a wedge between he and Reid and Kolb. The team spent the whole offseason prepping for Kolb to be the starter. He has shown promise and has earned his shot at this. He played for a few minutes in the first game and didn’t do well, then got injured. Vick played very well backing him up, but you don’t ignore Kolb based on less than 1/8th of a game. Kolb is the future of the team. That doesn’t change after a few minutes of struggling. Vick is the backup and is doing a great job of it. If the status changes, Andy Reid will let you know. Let it be.

Lots of QBs were pulled pretty early this season.

I wonder if Al Davis will ever let the Raiders really put their team in Gradkowski’s hands. He has done very well with his opportunities. Though just like the Eagles situation. It is time to give the ball back to Jason Campbell and see if he learned anything from how Bruce handled a team with a weak o-line. If Jason can’t figure out how to move in the pocket and they won’t give Bruce a shot then perhaps Raiders should try to get Vick. He has the mobility to survive while they work on their o-line. Then, draft a QB who is very disciplined to bring up and lead the team for many years. They need a Peyton/Brees type who are very cerebral and will really do their homework and lead their team by example.

Flacco got some great new weapons to work with this offseason, but he is looking lost. Hope he figures out what is going on so that he can get back on track.

The Lions, Rams, and Browns are 0-2, no surprise, but they have lost their 6 games by an average of only 3 points per game.

Miami, Saints, and the Chiefs are 2-0, winning by an average of only 4 points a game. That means they were not too far from being on the previous list.

The Bills are really really bad.

The 49ers are the best 0-2 team (sorry Minny and Dallas).

The Steelers are looking really good for a team on their #3 QB or is it #4?

Are the Patriots are having a hard time putting a complete games together? The 2 games were a combined 38-13 at halftime but were outscored 39-14 in the second half. The first game could have been just cruising on a big lead, but the loss to the Jets was not like that at all. Are they missing on their halftime adjustments or are teams figuring them out at half time? Not typical of Bill’s team.

Reggie Bush's Heisman

This is a tough issue. On this specific instance I think that Bush should be stripped of the Heisman. He was not eligible to receive it. That said, it should not be given to anyone else. You can’t just give it to Vince Young because he was second in the voting, because if Bush was not in the voting, a lot of his votes might have gone to Leinart who was 3rd. It gets way too messy and it is far too long ago to revote. Just leave it that nobody gets it.

The whole system is not fair for the students and even worse for the schools who may be completely clueless about what happened and they suffer the biggest penalty. You have a bunch of young adults who are most likely going to make a lot of money in the next couple of years but are dirt poor now. You tell them that they can’t take money from anyone and they can’t even get a job to have a bit of spending money. The penalty for taking money is that it is possible that they could be investigated and if the investigation happens soon enough they will lose their eligibility to play college ball (so they’ll go pro the next year which they are probably doing anyway). Then, you throw them to the wolves who can offer them anything that they want with no consequences.

How is that system supposed to keep the students from not taking what is offered to them? If we feel the need to ensure that these athletes retain their amateur status, the NCAA needs the support of the legal system to have be severe punishments (fines and jail time) for the agents/boosters/whoever that are giving the money to the students. They also need to rethink letting the athletes get jobs. Perhaps they do this through the school so that they can regulate that the students really are working for pay and that they are getting reasonable wages for the work that they do as opposed to paying a stud athlete $150 an hour for washing windows on the basement floor of the buildings downtown.

NBA Finals: 2-2

I don't remember every watching such an evenly matched, back and forth finals. Each game has a different flavor. The first 5 minutes has yet to set the tone for how the rest of the game will go. The hero of the game switches each game and is often more like a hero of a half or quarter that seemed critical to that game's flow than the whole game. Ray Allen's shooting in the first half of game 2 is probably the most dominant any one player has really been in the series and in the great scheme of things, that was only 7 shots. After every game you get the feeling that the team that just win has the advantage, but the next game it all changes and the loser has made some adjustments or has managed to get things in sync to take the momentum back.

How can you not love this matchup and the series that they are putting on?

New MLB Home Run King

MLB has a new home run king just around the corner. He has never hit one, but Jamie Moyer is 4 home runs away from giving up more than anyone else. I'm cheering for the 47 year old who has had good enough stuff to keep him in the major leagues long enough to allow 501 home runs in 41 different parks to 319 diferent players. The 44 year old record is currently 505 held by HOF pitcher Robin Roberts. My hat is off to you, Jamie. An early congrats on a record that is much greater that it seems at first glance.

Go Jamie

49ers Takin' Care of Their QBs

I applaud the 49ers for their 2 first round picks. OT and OG. Yes, there may be some character issues, but Mike Singletary was able to get through to Vernon Davis, so to take on a character project is not he worst thing in the world for them. Alex Smith is starting to come around now that there has been some consistency in the coaching. Now, getting him some better protection should really give him the opportunity to prove that he can be who they drafted him to be or prove that he can't and they can go looking for someone who can.

Raiders didn't screw up their draft (yet)

The last few years (at least) the Raiders first round pick has really been terrible.

2007 Russell was the guy with all the strength and the big body, but lacked the brains and work ethic, now we are paying millions of dollars to a guy who comes to camp out of shape and doesn't put in the work needed to become what his body could become.

2008 DMC was/is a great talent, but the Raiders were ok (not great) at running back. They desperatly needed someone to block for Russell and the backs that they had.

2009 They made Hayward-Bay the first WR in the draft, though he wasn't the best (unless you believe that speed is everything). He had great speed and bad hands and bad route running. Speed is great, but when the QB gets no protection (same problem as the previous year), there is no time to use it. They did have a need at WR, so at least they were trying to address a real need, but it was by no means the biggest hole.

This year, they got a quality linebacker which fills a big hole. The run defense has been terrible and the linebacking corps is very thin and not very good. Glad to see the Raiders do something that addresses a really big need with a player that most acknoledge really is the best available at the position.

Hopefully they will continue by getting o-line help.

MLB admits that teams don't always intend to contend

An MLB committee was formed to consider among other things how to have more competitive balance. Mainly seeming to address the issue that the AL East has the 2 biggest payrolls in Boston and the Yankees and it is extremely difficult to get to the playoffs if you are in that division. It is also very difficult to get the wild card from these 2 teams in the AL. Each of the last 15 years at least one of those 2 teams made the playoffs. This is in part due to the lack of max/min salary cap in MLB which would help to balance talent throughout the league. If you look at the NFL it is clear to see that salary cap doesn't solve the issue all by itself. There are MANY other factors, but when one team spends 2-8 times as much as others on player salaries it sure gives a big advantage. I digress...

The committee is throwing around the idea of teams being able to move between divisions.

"One example of floating realignment, according to one insider, would work this way: Cleveland, which is rebuilding with a reduced payroll, could opt to leave the AL Central to play in the AL East. The Indians would benefit from an unbalanced schedule that would give them a total of 18 lucrative home dates against the Yankees and Red Sox instead of their current eight. A small or mid-market contender, such as Tampa Bay or Baltimore, could move to the AL Central to get a better crack at postseason play instead of continually fighting against the mega-payrolls of New York and Boston." article here

It is actually a logical idea considering the last 15 years in the AL East. At the same time it is also almost horrifying to come out and blatantly state that your team has no intention of doing well this year. I'm not sure if I should laugh, cry, or applaud the MLB committee.

It is laughable to think that there are people getting paid this much money with no expectation for them to win. As an owner (or whoever makes the decision to move the team's division) you are stating to all of your fans, that you are folding before you have even played a game. Why as a fan would you bother going to the games and cheering your team if you know that from the top of the organization they gave up? I can understand that this would happen every so often if you needed to rebuild, but if it happens rarely then it would not be a problem that needs to be fixed. The problem is that this is almost an every year thing for many teams.

At the same time, I do applaud the committee for admitting that there are teams that from the beginning don't intend to contend. They admit that right now nobody has the money to compete regularly with Boston and the Yankees. They admit that it is going to take some radical steps to work around this issue if they aren't allowed to fix it.

If they really want more competitive balance, they need to do some sort of revenue sharing and salary limits (top and bottom). It doesn't have to be as hefty as the NFL, but they need to do more than they are doing, because the division realignment, is like putting a band aid over a broken leg. It doesn't address the real problem.

Watch the Olympics

I know I haven't posted in a while, but I've been having a ball watching the Olympics. Curling is great strategy. Not athletic, but I'm having a blast thinking about the different shot possibilities. Funny to have Vernon Davis as the honorary captain of the USA team and talk about having to endure ribbing from NFL guys about it. The USA men's hockey team has been great to watch. Beating Canada, then against the Swiss, missing getting a goal by about .2 seconds when time ran out at the end of 2 and finally beating them with 2 in the third. The US and Canadian women's hockey teams are completely destroying everyone, each outscoring their opponents by combined scores of around 42-2. The ice dancing was beautiful. What a great story with the Canadian couple and American couple that train together getting gold and silver and the two skaters who just lost their moms being able to put together great performances in their grief bringing honor to their parents who no doubt sacrificed a ton to get them there. The flips and twists of the freestyle ski aerials and snowboarding are just crazy. 90 mph face first on the skeleton is insane. Bode Miller, Vonn, and the rest of the alpine skiers are doing well and carrying themselves well.

They aren't my standard sports, but they are a great change of pace and I love cheering for my country. God bless America.

The Dreaded C Word

This year we football fans have heard more about concussions than ever before. I think it is a very good thing. The evidence of brain damage in some football players that have suffered multiple concussions as they get older is sobering. We have seen it in boxers, but I don't think that many of us have thought that a concussion here or there was a big deal and we certainly don't want to think about it happening to the football players that we cheer for every week. Growing up if you get 'shaken up' you just take a little break. When you can see and think straight again get back out there. I would not be surprised if in the next 5 years we will take our precaution to an over-kill extreme, but I'm really glad for the direction that we are moving. Having two boys 14 and 7 who love football, I want their brains protected. Neither of them have the wisdom to sit out for a few weeks or months if their bell gets rung. I know that I would not have sat out. So, I'm all for the rules that say in Pop-Warner and high school player have to sit out a month or so if you get a concussion. Their brains are worth it as well as the hundreds of thousands of other brains that will take a pounding playing football.

States consider youth concussion laws

ESPN story on Concussions

Super Bowl XLIV: Great Game for the Saints

The Saints had one early drop and basically no other mistakes. They had a different defense every quarter to keep Peyton off balance. Greg Williams did a great job of switching things up. The onside kick was a great, gutsy move, but very calculated. Even if they don't get it, their defense had done well in the second quarter and it was a great time for that gamble. Porter was sitting on the route for his pick. He watched the Colts setup to do their bread and butter inside route, when he saw Wayne take go outside, that was the tell tale sign he was waiting for. He knew the next move was inside to get the pass that was about to be released. Porter stepped in, stole it, and sealed the ballgame.

Saints did their research and the Colts became a bit predictable. It was a closer game than the score reflected. Hats off to the Saints whose aggressive play foiled the conservative play of the masters of methodical, the Colts.

Peyton was good, but Brees was near perfect. The Saints o-line kept Brees upright the entire second half allowing him to be 29-32 after the first quarter. One was a drop, one was spiking the ball, leaving him with only one legit incomplete pass.

The Colts o-line played a good game as well opening things for Addai to gain 77 yards on just 13 carries.

Congrats Saints. Peyton, we need to see some more of your greatness in top games if you are going to go down as the greatest QB of all time. You will probably retire as the greatest regular season QB, but the playoffs have not been quite so great.

2010 Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductees

I wasn't too far off on my look at this year's Hall of Fame Class. I was surprised that Shannon Sharp and Chris Carter will have to wait another year. I especially feel for Carter because many people in the media keep saying that his time should be very soon and he has been past over for the third time now. I'm also partial to the Vikings since I spent elementary school there.

Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith were no brainers. It was great to see them enjoy the fact that they will go in together.

I never really liked the Redskins, but I'm very glad to see Russ Grimm is getting in. The 'Hogs' were a big part of the 80's and Grimm was the founder and anchor.

Rickey Jackson is very fitting for this year. The Saints go to their first Super Bowl and get their first HOF inductee together.

John Randle was a great selection. I thought that he would get passed over this year making room for Sharp or Carter, but I'm glad to see this Viking get his due.

I am so happy for Dick LeBeau. He means so much to the game of football. I know that he is going in as a player and his greatest contribution has been as a coach, but I really don't care how he gets there. I'm happy.

I'm looking forward to hearing and seeing more about Floyd Little. His numbers were very good, but didn't seem to add up to HOF to me, so there must be more about the Denver back than meets the eyes. I'm looking forward to finding out about him.

Super Bowl XLIV: Who and Why

The Saints have a punchers chance because of their propensity to generate turnovers and return them for touchdowns. They have a reasonable running game, a very accurate QB in Brees, and a lot of talented targets to throw to. They were the top scoring team this season.

The Colts have the most in-control explosive offense. They can run the ball, but they usually don’t because Peyton has his own set of very talented targets and prefers to use them. They beat the Dolphins controlling the ball for less than ¼ of the game because they scored so quickly. He shreds defenses and puts them in positions where they don’t have the personnel to defend what he is going to do. The Colts defense is no powerhouse, but they are sure tacklers and fast enough to cover the field well. They held the Jets stud running game to ~70 yards and that is the Colts weak spot. I think that the Saints balanced attack will fair better than the Jets.

The Saints live and die by the turnover. Peyton Manning has not fumbled in … 2 YEARS! Peyton only had 17 turnovers in 18 games this year. I think that the Saints die.

Colts: 38
Saints: 27

Super Bowl XLIV: Thoughts About the Game

These are some of my favorite thoughts surrounding this year's Super Bowl.

I'm a bit tired of hearing about Katrina and I have heard the same from some people from New Orleans. I just think that it is great to see one more team off of the list of those who have never made it there. Especially one that has had such lows for such long periods of time.

I like the work that Drew Brees has done on the field and off. He invests time and money in the community as well as in the international charity, Operation Kids. On the field he is amazingly accurate. This is a fun video pointing that out. He spreads the ball all over the place. 21 different players have scored for the Saints this year. It makes them fun to watch.

As Archie was the QB for the Saints, Peyton and his brothers grew up cheering for the Saints. Mom wouldn't let the kids 'boo' with the rest of the fans. Oldest son, Cooper did once wear an 'Aints bag over his head at a game before his mom caught him. When Brees came to New Orleans, Cooper Manning showed Drew and his family the ins and outs of the city. Their families are very good friends, but Coop and the rest of the Mannings are still rooting for Peyton first. It really eats at Archie though because his entire career was with the Saints and they never had a winning record while he was there. Now, they finally make the Super Bowl, and he can't cheer for them.

All of the Colts' Super Bowls have been in Miami. I loved Peyton's quote "I'm not superstitious, just a little stitious. I got that from my brother, Eli." I love his corniness. He is so NOT slick.

You could not get two better QBs both by skill and humble character (I guess Kurt Warner would fit there, too.) They are both great to listen to. They understand that they are very good at what they do, but they are not full of themselves and you can tell their aren't just 'saying the right thing.' That really seems to be them. They have a great respect for the game, it's players, and it's history. They understand that they are very fortunate to be in the situation that they are in.

I like that the Saints are not bashful about wanting to rattle the opposing QBs. That is what everyone is doing. It isn't a secret, but I hate hearing about wanting to injure them with hits that are not legal. Part of the game is hitting hard so that the player gets somewhat fearful, but playing with the goal to injure and not caring if it is even a legal hit should have no place in sports. That game is moving the football down the field and stopping them, not beating the snot out of someone so that they can't play. I'm not naive, I know that it happens all the time, but that does not make it right. I find no honor in that.

I like that these two teams really don't know one another at all. It could be the beginning of a great rivalry.

I'm really hoping that Freeney and Shockey can play at least to 90% of their ability. They each are a big part of their teams and I want to see them do their thing. Shockey already missed one Super Bowl due to injury.

Colts' Offensive Coordinator, Tom Moore and Offensive line coach, Howard Mudd will most likely be coaching their last games. Tom Moore starting coaching in the NFL in 1977 with the Steelers. Along the way, he turned the Lions offense into the #1 offense in the mid 90's with Barry sanders and 2 WR's topping 100 catches. He came to the Colts in 1998 and has coached Peyton his whole career. Ask Manning about Tom and he can't say enough good things about his coach. Mudd was the 3 time Pro Bowler before coaching. He started coaching in 1974 and like Moore has been with the Colts since 1998. The players will all tell you that their consistency and excellence has played a large part int he Colts' continued success. Last year both of these guys were going to be semi-forced to retire because their pension was going to be adversely affected if they continued. Things were worked out such that they could continue one more year. It would be very sweet to send them out on top.

Side note: I was in a prayer group that regularly prayed for one of Tom Moore's high school friends. When the Colts came to play the Raiders a few years ago, Tom got tickets for all of us to go to the game. Out of the blue kindness makes me a big Tom Moore fan.

Pro Football Hall of Fame Finalists 2010

The problem with this year is that there can only be 4 to 7 inductees and this is an extremely deep class. When considering HOF enshrinement it seems that we always start with stats and that is a good place to start. Certainly if you don't have good stats you don't belong. The Hall is also about being a difference maker and one of the greatest at what you do. You have to look at the era and the situation surrounding the individual being considered. With that in mind, here are my thoughts on those up for enshrinement. Yes, a lot of it is based on stats, but also in the context of those they played with and for. This is a tough year to get in because the all-time leading wide receiver, running back, and tight ends are each eligible and have to get in, so here it goes.

** indicates that I think they should get in this year.

Receivers:
Andre Reed – Wide Receiver – 1985-1999 Buffalo Bills, 2000 Washington Redskins One of the Bills' big three, Jim Kelley, Thurman Thomas, and Andre Reed. They went to (but lost) 4 consecutive Super Bowls and came close to a fifth. Reed was a yards after the catch guy similar to Jerry Rice. He played about the same time as HOF Michael Irvin. In 4 more years than Irvin, he did only slightly more. He only had four 1000 yard seasons. He did have 951 receptions which was 3rd all-time when he retired. It is hard to keep a guy out of the Hall when he was #3 all time when he left the game, he never led the league in receptions, yards, or TDs, but he put up consistently very good seasons. He made 7 pro bowls, but but I'm not quite sure if he goes to Canton as he was never an All Pro or a statistical leader (though some of the has to do with playing the same years as the other 3 receivers nominated.

**Jerry Rice – 1985-2000 San Francisco 49ers, 2001-04 Oakland Raiders, 2004 Seattle Seahawks Jerry Rice is the standard for wide receivers. In his 20 years in the NFL, he set all of the major career marks for receiving: receptions (1,549); receiving yards (22,895); most 1,000-yard receiving seasons (14) … Had record 208 total touchdowns; 23,546 combined net yards. 22 TD receptions in 1987 (12 game season) was a record until 2007. He led NFL in receiving yards and touchdown receptions 6 years. He was first-team All-Pro 11 consecutive seasons and sent to 13 Pro Bowls. 11 of his 14 1,000+ yard seasons were consecutive. Nobody compared to Rice.

Tim Brown – Wide Receiver/Kick Returner – 1988-2003 Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders, 2004 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Call him Mr. Raider. He was an All-Pro as a rookie leading the league in kick returns. He had a string of 9 seasons with 1000+ yards with various quarterbacks. He led the league in receptions one year. He is still 4th in career receptions and yards and had 9 Pro Bowl selections. At some point, I think that he needs to be in the hall, but it won't be this year

**Cris Carter – Wide Receiver – 1987-89 Philadelphia Eagles, 1990-2001 Minnesota Vikings, 2002 Miami Dolphins: He caught ANYTHING remotely close to him. His era and totals are very similar to Andre Reed, but his peak was much better than Reeds. Carter had a slow start because of substance abuse issues and was cut by the Eagles. In Minnesota he played second fiddle to star Anthony Carter. He later had major competition for getting the ball from future HOF receiver Randy Moss. The QB for the Vikings was a rotating door during much of his career, but he kept putting up great numbers. He had 8 straight 1000+ yard seasons, leading the league in receptions once and is currently #3 all-time. He had the reputation for only catching TDs leading the league 3 times and is #4 all time. 8 Pro Bowls and 2 All-Pro selections. He needs to be in the Hall.

Tight End:
**Shannon Sharpe – 1990-99, 2002-03 Denver Broncos, 2000-01 Baltimore Ravens Shannon Sharpe set the standard for receiving tight ends and holds most career receiving records for tight ends. He had 1000+ yards 3 times and was an integral part of three Super Bowl winning teams. He had 4 All Pro selections and 8 Pro Bowls.

Coach:
Don Coryell – 1973-77 St. Louis Cardinals, 1978-1986 San Diego Chargers Coryell took the Cardinals from 4-9-1 to going 31-11 between 74 and 76 making the playoffs twice. In 1978 he came to an average Charger team that was slowly on the rise. In his next 4 seasons he took the Chargers to the playoffs and 2 championship games. Then, things started to fall apart. He won 2 coach of the year awards, one with each team and had a lifetime record of 114-89-1. Strictly from a record and longevity point of view, he does not belong in the HOF, but his offense in San Diego was a sight to see. For six straight seasons "Air" Coryell's Chargers led the league in passing. That offense did not win any titles, but it did leave a huge mark on the game which is why he is being considered. I don't think that he makes it though.

Running Backs:
**Emmitt Smith – 1990-2002 Dallas Cowboys, 2003-04 Arizona Cardinals Emmit was at the Pro Bowl 8 of his first 10 years and an All-Pro 4 times. He led the league in rushing 4 times and has more career TDs, carries, and rushing yards. He, like Rice is an automatic HOF player. Only Rice has more total yards from scrimmage. It is fitting that they be enshrined together.

Roger Craig – 1983-1990 San Francisco 49ers, 1991 Los Angeles Raiders, 1992-93 Minnesota Vikings. He was the grinder for the 49ers in the Montana years. The only player to ever have 1000 rushing and 1000 receiving in one year when he actually led the league in receptions. This makes him unique, but I'm not sure that the one great year should put him in. He also had another season where he topped 2000 total yards, but never led the league in rushing or touchdowns. He was an important part in the 49ers Super Bowl teams, but he was not a leading the part. He made it to 4 Pro Bowls and was select All Pro 1 time. He was a very good back, hard to tackle as he always kept his legs churning, but I don't see him in the HOF at least not this year.

Floyd Little – 1967-1975 Denver Broncos. A Senior committee nomination, Floyd played 9 years and was a pro bowler 5 times and all pro twice. He led the league in rushing as well as total yards from scrimmage one year, but does not have career marks that rank very high. He was the Bronco's first ever 1000+ yard rusher and led the league in kick returns a couple of years and punt return average one year. He was also an apt receiving threat at a time when passing was not nearly as big as it is today. I have a hard time seeing him in the HOF, but there may be more that I am missing.

Offensive Linemen:
Dermontti Dawson – Center – 1988-2000 Pittsburgh Steelers. Dawson replaced HOF center Mike Webster and continued the excellence at the position. He went to 7 Pro Bowls and was All-Pro 6 times. The Steelers led the league in rushing behind the line that he anchored a couple of seasons and one year they led the league in scoring. He had a string of 170 starts. It is hard to argue with a man who was the consensus best for 6 years straight, but he'll have to wait.

**Russ Grimm – Guard – 1981-1991 Washington Redskins. The founding member of the 'Hogs', Grimm was a 4 time All-Pro and Pro Bowler blocking for the offensive line that is recognized as one of the best in NFL history. During his 11 years the Redskins went through 5 different running backs and 4 quarterbacks and still made the playoffs 7 times and were in the top five scoring 6 times winning 3 Super Bowls and losing 1. Russ would be the only member of that front 5 in the HOF. It is time that line was represented and Grimm was the embodiment of the 'Hogs.'

Defensive Linemen:
Richard Dent – Defensive End – 1983-1993, 1995 Chicago Bears, 1994 San Francisco 49ers, 1996 Indianapolis Colts, 1997 Philadelphia Eagles. Dent was part of the stifling 1985 Bear defense that went 15-1, was not scored on in the playoffs and only allowed 10 points in the Super Bowl where he was the very few defensive MVPs. He had 17 sacks that year after 17.5 the year before. He retired as #3 on the all-time sack list with 137.5 behind HOF players Reggie White and Bruce Smith. He also grabbed 21 turnovers and scored 2 TDs. He played in 4 Pro Bowls and was All Pro 4 times. He belongs in the HOF both because of his individual accomplishments on the field and I give him a bit of a push also because of the part that he played in perhaps the best defense ever with the '85 Bears, but I'm going to ask him to wait one more year to let Rickey Jackson in this year.

Charles Haley – Defensive End/Linebacker – 1986-1991, 1999 San Francisco 49ers, 1992-96 Dallas Cowboys. Haley played about the same time as Dent. He didn't generate the same sack totals as Dent, only recording 100.5 sacks, but that was partially because his first 6 seasons were spent at linebacker, not defensive end. He was named to 2 All-Pro teams and 5 pro bowls. He is uniquely the only player to win 5 Super Bowls. He seems to be a worthy candidate, but I don't think that this is his year.

Cortez Kennedy – Defensive Tackle – 1990-2000 Seattle Seahawks. Cortez was an 8 time pro bowler and 5 time All Pro anchor for the Seahawks d-line. He was commonly double or even triple teamed and still was one of the team leaders in tackles and led the team in sacks twice totaling 58 sacks in his career. He didn't get a lot of recognition because the Seahawks were not very good, but Cortez was amazing and needs to be in the HOF.

John Randle – Defensive Tackle – 1990-2000 Minnesota Vikings, 2001-03 Seattle Seahawks. In 14 years John Randle tied Richard Dent's 137.5 sacks, but he did it from the defensive tackle position. Nobody else has matched his totals from the interior of the line. He played in 183 consecutive games with a wild personality. Face paint and a running mouth characterized him. Favre took most of his sacks and called him unblockable on turf. He was selected to 7 Pro Bowls and was All Pro 6 times. As the best pass rushing defensive tackle he must get in the Hall... next year.

Linebacker
**Rickey Jackson – 1981-1993 New Orleans Saints, 1994-95 San Francisco 49ers. Many think that this should be Rickey Jackson's year so that the first Saint gets in the Hall as the Saints play in the their first Super Bowl, and while that is sweet. We need to look at the merits of the 6 time Pro Bowler. He was an excellent linebacker and defensive end his last 2 seasons with the 49ers. His 128 sacks would be 136 counting 1981 when it was not an official stat. Which makes him 10th all-time, but second for a linebacker. He forced 40 fumbles recovered 29 to go with 8 picks. While he was racking up his sacks he was also leading the Saints in tackles a combination which rarely goes hand in hand. The curious think is why no All Pro selections? He played almost exactly the same career as HOF linebackers Lawrence Taylor, Andre Tippett, and Mike Singletary and overlapped with Derrick Thomas as well. His stats stand up with theirs but with much less hoopla since much of his career his team was not very good and he never got to a Super Bowl. I agree, it is time for Rickey to be in the Hall.

Cornerback:
**Dick LeBeau* – 1959-1972 Detroit Lions. LeBeau is another senior committee nominee. His play was above average and had a number of interceptions between that of HOF corners Herb Adderley and Dick (Night Train) Lane who played the same era. He was selected for 3 Pro Bowls and had a reputation for playing very solid run defense as well as pass. He seems to the stats to be in the discussion, but when people discuss the top corner for the era, it is always Dick Lane, so I'm not sure I have the information to make a judgment on his playing career, but where LeBeau has shined even more is as a coach/coordinator. He may coach too long to be able to live long enough to see his bust put in Canton for his work on the sidelines which may be a good enough reason in itself to get him in as a player and then add him as a coach as well later.

We Will Miss You, Kurt

Kurt Warner's retirement is a sad thing. He has lived the dream that so many of us have had and he did it with excellence and honor. He was on some great teams that were centered around his amazing ability to lead an offense and pass the ball. He won the NFL MVP 2 times, went to 3 Super Bowls winning 1 and being named the MVP. His 3 Super Bowl games are the 3 highest passing yardage total games in Super Bowl history. In all of this you never heard, "me, me, me". Even in retirement, he said his peace before all of the TV time that he will get at the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl so that nobody would be asking about what he was going to be doing. Instead the focus could be on the players and teams who were playing. He never backed down from speaking about what meant most to him, his Savior, Jesus Christ.

It wasn't all roses for Kurt, though. His career also had problems and failings. He had to pull through many injuries including broken fingers (thumbs) and concussions. His first 3 years as a starter which were magical, almost fairy tail perfect taking a team that had been horrible for years to the Super Bowl two times. In 2003, it all changed, he was terrible, throwing interceptions and fumbling at an alarming rate. In 2004 he started the season playing with a broken hand that was not fully healed when he should have been sitting and letting his very able back up, Bulger take over. The injuries and poor play led to his release after that season. The Giants signed him and he played well to start the season, but after 2 poor games, the ball was given to Eli Manning (rookie) who played no better, but was the future of the team. The Cardinals signed Kurt in 2005. After an average start and injuries again, he was replaced by Josh McCown who later struggled and the job went back to Warner who was able to get things going and put up some very good games until his season was ended by injury again. During the 2006 and 2007 seasons Warner was swapped in and out of the starting job with Matt Leinart, their new heir apparent. Sometime it was bad play and sometimes injury that led to the changes, but when Leinart's 2007 season was ended by injury, Warner caught fire again as he had with the Rams. Suddenly the dream was back. The terrible Cardinals made the playoffs. 2008 ended in the Super Bowl. 2009 end in the playoffs. a Second team had been resurrected powered mostly by the arm of Kurt Warner.

In the highs and lows of his career Kurt Warner never showed bad character. He and Brenda have 7 kids. He has always thanked God first for his opportunities and abilities and has lived a life off the field to back that up. He has won numerous awards for leadership, off the field work with kids and being an excellent role model. I'm sure that he is not perfect as none of us are, but his life is one that inspires greatness. I'm looking forward to seeing what he does with the rest of it.

Thank you Kurt for letting us watch greatness with character behind it.

Super Bowl Thoughts: Brief Team Profiles

Colts: Passing machine whose QB has earned the reputation for being the smartest and most thoroughly prepared. He doesn't miss anything and works like clockwork to take everything that you give him. He also knows when to give up and fight again the next play. His targets are a stud WR and a clutch TE plus 2 other WRs who have stepped up this year and become almost as dangerous as their counter part, so pick your poison, it is still poison. A run game that shows up if the defense starts playing with only 2 defensive linemen, but is mostly ignored. A fast bend-but-don't-break defense that is stronger than people give them credit for. Two fast effective pass rushing defensive ends and a linebacker who shows up everywhere. Don't get a 3rd and long against these guys.

Saints: One of the most accurate and prolific passers over the last 4 years. A three headed monster to run for 120ish yards a game with both power and speed and shiftiness. Four receiving targets each of whom can turn any given Sunday into their one highlight reel and that doesn't including the running backs that have good hands as well. They have a return man who you really don't want to have running in open space. A defense, like the Colts that will bend but doesn't break. They admit that their D lacks a bit in physical athleticism and power when compared to some of the others in the league, but that doesn't matter. They play smart and fast and they can make a QB miserable (just ask the Viking signal caller). They scrap for the ball and generate more turnovers than anyone but the Packers, so hold that ball tight. Don't fight too hard for that last yard unless you really need it, because that is when the ball gets loose.

The teams really are very similar. They are the picture of direction the NFL has been moving over the last few years, a more wide open passing game instead of 3 yards and a cloud of dust. "Defense wins Championships" is not happening this year. The passing and speed has beaten the defense and power this year. It is a bit like the old AFL which was where the West Coast offense and short passing game was born.

The Pro Bowl: Why???

The NFL All Star game. Everyone likes an all-star game, right? All the best players battling it out with one another. Getting to face the best of the best. The top players getting to work side-by-side with one another to make the "dream team" with no holes or weak spots. If only it could really play out that way. It is great in concept and for some sports (baseball) it can come close to working, but in football, especially at the NFL level just doesn't work.

Here are some of the biggest issues:
1) The game has no meaning. Bragging rights and a slightly bigger pay check that is completely dwarfed by your regular pay check is not a big enough incentive and I don't think that there is a way to make it bigger. The highest goal is the Lombardi and this is not a step toward that.

2) Injured/worn out bodies: This year more than any other, players are dropping out like crazy because they have injuries that they have been battling and they just don't want to put their bodies through the grind again. The game has no grand prize, so there is little to no meaning so why push?

3) Possible Injuries: Why put your body on the line for this? Why put your fellow players' career on the line and deliver a crushing blow like you would in a playoff game where the winner moves on toward the Lombardi trophy? Nobody is playing this game like their livelihood depends on it because it doesn't. In fact if you were to really hammer and injure someone, you may make enemies of player who might one day be your teammate. You are respected if you do that in the regular season, but not at the Pro Bowl. The epitome is watching a field goal try. After the ball is hiked, the linemen stand up, give each other a token push, then it almost looks like they are going to shake hands while the kick is happening. It is pretty funny and definitely NOT NFL football and the highest level.

4) You can't possibly learn to play together as a team in one or two weeks. QB/WR timing takes time to develop. How the offensive line works together takes time to develop. Defense comes together faster, but there is still a lot of communication that is just learned by having time together.

5) The NFL playbook is WAY too complex to learn in a week or two. The defense can't even blitz because there is no way for the offense to be able to learn the complex blocking schemes to be able to defend the QB. Way too much to do in a week or two.

It just isn't the best of the best squaring off in the ultimate duel. This year they moved it to the 'dead' week between playoffs and Super Bowl instead of after when nobody was thinking football anymore. It makes it a bit more likely that I'll see part of it, but no Super Bowl players will be there and lots of the playoff players are ready for a break.

I wish that I could give you ways to solve the issues, but I don't think that you really can make it what we all wish it could be. It's sad, but it is reality. It is a honor to be chosen to go. I understand that a lot of players build relationships that sometime turn into free agent signings, so there are good things that happen there. It is fun to see some of the guys play just one more game before they shut it down for the year, but it just isn't NFL football.

I have one wild hair idea. Not sure if I even really like it, but it is fun to just throw it out there. The week before the Super Bowl have an all star game for guys whose teams didn't make the play-offs. There are great players on those teams that didn't get there. They will have had a month for bodies to recover and work together. Pay them well and double it for winning. I know, it's not the best of the best at all positions, but it is at some and you have excellent players on both sides of the ball. Some will be players that you might not hear about quite as often, but most you will. This year would have these players among others.

Offense:
Matt Schaub, Ben Roethlisberger
Chris Johnson, DeAngelo Williams, Steven Jackson, Maurice Jones-Drew
Chad OchoCinco, Andre Johnson, Santonio Holmes, Steve Smith(s), T.J. Houshmandzadeh Tony Gonzalez, Vernon Davis

Defense:
Elvis Dumervil, LaMarr Woodley, Brian Orakpo, Patrick Willis, London Fletcher, Barrett Ruud, Jairus Byrd, Nnamdi

Those are players that I would enjoy watching especially if they were really going for it.

NFL Championship Games

AFC: The Colts did it.
It took a while for them to get things going and figure out the Jet D, but Peyton proved to be the man who can find and take advantage of any hole that a defense has no matter how small. I don't know how many passes there were that had me wondering "how did he get the ball in there?" During that first half of 'figuring things out', the Colts gave up two huge plays when the corners were looking into the backfield instead of covering receivers. Aside from those 2 badly blown coverage plays, the 'soft' Indy D did a fabulous job of containing the Jets' stud running backs to less than 90 yards and keeping Mark Sanchez to 140 yards. Congrats to the Jets who made more of their season than most of us thought they could. The future for that team looks to be very bright, but the Colts are the team of the AFC this year.

NFC: The Saints Take It Away
The Saints and Vikings put on a great show. The Viking D more than did their job containing the Saints' high powered offense to 68 yards rushing and 187 yards passing, but the Viking offense couldn't quite do their part. AD had 122 of the 160+ yards rushing and 3TDs. Favre had 300+ yards passing with a TD. The Vikings just didn't hold on to the ball. Five turnovers sank them. Twice they had the ball to the Saints' 10 and fumbled it away. At the end of regulation after a very stupid 12-men-in-the-huddle penalty, Favre rolled out and could have run for 5-10 yards to at least give Longwell a field goal attempt within his range (~50 yards), but he threw back across the field (no, no, no, never do that) for a pick. As a Viking fan, this was a heart breaking loss because they were not out played. Even as they kept losing the ball, the D was keeping them in the game. You could easily question the PI call in overtime where the ball was overthrow (on purpose). That would have meant that Hartley would have had to kick the game winner from 51, but you can't blame the refs when you don't make the plays that are within your grasp. I'm happy for the Saints. They played well. Their defense did like they have this season living by the turnover. Their offense had a hard time, but did better than most putting up 28 against a very good Viking D. If they want to bring the Lombardi Trophy to New Orleans, however, they need to step things up a bit. The Colts D just held the best running team to less than 100 yards and Peyton put up 30 against the top ranked defense.

NFL Championship Games

Colts/Jets:
This should be lopsided. The Jets only got into the playoffs because the Colts pulled their starters while they were playing them. The Colts were undefeated as long as they played all of their starters the whole game. The Jets run well and play great aggressive well disguised defense. Their rookie QB Mark Sanchez has shown glimmers of hope, but has a passer rating of 63. The Colts have a solid D that allows yards, but few touchdowns. Peyton Manning is the man. He is the master of figuring out what the defense is going to do and exploiting it. The Jets have the reputation of blitzing and Peyton makes defenses pay when they blitz, but the Jets really aren't mad crazy blitzers. They just disguise what they are doing. If they can fool the master, Peyton and they can run against the Colts' speed defense the Jets have a chance. I expect that this will look a lot like last week's Colts game against the Raven D that was until this year coached by the Jets' coach Rex Ryan.

Colts win 24-13


Saints/Vikings:
This game could go any way. These are the most complete teams. They both can run. Saints put up 120 yards a game the the Viking have Adrian Peterson, though he has not been producing a lot the last part of the season. They both can pass. Brees had the best passing numbers of the season and Favre is legendary. He has had the best season of his 19 year, Hall of Fame career. Saints D is what was missing last year and has been a turnover machine. The Viking D has been one the top teams at getting fumbles and the Saints have been prone to them this year. The Viking D has been brutal against the run that last few years and has Allen and Edwards as pass rushing madmen. Both teams have a dynamic returner with Reggie Bush and Percy Harvin. They have solid kickers. They both play in domes. Either defense could step up though the Viking's D seems more likely, but Favre has had more meltdowns in the past than Brees. It is a wash, so I would say the home team Saints have the edge, but I'm pulling for the Viking team that has lost 4 Super Bowls to get their for a fifth time and I'm hoping for a win.

Brain says: Saints 31-27
Heart says: Vikings 38-24

Fantasy Football Improvements

I have a league that has been together for six seasons. Some of us have played for a few years before that. We use Yahoo because, well, that is where my friend started it. I have been the commish since the first year. Each year, I look around at what else is out there. I'm not sure that there is anything significantly better and now that we have a good amount of history with the league, I don't want to change it because it is fun to look back in league history and see how things played out for the team in the past.

We play with the following:
1 QB: 1pt/25 yards, 4pts/TD, -2/int or lost fumble
2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE: 1t/10 yards, 6pt/TD, -2/fumble lost
1 K: 1 pt per point plus bonus 1 for FG > 40 yds and other bonus 1 for FG > 50
1 DEF: points based on sacks, defensive TDs, turnovers, and points allowed
1 IDP (individual defensive player): points for tackles, sacks, TDs, turnovers

There are a few things that I would love to have Yahoo add/modify.

1) Time On Waivers in Hours Not Days
Out league puts everyone on waivers on Sunday morning at 10am. Waivers claims are processed early Wednesday morning. This keeps people from picking up backups as soon as a starter gets injured. So if a player is dropped to pick up someone on waivers, they then go on waivers, but because that transaction happens on Wednesday, if waivers is one day, that day is Thursday. So, they get processed Friday morning. On the many weeks with Thursday games, that is too late. I would like a 24 hour waiver option so that they come off Thursday morning and are available.

2) Have Weekend Waivers Start When a Player's Game Starts
If you are going to have all of the players go on waivers for the weekend to prevent vultures, it would be nice if a player didn't go on waivers until their game started. That way if you have a player that is questionable but in a late game you can wait until closer to game time before having to lose a player to pick up a replacement if you have to.

3) Separate Defense and Special teams or better named Return teams as I don't want kicking points in there
In almost every league DEF also gets the special teams points or at least that is where you can add the points. I think that it is terrible that a defense that allows a bunch of points should then get points from the return yards from the kick-off that are a result. I might start cheering for my defense to allow field goals because I get more out of the kick-off return than I am penalized for allowing the points. That's just not right.

4) Separate kick-Off return yards from punt return yards and fumble/interception return yards
If a kick returner gets 20 yards per return, that is not that big a deal, but if a punt returner is averaging 10 yards, that pretty good. It is not fair that the punt returner should have to be twice as good to get the same number of points. I'm not sure what the averages are for fumble/interception returns, but that should be a third category.

5) Add penalty stats
I would gladly add -.5 for every penalty or better yet -1 point for every 10 yards of penalties. I would want this on individual players, but not for the DEF. Even more cool would be to give those yards to the QB/RB/WR/TE who was fouled. That way when Sidney Rice is about to catch a 30 yarder and gets held by the db who just got burned, Favre and Rice get credit for a 30 yard play. If it were in the end zone the players couldn't get the TD because that would open the door to having 1 drive produce 2 TDS, but the yards would be great.

6) Add a dropped pass stat
This is tough mostly because it is not an official stat. Yes, it is subjective (as are many penalties), but so are error/hit calls in baseball. That's just the way that it goes. I want to be able to penalize Braylon and T.O. and the like for dropping what should have been easy points.

7) Don't count minus yards for kneel down plays.
In the grand scheme this is very minor, but to lose 5 yards because your QB had a good game and is running out the clock is a drag.

What Are The Raiders Doing?

Don't think for a moment that I have an answer to this question. All the minds of the sports world can't divine what big Al is going to come up with next and don't think that they aren't trying. I don't think that I can even answer the question "What SHOULD the Raiders be doing?" Many minds much greater and better paid than mine wrangle over this and have conflicting ideas, but one of the fun parts of being a sports fan is playing owner/GM/coach. So, after all the games have been won or lost (more lost than won for us in Raider Nation) we look at our team and ask, what went right? What went wrong? How can we improve? What are some realistic steps that can be taken to make next year better?

Here is my take on my beloved mess of a team.

First, I don't believe that our personnel is quite as messed up as the 5-11 record says that we are. I know everyone says that, but this is why I think that it's true. JaMarcus Russell. I have nothing against the guy, but I have seen nothing good from him. The Raiders were 3-4 in the last 7 games ... when he didn't start. No, that is not a good record, but it is much better than the 2-7 with him. I have seen nothing positive in terms of work ethic, leadership, or character, and we definitely have seen nothing positive in the games. I don't know if the issue is that the coaching staff keeps changing or that Russell doesn't work hard enough at being on top of what is going on or perhaps he just can't do it at this level.

That said, JaMarcus is not really the problem with the Raiders. The problem is the fact that he was starting at QB when he clearly was and still is not ready. Jeff Garcia could have been the savior of both the Raiders' season and possibly Russell. I'm sure that the former Pro Bowl QB could have made a ton of plays, but more importantly taught JaMarcus how to lead a team and what kind of work ethic is needed to do that. He could have helped a very inexperienced receiving corps learn how to play together with the QB at this level. But, alas, we cut him. Perhaps, this off season we will do something smart like get someone with some good experience who can help our young QBs. I'm not sure that Vick would be the answer, but Hasselbeck might be available. Bulger might as well. Byron Leftwich? I would love to get Chad Pennington. I know that each of these guys have had injury issues and might not last long behind our line, but their understanding, leadership, and experience might be worth even more in helping Russell and/or Gradkowski develop.

Second, receivers. They are way too young. TE, Zach Miller is quality, but the rest have a ways to go. The top WR was Murphy (22 years old), #2 Schilens (24) in his second year only caught 15 passes in his first year. Higgins is the vet. He has 3 years. Heyward-Bey, another 22 year old guy who was supposed to light the world on fire, but could only manage 9 catches and was done after November. Again, perhaps we grab someone who has been around who might show these guys a few things. I must say I don't have a list of these guys in mind unless Torry Holt were to become available. Yes, he is only a shadow of who he was, but his shadow can get open better and catch more passes than our young bucks. They have talent, but they need to watch someone who has honed their skills to show them how to do the same.

Thirdly, the offensive line needs help. Now, I don't know if it is personnel, blocking schemes, coaching, identifying what the defense is doing and making adjustments, or having the QB understand how to use the protection that they are providing, but they allowed 49 sacks. Just over 1 sack for every 10 passes thrown, only Buffalo was worse (and only slightly worse). I'm thinking get the o-line coach from a team like the Vikings or Jets who get a lot out of their line. Then draft 2 or 3 o-linemen for the next 3 years and build the strongest, toughest, smartest o-line the NFL has seen. Then, you can do anything you want.

The defense is good, but can't hold the team up when they are on the field with their backs to the goal line the whole game because the offense can't move the ball. I'm sure there are places to improve. Getting another d-lineman or 2 to start grooming would be a good move. Bush, McFadden, and Fargas are solid backs but when the defense knows that you can't throw, they aren't given much room to run in.

Come on big Al. Help the Raider Nation by giving us a good product this year. Leave Cable alone for another year so that he has enough time to actually prove that he can or can't coach.

Why I'm starting to like Donte' Stallworth

Donte' is/was a receiver currently with the Cleveland Browns after a number of years with the Saints and one with the Eagles and then with the Patriots. He shows glimpses of greatness. A handful of very good games and many where he is average or even seems to disappear. Some of the numbers are low because of the other receivers that he was over shadowed by (Moss/Welker, Braylon Edwards), but he has been an underachiever. He has speed and athletic ability, but doesn't run routes as well as he should because he is not a hard worker. His natural skills have taken him a long way, but to become great he needs to really work on the holes in his game. Sounds unfortunately typical.

Then, he really screws up his life and ends someone else's. Donte' killed Mario Reyes while driving drunk. In his defense Mario was not in a crosswalk. Donte' flashed his lights at him a few times and he didn't move. Donte' was going 50 in a 40 which is pretty average, but he was drunk driving. I have not read anywhere some stating that had Donte' been sober he could have easily avoided hitting Reyes.

This is where the story becomes something that I didn't expect. Donte' doesn't run, doesn't try to avoid the situation, if fact he calls 911 knowing the trouble that he could be in. In multiple statements he takes full responsibility. No excuses. He has been up front with the NFL and the Browns.

He came to an agreement with the judge and the Reyes family for a financial compensation and then was sentenced to 30 days jail, 2 years house arrest, 8 years probation, 1,000 hours community service, drug/alcohol testing, and loss his license for life. He also was suspended by the NFL for the year.

This Donte's statement regarding meeting with Goodell before the suspension:

I wanted to meet with Commissioner Goodell before making any public comment about the impact of my actions on the National Football League. I want to thank the Commissioner for giving me the opportunity to be heard yesterday.

I recognize that there is a difference between the legal standard in my criminal case and the standard to which NFL players are held. It is clear that I exercised poor judgment and caused irreparable harm to Mario Reyes, his family, the NFL, its owners, coaches, employees and to my fellow players. Going forward, I am committed to conducting myself in a manner that more accurately reflects who I am and meets the high standard expected of all NFL players. I tried to convey this commitment to Commissioner Goodell yesterday. I respect the Commissioner's authority and I trust his judgment. Whatever he ultimately decides is the appropriate discipline, I will accept knowing that I have profoundly affected the NFL and its relationship with the fans of our game.

I apologize for my poor judgment. I jeopardized the honor and privilege that I have been given to be an NFL player and to play for our fans.

I am truly sorry.

Donte Stallworth

Now, I see this: Peter King's MONDAY MORNING QB

"I'm donating $1 to the Red Cross for each follower I have by midnight. PLS RT & let's help the ppl of Haiti 2gether 2day.''
-- @D_Stallworth18, Donte' Stallworth, the former NFL receiver now under league suspension for the involuntary manslaughter conviction in the death of a pedestrian on a Miami causeway last March, writing Sunday afternoon on Twitter.

By the end of the day, Stallworth had increased his Twitter followers from about 18,000 to 33,000, and he got former teammate Wes Welker to match his donation to Project Medishare, a medical group dedicated to providing care to the affected masses in Haiti. Just through this simple act, Stallworth raised at least $68,000 to treat the sick and injured. Moreover, Joshua Cribbs has promised to donate his Pro Bowl check, win or lose.

What he did was horrible, but unlike almost every other incident with a high profile athlete, I have never hear an excuse from him. I don't know the kind of man Donte' was before the accident, but the kind of character that he has shone from the instant it happened has been great. I hope that he gets back into the NFL, works his butt off to become an excellent receiver, and works to mentor younger players to help them to live lives that are worthy of the amazing natural ability that God gave them.

NFL Divisional Playoffs: Another Low Drama Weekend

Like the Wildcard weekend, not much drama for a playoff week... until the last game.

The Saints rustiness lasted 2 plays. After Hightower's TD run on the first play from scrimmage the Saints took over and both offensively and defensively dominated. Running, passing, defense, and special teams all went the way of the Saints. Warner never got into his rhythm and after getting leveled he had to leave the game and even when he came back for a bit was ineffective. The Cardinal defense had very few answers for the Saints. Reggie Bush showed glimpses of the man that the Saints thought they were getting when they drafted him #2 a few years back with a long TD run and a punt return for 6. Many are waiting for his coming out party. Perhaps this will be the start. We'll see how he looks next week with a very tough Viking defense.

The Colt's rust lasted for the first drive as well. After the Raven's opening drive field goal, their offense was done. The Raven defense hung tough. To only allow Peyton Manning 2 TD drives is impressive, but that late second quarter lapse allowed 14 points too many. The Ravens D is still solid, but they have a bit to work on with their offense.

The Viking were the team that most thought were in trouble this week. That red hot, complete Cowboy team was going to be too much. Well, the Cowboys were able to move the ball somewhat, but turnovers, missed field goal and getting 3 instead of 7 meant that they got... 3 and the Cowboy defense wasn't even close to being able to contain that Viking offense. It was a slaughter with no drama.

Then, the drama happened. The Chargers (that other red hot team that had won 11 straight) led 7-3 after three quarters of punting, and missed Keading field goals. Then, a second pick by Rivers led to one easy TD by the Jets. A Shonn Greene break away run later and the Chargers are down 17-7. Another missed field goal by Kaeding (might lose a job for that performance) and the fate of the Chargers is almost sealed. The Chargers finally figured out how to move the ball, but too little, too late. That Jets D is scary. Can anyone coach the Chargers to live up to their potential in the playoffs?

Almost got two #1 vs #2 match ups for our championship games, but the Jets crashed the party. Looking at the 4 teams left, the Jets are the odd man out. The team runs first (almost exclusively), it is brash and bold, no stud QB who has been shredding defenses for years, but they live by their D and it is scary good.

NFL Divisional Playoff Games: No Easy Outs

Usually when you get to the second round of the NFL playoffs you have at least one team that has most people thinking, "You are way out of your league. See you next year." I don't think that we have that team this year.

The Colts went 14-0 while they were trying. Yikes.

The Chargers have won 11 straight. Enough said.

The Saints were flat the last few weeks, but started 13-0. No questions here.

The Vikings laid a couple of eggs late, but destroyed the Giants to finish 12-4. They are possibly the most complete team, running, passing, defense, special teams. No holes.

The Cowboys have answered the December/January questions winning their last 4 convincingly. Another very complete team.

The Cardinals are inconsistent. They threw up a couple of stinker games, but we learned last year that they have a playoff gear. Injuries have hurt them, but when they are on, they are really really good. They can play D, Beanie Wells and Hightower do a fine job and if Warner gets in groove you are in big trouble.

The Ravens have had some lapses in defense especially against the pass, but that was earlier in the season. Until they dismantled the Patriots last week their only win against a playoff team was week 2 against the Charger team that really had not gotten going yet. After a mid season slump, however, they have had a running back with 140+ yards in 4 of the last 5 games and only one team scored more than 14. They lack much of a passing game, but they are solid enough running and playing D that it might not matter that. Keep in mind that last year they took out the number 1 seed in the divisional playoff

Rex Ryan has the Jets looking very similar to the Ravens. They had a mid-season slump. Passing is the weakest part of their game. Rookie QB, Sanchez only passed for more than 200 yards four times. They run well with Thomas Jones and now Shonn Greene, but their defense is scary. Revis takes out your top receiver and the Bears 46 defense looks like there are 12 men on the field. One team in the last 7 games scored more than 14 on them and that was at the hands of Peyton Manning.

Ravens and Jets may have been 9-7 in the regular season and they both got big breaks to get into the playoffs, but they are not going to be easy outs. They play ugly hardnosed football thanks to Rex Ryan.

How is Chris Johnson not MVP of the NFL?

Honestly, I'm torn on this issue. Chris Johnson becomes only the sixth running back to top 2000 yards in a season and he breaks the record for most yards from scrimmage and got 0 votes for MVP. Granted the Titans were only 8-8, but without him, they would have been nothing. His season was clearly the most extraordinary this year.

Revis’s work shutting down top wide receivers is probably the second most notable season. This is partially unique because I don’t think that a db has ever been used like this to exclusively remove a receiver from the game. Yes, he did a great job of it, but we don’t know that a few other dbs couldn’t be used in the same fashion.

Peyton Manning leads his team to a 14-0 start and gets yanked before he can complete a perfect season. As I recall, only Bob Greise and Tom Brady have started the season 14-0. Peyton wasn't given the opportunity to take it further. He did this with little running game and breaking in 2 new receivers. His passing numbers were very good, but nowhere near record breaking. He wasn't even the best passer in the league. He was 6th in passer rating, second in yards, fourth in completion percentage, second in TDs, and first in MVP votes.

It isn't extremely rare for a non-QB to win the award. Three of the last 10 were won by running backs. The last non-QBs to win MVP were LT and Shawn Alexander when they broke the TD record in back to back years. Before that it was Marshall Faulk with one of his amazing years.

Most valuable player is a bit of a nebulous term. It isn't the best player or the player with the most extraordinary season. It isn't the player that carried their team the most. It isn't the player that got the most out of what was around them (which would almost always end up being a QB because of the nature of the position). I guess MVP in MLB, NBA, and NFL is defined as the best player from one of the best teams. It’s kind of sad that over half of the players in the league are excluded from an individual award just because their team is not good enough.

Since this is the case, Peyton Manning, Favre, and Drew Brees, who’s passing numbers were a little better than Peyton's, are the most logical choices and since Peyton never lost a game that he was given the opportunity to finish, you kind of have to give it to him based on how the MVP seems to be given. I take nothing away from Peyton. He enabled the team to win those games. He engineered late game comebacks. Congrats to Peyton.

Chris Johnson did get the Offensive Player of the Year which is proper, but I don’t like that he doesn’t even get in the MVP discussion because the rest of his team didn’t get their act together until week 7.

Kobe Should Sit Down and Rest the Broken Finger?

December 11th, Kobe broke the index finger on his shooting hand. He is an amazing player and played through it. The next night, he threw up a stinker of a game 7-24. We all said, "It's the finger. Kobe, just rest it. It is a long season. The Lakers will be fine without you for a month." Kobe doesn't sit.

The next 5 games he shoots 46%-58%. "Kobe is a amazing. He's doing this with a broken finger."

Christmas, 11-33 (but still has 38 points thanks to 12 of 12 from the line).

Five more games shooting 48% to 54%.

Four stinkers shooting 19%-39%.

Last night he is 7 of 10, but does little else and leaves early, but not because of the finger. It was back spasms.

Overall since the broken finger (index finger, shooting hand), his shooting percentage has dropped just a little bit. Points per game are about the same, assists up a tad, turnovers are the same, steals are down a bit, rebounds are up a bit.

Is it possible that Kobe is the same player even with a broken finger?
The stats seem to say, 'yes'.

(On a completely unrelated note, pray for Haiti. Very tragic.)

So, What Do We Do With Steroid Numbers?

Since we now have the confessed illegal activity of McGwire taking steroids (not that we didn't know it already), Sosa tested positive for steroids, and we know that Bonds did steroids. He just won't admit that he knew they were steroids, which of course is totally unbelievable.

Yes, these guys already had skills and were very good if not great baseball players. Even if it was just a matter of staying healthy, the steroids make a difference. The steroids also help to add strength, bat speed, and from what I heard from a minor league player, it helps your ability to see a pitch just a bit sooner so that you can adjust to it. The last might be the most important if indeed that is the case. I have not see many people talk about that, so I wonder.

We can't pretend the home runs didn't happen. We can't pretend that the number of home runs were not elevated because of the steroid use. They were illegal and recognized as cheating by anyone, though the penalty (from mlb) was nothing. We also can't pretend that they weren't facing some pitchers who were doing the same thing. This wasn't just batters. It's just that the home run is the most worshipped stat in baseball so it is the most glaring.

So, what do we do with Barry Bond's records or should it be Hank Aaron's record and Roger Maris' record? They might have been broken anyway, but perhaps they would have survived to this point.

There are a few reasonable options, but one thing that has to be acknowledged is that the "steroid era" is not over. It wasn't a 15 year period with a semi-clear beginning and end. The era of performance enhancing drugs is continuing because the testing can't keep up with the cheaters. There are new drugs, new ways of dosing to hide what is going on. It is a sad reality that we will probably have this kind of cheating for a long time.

I think that baseball has 3 options.
1) Leave the numbers as they are. The home runs were hit, the runs scored, the games are over the championships were won. It's over. No whistle, no foul.

2) The asterisk. Put an asterisk next to all of the numbers by players who have ever tested positive or admitted to using or those under heavy suspicion (have to be very careful with this).

3) Separate the numbers. MLB has already done this once. The modern era starts in 1900. Perhaps this is such a fundamental change that we need to start a new era. There is a date that could be figured out by much smarter and better informed people than I that would cap the 'modern era' and start the 'enhanced era' or the 'suspicious era'.

I don't like option 1. It is not fair to Maris, Aaron, and others whose records have been broken by cheaters. It also condones the cheating. Option 2 is the most likely to be instituted. It acknowledges that these things happened which they did, but that it was found out later that these players cheated. In the long run we might find that option 3 is the best way to go, but it is way too soon to tell. It has been 25 -30 years since what we believe was the beginning of significant numbers of players using steroids in significant amounts. We are still unfolding what happened, so it will probably be another 30+ years before we can tell how long this is going to continue.

Since the records in mlb are so sacred, I don't envy the job of the baseball historian who has to try to sift through all of this and give things a fair assessment and presentation.

Thank you for Telling Us What We Already Knew

It is refreshing to hear the truth and what seems to be close to the whole truth. It would have been much better if it had been stated five years ago, but it is great to hear the truth. Congrats Mark McGwire for having the guts to finally publically state that he used steroids AND that he used them in the year that he broke Maris' record. Nobody else seems to admit that they did it while achieving greatness. They all try to make it like it was just for rehab or just a minor thing that made little difference. Thank you La Russa for helping to put him in a position to help him get to this point.

Now that was have a guilty verdict, we can move on to the sentencing for using steroids during that time: Zero game suspension and no ban from baseball

McGwire has served the puny sentence. Now, let's put him in the Hall where he belongs.

If baseball (both players and owners) doesn't like it, then they can look in the mirror and blame themselves for turning a blind eye when others were testing and there was enough evidence to make it an issue in mlb. They would rather protect their privacy then the fairness of their game and they would rather have a home run race saving the game that they had messed up with labor dispute than deal with the steroid issue.

Again, thank you Mark McGwire for finally telling us the truth.

NFL Wild Card Weekend

Those were 4 very lopsided games until the 3rd quarter of the Pack/Cards game.

Bengals could run but Coles was the only receiver that could get open against the Jets. Sanchez had a great game. Have not seen that very often.

Philly couldn't stop Dallas and the o-line couldn't get McNabb enough time to do anything nor give a running back much room to run.

Ravens totally dismantled the Pats' o-line and then ran the ball down their throats. That said, it's hard for me to get excited about a team that scores 33 and wins by a landslide and their QB has numbers like this:

Flacco 4 of 10 for 34 yards and 1 INT.

Warner, Rodgers and their receivers were absolutely amazing. I only saw the forth quarter, but that was the greatest passing display I have ever seen. It wasn't bad defense on most of the plays. I have never seen so many perfectly thrown balls into such tight coverage. The ball just out of reach or getting to the receiver just before the db gets around to swing at it. The catches were spectacular. One-handed, jumping, stretched all the way up, toes just staying, running through tight traffic. Sad that someone had to lose such a game.

I'm hoping for a Favre/Warner NFC championship game though all 4 QBs are in the very good to great range. I just figure that it could be the last time around for one or both of those guys.

I'm also hoping for Colts and Bolts because I really don't like the prospect of Sanchez/Flacco.