AFC East

1. New England Patriots (10-6)
2. New York Jets (9-7) → AFC Championship Game Loss (Colts 30-17)
3. Miami Dolphins (9-7)
4. Buffalo Bills (6-10)

New York Jets:

The revival season, clear and simple. The New York franchise clearly made the right choice when they got rid of Mangini in 2008 and gave the keys of the Green and White house to Rex Wilfork Ryan. He brought two excellent defenders over with him from Baltimore (Scott and Leonhard) as well a tough and punishing football philosophy, close to what is the rule a bit southward, with the Ravens.

The big question coming into the season was New York’s capacity to go a long way while being led by his rookie QB, Mark Sanchez, for whom the Jets had mortgaged a good chunk of their future, draft-wise.

The start of the season seemed to contradict Sanchez’s College coach, Pete Carroll, regarding his capacity to play right away in the NFL. Following the Ravens’ pattern from last year with Joe Flacco, the Jets allowed the rookie QB , out of USC, to tiptoe his way into the NFL by mainly running the ball, with Thomas Jones, Leon Washington and Shonn Greene, and by asking him only not make any bad throws.This philosophy, on top of an outstanding defense led by the incredible Darrelle Revis (6 Int and meager stats for each WR who lined up against him), allowed the Jets to open the season with four straight wins. However, unfortunately for them, as soon as they tried to unleash Sanchez’s throws, he started to make the wrong choices and his team record fell along with his confidence.

Leon Washington’s season-ending injury in Week 7 also removed an important element of surprise for the offense, especially the running offense and his ability to make plays off screen-passes, and the Special Teams .

The Jets eventually ended up in the Playoffs after some lucky circumstances gathered, even after Rex Ryan dismissed his team’s chances to get in the postseason, three weeks before the end of the regular season.

Whereas everyone was waiting for the Jets to lay a big egg in the Wild Card Round, they went to Cincinnati and dominated the ball game then followed their momentum into San Diego and spanked the Chargers on their home-field.

During those two games, a new Sanchez revealed himself: precise, intelligent with the ball and poised. The New York franchise has indeed found his QB of the future

It may also have found its RB of the future with the powerful Shonne Greene, who piled up dazzling statistics over those two playoff games (263 yds and 2TD’s). In the AFC Championship game, the 1^st-Round draft pick almost made the Colts regret their decision to draft Donald Brown instead of him but the Indianapolis prevailed and qualified for the SB in Miami.

Offseason and perspectives:

The J.E.T.S, following their excellent postseason run, must clearly be considered a legitimate contender for the 2010 title.

The coach, QB and RB were all rookies and to go that far, with this level of inexperience, can only be a good sign of what the future beholds.

When the Jets walk onto their new stadium, opening in September, they will still be able to count with the best defense in the NFL, with the addition of Kris Jenkins, a perennial Pro-Bowler who suffered a season-ending injury in Week 6 against Buffalo. The Special teams will see the return of Leon Washington and his ability to dazzle opponents during his special-team plays.

Finally, offensively, they will still have a solid RB duo in Jones and Greene, whose abilities are different and complementary, along with one of the best offensive lines, led by the outstanding Faneca, as well as a QB who showed his value and importance in the precise Jets’ system.

One of the issues will be the WR position, where an upgrade is needed considering Braylon Edwards is their biggest threat (that says it all…). The Brandon Marshall lead, through a trade, is the evident solution. If the Denver wide-out was to join the Jets in 2010, they would simply become the clear-cut favorites to follow the Colts as the AFC Champions.

If Denver somehow does not get rid of their mercurial WR, Ryan could try and sign a big WR free-agent so he could bet the house on his team in 2010.

AFC East

1. New England Patriots (10-6) → Wild-Card Loss (Ravens 33-14)
2. New York Jets (9-7)
3. Miami Dolphins (9-7)
4. Buffalo Bills (6-10)

New England Patriots:

A pretty disappointing season at every level. Tom Brady clearly isn’t back to his truly amazing level of 2007. If, during the first 5 games of the season, his mundane performances were due to his rusty condition (5TD’s on the first 5 games), his statictics, on the last 10 games of the season, especially his TD/ turnover ratio (16TD/11 Int), showed a slower and less decisive Brady than in the past, without counting his rib injury which was denied by the Pats when it happened but admitted later on. His slow but steady decline of play reached rock-bottom during his abysmal game against the Ravens (154 yds, 2 TD’s, 3 Int).

Of course, his receivers, Moss in particular, did not have the same impact. The soon-to-be Hall of fame receiver was apparently back into a Raider mode and seemed to be jogging along the sideline, especially towards the end of the season (373 yds and 6 TD’s in the last 7 games just after an herculean effort in a loss at Indianapolis with 179 yds and 2 TD’s). Most of the TD’s thrown to Moss(out of 13 total) were Red Zone TD’s, whereas his true and outstanding quality is to use his speed so as to free himself from coverage and receive long throws from his quarterback.

Welker, on the other side, was equal to himself (1348 yds on the season and 123 receptions, topped with 4 TD’s, which are not the most important part of his game) and his injury during the last regular season game might be one of the reasons of the rout conceded by the Patriots at home in their Wild Card game. The Brady /Welker duo has become the golden standard concerning the 3^rd down passes: automatic, dead-on and almost unstoppable, this without counting the yards that Wes piles on after completion. Let us hope for the Patriots that his injury will not hurt his changes of direction and acceleration, both paramount to his style of play.

The Pats defense, built over again after their SB loss against the Giants, was completely annihilated by the Ravens offense in the now-infamous first-round loss. The defensives backs are good, young and fast, whereas the defensive line and the Linebacker corp are too old or too slow, or both (Junior Seau, at 75 years of age, was even part of the roster in the playoffs), except Banta Cain, sack leader with 10, or Mayo, although his performance was disappointing on the whole.

Wilfork is just the ghost of the dominating player of the mid-naughts and it would not be surprising to see him leave (maybe using a sign-and-trade, which could get the Pats someone in compensation), for few players are that physically impressive in the NFL (Shaun Rogers is another one coming from this mold) and New Engla nd would surely find a franchise ready to cease a draft pick for him, even at the high cost he would be.

Offseason and perspectives:

By losing in the Wild-Card round, New England is not one the best 8 teams and, thus, will be able to be a major player on the Free-Agent market this year. For reminder, 2010 will be a cap-less season, but a few rules were instigated for this special off-season:

• In order to be a Free-Agent, a player will have to have played in the league for at least 6 years.
• The franchises finishing in the last 8 (having played the Divisional Round) will be limited in their acquisitions (Right to sign 1 big-contract FA and as many “low-end” (less than 3,5 Mil/season) FA’s as they want).

The likely absence of Welker in 2010 will surely be compensated by the emergence of Edelman (a Welker clone, former College QB, with less safety in the receptions but more speed after the catch). This will not remove the fact that NE will have to find another good WR to line up next to Moss (if his uninspired play at the end of the season does not bring him a ticket out of town).

The coming draft will have to bring both an offensive and defensive limeman (Matt Light’s play was below average to protect Brady, which could explain several bad performances), as well as a new LB to finally push Junior Seau to retire…again.

Finally, the perspective to see the Colts playing in the SB with young good receivers is not a good omen for Belichick’s team and the Jets’ and Ravens’ emergence must send shivers down Bostonians’ spines, even without counting the Steelers who will be hungry and ready to play in September.

Indianapolis Colts over New York Jets, 30-17

You have to hand it to the New York Jets for their nice run in the playoffs. They embarrassed the Cincinnati Bengals (well, the Bengals embarrassed themselves) and I gave them no chance against the hot San Diego Chargers but they pulled off an impressive win. Despite the final score, I thought the Jets played a fine game against the Colts.

The Jets got the big passing plays they needed for scores in the first half to go ahead and stay in the game. And their defense did a great job of taking away Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark. The problem was Peyton Manning finally figured out how to move the ball effectively against the Jets defense, and Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie stepped up to the plate with big plays. Once the Colts got a quick score to end the first half, they became too much to handle for the Jets in the second half. The Jets never did make great adjustments and eschewed the blitz to play coverage. But Garcon, especially, came up big for the Colts when it counted.

And once the Jets got behind, their offense just isn’t built right now to come back from a deficit. The Colts with the lead could play to stop the pass and the Jets passing game just simply isn’t dynamic enough to compensate.

So in the end this game turned out about how I expected it to, with Colts finding ways to score against a solid defense, and a Jets offense just not able to keep up.

MVP: Pierre Garcon, WR

New Orleans Saints over Minnesota Vikings, 31-28 OT

This was a very entertaining game and completely lived up to its billing. The Vikings basically outplayed the Saints but turnovers matter in all NFL games and the Vikings fumbled their way out of a Super Bowl birth. It was a closely contest with the offenses moving up and down the field, but the Vikings had an edge on offense that they negated with turnovers and negative plays.

Near the end of regulation, as Minnesota was driving into field goal range, I kept thinking I would be writing what an unbelievably courageous performance by Brett Favre in a win. He was battered as badly as I have ever seen any quarterback battered in a game, but he kept getting out there and fighting back. Instead Favre, as he has done so many times in the past in the playoffs, he threw and idiotic interception instead of stumbling forward for a few yards to give his kicker a chance to win the game. Of course the Vikings had already blundred on that series with too many men in the huddle for a five yard penalty, an egregious mental error at that part of the game. But it was still Favre cementing his legacy, for me at least, as a choke artist in the playoffs, that was the saddest part of the game. Maybe the kicker misses the long field goal, but Favre took his out of any chance to win it in regulation with his terribly ill advised pass late over the middle.

The game then goes to overtime, the Saints get a great kick return by Pierre Thomas for great field position, and win the game on a 40-yard field goal.

Don’t get me wrong though. It was an unbelievably courageous performance by Favre. And it certainly was not Favre’s fault they lost the game. Stupid penalties and fumbles, especially by Adrian Peterson, helped doom them. But why does Favre insist on making the dumbest of throws in the most crucial of situations?

That is what I will remember in this game, as much as anything else.

MVP: Jonathan Vilma, LB

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Offensive Player: Pierre Garcon, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Defensive Player: Jonathan Vilma, LB, New Orleans Saints
Offensive Lineman: Jeff Saturday, C, Indianapolis Colts
Special Teams: Garrett Hartley, K, New Orleans Saints

Brett Favre Blunders Again

With the Indianapolis Colts leading the New York Jets 30-17 with 2:29 to go, I’m guessing a lot of the postgame coverage will focus on how well the Colts’ passing game handled the Jets’ top-ranked defense. Deservedly so: 300+ yards and 3 TDs is a solid effort.

But for my money, an underrated turning point in this game was when Shonn Greene left with a rib injury. The Jets had been playing pretty well on offense themselves, with Mark Sanchez doing far more than you’d expect out of a rookie QB (2 TDs, no turnovers).

Yet New York was built to run at teams and wear them down over four quarters, and during their late season surge it was the emergence of Greene that allowed them to do that more successfully than during the inconsistent 4-6 start to the season. To wit, Thomas Jones is at 2.6 yards per carry in this game, while Greene was at 4.1 before exiting.

Down by two scores with this little time left, the run game for the Jets’ is irrelevant now. But if they had Greene for the third quarter, the might have been in a better position to stay competetive down the stretch.

I expect the Colts, meanwhile, to be favored in the Super Bowl regardless who wins the NFC Championship — though either possible opponent will be well-regarded enough to keep the spread somewhat close.

-T

New York Jets @ Indianapolis Colts

Last week I didn’t think the Jets had a prayer of beating San Diego in San Diego. The Chargers were the hottest team going into the playoffs but fell as flat as doughy pancake run over by steamroller. The Colts, on the other hand, didn’t exactly look like world beaters against the Ravens. They did play great defense, and Baltimore just could not get anything done.

The Jets are a team that is built to beat the Colts. They have a good running game, a very good offensive line, and can run the ball on the Colts. And they have the number one defense in the league. Cornerback Darrelle Revis has already proven he can take the Colts best receiver, Reggie Wayne, out of the game. And I said the same thing when they beat the Colts earlier in the season, albeit they did it with most of the Colts starters sitting on the bench in the second half.

And that’s the rub. The Jets were losing before backup quarterback Curtis Painter, the rookie from Purdue, stepped in and looked lost, giving the game away to the Jets. And the Jets biggest weakness is, despite their great defense and good running game, at some point against an offense as potent as the Colts, they are going to have to get the ball down the field occasionally. And frankly, they have not shown the ability to do that this year.

With that weakness and Peyton Manning in the lineup the entire game, I think the Colts are on their way to the Super Bowl. Indianapolis Colts.

Minnesota Vikings @ New Orleans Saints

This game should be wildly entertaining. I hope it is as entertaining as the game they played last year in the regular season that the Vikings barely won.

The Vikings and the Saints have great, great offenses. I think they are almost equal in offensive potency. Drew Brees probably has more weapons in the passing game, and they have the X factor in Reggie Bush, who turned it on last week. And Favre will either throw six interceptions or six touchdown passes. He has a tendency to melt down in the playoffs. But I am leaning toward a great game by Favre. He has played very controlled and less reckless than in the past. And he has a two good running backs behind him.

And both defenses have been very solid this year (although the Saints had down period because of injuries).

I have a very hard time choosing who is going to win this game. The Saints are at home with what will definitely be a loud, raucous crowd. But guess what? I think the Vikings defense is the key to the game. They simply are better than the Saints defense and their defensive ends, Ray Edwards and Jared Allen, could really exploit the Saints tackles, who frankly are not that great.

My gut tells me the Vikings are going to pull this one out in a wild one. And that is who I am going with. Minnesota Vikings.

The New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts certainly didn’t look rusty after playing a few meaningless regular season games and having a bye week. In fact, they looked the opposite, healthier, fresher, and ready to roll.

Kickers played a huge role in this year’s playoff games. Nate Keading of the San Diego Chargers choked on two makeable field goals that probably cost the Chargers the game. Chris Kluwe had a fabulous day punting for the Vikings that had an impact on field position and the ability of the Cowboys to come back after getting down early. Last week Jay Feely of the New York Jets had to punt and placekick. His ability to punt effectively was impressive.

New Orleans Saints over Arizona Cardinals, 45-14

This game turned out about how I expected, although I thought the Cardinals would have more success on offense. The Cardinals defense played so badly last week that I expected another track meet in which the Saints would ultimately prevail. I did not think the Saints defense would play as badly as Green Bay’s last week, and they were at home, so I gave them a big edge. A few early turnovers and the Saints scoring a touchdown on nearly every possession in the first half sealed the deal early.

The Saints looked quite impressive on both sides of the ball throughout the game, and Reggie Bush even emerged as a significant scoring threat, as if the Saints didn’t already have enough weapons. His 46 yard touchdown run near the end of the first half buried the Cardinals early, and his 83 yard punt return in the third quarter knocked whatever spark the Cardinals had right out.

You have to hand it to Kurt Warner though. After getting blasted after an interception in the first half and leaving the game, he came out in the second half and played hard, in what increasingly looked like a futile effort given their defense was doing little to stop the Saints.

MVP: Reggie Bush, RB/KR

Indianapolis Colts over Baltimore Ravens, 20-3

The biggest weakness of the Ravens this year is they lacked a true number one receiver and had a hard time getting big plays in the passing game. That was ultimately their downfall all year, and against the Colts in the playoffs. Add to that the multiple turnovers, and they had no chance.

You could see the frustration on quarterback Joe Flacco’s face in the second half with the inability to get anything going. Derrick Mason is a decent receiver but too old and not fast enough to be a breakaway wide receiver and Mark Clayton, who should be that guy, is a bust.

The Colts, and Peyton Manning had a very efficient offensive game, controlled the clock, and simply ground out an easy win over the Ravens. The Ravens defense played well in spots, but with the turnovers and time of possession, there was not a lot they could do to pull this one out.

MVP: Peyton Manning, QB

Minnesota Vikings over Dallas Cowboys, 34-3

While the Minnesota offense played extremely well, especially Brett Favre and Sidney Rice, it was really the defense and special teams that set the tone early and clamped down on the Cowboys. Tony Romo and the Cowboys offense were harassed early, with Vikings defensive end Ray Edwards emerging with three sacks and forced fumble early in the game. And they continued to frustrate the Cowboys offense throughout, leaving the offense to have its way with the Cowboys defense.

And even though I am no fan of Cowboys tackle Flozell Adams, once he was knocked out of the game, the Minnesota defensive line really dominated the action. Putting Jason Witten and sometimes a back to block Minnesota’s Jared Allen was foolhardy, and their back up tackle was not up to the task, either.

Obviously Favre played a great game with four touchdown passes (but one in garbage time), but it was the defense that really pulled this one out for the Vikings. I also have to include punter Chris Kluwe in that, who had some excellent punts which impacted field position.

It was a well rounded effort by the Vikings and gives them the kind of big win they need to keep momentum as they face New Orleans next week in the Superdome.

MVP: Ray Edwards, DE

New York Jets over San Diego Chargers, 17-14

I really thought the Jets had no chance against the Chargers this week. The Chargers won nine games in a row and were the hottest team heading into the playoffs. They looked completely flat offensively in this game, but hats off to the number one defense in the league for shutting them down most of the game.

Two big keys to game were the two interceptions thrown by Philip Rivers in the third quarter, one on a brilliant play by Darrelle Revis, and Nate Keading missing two makeable field goals, which probably cost the Chargers the win. The ten points off turnovers and missed field goals were huge for the Jets.

The biggest play of the game, and the one that ultimately sealed it for the Jets was Shonn Greene’s 53 yard run for a touchdown that put the Jets up 17-7 with a little over seven minutes left to play. Given the way the Jets defense was playing it proved to be too much for the Chargers to overcome, although they came close.

And what to make of Nate Keading’s two missed field goals? I would not call a 36 yarder and a 40 yarder chip shots, necessarily, but they are the kinds of kicks that must be made, especially in the playoffs. Hit one, and you might be looking at overtime and a chance to win. Hit both and you are likely looking at the Chargers moving on to the AFC Championship game. It will be a long, long offseason for poor Keading.

And finally, there as been much debate about Norv Turner going for an onside kick in near the end of the game with one time out and 2:14 left on the clock. Kick it away, and get a three and out with one time out and the two minute warning, you are probably looking at getting the ball at least your own 30 yard line (but probably better with the poor punting by the Jets’ Steve Weatherford) with about one minute and a half on the clock. Even though the Jets had played great defense all day, the explosive Chargers would have had a chance to get into field goal range to tie the game and give Keading an opportunity to redeem himself (or not). Or even score a touchdown for the win. A failed onside kick ends the game. I thought it was bad move by Norv Turner.

Are the Chargers simply snake bitten in the playoffs? It seems the years they have their best chance to get to the Super Bowl they play well but lose in the playoffs. They seem to play better in the playoffs when they are the underdog.

MVP: Shonn Greene, RB

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Offensive Player: Reggie Bush, RB/KR, New Orleans
Defensive Player: Ray Edwards, DE, Minnesota
Offensive Lineman: Kyle DeVan, G, Indianapolis Colts
Special Teams: Reggie Bush, RB/KR, New Orleans

Two more Sunday’s remain on tap for sitting back, relaxing and watching pigskin, but if you include the Pro Bowl in Miami, a week before Super Bowl XLIV, then there are three more weeks of the 2009 NFL season.

This past weekend, pretty much could be summed up as awful, pathetic, terrible and disgraceful. Three games did not live up to the hype, especially the Dallas Cowboys-Minnesota Vikings contest, but the New York Jets-San Diego Chargers game seemed somewhat out of place compared to the other three smack-downs.

Rex Ryan's talk has been a major reason for the Jets success this Post Season

New York Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan has already told an assortment of media outlets that he is excited, not about his parade route that has been drafted, but getting the chance to meet Mr. Barack Obama.

Down in the Bayou, New Orleans to be specific, the Saints steamrolled over the Arizona Cardinals, 45-14 and now many are wondering if that was the final bow for Kurt Warner. The Cardinals clearly were gassed from their high-flying circus act, which resulted in an overtime win, 51-45 over Green Bay during the wild-card round. They had no energy, swagger or anything in the tank … simply they looked dreadful!

Reggie Bush clearly looked super, Drew Brees and the offense picked up where they started in week 1, when they trounced the Detroit Lions, and even Greg Williams defense looked mentally prepared for a change.

As for the Ravens and Cowboys, they simply just didn’t rollover their wild-card performances minutes, (AT&T reference) and were like the Cardinals against the Saints … confused and clueless.

Yet, as I mentioned above, one good game, not totally great was the Jets-Chargers game. I would imagine that all the talking radio-heads in “America’s Finest City” is calling for Nate Kaeding’s walking papers. Kaeding, similar to former Dallas Cowboys kicker, Nick Folk and Houston Texans Kris Brown showed national audiences this fall that they are terrible under pressure or when the light is shinning solely on them.

Every member of the Charger’s team knew that once again they laid an egg. Did this game have any parallels to when the New England Patriots beat them in 2006?

Could the Jets become the next underdog team to spoil a favorite?

What the New York “Football” Jets have accomplished this post-season seems rather familiar to many. Remember when the New York Giants, a second place team in the NFC East in 2007 were written off by many, but won three straight playoff road games, as well as ended the New England Patriots march toward perfection in Super Bowl XLII?

New York, you may get yourself another parade, but sadly this may means the state that is hated by many Bostonians, primarily for their sports teams, could become “Title-Town USA,” especially because they already celebrated a Yankees World Series Championship this past fall.

Lets keep our fingers crossed for a more appealing, dramatic, and edge of your seat match-up this weekend for both conference championships.

These are just a few links that both the Saints and Jets fans may enjoy to get ready for their big games this Sunday! Although, I do not believe the Vikings or Colts fans would approve, but that is for them to decide!

Vikings at Saints links:

Brett Favre’s retirement song, which should be on the radio all week in the Bayou!

Minnesota better prepare themselves for WHO DAT Nation!

Jets at Colts links:

Imagine … Peyton Manning a member of the Backstreet Boys or possibly that he loves this song? Could be his theme song too!

Rex Ryan may drop a few tears of joy, but you know he has confidence in every member of the Jets squad … especially Braylon Edwards!

Looks like Russ Brandon has new marketing idea!

By Jarrod Constantino  

Does anyone want to coach the Bills?  Seriously, this is just getting embarrassing and ridiculous.  I’ve talking to Bills fans almost everyday we were discussing how much a low point this is in the organization’s history.   Yesterday we learned from CBS’s Charley Casserly on the NFL Today that the Bills did contact Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh about coming in for an interview but he rejected the offer.  Just a few hours after that slap in the face we learned from ESPN that Russ Grimm has taken his name out of the running for the Bills head coaching job.  He even declined the interview.  THE INTERVIEW! 

It’s really frustrating to see how pathetic the organization is right now.  We as fans deserve better than this.  We’ve supported the team through thick and thin over the past 50 years and to show it we’ve sold out almost all of our games over the past 10 years of losing.   You can’t understand the passion of Bills fans like me unless you are one.  However our frustration is starting to boil over again and the two collective theories among Bills fans as to why no one wants to come here boils down to the instability of the franchise being here in 5 years and Ralph Wilson Jr.  The fear is that after Ralph Wilson passes away that the team will be sold to the highest bidder and will likely move to Toronto or LA.  Jim Kelly has been saying for several years now that he has a plan in place to save the franchise once Ralph isn’t around anymore but many are optimistic.  We like to believe that the plan is in place or is getting in place but there’s not a lot of evidence to support it.  If anything there could be a behind the scenes deal taking place but Jim isn’t saying anything.  Ralph himself said he has no plans to sell the team while he’s alive but the key word there is ALIVE. 

It’s right now a mess at One Bills Drive with all these coaches and coordinators saying no to the team.  Here’s an updated list at the people who have said no to the head coaching job so far: 

• Perry Fewell (Now with the Giants)
• Charlie Weis (Now with the Chiefs)
• Bill Cowher (Not interested
• Jim Harbaugh (Declined interview)
• Russ Grimm (Declined interview)
• Marty Schottenheimer (Staying retired)
• Brian Schottenheimer (Declined offer)
• Jon Gruden (Declined job)
• Mike Shanahan (Now the Redskins HC)
• John Fox (Staying in Carolina)
• Jim Haslett (Now with the Redskins)

Now there are interesting lists of candidates that are either interested in the job or who could be contacted within the coming weeks so far.  Let’s pray they all don’t say no. 

• Leslie Frazier (Interviewed/Frontrunner)
• Brian Billick (Interested but not contacted)  (Fans want him a lot)
• Mike Martz (Not contacted)
• Mike Zimmer (Might be contacted)
• Jason Garrett (Not contacted)
• Sean McDermott (Might contact soon)
• Ron Rivera (Will be contacted after the season)

The Bills have said they are going to be very patient in their process to hire a new head coach.  I’m happy they’re taking this route because ever since they fired Wade Phillips in 2000 it’s been 10 straight years of bad coaching and no playoffs.  The discouraging thing is that so many people are saying no which is very frustrating.  This would be a perfect job for a HC to stamp is name in the NFL and show you can bring back a team that’s been so bad for so long and return it to greatness.  However with all these top candidates saying no left and right and Leslie Frazier being the only one to have been interview and be interested in the job it’s not looking good.  The collective feeling is that if Frazier or anyone one of these coordinators are hired to be our HC we could be staring at 3 more years of losing and failure.  If Brian Billick is still interested in the job and rumors weeks ago said he was getting a staff together to coach again, well, I’d throw everything including the kitchen sink to get him.  Come on Ralph….it’s time for you put all your chips into the pot and go us a top guy.  PLEASE!

Arizona Cardinals @ New Orleans Saints

The Cardinals defense did not show up last week, but their offense was unstoppable against a Green Bay defense that has played extremely well the later half of the season. On the other hand, the New Orleans Saints had a rash of injuries, especially on defense, and have not played a meaningful game in a month. And in fact, they played rather poorly their last three games.

So what teams show up on Saturday? I find it hard to believe that the Cardinals, as great as they are offensively, can keep scoring on every possession two weeks in a row. And the Saints, despite being down the last few weeks, should be well rested and ready to go. Drew Brees has had a great season and has the more weapons than any quarterback in the league. Being at home, in the loud dome, against a porous defense, I think the Saints will pull this game out, maybe even in a blowout. New Orleans.

Baltimore Ravens @ Indianapolis Colts

The Ravens really did not have much of a contest last week so I don’t know whether the Ravens are on a roll or not. They are very one dimensional with their key offensive threat being Ray Rice. Flacco only completed four passes last week in their win against the Patriots and has been shaky the second half of the season. Further, they have found a way to squander numerous games they should have won this year. Add to that, they have no true number one receiver and have a hard time getting the ball down the field.

On the other hand, they have already proven they can beat the Colts. They should have beaten them earlier this year in Baltimore, but blew their opportunity, like they have done so many times this year. They also have the kind of offense that can beat the Colts, a stout offensive line and running game that can control the clock and keep Peyton Manning off the field. But at some point they have to be able to make plays in the passing game to beat the Colts, and recently they have not show the ability to do that.

The Colts have not played much real football the past month. But they went 14-0 and always found a way to pull out close games. Peyton Manning has been a machine at quarterback, and even with the Ravens stout defense, he can pick apart any secondary in the league.

But what Colts team will show up? The perennial choke artists who swallow the big one when it comes playoff time? Even in their lucky Super Bowl season when the Patriots knocked off the top seed and best team in the regular season, the San Diego Chargers, they almost choked against a rather weak Kansas City Chiefs team in the Wildcard round.

I hope the choke artists show up against the Ravens and lose. Unfortunately, I don’t think the Ravens have the offensive firepower to beat the Colts. So I have to go with the Indianapolis Colts.

Dallas Cowboys @ Minnesota Vikings

This is a tough game for me to call. Dallas is on a roll and has played very well on both sides of the ball. And while Minnesota ended the season on a high note, they falter a little bit during the end of the season. But at the end of the day, I really think the Vikings have a more talent on both sides of the ball. The have great receivers, Dallas has good ones, they have a great running back, Dallas has good ones, and they have a very good defense, Dallas has a good one. I will call Favre and Romo a wash, as they both tend to underperform in the playoffs (but Romo didn’t last week). Minnesota Vikings.

New York Jets @ San Diego Chargers

The New York Jets got three gift wins in a row. Don’t get me wrong, you have to respect what they did to get into the playoffs and win. And their defense is stout, the best in the league this year. But their offense, like that of the Ravens, is one dimensional. They can run the ball very well but have a hard time making big plays in the passing game. That will doom them against the red hot San Diego Chargers, who are going into the playoffs with the most momentum of any team in the league. Their much improved defense, along with the mouthy jerk but great quarterback Philip Rivers, a good if not sterling running game, and big receivers, will spell doom for the Jets. I think the Jets defense can hold up reasonably well, but their offense is not going to score enough for a victory. San Diego Chargers.

With Deen Pees out as the Pats defensive coordinator, things could (possibly) be looking up for my beloved football team. I can’t say that I’m disappointed- Pats defense just isn’t there like it used to be, and even if there weren’t a controversy about him leaving (was he fired? was his contract up? did he quit?)- the change will be a huge deal for the team.

The guy’s an awful coach- he’s too conservative with the defense and even so-so teams ran circles around us. Where’s the man to man coverage? Do we ever blitz?

Answer: no. But from the looks of things, Patriots defense is making a serious change in the offseason. Besides Pees leaving, Jr. Seau is once again retiring, and just in case you hadn’t heart yet: powerhouse Vince Wilfork doesn’t really care what team he plays for (but cross his heart hope to die it’s the Pats!!!), so long as it’s a long term contract. We can only hope the change is for the best.

Otherwise…
I was listening to sports radio today, don’t ask me why, but touched upon a few questions I’m not sure quite how I want to answer just yet re: the AFC wild card weekend tragedy:

1. Do we need to start looking for a replacement for Tom Brady?
Answer: unsure. Three weeks ago he played a perfect game against the Jaguars, and his comeback this season has been stellar. However- the AFC game was possibly the worst of his entire career, and when do you ever see him hang his head on the sidelines? The fact of the matter is: Brady is 33. He’s now a daddy and married to a historically-renowned Vickie’s Secret model. And as much as no one wants to see him go- how many more years can he have in him? I wouldn’t say there should be a replacement for the upcoming season, but it might be a good time to start training the next dynasty ruler.
Scouting Reports say Jimmy Clausen, Sam Bradford, and Colt McCoy will be snapped up in the first two rounds. Pats might want to go with someone like Sean Canfield- he’s decent now but with a season of practice under his belt he could be a great starter once Brady puts his arm to rest.

2. Is coaching just getting old for Belichick?
Answer: I don’t think so. He’s versatile, and just watching him is proof enough his heart is still in the game. A lot of people put the Pats’ worst games this season on Mr. Hoodie- I say it’s not all on the big man. With the exception of a couple of admittedly bad calls on his part, I think like any great coach, he’ll be around for seasons to come.

Let it not be said that I never do anything for you.

Because I have real-live pictures (taken of my TV with my cell phone) of the woman who may be Wes Welker’s girlfriend. If he has a girlfriend. (My apologies, Wes, if she’s a relative.)

Girlfriend and Wes, who is high-fiving Pats owner Robert Kraft. (Also my DVR. Love you, DVR!)

And the GF giving Kraft (or another owner-type) a half-assed high five. I'm going to give her the benefit of the doubt and say that she is just uncomfortable here and not the eye-rolling type.

Aren’t we glad the Patriots scored those two touchdowns so we could at least see into the owner’s box seats?

Since each NFL season carries with it the weight of expectations and the ultimate stark realities for every team and their fans, I tried something a little bit different for the final edition of NFL Power Rankings for the 2009 season. With the end of the holiday season and the end of the NFL season running parallel to one another, I decided to get some of my friends, colleagues, and readers involved in the assessment of their respective team’s season. It’s a ranking by the people, for the people, if you will.

Also, I did not try to justify any non-playoff team being better than one who actually made ‘the tournament’ – you’re either good enough or you’re not (I’m looking at you Steelers, Texans, and Falcons). On that note, I wish you all a Happy New Year, thanks for reading and one last time…let’s navigate all the way from No. 1 to No. 32…

1.      San Diego Chargers (13-3)—Ten wins to close out the year and a red-hot offense has San Diego ranked at the top of the list. My preseason pick for the AFC Super Bowl rep looks to be in great shape all around but ‘uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.’ A well-earned bye week awaits the Bolts.

2.      Indianapolis Colts (14-2)—All one can say is ‘I hope they know what they’re doing.’ They bailed on the 19-0 campaign only to insert starters in horrible conditions for personal milestones – seems counterintuitive. A loss in their first game of the playoffs will bring the entire organization into question but we have a week to wait on that debate.

3.      New Orleans Saints (13-3)—From 13-0 to 13-3 is not the way to close things out but the Saints don’t appear to be concerned about it. They earned home-field advantage throughout and will await some legit potential opponents for next week. The league’s No. 1 offense should be fine in the comfort of the Superdome.

4.      Minnesota Vikings (12-4)—The Vikings pounded the Giants into the next decade and earned a week off. Similar to the Saints, the Vikes will enjoy the comfort of dome and weather has been eliminated as a factor in the NFC playoffs altogether. Can Favre pull off another title and walk into the sunset? And then come back again?

5.      Dallas Cowboys (11-5)—Big D posted consecutive shutouts for first time in franchise history and grabbed the NFC East title, but this ranking is based on how I think they stack up. ML from Boston: “I came away satisfied from the season but not feeling Dallas has played their best yet – too many penalties and poor tackling.” For his sake, let’s hope he’s right. And, would Wade survive a first round loss to Philly???

6.      Philadelphia Eagles (11-5)—Despite getting shellacked in Dallas on Sunday, MM likes his team to come back and beat Dallas this week but concedes, “the defense will not get them to the Super Bowl…and anything short of that is a disappointment.” Andy Reid has never lost a first-round playoff game and if he does this week, there will be no calls for his head given the contract extension he just signed.

7.      Green Bay Packers (11-5)—The Packer bandwagon is pretty full at this stage. The sixth-ranked offense and the second-ranked defense reside in Green Bay and QB Aaron Rodgers looks the part of a seasoned veteran except he has no postseason experience. Arizona may not be bad place for this team to start even thought the smackdown last week was against backups.

8.      Arizona Cardinals (10-6)—The Cardinals are not an easy team to figure out. Last year, they shocked the football world and nearly won the Super Bowl after a 9-7 season so given their explosive nature on offense, it would not be wise to count them out. Looking towards 2010, a lot will depend on Kurt Warner and/or Matt Leinart’s future.

9.      New England Patriots (10-6)—A meaningless game in Houston resulted in a loss on the scoreboard and of go-to WR Wes Welker who is out for the playoffs after wrecking his knee. With Tom Brady rumored to be ailing as well, the Pats’ playoff expectations have taken a hit in the public’s eyes. Even die-hard New England fan RS admits “this team seems destined for a second round playoff loss at San Diego.”

10. Cincinnati Bengals (10-6)—The AFC North champs did very little against the Jets last Sunday so that they could prepare for, um, the Jets on Sunday. Hosting a playoff game in Cincinnati will be a solid home field advantage but if they don’t stop the rushing attack early, they will be home early. Overall, Marvin Lewis finally has his team built the way he wants moving into the new decade.

11. New York Jets (9-7)—Living in NY, I am surrounded by slightly euphoric Jets fans this week who are dreaming of a Super Bowl appearance. DA is “very happy with Rex Ryan as he learned…and got better”. LJ adds “Sanchez’s regression was a bit alarming but I think there’s a reason to be optimistic for the future.” It seems most Jets fans would love a win this week in Cincy but are realistic about not advancing after that…for now…

12. Baltimore Ravens (9-7)—The Ravens did what they needed to do in Oakland by running all over The Black Hole. They make the third playoff appearance in four years and will head to New England to try to advance. Joe Flacco’s less than stellar play (9TDs and 7 INTs in his last 9 games) has some worried and a banged-up Ed Reed further hurts their chances to advance but with the way the Pats look, they may just steal one before bowing out.

13. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7)—MO agreed that watching the Steelers blow five 4^th quarter leads was excruciating but “it might have been worse watching the Jets win two games that the other teams just handed to them”. Even with the Polamalu injury and winning out tough games against Green Bay, Baltimore, and Miami there are no excuses for the Steelers dropping earlier games to the Chiefs and Raiders. Getting healthy, building some depth through the draft and revamping special teams is likely to be the approach to get back to the playoffs in 2010.

14. Tennessee Titans (8-8)—Closing the season on an 8-2 run ranks them right up there at the top of the league in those last 10 games. Unfortunately, there are those pesky six losses to open the season that did not vanish from the record. But, the Vince Young Era has officially resumed and they will go into 2010 with a clear picture of who is leading them; Chris Johnson will be tearing up opposing defenses as well.

15. Atlanta Falcons (9-7)—A win over the Bucs secured consecutive winning seasons for the first time in franchise history. Unfortunately, the Falcons were the only NFC team with a winning record to miss the ‘second season’ but DH from Atlanta is less worried about “not meeting lofty expectations” for 2009 than he is about QB “Matt Ryan not progressing from his rookie year”.

16. Houston Texans (9-7)—The Texans beat the Pats to secure their first ever winning season but the celebration was tempered after being eliminated from the playoffs on tiebreakers. Matt Schaub led Gary Kubiak’s explosive offense very well and the defense has plenty of talent but poor special teams play led to some close losses that find them on the outside looking in yet again.

17. Carolina Panthers (8-8)—John Fox teams never quit, you have to give him credit for that. Saddled with an aging, expensive QB in Jake Delhomme the team struggled until he was injured. Backup Matt Moore won four of the last five games to get them back to .500 which gave all the doubters ‘evidence’ to call for Delhomme’s pink slip. Changes will be made to the roster but expect the Panthers to challenge for the playoffs in 2010.

1. San Francisco 49ers (8-8)—The Niners throttled the Rams to close out the season winning three of their last four to finish a respectable 8-8 but clearly, the expectations are higher in San Fran. Mike Singletary: “In order to make wise decisions, we have to evaluate closely what we need to do. We’re going to take our time and be thorough.” So far, the special teams coach has been axed and while Alex Smith remains the top guy for now, the QB question will rage on throughout the offseason.

19. Denver Broncos (8-8)—The most hot and cold team in the NFL this year along with the Giants, the Broncos 6-0 start did not hold up when they lost their last four games to miss the important January games. Rookie head coach Josh McDaniels will have to deal with more drama regarding star wideout Brandon Marshall which is likely to end up in a trade around draft time. To an extent, I feel like they overachieved based on expectation but the perception is that they choked big time in ‘09.

20. Miami Dolphins (7-9)—Miami’s playoff hopes were officially dashed with a loss to the Steelers. KK from NYC thought his Dolphins had “hope and promise with a young, flourishing QB, but momentum was lost when Ronnie Brown went down.” Never lacking confidence in his beloved Fish he “guaranteed an AFC East title” in 2010.

21. Jacksonville Jaguars (7-9)—The Jags stood at 7-5 and controlled their own destiny to the playoffs only to drop their last four and end the season with a loud thud in Cleveland. Head coach Jack Del Rio is likely to stick there as he is owed $15 million over three years and rumors of the team being for sale swirl constantly these days. Del Rio tagging his QB David Garrard as “middle-tier” this week is accurate but a strange motivational tool when there is no football for such a long period after that commentary.

22. Chicago Bears (7-9)—While the Bears ended the season on a positive note by winning their last two, KL from Los Angeles summed up ‘09 by saying “this season got intercepted by another errant Cutler throw”. Ouch. The guillotine fell hard in Chicago already as six coaches were let go this week.

23. New York Giants (8-8)—The Giants uncharacteristically mailed in the last two games were summarily blown out and it cost people jobs namely defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan. AJ from PA sees a glaring “need for personnel changes” and “wouldn’t be surprised to see as many as 10 new starters” which is a long way from where the expectations were going into the season.

24. Cleveland Browns (5-11)—Jerome Harrison put the team on his back in this last month to close out 2009 on a positive note. TR says the Browns were “disappointing in every aspect” but admits that you “can’t sleep” on their first four-game winning streak since 1994. The Mangini-hating also seems to have quieted with the wins and the arrival of football guru Mike Holmgren. Promise in Cleveland? Always…

25. Oakland Raiders (5-11)—When a team is 5-10 and down eight points with three minutes to go in its final game, is punting and playing the field position/timeouts strategy really the way to go? Live a little, Tom Cable, it’s not like your job hung in the balance during the loss to the Ravens. Or maybe it did, I don’t know, but I’m not about to try to get into Al Davis’ head – I may never come back. Cable throwing JaMarcus Russell under the bus will not help save his gig since Al is apparently still a fan – we’ll know more next week regarding this soap opera.

26. Buffalo Bills (6-10)—The Bills beat up on the fake Colts in the snow and then fired the entire coaching staff following a very disappointing year that saw them finish in last place in the AFC East for the second year in a row. Interim head coach Perry Fewell will interview for the head job there but he is unlikely to land it as they look for someone with a strong resume to come in and turn this around. Bill Cowher will provide writers like me with a lot of puns, so, there’s that…

27. Kansas City Chiefs (4-12)—The Chiefs surprisingly stomped the Broncos right out of the playoffs with a resounding win at Denver. KC was a sneaky sleeper pick for many before the year but after ranking 25th in offense and 30^th in defense, it appears the rebuild will continue onward towards 2010.

28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-13)—After the Bucs dropped the finale to Atlanta, RH wondered “Does the ship have a rudder?” which indicts everyone from the Glazers down through rookie Head Coach Raheem Morris. While Morris was officially retained, wholesale changes will need to be made to the roster and among the coaching staff. Josh Freeman has shown potential but we all know that’s a long way from being any good at the QB position in this league.

29. Washington Redskins (4-12)—Jim Zorn was our first post-season coaching casualty as new GM Bruce Allen made his first major move after a disastrous season. The ‘Skins lost 18 of last 24 games under Zorn and have more roster issues now than when he first came on board.  Kevin H. from D.C.: “Poor coaching and bad players…you get what you see”. I think Kevin will feel just fine with new coach Mike Shanahan but will Jason Campbell be around for 2010?

30. Detroit Lions (2-14)—Everyone expected a long road ahead for the Lions and two separate six-game losing streaks locked up the No. 2 pick in the draft. Building blocks like QB Matt Stafford and WR Calvin Johnson on offense are bright spots for 2010.

31. Seattle Seahawks (5-11)—There’s nothing worse than watching a team quit like the Seahawks did this season. They didn’t make it too tough for the Titans’ Chris Johnson to break the NFL yards-from-scrimmage record but they have made it tough for their fans to have faith in the direction of the team. What can Jim Mora, Jr. say to defend himself?

32. St. Louis Rams (1-15)—CG said about his beloved Rams: “With so many holes and so few current players showing much, it is hard not to see this as a three-plus year project back to respectability.” It may not be the sexiest No. 1 overall pick ever but everyone’s guess is that it will be Nebraska DT Ndamakong Suh since he will be a stable building block in Steve Spagnuolo’s defense for years to come. With that, the Rams are officially on the clock…

This week instead of going through all the games I watched, I am just going to make observations and mention the games as I go along.

This really has been one of the strangest seasons to me. I think mostly because there were are so many mediocre teams vying for playoff spots at the end of the season, and the teams I thought were elite, like the Vikings and Saints, clearly faltered.

But before I go into that, let’s move to the most important topic to me.

The New England Patriots

Week 17 could not have been much more disastrous for the Patriots (not I say much more, so don’t bother me with what ifs). Wes Welker went down with a torn ACL and MCL in the first quarter. If you had to name the most valuable player on the team this year you would not say Tom Brady, you would not say Randy Moss, and would you not say Vince Wilfork or Jerrod Mayo. You would say Wes Welker.

Any true football fan has to respect and admire what Welker brings to the team in the slot position, and what he brings off the field. He’s a small, fast, tough, hard working, receiver who is admired by fans and teammates alike. He takes a pounding week in and week out catching those passes over the middle. My heart sank when I realized how bad Welker was hurt, but as my wife said, that’s football.

What are the Patriots chances in the playoffs without Welker? Not nearly as good as they were with him. Diminished greatly I would say.

I like Julian Edelman. He has impressed me since the preseason and he has played well in Welker’s place in the few games he has missed this season. But as a rookie, at this point in his career, I don’t seem him truly replacing what Welker brings to the table. But thankfully, Bill Belichick was smart enough to steal a seventh round Wes Welker clone.

Frankly I thought the starters should have played only a quarter or so and then been taken off the field since it was a meaningless game. I’m not sure why Belichick was even playing the starters the entire game, other than trying to keep momentum and continuity. Reports are that Brady played with a broken finger and broken ribs. I find it extremely hard to believe Belichick would be stupid enough to expose Brady if he really had broken ribs. That would be insane, and Bill should be checked into a mental facility immediately, if so. But those reports have been disputed.

I don’t fault him for playing the starters though. That’s a coaches call as to what his team needs most to be successful in the playoffs. But those who say that Belichick “plays to win no matter what” are flat wrong too. He has benched his starters very early before in previous seasons where the Patriots wrapped up a playoff spot, except for 2007 when they were going for 16-0.

But let’s face it, the Patriots problems run far deeper than Wes Welker. The defense has been so woefully inadequate on the road and in the passing game it’s sometimes just embarrassing. We can’t seem to hold a lead and the defense seems mostly bewildered at times.

And the offense is inconsistent. I completely disagree with commentators who say Brady struggled after Welker went out implying that it was the absence of Welker that caused the offense to stumble at the end of the game and lose it. Edelman played a fine game, Brady just played poorly. Maybe it was the emotions of losing Welker? Maybe it was the broken finger? But he played poorly down the stretch.

And the defense gave up the ghost.

I think we’ll find a way to beat the Baltimore Ravens this weekend. I am not confident we can compete with the offenses of the Chargers or Colts.

But I am always hopeful. Will I be depressed for a month or more if we get knocked out the playoffs this year? Probably, even though I keep telling myself I won’t.

I’m still not over Super Bowl XLII, and never will be.

Sorry Games from Playoff Bound Teams

The Cincinnati Bengals played most of their starters against the New York Jets but didn’t show up for the game. That was an embarrassing excuse for a professional football game. The whole point of playing your starters is to keep momentum going. Well, the Bungles made it look like amateur night while the Jets were fighting for their playoff lives. They just didn’t have to fight every hard.

And while I’m on that topic, while the Jets did what they needed to do to get into the playoffs, the Colts and the Bungles basically forfeited their games to them. So the Jets go into the playoffs basically being given two games in the standings. That’s just how it is.

Meanwhile, the Arizona Cardinals lay down against the Green Bay Packers and looked like the doormats they were of yesteryear. The starters played awful in this game too, although they started Matt Leinart, who stunk the joint up.

I think the Jets and the Packers beat these two teams against next week in the playoffs. Why bother starting your best players if they aren’t going to play?

Resting Your Starters and the NFL’s Comments on the Lousy End of Season Games

This leads me to my next point. Yes, the final week of the season saw some pretty sorry games that made the preseason look entertaining. But how can the NFL talk about “doing something” to make playoff bound teams start their best players? That is so idiotic I find it hard to believe the topic came up.

First, that would just open up all kinds of shenanigans where one team would claim “well, our starting quarterback has a bruised shin,” while another loses their starting quarterback in a meaningless game. What is the NFL going to do, medical inspections on all the “key players” of teams that have wrapped up playoff spots?

And even if the starters do start, the two games above pretty clearly show if they have nothing to play for, they may not show up anyway.

Even though I find it ironic the Jets were gifted a playoff spot by the Colts and Bengals while other deserving teams weren’t, I have no problem with the Colts, or any other team, not playing their starters in meaningless end of season games. If they lost Peyton Manning their chances of a Super Bowl would be almost zero. They earned the right to rest their starters by having the best regular season record. The mediocre teams that didn’t, who cares, it’s not their problem. Win your regular season games and you won’t have to worry about what other teams are doing.

The Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens only beat the Oakland Raiders because Charlie Frye, yes, believe it or not, Charlie Frye, was playing a good game but got injured. In the second half, JaMarcus Russell came in and his two stupid turnovers handed the Ravens the game and a playoff spot. Had Frye stayed in the game and played as well as he had the first half, there is a very good chance that the Ravens would have lost the game.

Ironically, I think the Ravens are more talented than their record. Cam Cameron should be fired. His game plan is predictable. I hope it is next week too.

The MVP of this game would be Willis McGahee who stiffed armed a Raider defender to the ground on the way to a long touchdown run.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Like the Ravens the Steelers can just shut up too. While the Miami Dolphins versus Pittsburgh Steelers game was one of entertaining contests of the weekend, the Dolphins were hanging in tough against the Steelers until quarterback Chad Henne was hurt and out of the game. Had he bee able to play the outcome might have been different. Pat White was awful, and unfortunately completely knocked out of the game. The Dolphins may have fared better had Tyler Thigpen been the backup all along.

Other Sorry Games

And what about the Denver Broncos being run out of the stadium by the Kansas City Chiefs. The Broncos did have something to play for and flat out embarrassed themselves. And Josh McDaniels benching their best offensive threat Brandon Marshall? Unbelievable. I’m not sure who is at fault here but I’m sure Marshall is gone after this season. Reports are that Shanahan was planning to get rid of this punk himself had he stayed on as head coach. If I see Marshall getting fawned over on NFL Network again I am going to puke.

And while the New Orleans Saints sat Drew Brees, they put up a sorry performance on defense against the Carolina Panthers. Does Minnesota, who finally played well at the end of the season, have the edge in the postseason, despite being the two seed?

Final Observations

Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans became the sixth player to rush for 2,000 yards in a season with 2,006 and broke Marshall Faulk’s decade old record of most yards from the line of scrimmage with 2,254 yards. Congratulations.

Rex Ryan is a moron if he thinks the Jets should be Super Bowl favorites after being handed a playoff spot. Makes me root against them even more, but unfortunately I will root for them if they play the Colts. Ryan’s shtick is already worn thin on me. He is a buffoon.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Offensive Player: Jamaal Charles, RB, Kansas City Chiefs (256 yards rushing)
Defensive Player: Derrick Johnson, LB, Kansas City Cheifs
Offensive Lineman: Alan Faneca, G, New York Jets
Special Teams: Shane Lechler, P, Oakland Raiders
Rookie of the Week: Julian Edelman, WR, New England Patriots

It’s late and I’m still awake, so instead of reveling in the happiness of the NFL Playoffs, I’ve decided to focus on how many cute, lycra-clad behinds that will disappear from our weekly viewing schedule for the next eight months.

In order to tide you over until August, follow the jump for one last look at the cute boys of the 2009 season who we won’t be seeing anymore…

…like Buffalo Bills’ Brian Brohm

And Miami Dolphin Vontae Davis

New York Giant Mario Manningham

Washington Redskin cutie Chris Cooley was injured much of the season and therefore we didn’t get to see enough of this grin.

With the holdout, San Francisco 49 ‘erMichael Crabtree is another good-looking guy who’s lack of screen time makes up look forward to next season.

Not really my favorite, but I know the Seattle Seahawks’ Matt Hasselbeck is a favorite of some out there.

I admit to not knowing a darn thing about the St. Louis Rams, so I was super happy to discover that beneath his helmet, QB Kyle Boller is quite the cutie. Shots of him on the sideline might be enough to get me to tune in!

Do yourself a favor and Google Denver Broncos backup QB Tom Brandstater. From Fresno State, this tiny picture doesn’t do him justice, but I couldn’t resist teasing you with this yummy scruff.

Oakland Raiders Darren McFadden has a deep love of his alma mater, Arkansas

While Matt Cassel’s the obvious choice for the Kansas City Chiefs, if you do a Google Image search of his name you’ll see why I couldn’t bring myself to name him his team’s cutie.

Instead, here’s previously unknown to us WR Lance Long …

and the gorgeous eyes of Ryan Succop

16 weeks ago I was excited, but this week I am amped! The NFL regular season finale concludes Sunday January 3, 2010, so grab some popcorn and a drink because with the playoffs on the line, we are in for quite a dramatic finish.

1:00 PM Games

Jacksonville at Cleveland: The Jaguars lost their chance prior to Christmas in order to make themselves a lock for the playoffs, but after their performance last weekend against the New England Patriots, do they even stand a chance?

Playing against a Cleveland Browns team, which has had a horrific season should not mean this game should be a cakewalk, yet who knows what Cleveland Browns team will show up and play today?

Jacksonville will need to rely heavily on running back Maurice Jones-Drew, along with quarterback David Garrard.

Expect a big day, especially fantasy wise too for Browns running back Jerome Harrison. Harrison has shown signs of greatness and will be a player to watch in the coming years, but due to the fact that the Jaguars need so much to occur in order to at least snag the sixth seed in the AFC second season, I like the Cleveland Browns in this game. Cleveland 24 – Jacksonville 13

Matt Schaub has had a terrific season, but will he continue today against the Patriots?

New England at Houston: To play your starters or not to play your starters is the question on coach Bill Belichick’s mind.

All week New England fans have been harassing sports talk radio hosts about the status of Tom Brady, along with every starter. Will Randy Moss play? Will Wes Welker play? Vince Wilfork and Ty Warren ready to go too were just some of the constant jabber that occurred.

Who knows how long the Patriots starting unit will last in this contest, whether it is 20 or 60 minutes, this game means as much to them as it does to the Texans.

The Texans have been inconsistent this entire season, winning then losing and then winning again, so who knows what team, similar to the Cleveland Browns will show up on Sunday.

Expect a big game from quarterback Matt Schaub, who has had a career year. Throwing for 4,467 yards and 27 touchdown passes, 9 of them to wide-out Andre Johnson, exhibits that the Texans offense will put up some points against an up and down Patriots secondary.

Expect this game to be closer than many may think, but in the end, the Patriots will pull this one out. New England 27 – Houston 24

New York at Minnesota: This game should be an interesting one, especially how the Vikings have been humiliated the past few weekends in front of a live studio audience… excuse me, national televised audience.

Brett Favre has been sacked 9 times in the last three games, as well as only thrown 2 interceptions. The key for the Vikings is to protect their quarterback, Farve making good decisions and hoping that Adrian Peterson won’t fumble the ball or possibly the game. This young offensive unit has looked great at times throughout the fall, but maybe this is just another team that will fall down with Favre like the New York Jets did last season.

The Giants are 10-13 against the Purple People Eaters and won’t be participating in the 2009 NFL Playoffs, so consider this the Giants version of their NFC Championship or Super Bowl. New York 24 – Minnesota 20

Pittsburgh at Miami: The Steelers season has been far from perfect.

Injuries, big plays that fell apart quickly and of course, losing 5 games in a row. Today their task will be challenging, daunting even, especially because the Miami Dolphins want to make it two back-to-back seasons of playing playoff football.

The Steelers will most likely be without safety Troy Polamalu while the Dolphins most likely won’t see running back Ricky Williams, but who knows if these two stars will remain in their street clothes because this is a BIG game!

Both teams will need a win, plus lots of help later today. Expect this game to be somewhat of a high scoring affair, but in the end, I don’t see either of these teams locking up a wild-card playoff berth. Pittsburgh 27 – Miami 21

4:00 PM Games

Cowboys-Eagles always is a great match-up!

Philadelphia at Dallas: Everyone is revved up for this season finale contest, especially because of last years, 44-6 thrashing by the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Cowboys this time around seem a bit more focused and the way that Tony Romo has played this December, many may consider him the key to winning this contest. Protecting Romo will be what Dallas needs to do in order to be successful this afternoon. Also, their running game needs to be in prime form come game time too.

As for the Philadelphia Eagles, their last loss came during week 10 against the San Diego Chargers, but ever since, this team has been unstoppable. With the young wide receiving core leading the way, (Jackson and Maclin), expect quarterback Donovan McNabb to stretch the field early and often.

Don’t expect a blow out this afternoon, but a similar match-up that took place in November in week 9.

Both teams know a division championship and possibly a week of rest is on the line, so overall, it should be a great game. Dallas 27 – Philadelphia 24

Kansas City at Denver: Denver started 6-0 this season, but ever since have never been the same. A sure lock for at least the sixth seed in the AFC playoffs although those dreams have drifted away rapidly in the snowy wintery wind.

Don’t expect Denver to be flawless today, especially since their squad has been high school drama central this entire week.

Kansas City has surprised some teams this season and this week, they will do it again. Kansas City 20 – Denver 14

Baltimore at Oakland: This game seems similar to the Browns-Jaguars contest, but I think the Ravens will pull this one out, as long as they remain focus.

The Ravens are 5-1 against the Silver and Black, but don’t underestimate Coach Tom Cable’s squad that is playing for jobs next season.

Expect great leadership to come from Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis who will want to take his team back to the playoffs again. Baltimore 19 – Oakland 13

Green Bay at Arizona: A possible early playoff preview, but who really knows?

The Green Bay Packers are clearly one of the best wildcard teams this season and will give many higher seeds a run for their money in the wildcard and divisional rounds.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, pro-bowl bound has had a terrific season, which makes me think he will have another great game today against a decent Arizona Cardinals defense.

The Arizona Cardinals are in, but will they end 2009 the same way they did in 2008 with a win against the Seahawks? Green Bay 31 – Arizona 21

Coach Rex Ryan wants to take his Jets to the Playoffs!

Sunday Night Football

Cincinnati at New York: Hopefully after six hours of football, you will still have some energy left to watch another important contest that will solidify the AFC playoff picture.

Who would have imagined that the New York Jets would be playing for a final playoff spot? I certainly did not, but from what it seems is that this game is theirs, especially because Bengals Coach Marvin Lewis will rest most of his starters mid-way through this contest. Possibly we could be watching Colts-Jets part deuce! New York 23 – Cincinnati 17

Despite my interminable love for Wes Welker and deep-rooted faith in Wilfork and Brady, the Pats might be better off benching their best players for tomorrow’s game v. the Texans.  Not much is on the line, since we clinched the division last week, and we need all the all stars we can get once the playoffs are underway. Brady’s listed as limited, Welker and Moss as probable, and Wilfork and Warren were limited in practice. What with the pieces falling into place just at the right time and our less-than-impressive performance last week v Jacksonville, it’s probably best to rest up our big names and get some injuries out of the way before the postseason.

More interestingly AFC this week: Miami v. Pitt! The great Six-Burgh has had a pitiful performance this season, but they’re still hanging by a thread for playoff hopes. They’re only 2-5 on the road this year, and up against a team also vying for a postseason spot. Based on play this season, the teams are pretty well matched this weekend… it really comes down to everyone else’s losses. Miami needs 4 teams to lose; Pitt needs 3- but if the Pats hang back and let the Texans go for it, they’re both still in a pinch. This is one game I’ll definitely be tuning into. The downside? I don’t know who I want to lose this one more.

Another weekend matchup I’m looking forward to: Eagles-Cowboys. Both are already in the playoffs, but this game is a fight for a playoff game at home and last year’s Week 17 lost pride. Particularly interested in seeing DeSean Jackson’s peformance, and Eagle’s blitz defense v. Tony Romo, one of my least favorite QB’s in the NFL.

I’ll probably check out the Jets-Bengals game for at least a bit. Ochocinco/Chad Childplease/Esteban 85 has been tweeting at Revis all week, and it should be amusing to see how Revis does in OchoWorld. Not like this trash talk is out of the ordinary for everyone’s favorite black Mexican, but Revis is one of the best CB’s in the NFL, and probably out for blood now that Ocho’s hyped their matchup up all week. On the flip side, Ocho’s top notch himself, and hard to cover 1 on 1… we’ll see!

Kills me every time.

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly: Heart-Pounding, Jaw-Dropping, and Gut-Wrenching Moments from New England Patriots History by Sean Glennon

Review by C. Douglas Baker

There are many books now available detailing the history of the New England Patriots. Having read many of them I find that nobody has really come up with anything new to say. The typical “stories of” books essentially tell the same tales and I am not sure why the recent ones are even published because they have nothing new to say. And that is certainly the case here. There really isn’t anything new that hasn’t already been published elsewhere.

That said, this book, for the most part is fairly good. Most of it focuses on the team of the 2000’s, walking through the dynasty years and some of the pivotal moments of this decade. Not that it completely ignores the past, there are chapters talking about that as well, but it is more upbeat and positive than similar books that dwell on all the bad things that have gone on with the Patriots in its history.

The book briefly talks about all the bad things too, of course, like Darryl Stingley getting paralyzed in 1976, the Lisa Olson incident, Super Bowl XX, the horrible ownership of the 1990’s, and Spygate. I have to say, even though I’m sick of hearing about it personally, the author gives pretty short shrift to Spygate.

The author does a good job of talking about the resurgence of the Patriots under Bill Parcells, his most critical decision being the choice of Drew Bledsoe as the number one draft pick, who lead the franchise to winning records and a Super Bowl, over Rick Mirer, who was bust for the Seattle Seahawks. And it goes on to rightly praise the virtues of coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft.

There are also vignettes about some of the greatest Patriots players like Adam Vinatieri, Troy Brown, Drew Bledsoe, Tom Brady, Steve Grogan, Tedy Bruschi, and John Hannah, to name a few.

The one area I disagree with the author is when he discusses the pivotal moments of the 2003 season which lead to the Patriots second Super Bowl win in three years. He identifies a tough, gutty win over the Tennessee Titans in week five as being the turning point in the season because the team showed a toughness and ability to win that it failed to show the previous season when it missed the playoffs (in that season Tennessee clobbered the Patriots physically in a dismal Monday Night Game).

To me one play defines the 2003 season. In week 13 after taking a commanding lead against the Indianapolis Colts at halftime, the Colts came back in the second half and had the ball first and goal from the one yard line with little time left on the clock. After three stops, on fourth and goal from the one, Willie McGinnest stones Edgerrin James on a run attempt to seal the win. Had McGinest not made that play at the end of the game, the Colts, not the Patriots, would have had home field advantage in the playoffs. And that, to me, was not only the most critical game of the season, but one of the most critical plays in Patriots’ history.

I can’t imagine a non-Patriots fan wanting to read this book, especially if you’ve read similar accounts or histories of the teams. For Patriots fans I would say, reading anything about the Patriots is enjoyable, but this book did not provide any new insights that haven’t been discussed elsewhere and I would not recommend it.

The Good, the Bad & the Ugly New England Patriots: Heart-pounding, Jaw-dropping, and Gut-wrenching Moments from New England Patriots History (Good, the Bad, & the Ugly)

OBSERVATIONS

Other than the multiple playoff implications set up for next week, the biggest story of Week 16 was the Indianapolis Colts eschewing a chance to go undefeated in the regular season by pulling their key starters out in the third quarter against the New York Jets. The Colts ultimately lost the game. The looks on Peyton Manning’s face as he saw the back-ups give up the lead and the game were quite revealing. But of course he was a true solider after the game and said he was fine with the coach’s decision. The Colts fan were not on board with the decision. Coach Jim Caldwell has taken a bit of a whacking the press. All I will say is that going 16-0 means nothing if you don’t win the Super Bowl, as I so painfully know. Without Manning the chances of the Colts winning the Super Bowl would be close to nil, so I have no real problem with playing it safe. It’s the psyche and momentum of a team that has historically choked in the playoffs that is the real question. They really have nothing to play for next week, so they’ll definitely get some rest.

There are so many mediocre teams in the AFC it’s comical. Despite shooting themselves in the foot repeatedly, the Baltimore Ravens have avoided a shot to the head and are still alive! Unbelievable, until you consider all the other teams vying for a playoff spot have done the same. Right now the Ravens and the New York Jets control their fates next week. Wins and they are in. I am not going to worry or care about who wins and how it shapes up. Whoever the Patriots play in the playoffs will be a tough matchup.

The New York Giants are finally out of the playoff hunt. They lay down against the Carolina Panthers. Good riddance to one Manning.

And speaking of the Panthers, what would this team look like going into the playoff race had Matt Moore been starting all season long? John Fox seems to have made a big mistake at the quarterback position early in the year.

You can say the same for Jeff Fischer of the Tennessee Titans. While I don’t fault Kerry Collins for the Titans 0-6 start like some do, clearly Young should have come in sooner to add a spark to the team.

I am ready for the playoffs!

New England Patriots over Jacksonville Jaguars, 35-7

The Patriots seem to be hitting on all cylinders the past few weeks and are poised to make some noise in the playoffs. Brady played an outstanding game against the Jaguars and the defense has shown up and played well the past few weeks. Being the pessimist I am, and looking like a four seed in the playoffs, that means we’ll probably end up facing the Indianapolis Colts in the second round of the playoffs (assuming we beat our first playoff opponent, which I think we will). But I guess that might be easier than facing the Chargers in San Diego, who are hitting on all cylinders, and then some, themselves.

This Sunday Patriots fans will basically be praying that we come out of the game healthy and ready to roll into the playoffs.

MVP: Tom Brady, QB

GAMES I WATCHED

San Diego Chargers over Tennessee Titans, 42-17

While I thought the Chargers would win this game I did not expect them to win so easily. Right now I think San Diego is the team to beat in the playoffs. They are playing the best football in the league as of Week 16. I hate to say that because they have to rank as one of my least favorite teams. I expect them to easily get to the AFC Championship game against either the Patriots or the Colts. I’d like to see us dance on their logo again and make LaDanian Tomlinson cry.

MVP: Philip Rivers, QB

Pittsburgh Steelers over Baltimore Ravens, 23-20

How many times can a team shoot themselves in the foot, blow game after game after game, and still control their destiny for making a playoff spot. It’s really unbelievable. Having seen the Ravens squander games so many times this year I want to say they don’t really deserve to be in the playoffs, but neither do any of the of other mediocre teams they are vying against.

Once again big mistakes at the worst moments cost the Ravens the game. Derrick Mason dropped a touchdown pass in the end zone in the fourth quarter that would have sealed the win, so he has to be the goat of this game. But Flacco didn’t do much to help matters at the end of the game either.

If the Ravens win Sunday they should be a dangerous team in the playoffs. They do have a lot of talent on both sides of the ball and really should be looking at a better record than have now. If they had a true number one receiver they could be really dangerous, but they don’t.

Pittsburgh still has a heartbeat left too, and again, if they make the playoffs, despite their recent poor play, who knows what could happen?

MVP: LaMarr Woodley, LB

Philadelphia Eagles over Denver Broncos, 30-27

After the Eagles took a 20-7 lead into halftime I thought the game was basically over but the Broncos gave them a real run for it in the second half. That the Broncos didn’t fold and fought back must be a bit gratifying to Broncos fans. They still have a good chance to make the playoffs. Even though they are listed as a Wild Card team as of today, they need to help to get in. Like many of the other AFC teams vying for playoff spots, if they make it in they will be a scary opponent for whoever they play.

I am not a big believer in the Philadelphia Eagles, frankly, but right now they seem to be playing the best football in the NFC. I still think that the faltering Saints and Vikings are still the teams to beat in the NFC, but Philadelphia right now is looking poised to make a real run.

MVP: Brent Celek, TE

Dallas Cowboys over Washington Redskins, 17-0

I really don’t have a lot to say about this game. I originally was not going to bother watching it, but I did. It was a nondescript game. Everyone knew Dallas would win, and they did so rather easily. As usual the Redskins offense looked awful. Dallas goes to Philadelphia next week for a huge game which will decide the NFC East champion.

MVP: Tony Romo, QB

Chicago over Minnesota, 36-30 OT

What is going on with the Minnesota Vikings? They suddenly have faltered badly on both sides of the ball. This was an exciting game and the Vikings did come back from a 17 point deficit to almost win the game. I have to admit being a bit stunned most of the game. I was waiting for Cutler to throw up some interceptions but he actually played a decent game. Instead of folding under pressure the Bears hung in and barely pulled out a victory.

Adrian Peterson and his fumbles are really a problem and he essentially gave this game away by fumbling after a nice catch and run in overtime. The fumble handed the ball right back to the Bears who scored on a nice pass play to end the game. Peterson, hold on to the ball!

While I still think the Vikings and Saints are the teams to beat despite faltering of late, maybe they have seen their best days and the rising Eagles and Cowboys will eat their lunch. We’ll see.

MVP: Devin Aromashodu, WR

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Offensive Player: Jonathan Stewart, RB, Carolina Panthers, 206 yards rushing
Defensive Player: Brian Cushing, LB, Houston Texans
Offensive Lineman: Kris Dielman, G, San Diego Chargers
Special Teams: Sebastian Janikowski, K, Oakland Raiders (61 yard field goal)
Rookie of the Week: Brian Cushing, LB, Houston Texans

For the second week in a row, I found myself in the car during the Patriots game. Maybe that’s not such a bad thing after all, as the Pats have now won consecutive games while I put more miles on my 2007 Honda Civic. Either way, New England is headed back to the playoffs, thanks to their 35-7 demolishing of the Jacksonville Jaguars today at Gillette Stadium.

Say what you want about the Patriots (and I certainly have during this inconsistent season), but they’re one of only 12 teams headed to the playoffs. No matter how they got there, not every team is lucky enough to be in the same position. Take pleasure in it New England fans, because, as we learned last year, the postseason isn’t always a guarantee.

This game didn’t start off too well. The Pats moved the ball down the field at will on the game’s first drive, only to have Laurence Maroney (Yes, I’m on back his case again.) fumble at the 1-yard line. I nearly swerved off the road and ran over a homeless hitchhiker when I heard that on the radio, but the defense held strong on the ensuing drive and the Patriot offense crushed the Jaguars’ hopes the rest of the way.

We have one week left – with a meaningless game against Houston on the horizon – and the Pats should definitely rest some of their banged-up players – Tom Brady included. No matter what happens, though, New England is back in the playoffs and that’s really what counts.

Some other thoughts from today’s Patriots game and from around the NFL:

*  Brady played like the quarterback we all know and love. It’s about time. I don’t care if he’s hurt or not. With a performance like today’s – even in a flack jacket or whatever the hell he was wearing – there are no excuses going forward. Well done, my man.

*  If Sammy Morris could only stay healthy, the Pats would have a trio of capable running backs. That’s not including Fred Taylor, of course, because I just don’t see how much of an impact he can have down the stretch after missing the majority of the season.

*  There was some speculation as to whether or not Randy Moss quit on his team following that debacle against the Carolina Panthers two weeks ago. With three more touchdown catches today, I think we have our answer.

*  From what I heard, the Patriot defense was everywhere today. They seemed to be in on every play and Maurice Jones-Drew-Johnson-Smith didn’t really do much of anything. Not bad considering Vince Wilfork and 37 other starters were out with myriad injuries. And James Sanders finally resurfaced today. I thought he was taking over for his uncle as the new president of Kentucky Fried Chicken, but apparently I was wrong.

*  It’s hard for me to admit this, but I actually like Peyton Manning – as an actor or in commercials I should add. But when the Colts lost to the Jets today, it made me quite happy. That’s hard for me to concede, by the way, because the New York Jets are one of the only teams I hate more than the Colts. I love that the Jets think they have an actual chance to go all the way now, because God knows they’re either going to lose next week at Cincy or in the first round of the playoffs. Watching Rex Ryan cry after their season-ending loss will be the best Christmas present I could ask for. Next to my authentic Marc Savard jersey, of course.

*  Did the New Orleans Saints really just lose to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Pardon me, for not being overly scared of the Saints now. Losing back-to-back games, especially at this point in the season, doesn’t exactly scream, “We’re going all the way.”

*  That’s certainly OK by me, though, because the Patriots are slowly rounding into the team we all thought they would be at the beginning of the season. Yes, the best they can finish is 11-5, but so what? I’d take my chances with them any day of the week at this point.

Happy holidays, everyone.

With very little time remaining before Christmas tomorrow, I thought I would share with you a few thoughts and some inside knowledge that I acquired from Santa Clause regarding who has been naughty or nice this past year in the Hub. Boston witnessed some great games, became amused by various front-page headlines, as well as watched our idols performances fluctuate, but fortunately, I have already done my shopping for the following people, so take a look at my naughty and nice list for Christmas 2009!

Tom Brady: For the most part, myself and other avid Patriots fans would express Tom Brady has been good this year. He returned to the gridiron following the doctor’s orders, has led the Patriots to a current 9-5 record and welcomed his second son, Benjamin Brady to the world not to long ago. Besides receiving negative feelings at times this fall from the media, Tom Brady has been nice this year.

Theo Epstein: I have gone back and forth deciding if Theo has been good or bad. For the most part, how can one argue and say that Theo has been bad? Ever since he became the General Manager of the Sox back in 2002, he has always put forth his best efforts in putting together a championship caliber squad on paper.

In 2009, the Sox were up and down, up and down, and up and down, but after being eliminated in the first round of the American League Divisional Series to Los Angles, Theo’s moves have been like the past season, up and down. The signing of John Lackey for $85 million was a true stunner, but unless Theo can resign outfielder Jason Bay or find another powerful infielder or outfielder that has great plate presence, I would say he is borderline nice this year.

Bill Belichick: Some analysts and sports writers believe this has been Coach Belichick’s best season with the New England Patriots, but I strongly disagree. 2008 in my mind was Coach Belichick’s best season, especially with all the injuries and losing the best quarterback in the game currently, Tom Brady. What Belichick has had to deal with this fall included loads of media scrutiny since the pre-season, answering to allegations of signing Michael Vick, 4^th and 2 in Indianapolis, a trouncing defeat in the Bayou, as well as an inexperienced defense that seems to change every week. In my mind Belichick for the most part is somewhat of a good man this year, which is why he is on my nice list.

Peter Chiarelli: Boston Bruins hockey is slowly coming back and revamping itself in the Hub, which is all owed to general manager, Peter Chiarelli. This past April and May, I watched more Bruins hockey than probably ESPN’s PTI (Pardon The Interruption) or various FOX dramas. The NHL playoffs were so exciting, especially because the Bruins were the number one seed in the East, as well as just a point behind the best squad, the San Jose Sharks in the West.

After sweeping rival Montreal in round one, Boston and its fans believed they were a sure lock for a run at their sixth Stanley Cup, but sadly the B’s fell apart against the Carolina Hurricanes and forward Scott Walker joined the hated “Massachusetts Athletic Club,” which includes Bucky “Bleeping” Dent and Aaron Boone.

Bringing hockey back is a great thing for this once hockey town, but until you lead your team to victory, as well as beat the Carolina Hurricanes too in the second season, I am saying Peter, you have been somewhat nice this year.

Jonathan Papelbon: I don’t have too much to say about Mr. Papelbon. Clearly, I blame him, not certain members of the Red Sox organization or front office, but simply Papelbon for losing the 2009 American League Divisional Series and ending the Sox chances of acquiring another World Series banner. With a chance to secure at least one win in the series at Fenway Park of all places, Papelbon blew it and allowed the go-ahead runs to help the Angels sweep away the Sox. Papelbon is on my naughty list this year.

David Ortiz: Similar to Jonathan Papelbon, I too agree that Ortiz was naughty this entire 2009. First for slumping and then for admitting use to steroids, which did come as a shocker. Lets just keep our fingers crossed and hope that the Ortiz of 2006 could possibly emerge next spring.

Randy Moss:You want me to say he has been not nice this year, but I say no, he has been a good guy.

Moss has received tremendous amounts of taunting, negativity, as well as blame from the media or other players in the league. Moss may not be producing the numbers that we saw throughout the historic 2007 regular season, which included 23 touchdown receptions, 98 catches and 1,493 yards receiving yards, but clearly what he has done is allowed Tom Brady to find other open receivers.

Brady has been my starting quarterback in fantasy football this season and as much as I would love to see some deep “Hail Mary” passes to Moss, which I attempt all the time in Madden’s video game, I have come to realize that this man is a competitor, has adapted to the Patriots hard working/blue collar ways and will do whatever he can to help his team win. Randy, you have been nice this year, happy holidays!

Adalius Thomas: Mr. Thomas clearly is not on my nice list because he certainly has been naughty every day this fall. First it was the Houston Oilers, excuse me, Tennessee Titans game where he was a last minute scratch. Then after Thanksgiving, he insulted one of my favorite cartoons when he acknowledged that even George Jetson would probably have difficulty making an 8AM meeting on a snowy Wednesday in Foxboro, Massachusetts.

Thomas has received a lot of heated comments from everyone in New England about his words toward being late, but also illustrated to his young fans that one should not be afraid to call out your boss through the newspapers. Adalius is on my naughty list!

Well there you have it, my complete naught and nice list for Christmas 2009, Happy Holiday’s everyone!

OBSERVATIONS

To me this was one of the weirdest weeks this season. Who would have thought the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers would be a wild, high scoring game? Who would have thought the Dallas Cowboys could overcome their December swoon to knock off the unbeaten New Orleans Saints? Who would have thought the Minnesota Vikings would put up another awful performance and be one of at least three teams that didn’t bother to show up to their games (the others being the Chicago Bears and Washington Redskins)? And the Denver Broncos losing to the Oakland Raiders, a division rival, might not be quite as surprising, but really? You’re fighting for a playoff birth after going 6-0 and you’re going to lose to the Raiders?

James Harrison of the Cleveland Browns rushed for 286 yards, the third highest total in NFL history and highest total in Cleveland Browns history (held by Jim Brown with 236).

After this week if I were doing a Power Ranking my top five teams would be: Indianapolis, San Diego, Dallas, New Orleans, and Philadelphia. Dallas jumps up based on their play this week. I’m not sure they can keep it up.

Two more weeks left before the playoffs. I hope I am not subjected to any more games like the Ravens-Bears, Giants-Redskins games. They were embarrassing and boring. That is unless it’s the Patriots wiping some team off the map. That I would enjoy seeing very much.

Now on with my comments.

New England Patriots over Buffalo Bills, 17-10

After a week of getting bashed in the media, particularly Randy Moss, the Patriots came out and took care of business against the Buffalo Bills. While it may not have been a pretty, dominating performance, they got the job done. And with so many injuries on the defensive line, with most of the starters out and back-ups in, the Patriots defense should be given credit for an excellent job, even though the weather also helped. We finally generated a pass rush with Tully Banta-Cain recording three sacks. But I am not going to get overly cheerful about a win against the Bills.

The New York Jets and Miami Dolphins both lost, leaving New England with a two game lead for the division title. With two tough games against Jacksonville at home and Houston away, the Patriots really needed this win.

MVP: Tully Banta-Cain, LB

GAMES I WATCHED

Indianapolis Colts over Jacksonville Jaguars, 35-31

Jacksonville did everything they needed to do in this game to control the Colts, except win. They ran the ball well throughout, controlled the clock, picked up first downs, and put points on the board. The only problem was that Peyton Manning was on the other side of the field putting on his own show. And you really have to like the way the Jaguars responded when they would score and the Colts answered. They didn’t get down but came right back at the Colts. But ultimately, they couldn’t get the job done.

The Colts have escaped some very close calls to compile their 14-0 record. Every week they seem to find a way to put nails in the coffin of their opponent and come out on top.

MVP: Peyton Manning, QB

Dallas Cowboys over New Orleans Saints, 24-17Dallas played their best game of the season to give the Saints their first loss. Seriously, this is the best I have seen Dallas play all year long, particularly Tony Romo and DeMarcus Ware. Unlike most Decembers, where the Cowboys come out and gag in big games, here they put together a very impressive performance on both sides of the ball.

Dallas’ offense line dominated the Saints defense. Guard Leonard Davis was an absolute beast clearing the path on runs and screen plays and in pass protection. On the other side of the ball this was the best game I have seen DeMarcus Ware play this year. He was in Drew Brees’ face all night and picked up a couple of sacks along the way. The pressure on Brees was pivotal in slowing down the Saints’ potent offensive attack.

Tony Romo also played an outstanding game. He was a much better decision maker in the pocket than he has been in most games this year and his calm demeanor in the face of a raucous crowd and a tough opponent was impressive.

While the Saints notched their first loss of the season, I am not buying into the punditry that there is something wrong with the Saints. They are still the team to beat in the playoffs in the NFC, and that won’t be an easy task for any team. They just lost a game against a good opponent playing their best football of the year.

MVP: DeMarcus Ware, LB

Atlanta Falcons over New York Jets, 10-7

Mark Sanchez’s three interceptions doomed the Jets to defeat in a game they mostly dominated. The Jets inability to put points on the board despite moving the ball well and the turnovers doomed them. The Jets really blew an opportunity to stay apace in the hunt for a playoff birth with Denver losing to Oakland and Miami losing to Tennessee.

Mark Sanchez is really playing like the rookie quarterback he is. His interceptions were bad ones and he, along with not having a true number one receiver, is really slowing this offense down. But Jets fans should not get too down on Sanchez. So far he’s handled this season and his mistakes with class. While he may be struggling, most rookie quarterbacks do, and I see enough in Sanchez to believe he will be a solid starter for this team for years to come if he avoids injury.

MVP: Brent Grimes, CB (two interceptions)

Baltimore Ravens over Chicago Bears, 31-7

This was one of three horrible games in a row I was subjected to this weekend. The Bears and Jay Cutler played so badly it was never even a contest. Cutler threw three more interceptions and his backup, Caleb Haine, pitched up another one.

The Bears must really be scratching their heads and lamenting all the draft picks and big contract they gave up for Jay Cutler who has had a miserable year. Yes, part of the problem is his receivers and a porous offensive line, but a lot of it is Cutler does not look like a good quarterback. He makes really poor decisions and is just simply awful. I seriously wonder if the disaster of this year doesn’t lead to a coaching and maybe front office changes for the Bears this year. It’s about time they went in a new direction.

There is not much to say about the Ravens. The Bears handed them this game on a silver platter and their playoff hopes are still alive.

MVP: Domonique Foxworth, CB (two interceptions)

Carolina Panthers over Minnesota Vikings, 26-7

The Vikings put up another very bad performance in the last month and one has to wonder what this team’s chances are in the playoffs based on their play of late. It’s as if they didn’t even show up for the game, especially the offensive line. Overall it was just a sorry performance all the way around for the Vikings. One of my favorite players, cornerback Antoine Winfield got chewed up by Steve Smith and the Vikings could do nothing on offense.

And the reported rift between Brett Favre and coach Brad Childress, if it’s as deep as reports indicated, bode very badly for this team.

Carolina, on the other hand, played an excellent game on both sides of the ball. They completely shut down the Vikings running game, and at the same time put pressure on Favre, sacking him four times, and pounding him frequently.

For Carolina, hasn’t it become very clear that quarterback Matt Moore should have been starting a long time ago? I wonder how badly Jake Delhomme is really hurt. I can’t imagine him being put back in, even when healthy. Matt Moore played a solid game, along with running back James Stewart and Steve Smith. To me, this was Smith’s most electric performance of the season, going against a solid Vikings defense. I wonder what the Panthers would look like today had Moore been starting all year instead of Delhomme?

MVP: Steve Smith, WR

New York Giants over Washington Redskins, 45-12

With the announcement this week of a new General Manager, Bruce Allen, and an even more clearly lame duck coach, the Washington Redskins simply did not show up for this game. It was an ugly, embarrassing performance. I really don’t have much more to say about the game. It was mostly a despicable, unprofessional display by the Redskins.

But I have to give some major props to two players that did show up: Jason Campbell and London Fletcher. Jason Campbell has earned my utmost respect this past season. He was getting pounded on by the Giants defensive line and his offensive linemen should be ashamed of themselves. When Zorn tried to take him out of the game in the second half after being a bit injured, he showed his true grit and manhood and insisted on going back in the game. London Fletcher, on defense, seemed to be the only person who showed up, but he didn’t have much help. As usual, the $100 million man, Albert Haynesworth, had some good plays, but spent most of his time on the sideline with a little tummy ache.

I hated watching this debacle. The Giants played well but the Redskins really didn’t put up a fight. It was sad to watch.

While plenty of Giants could get the most valuable player of the game award, the game started with Ahmad Bradshaw featured on offense and moving the chains. He was the key force to building up an early lead that ballooned when most of the Redskins’ players quit.

MVP: Ahmad Bradshaw, RB

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Offensive Player: James Harrison, RB, Cleveland Browns, (286 yards rushing, third highest in NFL history)
Defensive Player: DeMarcus Ware, LB, Dallas Cowboys
Offensive Lineman: Leonard Davis, G, Dallas Cowboys
Specials Teams: Joshua Cribbs, KR/WR, Cleveland Browns
Rookie of the Week: Louis Delmas, S, Detroit Lions

OBSERVATIONS

As of this writing, Chris Henry, wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals has passed away in an accident precipitated by a domestic dispute. He was 26 years old. He has had a history of problems and confrontations, which is unfortunately the only thing I know about him off the football field.

The theme of this week has to be big play by wide receivers. Huge days were turned in by:

Andre Johnson of Houston (11 catches, 193 yards, 2 touchdowns)
Brandon Marshall of Denver in a losing effort who set an NFL record for receptions in a game with 21 catches for 200 yards and two touchdowns.
DeSean Jackson of Philadelphia (6 catches, 178 yards, 1 touchdown), who also had a 72 yard punt return.

Great days were also turned in by Wes Welker (New England), Vincent Jackson (San Diego), Greg Camarillo (Miami), and Hakeem Nicks (New York Giants)

New England Patriots over Carolina Panthers, 20-10

Sloppy play, including two turnovers that resulted in points, kept this game close for the Panthers, but the Patriots ultimately prevailed. There seems to be a lot of turmoil with the Patriots. Randy Moss had a bad game and afterward, Carolina cornerback Chris Gamble called Moss a quitter. Moss sure played like he was sulking and seemed to be completely out of it. Not only did he look like he was quitting on routes (one which resulted in an interception), he fumbled the ball and jumped off sides. I am giving Moss the benefit of the doubt. Everyone has bad games.

Adelius Thomas, on the other hand, needs to shut up and play ball instead of being a punk. Derrick Burgess got sent home last week too and came out and had an excellent game. Of course since Thomas is sitting on a fat contract I guess he is sitting pretty and doesn’t have to play well and can be a malcontent.

As usual, Wes Welker had a monster game and brought it home. Why doesn’t anyone ever talk about Wes being a candidate for NFL MVP?

MVP: Wes Welker, WR

GAMES I WATCHED

Cleveland Browns over Pittsburgh Steelers, 13-6

How the mighty have fallen. Pittsburgh is all but out of the playoff race after losing to a third very bad team in as many weeks. I am shocked, frankly, at how the Steelers have seemed to just fall apart this year. Cleveland did play one of its best games defensively, but still, to see the Steelers not only make the Chiefs, Raiders, and Browns look like legitimate NFL teams, but actually lose to them, is just stunning.

Cleveland’s defensive coordinator Rob Ryan really brought the dogs after Big Ben, who was sacked eight times. And unlike many games, instead of Ben escaping and making a big play, the Browns slammed him to the turf. There was no escaping for Big Ben or the Steelers this night.

Despite the win, and that Cleveland played with some heart, I’m not convinced this will be a good team anytime soon.

MVP: Josh Cribbs, WR

Minnesota Vikings over Cincinnati Bengals, 30-10

I actually thought this would be a tight game given the Bengals running game and stout defense, but it just wasn’t to be. The Vikings played well on both sides of the ball but the defense really stepped it up a notch or two.

And those who say Jared Allen isn’t a defensive player of the year candidate because of his stats don’t watch football too much. This guy is double and triple teamed on many plays and as a result opens up the game for the rest of the defensive line. The only game I’ve seen Allen single handedly shut down was against the Arizona Cardinals.

Antoine Winfield returned after six weeks out and he returned with a vengeance. He was the real difference maker on defense. He is one of my favorite non-Patriots players in the league. This little guy comes up and blasts you. I wonder if wimpy players like Asante Samuel are embarrassed of themselves after watching Winfield lay the wood on people.

Meanwhile, Cincinnati more or less proved in this game they are in the middle of the pack with a group of average teams in the AFC.

MVP: Antoine Winfield, CB

San Diego Chargers over Dallas Cowboys, 20-17

I don’t like Dallas and like to see them lose, but not to San Diego. Dallas continues its December woes and could end up missing the playoffs again if they can’t string together some wins. They have the talent to win but seemingly not the moxie to get it together enough to put away the good teams.

And San Diego, unfortunately, to me is the real team to beat in the AFC. Once the playoffs start, the Colts disappear and San Diego has already proven they can beat the Colts in Indianapolis in the playoffs. They’ve done it before and if it happens this year, they’ll do it again. Philip Rivers is hot, Antonio Gates is rediscovering his form, and even LaDanian Tomlinson is getting into the act. Add to that one of the better receivers in the league in Vincent Jackson and a much improved defense, you have a solid foundation going into the playoffs. They could be scary. In fact, right now, I think they are Super Bowl bound. GAG!

MVP: Vincent Jackson, WR

Philadelphia Eagles over New York Giants, 45-38

This was a wild, crazy game with ups and downs for both teams. While I am a bit of a throwback who loves the lower scoring defensive struggles, this game was quite entertaining. Both defenses kept giving up huge plays, which kept the Giants in the game after getting down 14-0 early.

Philadelphia now looks to be in the driver’s seat in the NFC East with Dallas continuing their losing ways in December.

DeSean Jackson was the star of the day with six catches for a 178 yards and a touchdown, to go along with his 72 yard punt return for a touchdown. And even Michael Vick looked good with a few runs and a nice pass.

I think the Eagles, like the Colts, are likely to give it up in the playoffs. But they are not a team anyone should take lightly.

MVP: DeSean Jackson, WR

San Francisco 49′ers over Arizona Cardinals, 24-9

The Cardinals shit their pants against the 49′ers with seven turnovers. There’s not much more to say about why they lost this game. They started early with a fumble by Tim Hightower in the Red Zone , and the contagion continued the rest of the game. After looking like the Super Bowl team from a year ago against the Minnesota Vikings last week, on the road they just couldn’t hold onto the ball.

I feel sorry for the Arizona defense. Even though they gave up 167 yards to Frank Gore, they didn’t play that badly. They just found themselves constantly, and unexpectedly, back out on the field.

And while Frank Gore had a great game, it was the Cardinals’ turnovers that sealed the deal, so my MVP goes to free safety Dashon Goldson, who was instrumental in three of them. Also hats off to Patrick Willis who is one of the best, and some might argue the best, middle linebacker in the league this year.

MVP: Dashon Goldson, FS

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Offensive Player: Brandon Marshall, WR Denver (Who set NFL Record with 21 receptions in a game, (200 yards))
Defensive Player: Brian Orakpo, LB, Washington Redskins
Offensive Lineman: Kris Dielman, G, San Diego Chargers
Special Teams: DeSean Jackson, WR/KR, Philadelphia Eagles
Rookie of the Week: Brian Orakpo, LB, Washington Redskins

Wes Welker!!