The Sports Rumors

Little Things Go Along Way

Public perception.  Media saviness.  24/7 sports news coverage. 

We’re in 2008 people.  Every athlete knows how every action of theirs is watched, talked about, gossiped about, and written about.  Who you’re dating, your conflicts with teammates or coaches, what you say on the field, who you associate with off the field; all of this is public knowledge.  Bloggers like myself, millions of us, write about it every day.  Opinions are shaped and formed from all of these branches of media outlets. 

That being said, I have no doubt that Ladanian Tomlinson would give his heart and soul for his team.  I have no doubt that he is a tough player and he has the resume to back it up.  He has played through injury before, even when the games didn’t matter during the years of San Diego’s mediocrity.  I truly believe him when he says he thought he would be ready to go for the game, but simply couldn’t after the first two series.  I believe him. 

He is upset that people, such as Deion Sanders among other analysts, are questioning his heart and desire.  He is frustrated that people are looking at him as if he didn’t give it his all in the most important game of his career to date.  It doesn’t help that Philip Rivers is being touted for his bravery and passion by playing through his knee injury after having it scoped just days before.  I can understand his disappointment, but Tomlinson could have easily avoided it.  Easily. 

When you’re the star player of not just a team, but of the entire league as he is, you have to have understand that all eyes are on you.  Given that this was the AFC Championship game, even more eyes are on you.  If he didn’t want to be criticized for lacking heart, he should have shown some emotion on the sideline.  That’s what it comes down to.  Sitting on the bench, isolated from teammates for the majority of the game, having a big jacket on and wearing a helmet with a black tinted visor shows me and other viewers nothing.  You are being watched and judged based on your actions.  His actions the week before against Indianapolis included being caught on camera laughing on the sideline with a friend while the Chargers were down in the second half.  I’m not saying run around jumping up and down, because you can’t.  You have an injured knee.  However, standing near the coaches or talking to your offensive teammates between possessions shows that you are not only interested in the game, but trying to contribute the best you can.  If you can’t contribute physically, then contribute with your vast knowledge.  Tell Michael Turner what you’re seeing from the sideline, tell Rivers what kind of things you’re seeing from an angle that he can’t see, help your team the best you can.  By sitting on the bench and not communicating or showing interest and watching the game on the jumbotron, you’re showing that you don’t care.  I’m sure he does care, but what people see and hear on TV is what shapes their opinions about athletes. 

“Give it your all”.  How often do we hear that in sports?  Give it your best, your everything.  Well, I know that if I can’t contribute the way I normally do, I will find ways to try and help my team the best that I can.  Had LT taken off the helmet, put on a beanie, stood with his teammates and broken down what he saw or helped them with encouraging words, his character and passion would not have been questioned.  This would be a non story.  It needs to be pointed out that LT doesn’t owe anyone an explanation about how he was or wasn’t involved in the game.  However, if he’s going to be upset about how the media and fans are talking about him, he should take his actions, or lack thereof, into consideration.    

My opinion of Tomlinson has always been that he is an unselfish, team-first, genuine superstar that will go down as one of the best runningbacks who ever played.  But last Sunday, he was not a good teammate.  That’s my opinion, and my opinion is based on what I see. 

In sports, perception is reality. 

You Might Not Want to Read This if You’re a Dallas Fan

My intentions were to write this piece yesterday, but I obviously didn’t get around to doing so. I wanted to hit on a few topics and throw my valuable two cents out there, starting with this past weekend’s dvisional round of the playoffs.

The Patriots won’t, can’t, be stopped. The Jaguars put everything they had out there and Tom Brady responded by going a nearly perfect 26-28. I’m not going to harp on this too long and I’ll leave it at this; The Patriots are going to win the Super Bowl by double figures.

For all the love Ladanian Tomlinson gets for being a team player and being focused and devoted to the success of the team, he sure didn’t look like he was really interested in what was going on in the third quarter when he was seeing laughing and joking with a buddy on the sideline. I would have much rather seen him hanging around the coaches and watching the game with some interest. His team was losing at that point; it wasn’t like they were up 20.

While I’m on the topic of LT, I wanted to get another thing off my chest. Last year, he whined like a pansy about how the Patriots showed “no class” by dancing on the field after beating the Chargers. He went on to say that it was a reflection of their head coach. Well, LT, your team puts itself out there to be ridiculed and mocked the way they dance and celebrate after every god damned play, including yourself at times. Luis Castillo and Shaun Phillips go out of their way to do ridiculous, and unpleasant to the eye, dances. No one wants to see two fat asses dancing jiggling on the field after stopping a runningback for a one yard gain. And don’t get me started on Philip Rivers and the amount of trash talking he does considering he’s an average, at best, quarterback. If you’re going to go out there and dance and celebrate like idiots after every play, then don’t whine to the media when you get stomped by New England next week and they mock your absurd and unnecessary shows of celebration.

The legend of Brett Favre continues. I can sit here today and admit that I was 100% wrong in the offseason to say that he should have retired. I now have come around to agree that Brett should retire whenever he wants to. He has earned it. The level he has that young team playing at, along with himself, is nothing short of remarkable. I don’t think the game against the Giants next weekend will be close, despite the Giants amazing road record. I have the Packers winning by a landslide, only to go on to lose to the Patriots. But if there is anything I’ve learned this season, it’s that you never know with Brett Favre. I wouldn’t be shocked if he somehow pulled the miraculous upset. I really wouldn’t.

Now to “America’s Team”. For a second straight year, the Dallas Cowboys choked in the playoffs. It would take an entire page to cover all of the subplots associated with this team, so I’ll just hit on the main ones. Tony Romo brought this on himself. Yes, he has the right to do whatever it is that he wants to do in his free time. Yes, he’s a grown man who can choose to spend time with whomever he pleases. But there are times where you have to look at all of the possible outcomes of your actions when you are affecting as many people as he does. You have to realize that fans have invested millions of dollars all season long for tickets, merchandise and other things related to the Cowboys. You have coaches, players, an owner, that have all put years worth of work in to get to this point. Your team is in the best position to get to the Super Bowl. Now, that being said, you know that your team struggled its final month going into the playoffs. You know that there are things that you need to improve on in order to ensure a successful run. A trip to F’ing Mexico can wait! A trip with a celebrity girlfriend who notifies all the tabloid magazines about her whereabouts before she even reaches there, CAN WAIT. Spending time with Joe Simpson and the rest of the strange Simpson family, CAN WAIT. You have an obligation to a team and a city that is paying you millions of dollars to win in the playoffs, not just the regular season. Make a wise decision, especially knowing how last year ended, and spend your free time studying a little harder so that you don’t play as terrible as you did on Sunday in the most important game of your career up to this point. Using your free time to better yourself shows maturity and devotion. Well, Tony Romo dug his own grave and now he can go party the rest of the damn year with whoever he wants. You know what separates the great ones from the fads? Dedication 365 days a year. You can’t convince me that Tony Romo is as dedicated to the Cowboys as he should be in order for them to win a title, even if you cry in a press conference about it.

Which leads me to Terrell Owens. I saw right through that press conference and you should too. I’m not buying this, “that’s my quarterback, that’s my teammate” garbage. If this was Chad Johnson or Reggie Wayne or someone, then yes. But I’m supposed to believe the words of a guy who has publically humiliated every single quarterback that he has played with since becoming a star? I’m supposed to believe the guy who upset Jerry Rice, the best receiver to play the game, because he ran his mouth too much and showed no respect for anyone…not even Rice himself?! Now he’s crying for Tony Romo?! Get the hell out of here. If there is a master of publicity stunts in this world, it’s Terrell Owens. No one even brought up Romo at that point in the press conference. He wasn’t even mentioned! And Owens just goes into this highly emotional state of defending his quarterback?! Please. You should cry about how you had zero second half catches and couldn’t shake single coverage instead of shedding tears and defending your Joe Namath-wannabe quarterback who was partying in Mexico when he should have been partying with his playbook.

One more thing I wanted to throw out about TO that I just remembered. He was talking about “losing as a team” after having a bad game himself. Funny that when he had that hell of a performance in the Super Bowl in which he caught 9 catches for 100 plus yards and lost, he didn’t find that the Eagles lost as a team. He found it necessary to call out McNabb for being tired. You think if he had 10 catches for 145 yards and 2 TD’s against New York and the Cowboys lost, he would still say “we lost as a team” with tears streaming down his face? I think not. I know not.

NFL Divisional Playoff Previews

Seattle @ Green Bay (-7.5)

Lambeu Field.  January 12^th.  30 degrees with snow showers.  Playoff game.  Brett Favre. 

I should conclude my preview of this game by just pasting those 5 statements over and over, but I will elaborate for those who are not familiar with the point I’m trying to make.  Seattle is not going to go into Lambeu field with their non existent run offense and beat Brett Favre in a playoff game, especially while it is snowing.  You think Matt Hasslebeck is going to be able to throw all over that Green Bay secondary that features Charles Woodson and Al Harris?  I don’t.  You think Shaun Alexander and Co. will be able to muster up much of a run game at Green Bay, after they couldn’t do it against Washington in Seattle?  I don’t. 

There is no question that Seattle’s front four is impressive.  Patrick Kerney is a monster.  I’ll be honest; I didn’t think he was AS good as he looked against Washington last Saturday.  But let’s not forget that disrupting the game of Brett Favre is not the same thing as disrupting the game of Todd Collins, with all due respect.  Throw in the fact that Green Bay running back, Ryan Grant, has been as good as anyone in the league as of late, and you’re looking at a pretty big problem.  He has amassed 770 yards on 141 carries over the past eight games.  That comes to a 5.4 yards per carry average. 

I’ll put it as simple as I can.  Green Bay’s young defense (youngest in the league) will outplay Seattle’s old and talent lacking offense.  Seattle’s young defense will play well against Green Bay’s offense, but not well enough to hold them under 20 points.  I foresee Green Bay feeding off of the Packer faithful early, jumping ahead in the first quarter, and never looking back.

Final Score

Seattle 13

Green bay 24

Jacksonville @ New England (-13.5)

All week long, I have heard nothing but praise for Jacksonville and how they are the team that has what it takes to knock off the big bad wolf.  They have the dual running threat.  They have the quarterback that doesn’t make mistakes.  They have the front four that can put pressure on Brady and leave 7 others to congest the passing lanes.  People.  There is a reason Vegas has set them as 14 point underdogs. 

Everything that we have heard about how good Jacksonville is, the Patriots heard too.  Everything that we, in our coaching genius minds, have come up with to beat the Pats; the Patriots heard too.  All this water cooler talk, “Yeah Jim to beat the Patriots, the Jags will keep Brady and Moss off the field by running Taylor and Jones-Drew effectively and the Jax defense will get enough stops because that front four is going to harass Tom Brady.  Yep, this is the week the Pats fall.”

Bull.

The Patriots are going to win and they will win big; here’s why.  They will have an answer for the two headed monster that is Taylor & Jones-Drew just like Pittsburgh did.  Do you know how many yards the two of them got combined on the ground?  77.  Do you know WHY Jacksonville beat Pittsburgh on the road?  It wasn’t because of their formula for success.  It was because of a 96 yard kick return by Jones-Drew and two interceptions by Mathis.  THAT is why they won.  All of the things people have said the Jaguars will do against the Patriots is the same stuff they failed to do against the Steelers.  David Garrard, the mistake free quarterback, made mistakes.  He didn’t even complete 10 passes.  Think about that for a moment.  9 completions in 4 quarters means slightly more than 2 per 15 minutes.  The passing game failed.  The running game failed.  So now what makes you think that they will suddenly hit on all cylinders against New England?  Oh, and that front four of the Jaguars.  Yeah, they are pretty good.  But that defense gave up 29 points to Pittsburgh, most of them in the second half.  You know who is really good in the second half?  Tom F’ing Brady. 

All the angles we take and the studying we do as fans still fails to give us insight on what Belichick is going to do.  I couldn’t tell you with certainty if the Patriots are going to come out and run the ball 30 times with Maroney or if they’re going to pass 30 times in the first half with Brady.  You just, don’t, know.  What we do know is that Tom Brady can beat you in two styles of football.  He can beat you with the clock management, run the ball with a pass here and there type of game (see previous Patriot championships), or he can beat you with 5 guys spread out like it’s a video game. 

You know what element people forget to add to their formulas for beating the Patriots?  Luck.  You need to play your best game of the year on offense, your best game of the year on defense, avoid any mistakes on special teams, and then hope for some luck.  You need to hope that a ball slips out of Brady’s hands inside his own 20.  You need to hope that Randy Moss drops a wide open pass on 3^rd and 10.  You need to hope that one of your corners gets hold of a tipped ball and runs it back for a touchdown.  Basically, if you are Jacksonville, you need the 96 yard return of Jones-Drew and the two interceptions of Mathis, PLUS a great game from Garrard and the rest of the team to have an opportunity to win in the fourth quarter.

Problem is, Jacksonville might have spent all of their luck in the last game. 

Final Score

Jacksonville 17

New England 41

College Football Players…NFL Head Coaches… Money… Power…

Another busy day at work for me which means I don’t have much time to say too much (I don’t know if that’s for the better or worse). Regardless, here’s what’s on my mind.

Ryan Mallet, quarterback of Michigan, will be transferring out because new coach Rich Rodriguez runs a spread offense and his pocket style passing has no place in it. Consequently, Mallet will be ineligible to play for one year, while Rodriguez obviously won’t be. I don’t know if I can think of a scenario in sports right now that screams injustice and double standard more than the way college football players and college coaches are treated differently. I understand that the NCAA doesn’t want players hopping around from school to school as if they were in the NFL. But there has to be some middle ground. Off the top of my head, the easiest solution to this is for college players to be able to transfer out of a school if their current coach is replaced and not face a penalty of one year. So for Mallet’s example, he can transfer to wherever and be eligible to play right away because his previous coach, Lloyd Carr, was replaced. This current system of transfer penalties if you will is not fair and has to stop.

—

I can’t remember where I read it, I think it was in Sports Illustrated, but it was about some writer making the case for how it is unfair that college players are not paid for playing college football. The argument, as I’ve heard for years, is that they bring in so much money for the schools via bowl games and television contracts etc, that it is unfair that they don’t see a dime. Excuse me? Last I checked, the average college education for four years in a public institution costs somewhere in the ballpark of $80,000. That is instate mind you. So getting a full ride to a higher level education by playing a game in which they get PLENTY of other “unofficial” perks isn’t enough? B.S. College football players have it great, and I don’t care if they play for Duke or USC. A program paying for your entire education that will give you the fallback of having a plethora of jobs available to you when you graduate (assuming they aren’t going to the NFL) is more than enough compensation. And not to mention the fact that you are treated like a God even if you’re the third string offensive lineman. So enough with the “lets pay college athletes” crap.

—

If I hear one more person say either of the two statements, my head will literally pop off:

1. Bill Cowher said he’s not considering a return to the NFL until 2009. He said so.
2. Pete Carroll won’t leave USC for the NFL unless it’s on the west coast.

Let me address the first statement of idiocy. Really? Bill Cowher won’t listen if someone is dangling control of personnel decisions and $8-10 million? He’s going to pass that up to stay as an analyst with CBS? That’s funny because I remember the likes of Dennis Green, Marty Schottenheimer, Dick Vermiel, Joe Gibbs, and Bill Parcells (twice) saying that they were going to stay in the booth. Don’t be naïve and think that if becoming the highest paid coach with a good team would be something Cowher would pass up for the sake of remaining as an analyst.

The second ludicrous statement. Now that it is official that Pete Carroll is considering the Atlanta Falcons job, do you think that he wouldn’t listen hard if Washington (playoff team), Baltimore (a season removed from being 13-3) or other teams came calling? “I don’t see Pete Carroll leaving USC for anywhere but the west coast” to quote friend and site contributor Basil. Last I checked, Atlanta ain’t on the east coast buddy. Holding out for a west coast NFL job means that Carroll would wait for Seattle, San Diego, or the greatest job of all, Oakland. Yeah, so much for that theory. Carroll will jump at the first opportunity he gets if the right pieces are in place. What are the right pieces? Money and power. I previously thought that Carroll would also want a somewhat established team or at least a team with a tradition and history. I guess that flies out the window if he’s considering Atlanta; the worst job to take over in the league right now and a town with no football history/tradition. You have a head coaching vacancy, and you have power to offer with a lot of money to throw in, give Pete Carroll a call.

Gibbs Resigns; Replacement Candidates?

The Legend Retires

Some may say that Joe Gibbs tarnished his legacy by coming back for the past four years with the Washington Redskins after already being inducted into the hall of fame. Some may say that he lost his touch, wasn’t current or up to date with today’s game or today’s players. In my eyes, he didn’t tarnish his legacy; it would take a couple of Miami Dolphins-esque seasons for him to do that. There is no question that he made some mental errors with clock management over his four years. But there is no coach in the entire NFL, including Belichick and Dungy, that I would rather have coaching my team post Sean Taylor tragedy. Gibbs’ star player, his best player, was murdered in the middle of the season. The team was two games below .500 and managed to make the playoffs; and for a brief moment, looked like they’d win a playoff game. To me, the final 5 games of the season and playoffs summed up exactly why Joe Gibbs is a hall of fame coach. Ask anyone in that locker room if Joe Gibbs couldn’t “connect” with them. If he couldn’t, they wouldn’t have played their hearts out. If he couldn’t, Portis and Landry wouldn’t have looked so dejected after their season came to an end. Last I checked, Portis and Landry are young players.

I figured that Joe Gibbs wouldn’t be back if we lost in the first round because this season was just too fatiguing. It was fatiguing for me as a fan. Throw in the fact that Gibbs has some personal stresses of his own (Grandson fighting leukemia), and you can understand why the 67 year old found it necessary to take off from pro football for once and for all. I’m glad he came back. I got to watch an icon in Washington and for the NFL coach for four years, two of which he made the playoffs. I can now say that I watched the best coach in Washington Redskins football history coach his final game.

The Early Candidates

Obviously, this news of Gibbs resigning is very new but time doesn’t wait and football fans have already begun talking about possible replacements. So will I. I’m separating the coaches into two categories; in house and out of house. Simple enough to understand.

In-House

Gregg Williams: If the Redskins want to keep everything in place from this season heading into next, which isn’t a bad idea considering they were moving in the right direction, then Gregg Williams is the obvious choice. He’s been Gibbs’ second hand man throughout the tenure and has some head coaching experience of his own. He knows the players, the staff, and his defense is a good one. If the Redskins want the least disruption in this transition period, Williams is the clear cut choice.

Al Saunders: Though he was also part of Gibbs’ staff, he has little chance of becoming head coach. His offensive system has not done well and players were very against him at one point last season. I don’t think Snyder would have any confidence in Saunders being the head coach.

Out of House

Bill Cowher: The first choice for every team that needs a head coach. Cowher has made it clear that he doesn’t plan to coach for another year, but he has been listening to every team that has called so far. Dan Snyder is right there with Jerry Jones in being able to talk people into doing things. Everything Cowher would want, Snyder has. He would be granted power to bring in players that he wants, make the decisions that he wants, get paid handsomely, and throw in the fact that there is already a solid nucleus of young talent. The only job I can see Cowher considering more (if any at this point), would be Baltimore.

Pete Carroll: You ever play a video game that you keep beating, even when you’re not trying as hard? You know the feeling when things become just too damn easy? Well that’s Pete Carroll and USC. USC is so established and gets such great recruits that winning has become almost TOO easy for Carroll. You show me any other team in history that can be upset as big as Stanford upsetting USC was, and then still be in talks for a national title. That’s when you know that you need a new challenge. Pete Carroll has the itch to try and conquer the NFL; he has to. He’s a competitor and competitors want to be the very best at the highest of levels. He has made it clear that if he were to give the NFL another shot, it’d be with a good team, he’d have the power and he’d get paid. How often do you get a chance to take over a team with young talent, an owner who’s willing to make you the highest paid in the league while giving you GM powers, and take over a squad that just made the playoffs. This isn’t Atlanta, this isn’t Miami.

Brian Billick: I am surprised that I haven’t heard his name come up in any talks so far this morning about replacing Gibbs. Billick has a Super Bowl win on his resume and has quite a way of wowing people that he meets. He’s not the offensive “mastermind” that he was perceived to be, but he’s one of the best available coaches out there. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind making a transition to a team just across he beltway either.

Jason Garrett: I’m only including his name because people I’ve talked to seem to think that Washington would go after him.  I think there is ZERO percent chance Jerry Jones would let his coach-in-training go to Washington, of all places.

Perfect Pats, Red Hot Redskins, and Slumping Cowboys

What many believed could never happen in a 16 game season…happened. The New England Patriots went undefeated by holding off the pesky Giants in a 38-35 win, giving them their 19^th straight victory (one of their many NFL records) dating back to last season. Tom Brady broke Peyton Manning’s single season touchdown record with a touchdown pass to Randy Moss, who also broke an NFL record held by Jerry Rice for most touchdown catches in a season. The Patriots also broke the NFL record for most points scored in a season.

All the stats and records aside, it’s time for everyone to stop and recognize what the Patriots accomplished. For the next week at the very least, we shouldn’t talk about the “formula” for beating the Patriots. I heard week after week, people talking about how you can beat the Patriots and what works against them and so forth. Yes, Einstein, we know that if you sack Tom Brady and make him throw interceptions, you’re going to win the game. Yes, we understand that if you shut down Randy Moss, run and pass on the Pats effectively, and play well on special teams, you are going to win the game. It’s not a matter of “how” you can beat the Patriots. It’s a matter of IF. The Patriots have had the red bulls eye on their back since game one and nobody has brought them down. Give them their props. Stop with your scheming (unless you’re a playoff team). If you are a Baltimore fan, stop talking about how you almost beat the Pats. Almost doesn’t matter. If you are an Eagles fan, yes you had a great effort but great efforts don’t always translate to victories. Final scores do. So congratulations to New England and their fans. You accomplished a great feat and should be commended for it. I still hate you though and will continue to pray for your demise. Happy New Year.

I don’t want to brag… who am I kidding. I love to brag. Ask anyone that knows me. Back on a wintry December 18^th, I wrote an article. The article was titled “Overrated Vikings and NFC Playoff Predictions”. This was the week before the Redskins had to travel into Minnesota and play the red hot Vikings, who EVERYONE was penciling in for the sixth and final seed in the playoffs. “You definitely do not want to play Minnesota if you’re Seattle or Tampa Bay because this team is playing great right now and Tavaris Jackson is getting it done” said Mike Golic, repeating the sentiments of many others. I scoffed at the notion of Tavaris Jackson being anything better than a third string quarterback. He sucks, is basically what I believed.

Why is everyone suddenly hopping on Minnesota’s bandwagon? Because they’ve won 5 straight games, 4 of which are against teams with losing records? Tavaris Jackson is playing good? Really? 5 touchdown and 5 interceptions is good? Wow. I guess NFL quarterbacks really are that bad if Tavaris Jackson is suddenly considered “good”.

I’m sure there were many people who felt I was just being a Redskins fan and putting down the other team. I wasn’t. Tavaris Jackson really does suck. I also said the Vikings and Saints were overrated, overhyped, and on their way to missing the playoffs. I said the Skins would make it and even my closest friends laughed at my foolish predictions. In case you forgot, here’s what I said:

Here’s what’s going to happen. Minnesota is going to get beat at home by Washington, then go on the road and lose to Denver, putting them at 8-8. The Giants will go into Buffalo and win, then lose to New England, putting them at 10-6 and secure 5^th place in the playoffs. New Orleans is going to lose to Philadelphia, and then win at Chicago, putting them at 8-8. Washington will beat Minnesota and then beat Dallas in Washington, putting them at 9-7 and the final spot of the playoffs.

Okay so I thought New Orleans would beat Chicago. I was wrong on one of my seven predictions. Needless to say, I told you so. I went on to talk about how I thought the Skins would lose to the Seahawks in round one of the playoffs. Well, I definitely don’t feel that way anymore and will go into more detail about that later this week. I’ll leave you with one stat that you need to know. Seattle has beaten only one team all season with a record above .500. One team. And that was in week 1. We’ll talk Washington-Seattle, as well as the other matchups later this week though.

Dallas is in trouble. I’m telling you right now, Dallas is in trouble. You cannot go into the playoffs playing as badly as they are playing. They were supposed to play their starters a quarter against the Skins, with the hope that they’d score a touchdown and maybe a field goal, feel good about themselves and rest up for the playoffs. Well guess what. They got spanked. Their starters played well into the third quarter and got SPANKED. They came away with 1 rushing yard…for the entire game. They converted zero third downs. They had 27 points scored on them. Tony Romo had his third bad game in a row.

“Okay take it easy Shaun. You’re overplaying the Dallas Cowboys struggles a bit. They won 13 games for a reason. They’ll be fine in the playoffs.”

That might be so, but you can’t be feeling very confident if you have lost 2 out of your last 3 games after losing only one out of the first thirteen. You can’t be feeling very good if you’ve averaged 8 points a game for the past three weeks. You can’t be feeling very good if your superstar quarterback has thrown one touchdown and five interceptions in his last three outings. I’m not saying that the Cowboys are toast; I’m just saying that if the Redskins beat Seattle and come into Dallas riding a 5 game winning streak and the most confidence of anyone in the NFC, watch out. Watch out.

NFL Previews… For Games That Count

New England Patriots @ New York Giants:

We all know why this is an important game to watch. It has all the historical significance and yada yada yada. I heard somewhere that the Giants were looking to play their starters instead of resting them. I’m sure the sheer thought of Eli Manning suiting up for the game has sent shivers down Tom Brady’s spine and has caused Belichick to lose hours of sleep. The fact of the matter is this; it doesn’t matter if the Giants play their starters or not. The Patriots are going to win, and they are going to win big. Tom Brady is going to throw for three, maybe four touchdowns and surpass Peyton Manning for the single season record. Randy Moss will be on the receiving end of two, maybe even three of those touchdown passes as he surpasses Jerry Rice for the single season record (though it should be pointed out that Rice did it in a strike shortened 12 games). I wouldn’t change my plans to watch this game on a Saturday night, but would try and catch the final minute or so and see the celebration, if there even is one, by the Patriots players upon reaching 16-0. Why would I watch this? To give me more fuel to add to the fire of hate that I have for them.

Prediction: Pats 38 Giants 13

Appeal: 3 out of 5

New Orleans Saints @ Chicago Bears:

This is the end of the line for the Saints. They have to win in Chicago, where it looks to be another miserable winter Sunday. If they lose, their season is over. If they win, they have to pray for a miracle in that the Vikings and Redskins both lose. I don’t feel bad for the Saints. They could have been in the driver’s seat had they handled their business against an already eliminated team (Eagles) last week. Now they pray for a miracle.

Prediction: Saints 14 Bears 20

Appeal: 2 out of 5

San Francisco 49ers at Cleveland Browns:

The Browns are in the same boat as the Saints. They had their chance to go take care of business and be in the driver’s seat. Instead, they lose and now have to win, which they probably will, but also hope that the Titans lose to the Colts. That is unlikely because Manning and the rest of the starters won’t play more than a series or two. Cleveland had a hell of a run and it was a great season for that franchise and city. It’s too bad that they will end up 10-6 and miss out on the playoffs.

Prediction: Niners 9 Browns 27

Appeal: 2 out of 5

Minnesota Vikings @ Denver Broncos:

I feel like I keep repeating myself but a lesson should be learned here. Handle your business when you are supposed to and you won’t have to win and get help to make the playoffs. The Vikings let the Redskins come in and bully them in their own building. Had they won, they were locked into the playoffs. But they didn’t. And now they have to go to mile high in the last week of December, win a game, and hope that the Redskins can beat Dallas’ bench. Not looking good. The Vikings should regain their running game against the Broncos but will likely miss the playoffs. They have no one to blame but themselves.

Prediction: Vikings 17 Broncos 7

Appeal: 3 out of 5

Dallas Cowboys @ Washington Redskins:

The Redskins should send thank you cards to everyone who works for the Chicago Bears organization. By beating Green Bay last week, the Bears gave Dallas homefield throughout the playoffs. This is important because…? Because now the Cowboys have absolutely nothing to play for, and the Redskins have everything to play for. It’s a win-and-you’re-in situation for the Redskins and they should be thankful as any that the Cowboys won’t have their best guys on that field, otherwise things could get scary. Romo will likely not play at all, and Terrell Owens has already been counted out. I wouldn’t get TOO cocky if I’m the Redskins because you still have to go out there and execute, and it is Dallas afterall. But things can’t be much better right now for Washington.

Prediction: Cowboys 10 Redskins 24

Appeal: 2 out of 5

Tennessee Titans @ Indianapolis Colts:

The Titans are fortunate, just like the Redskins, that their division rival will be resting their starters. Just like the Skins, it’s a win-and-you’re-in situation for the Titans and all signs point to that happening. Manning will play a series or two at best and the Titans shouldn’t have much difficulty winning this one as they head into the playoffs.

Prediction: Titans 28 Colts 13

Appeal: 2 out of 5

NFL Week 16 Spread Picks

 Capital letters indicate who I like versus the spread.  Bold indicates who I think will win the game.
CLEVELAND -3 @ Cincinnati

GREEN BAY -8 @ Chicago

Houston @ INDIANAPOLIS -7

Kansas City @ DETROIT -5.5

MIAMI +22 @ New England

New York Giants @ BUFFALO +2.5

OAKLAND +13.5 @ Jacksonville 

PHILADELPHIA +3 @ New Orleans

WASHINGTON +6 @ Minnesota

Atlanta @ ARIZONA -10.5

Baltimore @ SEATTLE -11

NEW YORK JETS +9 @ Tennnessee

Tampa Bay @ SAN FRANCISCO +6

Denver @ SAN DIEGO -8.5 

Coughlin Coaching for His Job?

Word out of New York is that Tom Coughlin’s noose is tighter than ever.  I know what you’re thinking.  Every single year, every head coach in New York faces the threat of being fired, but it rarely happens (See: Isiah Thomas).  However, I am really buying into this Coughlin rumor for a number of reasons.  Once again, the New York Giants have begun collapsing in the second half of the season.  They sit at 9-5, and face the very real possibility of ending up 9-7.  Even if they win one of their last two and hold the fifth seed of the playoffs, it would take more than just a wild card win to keep Coughlin in town.  Why?

There is a growing sentiment that Eli Manning hasn’t matured into the quarterback he was expected to because of Coughlin’s coaching style.  The playbook isn’t open enough to give Eli the freedom to make his own decisions and fully utilize talents like Plaxico Burress and Jeremey Shockey.

The team would be much more willing to part ways with Coughlin than to admit that they made the wrong choice in taking Eli.  The coming weeks will not only determine the Giants’ 2007 season, but quite possibly the direction of the organization for years to come. 

Owens to Jessica Simpson: Stay Away

Terrell Owens has gone on the record about how he feels about Jessica Simpson, and he didn’t hold back.

“Right now, Jessica Simpson is not a fan favorite — in this locker room or in Texas Stadium,” Owens said Wednesday.

“With everything that has happened, obviously with the way Tony played and the comparison between her and Carrie Underwood, I think a lot of people feel she has taken his focus away, other than that, she was high on my list until last week.

“Oh, I got a message for her when we make the playoffs. Just stay tuned,” he added. 

Not a Terrell Owens fan myself, but I’m glad he said what was on everyone’s mind.  It’ll be interesting to find out how Romo reacts to these comments, but they are true.  It’s simple…keep people who know nothing about football out of Texas Stadium; or any stadium for that matter.